The Irish Pub Guide

Galway is one of Ireland’s biggest tourist destinations, with around one million domestic visitors and well over 1.5 million international visitors.

Those guests visit the city along the Wild Atlantic Way to see the sights, wander around the picturesque landscape and of course try some of the finest pubs in the country.

Here at The Irish Pub Guide, we’ve visited and extensively researched all parts of Ireland, including Galway, the provide you with the best possible advice on where to go depending on what you’re looking for.

Galway is one of the country’s best pub spots – hopefully our guide will help you make the most of it.

Traditional pubs and live music

Galway is home to some incredible traditional pubs to get yourself a lovely pint of Guinness or whatever you fancy while listening to some traditional music in a mahogany setting – here are some of the best.

Tigh Choili, The Latin Quarter – The home of live Irish music in Galway – this homely pub is jam packed with traditional music as Gaeilge every day of the week with three hour sessions during the week and a five-hour one on Sunday.

Taaffes Bar, The Latin Quarter – The historic building is home to exactly what you’re imagining a traditional Galway pub to be with a cosy interior, friendly atmosphere and good pints.

They’ve music every night of the week, bar food if you’re peckish and it’s usually busy with both locals and tourists.

Tigh Neachtain, Quay Street – A busy and character-filled pub in the centre of Galway that dates back to the 1800s – live music every night of the week.

The Quays, Quay Street – Most of the reviews of this place will tell you all you need to know, it’s one of the liveliest spots in the city with live music daily until 2am – it was voted Galway’s best live entertainment venue in 2022.

Barr An Chaladh, Woodquay – A stunning little bar popular with all age groups, Barr An Chaladh is one of the city’s liveliest pubs with live music seven days a week.

Read even more with our 7 best Galway traditional pubs here.

Galway pub grub

Nowadays pubs compete with restaurants when it comes to the quality of their food and Galway is home to some fine pub grub – here are some of the best spots to grab a bite to eat.

The Front Door Pub, Cross Upper Street – With food daily from 11am, this is one of the most wide-ranging menus in the city, they’ve sandwiches, seafood, burgers, pizza and nearly anything else you could want.

You’re talking €10 to €15 for lunch and a bit more than that for dinner – check out their menu here.

An Pucan, Forster Street – One of the city’s most popular pubs, An Pucan has a huge outdoor space and happens to have a massive food menu – from breakfast to dinner.

You’ll get sandwiches, soup, burgers and everything else you’d expect with the majority of mains between €10 and €20 – menu here.

John Keogh’s Pub, Dominick Street – Voted Ireland’s best regional food pub in the Irish pub awards in 2022, John Keogh’s is of course home to quality bites.

While they also have a finger food menu, this is slightly more upmarket and closer to a restaurant in terms of food and the prices reflect that, with most mains over €20.

A shoulder of lamb, pork belly skewers and steak options are a few of the options on this menu.

The Quays, Quay Street – Inside the lovely pub here you’ll find The Galway Girl restaurant where they have a terrific seafood menu, small bites and mains like Guinness stew and bacon and cabbage.

It’s largely €15 to €20 on mains – check out the menu yourself here.

Landmark Galway pubs not to miss

There are some pubs you simply won’t want to miss, here’s a rundown of the famous spots all visitors should see.

Hole in the Wall, Woodquay – A postcard worthy spot that’s well worth a visit if you’re a tourist in Galway.

The bar and spacious beer garden were recently renovated and now fine spots to enjoy a day or night of drinking with your pals.

The Crane Bar, Sea Road – Head to The Crane Bar and find an authentic atmosphere that only a local Irish pub can create with an old-fashioned trad session every night of the week.

The King’s Head, The Latin Quarter – Standing in the centre of Galway for over 800 years now, this is a place steeped with history and a must-stop if you’re looking for an authentic Irish pub experience.

And the walls are covered in history so you won’t be short of things to look at when sipping on your drink.

Galway pubs for a night-out

Heading to Galway for a big night-out? There are plenty of pubs that will serve you right into the night – here are some of the best.

The Skeff, Eyre Square – Also known as Galway’s meeting place, it’s home to live music seven days a week, opens until 2am and you’re nearly always guaranteed a crowd in here.

Roisin Dubh, Dominick Street – There’s always something going on in here, the live music and comedy gig venue is one of the premier night-out spots in the country and you’ll always find a bit of craic here.

The Dail Bar, Middle Street – Another late bar where you’ll get live entertainment seven nights a week, a big crowd no matter when you visit and a tasty cocktail menu in their Liquor Lounge.

Coyotes, Shop Street – If you’re looking for a night of dancing and letting loose, Coyotes is the late bar where you can really let your hair down, they’ve an extensive cocktail menu, live music and even themed nights.

Galway beer gardens

It’s far from guaranteed in an Irish summer but if you do happen to get a very sunny day when in Galway, these are the best beer gardens to try.

The Garden at An Pucan, Forster Street – Galway’s best outdoor space, or at least that’s how they market it themselves, and who could argue, it’s a huge space and will have a great atmosphere on a sunny day.

Taylor’s beer garden, Dominick Street – A spacious beer garden that again attracts a big crowd on a summer’s day, the vibrant pub is one of Galway’s most popular and they even have heaters for when it starts to get a bit chilly.

Jury’s Inn beer garden, Quay Street – You could say this is a bit of a hidden gem as you might not expect the hotel to have such a big beer garden, but they certainly do, and overlooking the river makes it a lovely spot for some pints in the sun.

Hole in the Wall, Woodquay – Very popular with the young cohort, it was refurbished extensively in 2019 and now has a very comfortable beer garden out the back, it even has some shelter in case a likely summer shower tries to spoil the party.

Let us know your favourites

If you happen to try any of the pubs on this list or have been to Galway and found a place you’d recommend, please let us know in the comments.