Walk-ins welcome: 20 pubs and restaurants in Cork City you don’t need to book in advance

The new multi-coloured canopy of parasols that have been installed on Prince's St to support outdoor dining. Picture: Michael O'Sullivan /OSM PHOTO
Serving breakfast, dinner and desserts all week. Open until 10pm Friday and Saturday, closed Sunday.
Have drinks and food from Lafayettes from 8am to 5pm on the parklet on South Mall or dine alfresco from 5pm to 10pm.
Electric has tables available Wednesday to Saturday for food and cocktails. Open 3pm to 11.30pm, closed Sunday to Tuesday.
For their outdoor dining, Paradiso has an all-day casual menu harking back to ‘cafe’ Paradiso classic lunch dishes, then morphing into a wine bar from 5pm.
Walk-ins welcome all day, with table bookings after 5pm.
Tables are available for spur-of-the-moment walk-up customers each evening.
A walk-in area is set up on the boardwalk, and customers are told to simply walk up to grab a table.
Fancy some Asian food and cocktails? Walk-ins are accepted on Kotos outdoor terrace.
Delivering a full Irish breakfast beloved of many Corkonians, diners at Tony’s Bistro need not book ahead.
Open from 12pm to 11.30pm, walk-ins are the only kind of customers at Thompson’s on MacCurtain Street.
Walk-ins are accepted at Impala on Paradise Place, with tables out the back as well as in the extra space out front too.
No bookings needed at Cork’s oldest pub for drinks, takeaway drinks, teas and coffee.
One of Cork’s newest beer gardens is operating a walk-in-only system on Oliver Plunkett Street.
If the Port of Cork is still your go-to for a tipple, you can rock up to the Idle Hour without a reservation.
While the rooftop venue needs to be booked (and is booked up for every Saturday this month), Clancy’s seating on Princes Street is first come, first served.
On Washington Street, Dwyers will have some tables available every day for walk-in customers.
The Woolshed has outdoor pods with TVs and will be keeping some tables for walk-ins but if you’re hoping to catch a match, you might want to book now.
If you fancy a pint on a sunny Sunday (or any other day), the old Oak is open to walks in.
Walk-ins are available for SoHo’s street seating areas, though its garden terrace on the second floor is reservation-only.
This Barrack Street favourite is taking booking but will accept walk-ins if a table is available.