We dined here twice while staying in Ballyvaughan County Clare and there isn't a day that goes by…read morethat I don't miss it. Atmosphere: They have a nice small parking lot in back that they share with the hotel that this restaurant is connected to. The inside has ample booth and table seating and it is so cozy. The lighting is super fun and the place is just spotless and has a nice little host/waiting area. Service: Friendly and just truly wonderful staff, such a warm and inviting group of people. They made the experience just a treat. Food: Best seafood chowder we had the entire time in Ireland, so fresh and balanced, it really celebrated the ingredients and the bread was just phenomenal. The fish and chips here were just fantastic, the veg was cooked perfectly. I can't think of a single flaw about the food here, it was exceptional. I could gush about this place for ages, and when people asked me about the food in Ireland, I ALWAYS mention this place. My husband and I are planning on visiting Ireland for our 5 year wedding anniversary, and this place is at the top of my list to come back to, until then Wildflower!

My husband had the chief's chicken with black pudding stuffing and he loved it! I had the Caesar…read moresalad with chicken and bacon. The chicken was great, but the salad had too much dressing for me. Service was good! Loved the music-modern, not Irish. Then had the brownie for desert. Was warm with vanilla ice cream. Good old fashion US brownie! Yum!

I created a Yelp account specifically to give this place a 1 star review. They have a bar attached…read moreto a restaurant. They have bar food at the bar and dinner food in the restaurant. They are literally connected via an open doorway, but you can't order bar food in the restaurant or vice-versa. This makes it two completely separate restaurants with a tiny (~10 item) menu in each, e.g. you can't order a burger if you're in the dining room or the chicken if you're in the bar; I asked and they explicitly said no. Since my companion wanted the chicken, we got ourselves seated in the restaurant; it was 630pm. There was one other party on the whole place and they'd already gotten their food. We got menus as we were seated and then it was 10 minutes before they showed up to take a drink order or any employee passed through the dining room at all. Since I couldn't order bar food, I ordered the soup: leek and potato. Supposedly. I didn't see a single piece of potato of any size in the entire bowl and less than a cubic centimeter of leek. The rest was hot water colored white with no flavor. My companion liked her chicken, but the mashed potatoes that came with it were bland enough to possibly be from a box. The only thing I enjoyed was the bread. I honestly wish we'd just gotten protein bars from the grocery. They would have tasted better, been healthier, and cost less.

I am a bit surprised by the low reviews. I thought that this place was comfortable, friendly, and…read morehad good service, and the bar food that we ordered was very good too. I would stop in again and recommend to others. We stopped in twice, once just for a few pints, and another time for lunch.

The Ivy Cottage is a lovely setting for lunch or dinner. It has indoor and outside seating…read moreavailable. The menu is streamlined, but everything I've had so far has been fresh and delicious. It's popular and oftentimes there is a line to get a table. The staff does their best to seat guests as soon as possible. Note the closing time of 8pm is firm, so be sure to arrive before that. Staff is kind but due to the busyness of the restaurant, service can be scattered or slow, so remember, you're on vacation. Wine and beer available. Parking can be difficult in the area. Allow time to find parking, if you're driving.

Delicious place to eat close to the ferry that goes to the Cliffs of Moher. Chowder and grab claws…read morewere very rich and delicious. Goat cheese and beet salad was one of the finest one of us had ever had -- the cheese was insanely good. Ham sandwich was more of a pile of sliced ham with bread on this side, assume this is a sandwich in Ireland. Very good, but don't expect a panini-type experience. Would definitely visit again!

Great food. Great service. Great vibe. We stopped here based on the recommendation from a shop…read moreworker after visiting the Cliffs of Moher. While there were some Americans in here, you can tell it's more of a local haunt. The food was absolutely delicious. We had the pil pil prawns as a starter. The garlic butter was so good we asked for more bread. We both had fish and chips which were phenomenal. To finish it out, I ordered the apple crumble. Not a single negative thing to say. So happy we stopped here on our drive back to Galway.

We were only in this area for one night and selected Monks after seeing reviews and pictures of the…read morefood. I ordered the baked salmon as I needed the protein since I hadn't eaten enough during the day. While the meal was good, I was very disappointed in the portion of the salmon. My guess is only 3 maybe 4 ounces . I guess they hope you fill up on the large bowl of mashed potatoes. Service was OK but nothing special.

We were on a Paddywagon bus tour and we stopped behind the Frantic Chef for lunch. We had a 45…read moreminute window. I asked our guide if there were any other restaurants in town, he said "no". While waiting in line at the Frantic Chef, I googled this place and a few more, it was only a 3 minute walk. We ordered fish and chips and the seafood chowder. The chowder and zero flavor, but was packed with fresh fish. The fish and chips were awesome, fresh as usual in Ireland, but very light and flaky, a top 3 for us. They were able to get us in and out, but we had to ask 3 times for water, and it was unseasonably warm. The decor was combo Irish pub/ Nautical.

