Kind of sad to report, but happy to give Matt The Millers credit, for being the first pub we…read moreencountered with live Irish music before 9pm during a seven day trip around the island. We stayed in four different cities, and traveled to many more, had lunch or dinner in a variety of pubs, and most, if they had music, were playing 2000's American pop hit junk. Some of those other pubs did have live music schedules for later evening, but we were trying to get our pub experiences at lunch and then 6p-9p range each day so we could get to sleep for the next day's exploring.
It's also really nice that this pub is along the water (the river through Kilkenny) and some of the seating overlooks it via window, including open windows if you like.
The kitchen closes early here, even on Fridays; 8pm during our June 2026 visit, so plan around that if you are intending to get dinner.
Food-wise:
* Really enjoyed the beef stew; good price no complaints.
* Margherita pizza is great
* Caprese Salad is not expensive but pretty mediocre
* Seafood Chowder was very good
* Tortellini was fine for Ireland
Take all the above in context with the overall Irish food scene, which is mostly average at best. These feelings are based on seven days of eating around the country, so when I'm saying the beef stew was really good, that's compared to the rest of Ireland where I had one I liked more and a few others that were not good at all.
Drink pricing is on par with other tourist cities; not bad. As with most pubs, beer and liquor selection is limited outside of the extensive Irish Whiskey options. For example, two rums, one bourbon, beers were what we encountered everywhere and no deviation.
Service was similar to the rest of Ireland; initial order taking and then you have to flag someone down for anything after that.