Flawless Operation! We came here on a tour, our bus had maybe 25-30 people on it. And they were ready, the menu had like 20 items on it and when my wife ordered at the counter, the food was before she came back to sit down. I ordered the vegetarian dish, a curry stew. I was pleasantly surprised by the flavorful punch it provided. A good blend of spices and well cooked vegetables. The Irish brown bread that came with it was to die for! My wife ordered the Beef and Guinness beef stew. She loved it. The meet was tender and well flavored, and the root vegetables were soft and flavorful. And again, that brown bread....I could write a song about it! read more

A surprisingly outstanding pub. Full of ambiance-tastic traditional music, delicious food (the chowder especially) and with prices that are surprisingly cheap for such a tourist-filled area. There's a ton of different nooks and corners to hang out, and odds are at day's end the whole pub will be filled to the brim with locals and tourists alike. read more

Gus O'Connor's - Wall mural of Doolin circa 1935 - Pubs Near Me - Doolin, CE

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Truly the gem of Doolin, Gus O'Connor's is a must-stop in County Clare. One hundred and seventy seven years old, it is a wonder that this place has kept up in such great shape. Honestly, it was probably one of the nicer pubs along the countryside we ventured into. Very well maintained both inside and out. We had lunch on our way from Galway to the Cliffs of Moher. We were seated at one of the many sewing tables turned pub tables scattered throughout the place. Each table had an engraved number. It took us a minute but we eventually learned that you needed to place your order (and pay) at the bar. You'd take your drinks back to the table but as soon as the food was ready, someone would drop it off at your numbered table. The food was but not exactly memorable. My hamburger was pretty average but I know my mother especially enjoyed her fish and chips. The staff was friendly and no doubt carried that classic Irish hospitality. read more

Gus O'Connor's - Pubs Near Me - Doolin, CE

We ate at Gus O'Connor's multiple times during our stay in Doolin. Absolutely fantastic food, service, and even better music at night. Large space with lots of seating Our favorite dishes were the mussels (oh man, that sauce!!), the brown bread (best we had in all of Ireland), and the Beef Stew. You order at the bar by table number and they bring the food out to you. Trad music every night around 9:30. Sometimes there are local singers around (better luck on the weekend for this). Well priced food and fantastic atmosphere! read more

I can't say amazing enough. Get the salmon and get the chowder (see my photos). The salmon was only 2 days old an not frozen and I've never had better in my life. read more

Gus O'Connor's - Pubs Near Me - Doolin, CE

Great Irish music and Bangers and Mash. A good selection of Irish Ale. Bangers and Mash, Bangers and Mash read more

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I had lunch here when my Cliffs of Moher tour bus stopped for about 45 minutes for a break. I had the bangers and mash. It came out super quick! It must've taken them 3 minutes from the time I ordered to the time it was on my table (they probably knew a big tour bus was coming and made stuff ahead of time, but still - I was impressed). The food was good too. The mashed potatoes were a little heavy but the whole thing was very filling and great for a late fall afternoon tour to the cliffs. read more

Gus O'Connor's - Bangers and mash for lunch - Pubs Near Me - Doolin, CE

This pub is in the heart of Doolin. We went early (around 6) to avoid crowds. The seafood chowder is the best I've ever had. We also loved the salmon and the guinness. Highly recommended! read more

Gus O'Connor's - Seafood chowder, fish and chips, salmon. - Pubs Near Me - Doolin, CE

Doolin seems to be just another lovely town as you roll along the Wild Atlantic Way. But there's something different about this one. Quaint, sure. But it's authentic. Not overrun by tourist. Only these ones. Loved this town, and loved O'Connors. If you're looking for a true small town pub, this is it. Guinness is proper, and food is done just right; local hometown cookin. Enjoy. read more

Gus O'Connor's - Pubs Near Me - Doolin, CE

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Tried the beef stew and seafood chowder - both were amazing! Good portions on both, lots of ingredients inside both as well. Came with a soda bread each. read more

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The Galway Tour Company took us here for lunch, on the way to the Cliffs of Moher. Since we only had 40 minutes, time was a concern. But Gus' is prepared! As our guide said, you can get in through the door, order your food, and the food will be in front of you in 5 minutes. We ordered the bangers and mash, and the sandwich & soup combo. Careful on the sandwich, you have to ask for all the insides (tomatoes, lettuce, etc) if you want them, or else they will just give you chicken and bread. Haha. read more

Gus O'Connor's - Bangers - Pubs Near Me - Doolin, CE

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Loved this place. Came here to have dinner after a long hike it was pretty awesome. Some locals came in and played some live music. Place was jumping. Not like a club in LA or NY but like what I saw in the movie P.S. I Love You. It was fun. Food was not that great. Had an odd taste and the patty had a funny smell. Sodas the size of a travel size mouth was was 3 euros. I think alcoholic drinks were far less. read more

