Best Guinness pour in the land! You will find the view stunning and the locals entertainingread more

Just arrived in Derry/Londonderry while sightseeing in Northern Ireland. The family picked Granny…read moreAnnie's at random. It turns out that we should have done a bit of research or asked a local. Although there was nothing especially wrong with the place, it reminded me of every chain restaurant back in the US. The decor, the bar, the menu...everything. Nothing was authentic. We have traveled the entire northern coast and stayed, eaten in and visited a number of places, big and small. This is the first time that we left and were not excited that we had been there. If you are like us and want to feel you are truly enjoying Northern Ireland, I suggest a different place to eat and drink. Just my opinion.

Walk into Granny Annies in Derry and I will promise that you will be astounded by the unique décor…read more Whole rooms, for example, a sitting room with armchairs, fully laden table, television etc etc......nothing outstanding you say. Well, all of this hanging upside down from the ceiling. Siting there, sober, I wondered what this would look like after a few Guinness. The mind boggles. The staff in here are the friendliest, most happy people, I have ever met. Taking into account our age and they were youngsters, That didn't stop them chatting about their weekends and their aspirations for their future. Great bunch of guys and gals. Service was fast, even with the traditional length of time serving that perfect pint of Guinness. The lunchtime food that we partook of was delicious and plentiful. We noticed that in the evenings there was live music. Would loved to have heard that but......remembering our ages. I am sure, had we turned up we would have been welcomed. A fantastic restaurant and bar. Fantastic staff and good food. Thank you, one and all, for making our stay in Derry perfect. See you again.

The whole townland of Maghery is going to take a contract out on my head for giving away THE best…read morekept secret in the world. i.e. The Strand Bar, a/k/a Packie James'. You will never make your way out here without secret directions given to you by a wee man standing on the corner of Main Street Dungloe and Quay Road Dungloe. Or you can use your "trusty" GPS or you can PM me for details and also some super tips about what to do or see out there in Maghery while you are in the area. It's the kind of place where you can quite "make the day of it". I have this thing about not writing reviews unless I have been a customer recently. Well, I was a customer here last week and this place is still the hidden gem it always was. If you are looking for a locals bar, this it is. This is the epitome of "local bar". In fact, I think the person who coined that phrase was actually sitting at the counter of this bar or snuggled up beside the fire when he/she thought of it. Why do I love this place? Throughout my life and while he was still able to drive, this was my dad's pub of choice. This was where he came to "get away". Some of us go to the South of Spain, some to the Ski Slopes of Switzerland. My dad? He went to Packie James'. HENCE...it was practically totally off limits to the girls in the family and the boys only went when invited. Otherwise, it was dad's place, his refuge. In the wintertime like last week..when it was freezing hard, they had a HUGE coal fire burning, which when contrasted with the red tartan carpet and blue upholstered chairs and stools makes for a very very country, cosy feeling. In situations like this, my advice is to park your car, take a brisk walk along Maghery strand just a few minutes walk west of the front door, and get yourself foundered enough to totally appreciate the fire and the hot whiskey (and you HAVE to order yourself a hot Whiskey or hot Port in a situation like this). In the summer you should wander farther afoot, maybe take a wee dander up the lane opposite, passing the tall famine walls and on out to Tearmainn to visit the ruins of a 6th centuary monastery founded by St. Crone or take a left and take a hike up the cliff road up to Crohy Head and the signal tower and breathtaking views. No Food. Pool table and dart board. Parking out front. Smoking room with seats. Picnic table and seats for outside drinking.

I hail from Edinburgh but have spent at least a fortnight the last 12 summers in Maghery or Dungloe…read morethe local town. The strand has been a fantastic place whether for a game of pool for the kids and a few day time drinks for the adults. Or a great night for all with local musicians playing away to the early hours in a packed pub. It also can be a great place to talk over the fly fishing catch of brownies where myself and Brother-in-law saw out three changes of bar staff in session of 10 hours. The locals are friendly the Guinness and Budweiser cold and smooth.A place of fantastic memories to be cherished .Not forgetting the wife and sister inlaw sneaking away from the cottage to sample the local wines and spirits.

