The Purple Onion
Originally a standard public house with low ceilings, this Shannon-side resting place on the main street of a tiny village to the west of Longford Town has been transformed into a gourmet's delight—a special gastropub, bustling with locals and tourists alike. Specialties include Thornhill duck, baked sea bream, and renowned John Stone steaks from an artisanal butcher specializing in Irish grass-fed beef. Potatoes and vegetables are abundant and even served al dente. The good-value early-bird menu stretches from Tuesday to Thursday 5 to 9:15 pm, Friday and Saturday 5:30 to 7 pm, and Sunday 4 to 6 pm (when the restaurant is also open for lunch). It's worth leaving space for the Toblerone cheesecake, which has become the sweet talk of Longford and has been a fixture on the dessert menu since 2000. An upstairs gallery has work by some of the finest and best-known Irish artists, including Paul Henry, Graham Knuttel, and Kenneth Webb, the latter noted for his expressionistic, thickly painted landscapes of Connemara.