Gus O'Connor's - Bar wall - Pubs Near Me - Doolin, CE

After seeing how popular this pub is, I expected a half way decent meal. Unfortunately it turned out to be quite disappointing and the least enjoyable during our 10 day stay in Ireland. We went in for a quick lunch, which happened to be during the same time a tour bus arrived. Initially we were happy to get a seat right before the rush started and we ordered our food at the bar. The first bad sign was that the food came out WAY too fast. My husband ordered a burger and it was definitely not freshly cooked. It looked and tasted like it had been sitting out for a while and was very well done. I had soup and a cheese sandwich. The soup was OK, but the bread on the sandwich was soggy and was not even toasted. It really seemed like they do not take pride in their food. I have heard that the music & nightlife here is very good, but our lunch experience did not make us want to go back. read more

5/5 for the Trad and the ambiance which felt really authentic, the place itself was very bustling and had a good vibe. 2.5/5 for the food which is what was really disappointing. The menu rotates so if you see one in your hotel don't get your heart set on any particular menu item because it may not be there. I ordered the Mussels "with a garlic, white wine, and cream sauce" and a side of garlic bread which was around €14. My boyfriend ordered the burger and a side of onion rings which was around €10-12 if I am remembering correctly. My mussels were super disappointing as they were basically steamed in just cream alone. They were fresh and edible, but the sauce was a huge let down. My boyfriends burger was just so-so, as it was a touch over cooked. The onion rings were inedible, with the thickest doughiest batter I have ever seen on an onion ring, we both had a bite of one and then left them completely untouched. I think if I had to do it again I'd add it to my itinerary for a pint of beer but eat somewhere else. read more

WOW! This restaurant was recommended by a tour guide from Ireland Railtours. Usually I am leery about recommendations from tour guides, especially being from NYC, but I was pleasantly surprised. The food was brought to our table within 5 minutes of ordering. I had the seafood chowder and my boyfriend had the bangers and mash. Both dishes were excellent choices. Staff was great and beer was even better. So happy with this choice! read more

One item you CANNOT miss: the deep fried brie. Oh holy gawd, it's fecking GOOD! Our bus from the Galway Tour company stopped here for lunch and I'm so thankful. We were given the routine: get a table first, note the table number (on one of the corners) and THEN order at the counter (no table number, no service!). They'll deliver your food once it's ready. The lady who took our order was a bit surly which normally irks me, but you can tell this place is a classic and somehow it only enhanced the experience. In addition to the brie, I enjoyed the poached pear salad and if I recall correctly, my friend loved the stew. If for some reason I'm ever in Doolin again, you can bet you'll see me here!! read more

Stopped here on our Galway Tour which took us out to the Cliffs of Moher. There was no live music when we stopped which was a little bit of a disappointment but that's alright. The place was packed with people when we arrived. I'm guessing that all the tour groups stop here. We were able to snag two smaller tables next to each other in the back which was great because we had 4 kids and two adults in our party. The little enclave where we sat was perfect so the kids would disturb too many people. Per our tour guide's recommendation I tried the chicken tenders. They have some fancier name in Ireland but essentially they were just fried chicken strips and boy where they yummy! I ordered the adult portion although I'm sure the child's portion would have been adequate since the portions were large. The adult portion had 5 large tenders, tons of french fries and a small salad of mixed green (I think Europeans call this rocket?). Anyway, EVERYTHING was great. The chicken. The fries. The salad. Just yum. My brother and his wife shared some Guinness stew type item and they loved it. Their 16 month old daughter loved it too. Oh yeah, and despite being busy the food came out rather quickly. This was great since we were limited on time for our lunch break. Nice cold Bulmers too. read more

Dinner was so-so, but quite expensive given the mediocre quality. We started with seafood chowder, which was only average. The chowder with sort of thick and pasty, underseasoned, with chunks of fish a few of which still had their skin on. Our burgers were exceedingly dry, and small, with a huge oversized bun. For 13 Euro, I think I was expecting better. read more