Stopped in on a very warm, early evening. I found the pub nicely cooled with comfortable seats and…read morestools ! Reasonable prices too!

A nice selection of burgers & sandwiches, Magners cider and tunes by Pearl Jam, Kings of Leon …read more.. all over classic black&white tiles floor.

Don't let the exterior chase you off, this place is lovely. You step inside to a lush interior…read more Friends and I wandered in for a mid day pint and some rest while touring the area. The staff were attentive and friendly. Drinks were delicious. We didn't grab a bite but the tables around us having a mile were enjoying theirs. If back in Derry, this will be a return stop.

We stopped by River Inn Cellers, many a years ago, while on a self-driving Ireland excursion, and I…read morerealized my review never posted- We randomly ended up at River Inn, when we realized we hadn't veered off Irish beer into the land of Whiskey-and a local recommended the cocktails at The Snug bar within River Inn- Seated in the back, at a high top booth, I loved the ambiance of the bar area- passing through the front Cellar w.party music & dancing, to the cozier tucked away Snug area-mellowing out with sports on tvs & friendly bartenders wanting to chat about America haha We enjoyed the vibe so much, we decided instead of a drink & go, we'd hang out order dinner, & spend some time. Hubby & I split a platter, no longer on the menu, but offering a variety of Irish staple seafood & meats- everything was absolutely delicious- well seasoned, a great taste of Ireland mashed together Cocktails, we opted for the traditional Irish Whiskey, Irish Mule, Irish Old Fashioned- while at the time we weren't Whiskey drinkers-the high quality taste had us again changing our tune from 'just one' to 'another!' Would definitely recommend the bar- high quality drinks, delicious food, and fantastic vibe-well rounded spot.

MK's is one of the best pubs in Strabane. Its very quaint with great service. It has a very…read moremodern look to it compared to other pubs but very easy to chat and kick back in. They also have a Bed & Breakfast in their upstairs with basic rooms and located right in the center of town. If you are looking for a quiet place to stay during your trip to Strabane or a nice pub to have a quiet chat in, then definitely hit up MK"s.

When people talk about 'the craic', a visiting Englishman hopes to the kind of reception you get in…read moreFelix's Bar. Essentially, what this means is a complete absence of novelty hats and people putting those idiotic shamrock swirls in the stout foam. No, Felix's is as close to the craic as I've got thus far, which means that the stout is very good, the walls are wooden and the pub itself is bustling with people banging the world to rights around the little nooks and crannies. Basically, this is the best pub in the area as it's a proper 'sit down, chat and get slowly drunk' pub, which is what pretty much every decent pub aspires to be.

tl;dr: Deadly bar, good (if a bit too cold and not stellar) pints, very good food…read more On the pints: It seems like up north -- at least in Donegal -- pints are served very very cold. To my Dublin-familiar mind, this makes the pints a bit bitter and takes away some of the depth of flavour. In any case, this is how they were served here. However: They were really good. Sticking to the glass, with loads of time taken, and hitting the spot after a long Dhún na nGall day in the sun. On the food: A simple menu printed on A4 with pretty basic stuff. But then yer man comes out and tells us that there's fish on: Trout and Hake. This was quite possibly the freshest fish we had. Slow service -- they had to get out there and find the fish, I suppose -- but it was bloody delicious, served with lovely spuds and cabbage and bacon. Been through a few changes in management over the years, but all local folk doing good work. This is a standout pub in a sand-out area.

Bonner's Bar... where do you start one of the best wee bars…read morein the country, my steak loving partner counts the days until he can eat Colleen's delicious T-bone's again. and I can't wait to get an ear full of good Irish music and a bit of local banter.