One thing that Ireland certainly isn't renowned for is its cuisine.

For beer, golf, and many other things, we're world leaders, but we never have claimed to –nor have we had– the gastronomical wizardry of the French, for example.

That said, though, it would be unfair to say that there isn't a way to eat Irish. Who who's ever lived in Ireland could honestly say that the Full Irish doesn't rank among the world's greatest of gastronomical masterpieces alongside other cultural megaliths like the Indian chicken curry or the Italian pizza?

For this and many other gluttonous reasons I set out in search of where to eat Irish in New York City.

Downtown

Ulysses Folk House

Located way downtown on 95 Pearl St, this is one of the most authentic Irish eateries in the city. Its food resembles a slightly upscale Irish restaurant. Starters include a smoked salmon platter (an Irish must-have, particularly in coastal towns) and stuffed mushrooms. And although much of the entree and main course menu is generic Western food, where other than a true Irish restaurant would even consider serving Guinness ice-cream? Click here for their website.

Molly's Shebeen

Molly's Shebeen is located on 23rd Street and is one of the most traditionally Irish looking buildings in the city, a little dainty cottage that could have been uprooted from any one of the island's 32 counties. It's been heavily lauded with praise by New York's press. "The most authentic Irish bar in the city" said Gotham Magazine, while the New York Post called it New York's "finest Irish pub". Lamb stew, shepherd's pie, cabbage and potatoes, it doesn't really get much more Irish than this. Also, despite the great food, prices are fairly reasonable, and expect to be poured a mean pint of Guinness while you're enjoying it.

Rosie O'Grady's

Famous Irish establishment Rosie O'Grady's have two locations in the city: one at 52nd and 7th and another at Broadway and 46th. Both outlets offer the kind of wholesome food and drink that Ireland's food is traditionally associated with. All the menus are posted on their website. Click here for their website.

Midtown

Fitzpatrick Manhattan Hotel

Working chronologically, you're first concern would be where to get an 'Irish breakfast' in the city. While there is, of course, the Full Irish, other things such as oatmeal (called "porridge" back in Ireland) would be just as important. The first choice, in fact one of the only, is the Fitzpatrick Manhattan Hotel which is on Lexington Avenue between 56th and 57th streets. The best thing is that they serve the breakfast all day long so there's none of that "Sorry, we stopped serving breakfast at 05:30am" business that seems to be increasing in regularity. Their breakfast is so good, in fact, that even the New York Times have written about it.

The food, of course, continues into the day, and the 91 room boutique hotels offers its guests and members of the public everything they could gastronomically need for a satisfying Irish meal in the heart of midtown Manhattan.Click here for their website

Uptown

Kinsale Tavern

Uptown you're next bet could the Kinsale Tavern which is located off 3rd Avenue between 93rd and 94th streets. They've done a nice job in taking the kinsale dot com domain name, presumably bemusing some tourists looking for the County Cork seaside resort (which is at the dot ie equivalent for your information), and do an equally great job at serving some fantastic authentic Irish breakfasts, which the joint is renowned for.

Moving once more towards lunchtime and dinner, the place offers the kind of wholesome Irish food that you'd probably find just as easily in the real town of Kinsale several thousand miles across the ocean. Shepherd's Pie, proudly called "a Kinsale tradition" on the menu, is a must-have, while their fish and chips are also usually fresh. Then there's the mixed grill and Irish sausages which are staples of the greasy Irish diet. It goes without saying, of course, that all these places offer a full selection of alcoholic beverages, so that you needn't go one meal without imbibing some of Ireland's more famous drinks.

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