We went to Gus O'Connor's two nights in a row. The first night we were there just for the music and fell in love with Smithwick's Pale Ale draft. We had such a great time, we wound up closing down the pub! I'm pretty proud of that honor! We went the second night for dinner as a group of 6. Although we had to put in our own orders and get our own drinks from the bar, we all agreed that it was some of the best food we had on the entire trip. There was an amazing potato leek soup, delicious grilled lamb chops, and grilled salmon. YUM!!! I highly recommend dining here. The only problem was that on our second night, they ran out of beer. I never fully understood the problem, but I think it had something to do with getting a new cold room so I don't think its something that will happen every again. That being said, it was a super bummer that they only had Heineken and Guinness on draft the second night we were there, which was also our last night in Ireland. The other issue is the odd "organic" smells that emanate from certain parts of the pub. You can smell it outside too, but yikes, it smells like sewage from time to time. Just be warned - at least it will go away after a minute or so... I'm just sharing this so that folks aren't scared off by the smell when you walk in, because honestly, the music and food are terrific and I wouldn't have closed down the pub if it had smelled like that all night! read more

I cannot get over how charming this place is! My friend and I came here the other night on a suggestion from our B&B host. We are so glad we did. After getting our drinks, we went to sit down. Immediately after sitting, we were invited into a group of lively fun people in the next room. They welcomed us and we all joined in conversation and singing! Shortly following, a group of people came into the room with various instruments and began to play some of the most entertaining Irish music I've ever heard. My friend and I had the best time chatting with people, making new friends and enjoying good beer! read more

First of all- if you're ever in Ireland you cannot leave without visiting this place!! The ambience is great- you can tell that they get visitors from all over the world just by the decor. The food is good too- a little pricey, but that's been most of Ireland for me. I got their vegetarian special of the day which was a spinach ravioli. At first I thought the portion size looked small on the plate but when I ate it I was really full. It tasted really really good- the ravioli was filled with cheese and spinach and topped with a delicious creamy red gravy. I also had an Irish coffee which was my first ever. I could barely taste the whiskey in it and I'm not sure if that's a bad or good thing, but the drink in general tasted really good! The service was speedy and the employees were very polite and accommodating. Would definitely recommend! read more

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A few minutes walk up the hill from the hostel on Aille River is this iconic pub well worth the trip. We visited on a Sunday evening and were able to get a table even though the place was packed. The service was fast and the food was delicious. The chowder was chock full of tasty chunks of seafood. The Gus burger was huge and cooked to perfection. And of course the Guinness was superb as usual. The highlight was sitting back and listening to traditional Irish music. Banjo guitar, Irish bagpipes, tin flute, it was all there and made for a "lightning in a bottle" kind of evening...one we'll never forget! read more

Great place! Chill atmosphere. Had lunch after cliffs visit, didn't expect their food to be that outstanding!!! Excellent chicken, mashed and veggies. Super fresh, great service! Excellent establishment. read more

Friendly service and great atmosphere. We were able to snag bar seats right near the local band on a Saturday night. We really enjoyed the music, conversation, and people watching in this small town pub. read more

Gus O'Connor's - Music Session - Pubs Near Me - Doolin, CE

So O'Connor's is the pub that is most famous or at least most talked about in Doolin. It was a pretty long walk from our B&B but this is definitely a walking town so we did it without a problem. When you walk up there's a door to your right and to your left. I went to the right and it opens up into the main room with the bar and the area where the musicians are, plus some nooks and crannies here and there. (If you go to the left it is the other side of the bar and the room actually circles around to the main one. But that room over there is quieter so sit there if you don't like the loud music, singalongs, and fun.) You grab a table and get a menu. When you have decided what you want to eat and drink, you go to the bar to order all of it and then give them your table number. I am a lazy American and I prefer service, but it wasn't too bad and honestly probably more efficient for the pub itself. Someone then brings your food to you. You carry your own drinks to your table. The crowd did have some locals singing along to the traditional songs...plus some of them were getting up and singing. They were taking it verrrry seriously though. And of course there were tons of tourists. We sat beside Irish people, American people, Dutch people, and Italian people. The Dutch people got to be delighted (or horrified?) at me speaking my limited amount of Dutch and asked me "Where are all the Irish people? We have only met Americans." haha The Italians didn't speak much English so I helped them by telling them the process to order food/drinks. Very international thing going on in our corner. I think this pub had the potential to get really fun and rowdy as the night went on and I really do like that. So definitely give this place a try when you are in Doolin. read more

Stopped here for lunch on the way to the cliffs of Moher. It is a cute pub with a small but delicious menu and some daily specials written on the wall. You order at the bar and then they serve it to you at your table. I got the seafood chowder and a ham cheese and tomato sandwich combo for 10 euros. The soup was delicious and extremely filling. And the sandwich was cut in small triangles that were perfect for dipping into the soup. Really loved this place and the atmosphere. And for the price it was a great deal. read more

The quintessential Irish pub in a picturesque location! The food is delicious, the service is pleasant. We were not able to enjoy the live music but had a great time nonetheless. Don't miss this Doolin gem! read more

