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We've compiled the best of the best in Galway City - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
Expect to wait in line at this city-center restaurant set in an old stone house, with tables overlooking the Corrib. Ard Bia serves budget-conscious, freshly baked and sourced food, with a menu that changes according to what is in season. Jumbled furnishings from dressers to crockery in a casual setting contrasts the more spacious, timber-floored restaurant upstairs. Here the menu is concise with offerings from sea and land with monkfish, rib eye, and lentil cakes.
Tapping into Galway's past as a major trading post for Spain, chef--owners JP McMahon and Drigin Gaffey bring all the favorite aspects of authentic Spanish cuisine and wine while also serving excellent local produce in this vibrant and warm Galway hot spot. More than 50 regional tapas served family-style at large, wooden communal tables are the heart of this restaurant filled with Spanish flavors and Irish produce and heart. There is an impressive craft beer and wine menu to accompany the food choices. For groups of eight or more, there's a tasting menu (€29 per person) that includes a sweeping selection of tapas.
For anyone seeking an authentic tea-drinking experience, à la the Irish grandma who serves tea as an art form, the Cupán Tae ("the cup of tea" in Irish) serves it up with fussy crockery and much nostalgia. Breakfast is top-notch, and the popular afternoon tea comes complete with fresh-baked pastries served on a tiered china stand (of course). Add prosecco if you're feeling celebratory.
Tucked inside a renovated cottage in the shadow of St. Ignatius's limestone belfry is one of Galway's best restaurants. The bare stone walls and floors are brightened by a pop of color from thrifted chairs and a skylight that draws in natural light, but what really shines is the reasonably priced and locally sourced organic food. The menu changes daily, but offerings are always excellent, local, and pulled together with intelligence and creativity.
The humble fish-and-chip is king at this stalwart restaurant, serving deep-fried cod, whiting, haddock, and hake for decades. The reasonably priced fish is served with a heap of fabulous, freshly cooked chips (which have won a nationwide competition for the best in Ireland) and eaten at communal tables—a great way to meet the locals.
Nestled into a lamp-lit corner of Kirwan's Lane near the Quays, this slim, two-story oasis has served quality local seafood for more than 20 years. Its selection reads like a travel guide from the highlights of the Wild Atlantic Way: Burren smoked salmon, Dingle prawns, and Connemara mussels. Owner Mike O'Grady combs the local waters for the finest produce for Kirwan's, and beef and chicken are also on the menu. Specials are a highlight.