Celebrated our engagement dinner here after the cliffs of Moher. Came in on a recommendation, and…read morewas not disappointed. Fabulous service and lovely food. Helped us celebrate a very special day!

Amazing food and beer with salmon provided by the smokehouse up the road. A complete gem!read more

This is a great stop for drinks and a top quality meal. The service was also very excellent. I had…read morea special lunch sandwich with peppered steak. The beef stew was also a hit.

Look at that, I'm the first to review O'Loclainns's and it's likely been around forever. You know…read morewhy I'm likely the first review? It's definitely a locals pub. So much so that everyone seemed to pause their conversation when we came in before resuming their conversations. My guess is the locals aren't all that interested in Yelp reviews The Guinness and Bulmer's Cider were cold. The locals didn't really care to socialize with the five Wisconsinites in their pub, but everyone was polite. O'Loclainn's is cozy and lightly lit. A truly Irish pub experience in Ballyvaughan.

My wife and I stayed in an Irish Cottage in Ballyvaughan, Ireland for a week from June 14, 2025 to…read moreJune 21, 2025. We had been in this Pub nine years ago and visited it three times during this visit. It is a local place that doesn't open until 8:00 PM each evening. There is no TV, no radio and no food service; it is just a place to relax and enjoy a Guinness or a great Irish Coffee. We did just that and watched Margaret, the delightful owner make our Irish Coffee. If you want to experience a rel Irish Pub, this is the place.

Wow... very enjoyable! Must have - stop in and enjoy warm…read morefriendly delicious- you won't be sorry!

We stopped into Lahinch after visiting the Cliffs of Moher an wondered into Danny Macs! Glad we…read moredid. Very friendly team and delicious food. We asked for an Irish Coffee. One of the best Irish Coffee's we have ever had, warm and delicious. We would recommend this to anyone coming to Lahinch.

A mile or so (technically a couple of kilometers) from the Cliffs of Moher is the Stonecutters…read moreKitchen. A wonderfully picturesque bistro with spectacular views of the County Claire countryside along the Wild Atlantic Way. From the 100-year-old cottage that the restaurant is situated to the beautiful patio and deck around it, Stonecutters provides the ideal scenery if you're visiting the area when you want to enjoy some delicious cuisine. We started with a bottle of Sangiovese while I noshed on some homemade brown soda bread, which was divine with Irish butter. The seafood tagliatelle was delicious and creamy that I savored every bite between the mussels and prawns and squid. The banofee dessert was magical between the biscuit on the bottom topped with bananas and drizzled with caramel and topped with ice cream. Enjoying our meal amidst the glorious setting was equally as memorable, if not more. No pictures can do justice to just how breathtaking it is to enjoy a meal in such a beautiful setting. Stonecutters is an ideal choice to enjoy dinner that has endless amounts of scenery to enjoy a wonderful outdoor dining experience.

This has to be the place that coined the term "cozy" for real estate sales. Upon entering, you are…read morestanding next to the guest log book in the main dining room with around half a dozen tables & there's a "children's" dining room to the left: 3 tables, a high chair and a few toys. The bright yellow house, turned restaurant is easy to spot on the way to/from the Cliffs of Moher. You pull in to a small playground and a friendly dog roaming the grounds. This place is unusually kid-friendly, while not being child-centric, particularly given the size. By that, I mean, on entering the public toilet area, there is a nifty baby changing station - WITH supplies. Anyone who's had a child can relate this to a restroom having toilet paper! I found it to have very thoughtful touches like that, the special room & playground equipment - I also heard staff tell a patron that the kids get a toy to keep with their meal. I didn't view the kids menu, tho I heard a parent talking about some options with her child, including fish & every child's favorite fun food "spaghetti"! Adults were not forgotten- there were candles on the table and nicely plated meals and home-style options, with a lovely selection of wine and beet to choose from. The service was friendly and helpful- food was well seasoned and properly cooked: fingerling potatoes were crisp outside and tender inside. I wish we'd skipped attempting the cafe at the cliffs all together & just started here!!

Beautiful weather today brought out lots of folks! Tig Coili in the middle of the action in…read moreGalway.We were lucky to get great seats at this small traditional Irish Pub in the front with the sun on our backs. There was a musician playing outside which made for a lovely visit. Nice patio out front too. We met a local Irish couple and so enjoyed good craic with them. 1 of our favorite pubs on our trip

Tig Coili is everything you expect of an Irish pub. Bartenders are friendly & so are the patrons…read more Drinks are reasonably priced and the selection is good. First things first, no food here, just drinks. Second, live trad music at 6pm & 10pm when I went in early October. Seating is tight so get there early & grab a few beers and find yourself a spot. This was a fun pub and the beers and music were just what I wanted. I plan to come back the next time I'm in Galway.