We spent 3 days in Doolin and ended up eating and drinking at O'Connors three times! The vibe is perfect and the food is delicious - the mussels, bangers and mash, and lamb burger were our favorites. Live music at night by local musicians! read more

This food was amazing!! Granted we had just spent 4 hours hiking the cliffs of Moher and were starving! However, the fish and chips are phenomenal, delicious cauliflower and leek soup, and the Guinness beef stew was to die for. Atmosphere was authentic and fun as well with a number of small connected rooms to eat in, ordering took place at the bar, and a fire in the corner warmed us up nicely. read more

Pretty large pub. Smells a lot like shellfish so don't run from the smell that may come off as off putting to some. You will get a lovely Guinness and other large variety of beers and ciders here. They play live traditional irish music every night at 930 pm. It's a complete jam session that is great to witness. We ordered bangers and mash and fish and chips. We were well pleased with the food. The only knock is the seating and tables. They aren't very comfortable and really old and tattered and sticky. Other than that it's my favorite pub in doolin read more

This pub was perfect. I highly recommend coming here after you go to the Cliffs of Moher. The have a fire going, live music and great service. We got the guinness and beef stew and it hit the spot. They also make a great hot toddy which is delicious and nice after being out in the cold. read more

Stopped here as part of railway tour to Cliffs of Moher. My wife was promptly propositioned by "Long John Silver" as we entered the place. Two excellent Irish Coffee's and Plates of piping hot and crispy fish and chips later we didn't really care. They were very fast, the food was really good - and it's just a darned cool place. read more

Soups & salads were delicious & fresh. Hamburgers looked good as they went by. Going to try that next time! Great traditional Irish music, place gets packed. read more

What a great time we had at OConners pub. The food was not ordinary pub food. The music was live and traditional. The staff were friendly and helpful. We had a great time and would recommend it to everyone!!! read more

O'Connor's I believe is supposed to be the oldest pub in Doolin. It's a great venue - pretty large so it accommodates a good number of people. It's very touristy since it's so close to the Doolin Pier where many people board ferries to visit the Aran Islands. But staff here is friendly and they're more organized than they let on! The portions here are HUGE for the price but I wouldn't say it was one of the best meals I had in Ireland. It's a great place to get full for a good value and to listen to some live music. They also have a great selection of draft beers, but then again which bars don't in Ireland? I'd definitely come back to check it out at night. During the day it's packed with people, seemingly mostly tourists, but they remain as unfazed and dedicated to their jobs as ever. Definitely worth a visit! read more

Fastest. Service. Ever. It's like fast food but in a pub. I highly recommend the seafood chowder with brown bread it's amazing. And my friend ordered the bangers and mash which she said was pretty good as well. I also got the Irish coffee and I am SO happy I tried Irish coffee at this place for the first time. It was just so good! I also think the price is good for what you get, not too expensive for how good the food is. read more

Gus O'Connor's - Pubs Near Me - Doolin, CE

This place is unbelievable! It was packed - wall to wall people, yet as the local said on our way in, our food was at our table within 5 minutes of ordering. How did they do that? While in Ireland, I frequently sampled the vegetable soup/brown bread fare for lunch, and their soup was VERY hearty! Brown bread would get a 3 out of 5 - little more dry than I prefer. Doolin was a lovely place to relax, enjoy a quick to deliver but leisurely lunch, followed by the Cliffs of Moher. I highly recommend the combo! read more

We met outside Gus' prior to starting the Doolin Cliff Walk, which is a must do if you are going to see the Cliffs of Moher. After the 10K walk up to the Cliffs we bussed back and had lunch here as well. Loved the Chowder and had a terrific fish fry and chips. Friendly atmosphere, casual and relaxed. Order your lunch at the bar and it appeared at our table almost immediately. Everything was of great quality. Don't miss this place for lunch if you are in the area. read more

This place was highly recommended by an Irish coworker when I was planning my trip to Ireland, and it is easy to see why. We ordered a pint and some seafood chowder and enjoyed the cosy ambiance of this pub. The chowder is among the best I've had, with big, succulent pieces of salmon, a white fish, and clams. Thick, comforting, and served with a big hunk of warm brown bread. Delicious. At 9, some local musicians treated us with some Irish folk music. Nothing fancy, just some locals and tourists enjoying good food, good music, and (hopefully) good company. I would recommend an overnight stop to anyone planning a trip to Ireland. read more

Some of the best fish chowder...EVER! I hate to use 'best ever' for anything, because I think it sets people up for disappointment. But seriously, this is good chowder. Also, they have really good fish and chips. And a nice ambiance! Very cozy. As you might be able to tell, I have a soft spot for this place. Set in a teeny tiny town and across from a tiny pretty river, it's just the perfect homey place to grab a bite or a drink. read more