Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [339]
Sheridans on the Docks ( 091-566 905; 3 Dock Rd; mains €17-26; 6.30-10.30pm Tue-Sat) From the talented team behind Sheridans Cheesemongers comes this excellent restaurant in a vintage stone building overlooking the harbour. The menu changes regularly, but dishes, such as cockle beignets, wild sea bass with purple sprouted broccoli and baked rhubarb, celebrate the best of locally produced foods. In winter (October to April) get a table by the fireplace. Bar No 8 downstairs Click here is a welcoming pub.
Abalone Restaurant ( 091-534 895; 53 Lower Dominick St; mains €20-30; 6-10pm) Just over the bridge from the buzzy heart of Galway, Abalone already feels more relaxed. There’s very fine dining in this tiny yet elegant storefront. As you’d expect from the name, seafood is the star here, but you’ll also find vegetarian treats, steaks and various global mains.
Cafes
Food 4 Thought ( 091-565 854; Lower Abbeygate St; mains €5-7; 8am-6pm Mon-Sat, 11.30am-4pm Sun) Besides providing organic and vegetarian sandwiches, savoury scones, and wholesome dishes such as cashew-nut roast, this New Age–y place is great for finding out about energy workshops and yoga classes around town. (And feel free to cheat – the BLT is excellent.)
Kettle of Fish ( 091-569 881; 4 Upper Cross St; mains from €5; 11am-late) A New Age chipper that boasts of its line-caught fish, including salmon. The sides border on the artful, which is fitting given the lovely sea-foam-green interior. Though many weekend patrons fail to appreciate the niceties, they crowd in until 4am.
Goya’s ( 091-567 010; 2 Kirwan’s Lane; dishes €5-10; 9.30am-6pm Mon-Sat) Cupcake love! Cakes in all sizes are supreme at Goya’s, a Galway treasure hidden on a small square. Its cool pale-blue decor, Segafredo coffee and sweet treats make it a perfect spot to take some time out. The deli does a booming lunch trade; enjoy a sandwich at a table outside.
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HOPPY SALVATION
Irish pubs may be atmospheric places to enjoy a pint and, indeed, many folks fly thousands of miles to sit in a little nook happily quaffing a properly poured creamy Guinness. But once past the stout, things go flat in a hurry. In pub after pub the non-Guinness choices amount to a sad array of bland lagers. What did the Irish ever do to America besides send it some of their finest citizens? In return America has sent the Irish Budweiser, Miller Genuine Draft (MGD) and, horror of horrors, Coors Light. The Dutch haven’t done much better by the Emerald Isle, exporting untold hectolitres of Heineken, a beer that inspired a Dutch friend to ask us, ‘why do you drink our old man’s beer?’
But if the beer situation in much of the country is bleak (what the hell happened to Harp?), in Galway there’s an alternative to the lame lagers: Hooker. Named for the iconic local fishing boats, this fine ale is the creation of two cousins, Ronan Brennan and Aidan Murphy (their mothers are identical twins). Providing a local beer for those not wanting a Guinness was a challenge. ‘Eventually we found an existing brewery, which had been dormant for five years and needed to be completely recommissioned, including new machinery, which meant a lot of begging, borrowing and stealing’, recalls Brennan.
The pair’s brew, a tasty pale ale, has won plaudits and, more importantly, a local following. ‘We’re putting the flavour in the way it’s meant to be. There’s a love of good beer in this country, but a lack of variety. People are slow to change their drinking habits. We were careful which pubs we put it into – places where people are open-minded and it didn’t outlast its keg life [about a month]’, notes Murphy.
Ask for a Hooker at pubs across Galway. Not only will you get a superior pint, but you’ll earn the respect of the locals around you.
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Self-Catering
Galway’s market ( 8am-4pm Sat) fills the streets around St Nicholas Church. It’s one of the region’s best and is the place