One of those magical places that visitors dream about finding, Eileen and Vincent Graham’s cottagey pub-restaurant on the edge of the Burren is right on the rocks at New Quay, with wonderful views across Galway Bay.
Inside there’s a nice old-fashioned bar with an open fire for chilly days, a newer area comfortably set up for dining and an outside seating area overlooking the quay.
Although there are always other options - including ever-popular sirloin steak and a vegetarian dish of the day - the main focus is firmly on fish, especially shellfish, and the range of both hot and cold dishes offered in high season is wide for a small establishment.
Prawns, mussels and oysters all appear in various guises among the starters, for example, and you’ll find crab, clams, scallops and – of course – lobster featuring in a wide range of salads, open sandwiches and hot main courses.
Hot house specialities include lobster (pricey enough at about €33.95 per 0.5kg) and Scallops New Quay (pan-fried scallops with bacon served on rice, with a white wine sauce, about €20). But especially recommended, when a cold dish suits, is the Seafood Platter – an impressive big dish of smoked salmon, mussels, prawns, crab (meat and claws), and maybe some lobster too, served with salad and brown bread, it’s good value at around €20 (and, for any except the hungriest, big enough to share between two).
It’s a popular spot and you may have to wait at the bar for a table in high season but, although service can come under pressure at very busy times, hardworking staff keep things moving well and do their best to seat new arrivals as soon as possible.
