A highly-rated tapas restaurant in Strandhill, Sligo, known for its vibrant atmosphere, friendly staff, and globally inspired small plates, as highlighted in a recent review.
Shane Meehan is an Irish chef and owner of the Stoked restaurants, known for his innovative 'World Cuisine Tapas'. He initially established Stoked in Strandhill, which became a local favorite, and later expanded with...
Stoked (Strandhill) is a vibrant tapas restaurant located above the famous Strand bar in Strandhill, County Sligo, along Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way. It offers a relaxed, surf-style atmosphere with surfboards adorning the walls. The owner and main chef travels globally each year to draw inspiration for the menu, which features bold flavors and shared plates, blending Basque, Portuguese, Mediterranean, Southeast Asian, and South American influences.
Customers consistently praise Stoked for its exceptional food quality, describing it as a 'top end of food experience' with tantalizing tapas packed with flavor. The staff are noted as amazing, friendly, and helpful, contributing to a great atmosphere. Many consider it one of the best places to eat in the Sligo area, with a unique menu that keeps locals and tourists returning. The restaurant is also highly accommodating for events, as evidenced by a successful wedding reception.
Additional Details
The restaurant is known for its sharing-style tapas plates. There are plans for a new Stoked restaurant to open in Bundoran. Mary, Shane's mother, is also mentioned as a lovely presence at the restaurant.
While specific peak times are not mentioned, the restaurant is a popular spot for locals and tourists alike, suggesting it can be busy during standard dining hours, especially evenings and weekends. It's recommended to inquire about specials, as they are often a highlight.
4
We visited Stoked in Strandhill as a party of three, having made our reservation weeks in advance. The atmosphere was vibrant and welcoming, and we really enjoyed our drinks and the overall dining experience. The elderflower cocktail was delicious!
We ordered a variety of dishes to share. The pan‑seared John Dory with a creamy sauce was a recommendation from our waitress, but the apple note didn’t quite work for us and the cream was a bit overpowering, so the delicate flavour of the fish got somewhat lost. The Garlic Shrimp had great flavour, though the baguette slices were tiny and not very filling. The Szechuan Aubergine was nicely seasoned with a good kick, and the Korean Cauliflower was the standout of the night. We also enjoyed the Mixed Greens and the Crispy Baby Squid, which were also great.
We actually forgot to take photos of a few dishes because we started eating right away, which says something about how tempting everything looked when it arrived.
While we appreciated the creativity and quality of the food, the pricing felt quite high for the portion sizes. The idea of sharing multiple small plates is great, but the value doesn’t fully match the value, especially when ordering several dishes.
Been going to stoked for the last 6 or so years and it never fails to deliver.
Great spot for trying dishes as they are mostly tapas style unless otherwise stated as big plates.
Never left feeling unsatisfied and the food is always so fresh tasting.
Recommendations:
Any form of Bao is always a good shout!
Try the cauliflower wings (even if you’re not a fan of cauliflower they would change your mind)
Simple side dish such as Mixed Greens is even super flavourful
Check out the specials board too!
I had the most beautiful dining experience, the staff was amazing and very helpful. We had the cauliflower wings , Mexican BBQ ribs, the cod which where all 100/10, it was worth every cent. I would highly recommend Stoked as l will definitely be going back. Cherry ontop we met the Lovely Mary , Shane’s mom, very lovely woman.
Hidden away in Strand bar. Have to go through the pub and take stairs. Not to confuse with pub’s own restaurant downstairs.
We got there when it opened so it wasn’t busy but some groups of people already sat down so I could sense it’s going to get busy later at peak time.
Highlights were Prawn bao from regular menu and lamb ribs which was the special on that day.
Crab meat sushi rolls were really nice too.
We also got scallops. Unfortunately, some of scallops were unevenly cooked. The piece I had was perfectly cooked but the others were one raw, one well cooked. Creamy puree on the side of scallops was quite rich especially because the dish got served at the last.
The staff explained how dishes get served “whenever it gets ready which is tapas style”. We agreed to it as we didn’t have any preference how dishes get served so we let the kitchen do the magic but I wish it could have been better designed other way to enjoy - have sushi, bao, scallops first and then lamb later as the main.
Also, majority of staffs were really attentive and go over the menu one by one and explain with details which was really great to know what we want to order.
However, the french/spanish looking male staff had some attitude throughout the service. From the beginning, he wouldn’t greet us, tossed the menu without explaining which led other staff to come back and explain instead, no acknowledgement when we order, served the dish by sliding on the table and just calling out the name plainly and walking away.
I felt uncomfortable getting attention from him or even talking to him. So, ended up waiting for other staff to come over.
Observed that the same staff’s doing the same for other customers and not bothered working in hospitality environment which makes me rate down although other staffs were doing well in their job.
Reading over some reviews, I feel like food quality is kept high when it’s not too busy but there’s definitely room to grow and hope they take some feedbacks so that it remains as great addition to Strandhill and keep people to come back.
We ordered five dishes, the Szechuan aubergine was the winner, genuinely well done. The garlic shrimp was decent. Everything else missed. The sushi crab was an abomination, mushy rice that definitely wasn't sushi rice and the nori wouldn't stick to it. The Mexican pork ribs had a really strong porky smell and the sauce was trying to be sweet and sticky but not fully sweet. The steak au poirve itself was cooked well but the fries were way too salty to eat.
Strandhill doesn't have many restaurants so I get why people rate it highly. But if you plan on going skip the sushi, order the aubergine, and keep expectations low.
