Love this place as it was easy for our family. Great options and excellent kids menu. Staff were…read morevery friendly. Seating was easy. On the main strip of restaurants in Kenmare!

After a long day of driving we came here for dinner…read more It was quite busy but we were seated within five minutes. Inside was dominated by the bar and sit down tables lined the walls. The crowd was lively that evening. Our server brought over the specials board while we perused the menu which showed a variety of food choices. We ended up getting the haddock special and a seafood soup. The haddock turned out to be a generous portion with creamy mashed potatoes and green beans. It was quite good and nicely priced. The seafood soup was tomato based, rich with lots of seafood inside. Desserts were showcased in a small refrigerated case but nothing stood out to us that night. Service was fast, very friendly and good throughout our meal. If paying by credit card there was an option to add a tip.

The term "gastropub" is overused, but it certainly applies here. The food at O'Donnabhains was…read moresignificantly above the norm in quality and innovativeness. All the meat is Irish, the fish from Star Seafoods, a local Kenmare fishmonger, and the produce is from the Wild Irish Way (coastal western Ireland) wherever possible. I had two "starters" for my lunch, both specials so I can't get the details from the menu now. The first was a baked goat cheese and chorizo tart. Made with a phyllo pastry, and served over greens. Everything about it was perfect: the phyllo so light that it shattered when cut yet it wasn't dry. The cheese was golden brown on top from broiling. The chorizo was in tiny pieces scattered on top so it didn't overwhelm. The two or three kinds of lettuce greens underneath were light and delicate. My other dish was a fish cake, fish and potatoes actually. Fried to a beautiful golden brown, drizzled with a balsamic vinegar sauce, and served over more of those excellent greens, this time dressed with vinaigrette. The dill on top was more than a decoration, it was lighter in flavor than most, and the flavor complemented well. It was a very attractive presentation; even the dish it was served on was pretty. I didn't try the wife's Cottage Pie: minced steak and potatoes topped with mashed potatoes and Dublin Cheddar but she did like it. And it was also attractive, with the potato crust ruffled and the peaks perfectly browned. Garnished with parsley. Like my dishes, visually beautiful. We shared a banoffie pie for dessert. This is uncommon in the US but I might compare it to a banana cream pie with caramel sauce addition. Ok but not really my thing, and too much cream filling for the amount of crust. That's all I remember about this great meal. Looking at the menu just now I don't see my items on the menu as they were specials. I was surprised and pleased by the prices of the standard items, most of which were below average for the area, especially for a place that describes itself a "gastropub".

Gayle, Don, Fern, and I enjoyed a nice pub lunch here at "O'Donnabhains during our recent short day…read moretrip into Kenmare. They also have hotel accommodations and you can order your meal to go. As it's cold in October, we enjoyed nice cozy seats inside. I'm sorry to say that during a vacation, restaurant dining experiences sometimes run together, and details can sometimes escape me. That's why I save the receipts! 3 Pints of Kenmare Stout (and water) started our meal, followed by orders of Cottage Pie, 2 Flatbreads, and a Ploughman Panini. It was all really good, and that our order was taken and delivered fast and friendly.

We stopped in for lunch as we passed through the town and the staff were extremely nice and the…read morefood was hot and fresh. When we ordered the fish and chips we were told it would be 20-30 mins, we said it was fine. About 15-20 mins later we were informed that the fish arrived from the dock and they were cleaning, cutting and cooking it up. Talk about fresh! It was the best fish and chips we had our 2 weeks in Ireland.

One of the most popular bars in Kenmare for years is The Atlantic Bar…read more Popular with locals and everyone. A relaxed bar w a pool table in back. Darts at night and a great to be poured. They offer a small but delicious menu. Great toasted sandwiches. A fish n chip, a roast of the day, soup of the day and seafood chowder and my favorite the Beef Lasagna. Had it a few hours ago and it was amazing. The Irish beef and the sauce and cheese just make it a satisfying meal. The owner is often there hanging out. The staff is welcoming and nice and the kitchen staff do great work. It's popular for afternoon dinner with locals. You'll see a lot of farmers in there, lunch break crowd. It's a local authentic Irish bar. They do Irish coffees and more. Usually fine some Irish music there on weekends in the off season.

No doubt my favorite pub in all of Ireland. If you want the shiny, flashy joints with all the…read morehipsters, keep on walking. If you want a genuine Irish Pub culture, step right in! Traditional music often, great local color and the perfect pint. Sweet Joan Crowley trained her son Peter very well. Don't miss this stop

Crowley's is a place to go and have nice pint and quiet conversation with a friend. It's not a…read moretourists pub, and doesn't really cater to that crowd. It felt more like a local to me. The place is small and cozy, and you might get the feel of the stranger walking into an old west saloon where everything suddenly goes quiet. Later on we were in the Coachman's Bar, chatting with the barman and his friend, and they were surprised that we had just been in Crowleys, because they "wouldn't go in there without a six shooter". Anyway, it's one of the nicer pints I remember having in Ireland, so to each his own. You want to get away from the other tourists, you gotta go a little further. I was told that they have sessions there, but it is usually unplanned (or at least un advertised)

The food was great and the vibes were very chill. Great place for a drink or food. The service was…read moregood.

