West End - Pubs
Monroe’s Tavern: Iconic huge pub/venue near Galway Bay. Monroe’s has a downstairs with music and an upstairs music venue, downstairs is free, upstairs there can be a charge for the music. There is a Folk Festival the first week in June. On Fridays at 4:30, they close off the street and put tables outside and people order pizza and listen to the trad musicians, who play at the table beside the big window.
The Crane Bar may be the most famous music pub in Galway, it’s small with a downstairs and upstairs, the music is upstairs, usually free, sometimes costs, sometimes they have storytellers as well. Get there early to get a seat upstairs. Very Irishy pub. Many people will tell you to go to the Crane for Irish music, but to me it’s overcrowded, usually with lots of tourists. Sometimes I’ve been there and the talking is so loud you can’t hear the music, which really bugs me. So I think it’s overrated (yeah that’s blasphemy!).
A great music venue, Roisin Dubh, is near Monroe’s. Rarely anything free there, but they have music, and comedy as well. There is a place called Taylor’s Bar beside Roisin Dubh and you will often hear loud crowds singing to songs there.
Carroll’s Bar is on Dominick Street on the way from the West End to downtown, good craic there sometimes, share a table with someone. On Sunday nights it’s not busy but they usually have trad music there. They may have jazz in the back Sundays as well. It’s one of our favorite places because it is close and more locals are there. There is food and an open area in the back, and many younger people flock to that area.
Cooke’s Thatch Bar is a pub away from the busy West End, but close, about a two minute walk from Hooked on Newcastle Road. Never too busy, it is a bar for locals, many fewer tourists. They closed last year and opened back up this year, so I’m not sure what is different, according to Google reviews it’s a really cool place now. Guess I will find out in a month! It used to be that Wednesday nights about 9pm they have trad music. The pub has a thatched roof so it’s good for a photo.
Drago Wine Bar – Newer, never been, but gets good reviews
The Salt House – Cool craft beer pub, no Guinness there. Lots of hanging outside with friends near the canal. Music sometimes but that’s not the purpose. Big place for the locals.
West End - Food
Hooked Restaurant – Excellent seafood restaurant on Henry Street. Not that expensive compared to some. Love the fish or seafood chowders in many of these pubs and restaurants, served with a piece of brown bread and butter, mmm good. Many places the chowder is mostly seafood. Only open for lunch on the weekends. If it’s still open, Ali’s Fish Market beside Hooked, is a great place for fresh seafood.
The Universal – Limited menu, but good at what they do, and very good cocktails if you just want a drink. We are friends with the owner, Conor, he loves banter with Americans, go see him, tell him you know us. One of my wife’s small art pieces is behind the bar.
Oscar’s Seafood Bistro is very close to Donegan Court, very good food, a bit more expensive so we usually don’t go there since it is not open for lunch.
Kai is one of Galway’s most well respected restaurants, excellent food, more expensive. Don’t take reservations for lunch but they do for dinner. For lunch you will have to wait or go very early, that’s when we usually go. Can’t go wrong with Kai.
Gourmet Tart is a chain shop down the block towards Galway Bay from Monroe’s. There’s a Centra convenient store there, Gourmet Tart is in the back. Breakfast pastries and goodies, lunch salads, coffee, croissants, etc. (Btw, there is a liquor/beer store beside the Gourmet Tart!).
The Urban Grind – Good breakfast, has coffee that I’m sure people like.
Other restaurants we’ve enjoyed are Dela for their brunch, Deli La Tosca, tapas, Handsome for burgers, Il Vocolo for Italian and John Keogh’s, pub food.