Restaurant in Rosslare, Ireland
Smoke-led cooking that earns the detour.
Chris Fullam's smoke-led cooking at The Sea Rooms inside Kelly's Resort Hotel has made it the most serious restaurant destination in Co. Wexford. The technically controlled use of a Smokin' Soul rig produces precise, layered dishes that earn comparison with Ireland's leading regional kitchens. Booking is currently easy, but summer weekends fill quickly as the county's dining reputation grows.
If you've already eaten once at The Sea Rooms inside Kelly's Resort Hotel in Rosslare and you're weighing whether to go back, the short answer is yes. Chef Chris Fullam's smoke-led cooking has drawn serious critical attention to Co. Wexford, and the restaurant sits in a different tier from most coastal hotel dining in the southeast of Ireland. The cooking here is technically controlled and ingredient-focused in a way that earns comparison with destination restaurants well beyond the county.
For context: Campagne in Kilkenny has long been the reference point for serious cooking in the southeast, but The Sea Rooms is now in that conversation. If you've been to dede in Baltimore or Chestnut in Ballydehob and you're building a trip around destination cooking in coastal Ireland, Rosslare belongs on that list.
Fullam works with a Smokin' Soul rig, and smoke is the dominant sensory register of the kitchen. The approach is not blunt: the scent that comes off dishes is integrated rather than overwhelming. Lightly smoked cod paired with hay-smoked cauliflower has been noted specifically for its restraint, with critics pointing to the control of the smoke medium as the defining technical achievement. This is cooking where every layer of aroma has been considered. That kind of precision is what separates The Sea Rooms from novelty smoke-cooking and puts it closer to the level of Liath in Blackrock or Aniar in Galway in terms of ambition and control.
Desserts from David Harte have also drawn attention in their own right, which matters if you're someone who judges a tasting menu by how it finishes. The wine selection, as expected from Kelly's Resort Hotel, is serious, with good depth across the list.
On the question of whether the food travels: The Sea Rooms is not a takeaway proposition. The smoke-and-ember format is inherently a kitchen-and-table experience. The aroma, the temperature, the precise calibration of each dish is the point. If you're thinking about this as a room you eat in rather than a kitchen you order from, that's the right framing. Plan to be there.
If your first visit was a general sampling of the menu, return with the cooking technique in mind rather than just the dishes. Fullam's use of smoke operates on a spectrum from assertive to barely-there, and tracking that range across a meal rewards attention. Ask about what's running on the ember side versus the lighter smoked preparations. The hay-smoked vegetable work has been the most discussed element in coverage, but the full scope of the menu is worth exploring beyond that signature approach.
Wine pairing here carries more weight than at most hotel restaurants given the quality of the list, so if you went without a pairing last time, consider it on the next visit.
The Sea Rooms operates within Kelly's Resort Hotel, which gives it a built-in guest base alongside destination diners. Booking difficulty is rated Easy, meaning you are unlikely to face the multi-week waits common at Liath or Terre in Castlemartyr. That said, peak summer weekends in Wexford fill quickly as the county's profile rises, so booking two to three weeks ahead for Friday and Saturday evenings is a sensible approach from June through August. Off-season and midweek availability is considerably more open. Rosslare is a drive destination for most diners, so combining the meal with a stay at Kelly's removes the timing pressure entirely.
For more on eating in the area, see our full Rosslare restaurants guide. If you're building a full trip, our Rosslare hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide cover the wider picture.
| Venue | Location | Price Tier | Booking Difficulty | Leading For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Sea Rooms | Rosslare, Co. Wexford | Not listed | Easy | Destination cooking in coastal Ireland; smoke-led technique |
| Campagne, Kilkenny | Kilkenny | €€€€ | Moderate | Classic French-Irish; long-established benchmark |
| Bastion, Kinsale | Kinsale, Co. Cork | €€€€ | Moderate | Progressive cooking in a small-town format |
| Homestead Cottage, Doolin | Doolin, Co. Clare | Not listed | Easy | Casual coastal dining; lower commitment |
| The Morrison Room, Maynooth | Maynooth, Co. Kildare | Not listed | Easy | Hotel dining with serious kitchen; closer to Dublin |
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Sea Rooms | There is suddenly a lot happening in Co Wexford and with hindsight we will be able to say that Chris Fullam’s cooking in the Sea Rooms was one of the sparks that set the county alight. Working with a Smokin’ Soul rig, he uses smoke and embers to give his dishes a mantilla of flavours that drives the organoleptic heft of his ingredients to new heights. The subtlety of lightly smoked cod with hay-smoked cauliflower shows Fullam playing diminuendo with his volatile smoky flavours, and the control of his medium here is outstanding: everything just right, nothing out of balance. That control extends to everything on the menu, so puddings by David Harte are a blast. As you would expect from Kelly’s Resort Hotel, service and style are matched by a great selection of wines. No stoppin’ Wexford right now. | — | |
| Patrick Guilbaud | Michelin 2 Star | €€€€ | — |
| Bastible | Michelin 1 Star | €€€€ | — |
| Bastion | Michelin 1 Star | €€€€ | — |
| LIGИUM | Michelin 1 Star | €€€€ | — |
| Host | €€ | — |
Comparing your options in Rosslare for this tier.
Smoke is the organising principle of Chris Fullam's kitchen, and the cooking is more controlled than theatrical — expect nuance rather than campfire intensity. The restaurant sits inside Kelly's Resort Hotel in Rosslare, so the service standard is resort-calibre with a strong wine list to match. Come prepared for a set dining experience rather than a casual drop-in. The editorial record credits Fullam with helping ignite the current Wexford food scene, which gives this a destination-dining weight beyond the postcode.
The Sea Rooms operates within Kelly's Resort Hotel, which has the infrastructure to handle group bookings more comfortably than a standalone restaurant. For larger parties, check the venue's official channels to confirm room configuration and menu options. Groups coming specifically for Fullam's cooking should be aware the menu is technique-led, so shared-plate or group-set formats work better here than individual ordering free-for-alls.
Within the immediate Rosslare area, direct comparisons are thin — The Sea Rooms is the destination-dining option in this part of Co Wexford. For a broader Wexford county comparison, the current food scene has several rising names, but Fullam's fire-cooking approach is specific enough that there is no obvious local substitute. If you want smoke-led fine dining and cannot get a table, Dublin options like Bastible offer fire-influenced cooking at a comparable ambition level.
No specific dietary policy is documented for The Sea Rooms, but as part of Kelly's Resort Hotel, the kitchen has the scale to accommodate common requirements. Contact the hotel in advance to flag restrictions — a technique-forward menu built around smoke and embers can be harder to adapt than a conventional à la carte, so advance notice matters more here than at most restaurants.
Yes, with the right expectations. The combination of Fullam's cooking, Kelly's Resort Hotel service standards, and a considered wine list makes this a credible special-occasion destination. It suits couples or small groups who want a dinner that feels considered rather than just expensive. If the occasion calls for guaranteed privacy or a private dining room, confirm availability with the hotel before booking.
Book as early as possible, particularly for weekends and summer months when the resort and surrounding Wexford area draw significant visitor numbers. The Sea Rooms has an editorial profile that pulls destination diners beyond the hotel's resident guest base, which tightens availability. A minimum of two to three weeks ahead is a sensible baseline outside peak season; during July and August, further out is safer.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