My friend Thomas and myself had a super meal here last night.....Thomas had the scampi for starter…read morefollowed by a seafood Curry with rice which he said was excellent and I had seafood chowder followed by a steak which was cooked to perfection.....the two staff members Catriona and Danny couldn't have been nicer to us and were both extremely efficient at their jobs plus they created a nice friendly atmosphere for all in the restaurant.....I have eaten here many times over the years and I have never once been disappointed.....well done to the horseshoe restaurant and keep up the good work

Good service. Good food. Clean and tidy overall. The fried…read morefish was a little oily but the flavor was good.

Quickly seated outside on a lovely night. Attentive service and quality food prepared fresh…read more Still a focus on the tourists as the menu is very similar to others in the street. Salmon was done well for the texture. Pasta came in a red sauce and was topped well with the sun dried tomatoes and garlic bread. Curry was nice, the Nan was a bit dried out but otherwise a fine meal. Don't forget your Guinness. Live music from across the street was an added bonus!

Stopped here for a spectacular meal while visiting Ireland. What a great cozy little place with…read moregreat food

My family and I have visited Ireland on two occasions, each time setting up camp on the Ring of…read moreKerry. On our first visit to the quaint, beautiful town of Kenmare, we stumbled on the Purple Heather Bistro. On our second visit, we made a point of returning. The Purple Heather is Irish pub at its best. The ambiance is cozy, with dark woods, low lighting, intimate booths and tables, and Irish memorabilia tucked into corners and stored on fireplace mantles. As in most pubs, a peat fire crackles away with its sweet, smoky aroma. The food is delicious at Purple Heather. We love their soups, especially, which are all homemade and served with the usual Irish brown bread. Purple Heather's brown bread is wonderful: dense, moist, nutty, chewy. Everything you want from brown bread! It makes a perfect soup sopper -- the vegetable soup is a savory, salty puree of a number of veggies. The Irish stew is thick and loaded with cubes of tender lamb, potatoes and carrots. Everything comes "Ireland hot," as we've dubbed it: piping, steaming hot! I happen to love it that way. Sandwiches are also great, with a better variety than you'll find at most pubs. Having a nice sandwich half to dunk in your soup or stew is a great bonus. Tucked away on a side street, you could almost miss the Bistro. But making the effort to locate it will be well worth your time!

So many choices of pubs and restaurants in Kenmare but the landlady of the Bold Thady Quill stated…read morethis is the best pub in town and she was spot on. Great tasting food, awesome authentic Irish dancing and musicians who genuinely cared about maintaining the traditions of Irish music and the kids who volunteered their services to dance both the nights we were there. The guinness tasted magical too.

A small pub with reasonable food and great drink. The atmosphere is fairly lively. This place is a…read morebit out of town. there is a regular local clientele. The owner - who gives his name to the pub - is a very well known local figure. Pat Spillane is a famous Kerry sportsman - now retired. He is recognised across Ireland for his media appearances - he has been a talk show host in the past.

Awful. Stopped in here while driving around Kerry to look for a bite to eat and a drink. Upon…read morewalking into the bar, we were met with a death stare by the woman behind the bar. We had been driving for about 3 hours at this stage, so I asked the woman behind the bar if we could use the bathroom first. She then raised her voice at us and shouted at us, saying it was not a public toilet and being extremely rude to us. We had planned to sit down for a bite to eat and didn't think anything of politely asking to use the bathroom first, but this woman gave us a terrible impression of the area and especially of this pub so we left straight away. Would never return here and would advise others not to visit unless you enjoy a horrible tense atmosphere and rude service.

We've been here 2 weeks, eaten at a pub daily, and have enjoyed every single one except Paddy…read moreFoley's. Entrees took 1 hour to come out of the kitchen. I believe they forgot to put in the order and blamed it on being "busy". They were not busy. People (mostly tourists like us) seated 20 minutes after us got food before we did. The seafood chowder had a piece of something chewy and funky in it that was not quite right, I had to spit it out. The Shepherds Pie had very little meat. It was mostly gravy, veg and potato. No dressing on the salad. Basically, everything was bland and lacked seasoning. The food was by far the most lackluster of the many delicious meals we ate while in lovely Ireland. Even the few meals we ate at tourist visitor centers outshone this place. The only good thing was the beer. We might as well have gone to a poorly executed Irish themed chain restaurant in the States. So disappointing as it was one of our last nights here. We chose poorly, please do not do the same. Skip it and find another pub.

The town of Kenmare, as with many of the Irish towns, was beautiful, quaint and inviting. We were…read morelooking for a seafood dish and came across Foleys. It was colorful and lively and they served food at the bar ....... She had the salmon and I had the Hake. Both tasted as if they'd been caught that very same day. The service was very good and the owner even approached and asked if we'd be more comfortable at a table. If you are starting your journey along the ring of Kerry or ending it in Kenmare I'd definitely recommend Foleys