Fancy a city break? Check out Galway’s best food & drink offerings
Galway city is one of Ireland's best spots for a fun weekend away, with its reputation for great pubs, traditional music and amazing scenery. But when tourists arrive, they're often overwhelmed by sheer choice of food and drink options available to them!
Bustling streets, incredible menus everywhere you look, and enticing smells wafting through the streets, Galway has plenty to offer those who know where to look! Check out our top food and drink choices, whether you’re into craft beers or cocktails, Italian or Irish cuisine!
Cava Bodega
One of our favourite discoveries in Galway, this intimate and award-winning tapas bar is super popular among locals and visitors alike. Celebrating the best for Spanish cooking, Cava Bodega specialises in food made for sharing, creating a casual and relaxed atmosphere with food that you’ll be craving for the rest of your life!
Their menu showcases over 70 different types of tapas from different regions and all their fish, meat and produce is locally sourced, meaning you’re getting Galway’s best. Definitely a great place for a meal with family or even an intimate date, Cava Bodega is a must when you come to Galway, as is their Connemara clams and duck with plum sherry.
Tigh Neachtain
Looking for a spot to sit out and watch the world go by? Tigh Neachtain, right in the heart of the Latin Quarter’s busiest spot is the spot in Galway for a drink and some people watching. The distinctive and central blue and yellow pub was founded in 1894 and has seen some mad sessions over the years form musical talents like Sharon Shannon and Brendan O’Regan.
They do some light pub food if you’re looking for a bite with your drink and they’ve a wide selection of every drink you can think up. If you’re looking for a casual pint, a bit of culture and maybe even chats with a few locals, this is definitely your spot.
Trattoria Magnetti
The perfect little Italian spot right in the town centre, this trattoria is run by the Magnetti brothers who make all their own pasta on site. Their ingredients are as fresh as their pasta and they use their family’s traditional recipe sot put an amazing plate of food in front of you.
A great spot for a date, the quiet, low light atmosphere inside is all about intimacy and cosiness and the food is next to none. A varied and unusual menu that will see you trying Italian recipes that you won’t find in your typical touristy pizzeria, you absolutely must try out their huge range of ravioli combinations.
The Salt House
Another very cute pub spot, this time a little over the river for a less hectic scene than Quay street, the Salt House Bar is a rare find in a major city. Specialising in craft beer and ciders, the tiny pub is candlelit and full of dark wood, so one almost feels like you’re in a ship! Regularly rotating their casks, you’ll try plenty of unusual beers in this spot and soak up the unique atmosphere!
They also have board games down the back and lots of fairy lights making it a great spot to hang with friends on cold winter’s evenings in front of their open fire. Checkout their Sunday Bluegrass session and if you’re a fan of ciders, their craft Thatcher selection is a must!
An Púcán
If you’re looking for either a glam beer garden or a great place to watch the match, An Púcán is your go-to. Serving the most delicious bar food alongside delicious cocktails and a wide range of beers, it has a little something for everyone as well as extensive seating. On of Galway’s bigger and more popular bars, it’s great for a night out as well as afternoon or evening drinks.
A friendly and fun atmosphere it’s definitely a spot to hang with friends and their beer garden is the perfect sunning spot in the summer. Great service and lively atmosphere, it’s welcoming spot off the city’s famous Eyre Square.
Il Vicolo
The ultimate romantic date spot, Il Vicolo is the Irish Italian restaurant of dreams! A little pricier than some of Galway’s other spots, their food, glamorous cocktails and incredible wine selection is worth it. Keep cosy inside in their beautiful setting in the winter with open fires and sit out on the River Corrib on their beautiful flower and fairy-light bedecked balcony in summer.
With an exclusive 24 seats, the rustic feel to the place transports you from Galway to the Italian countryside as you feats on bruschetta and white wine. Their seasonally changing menu means you get the freshest of food and the imaginative of plates set before you. A stunning spot for catch ups and fabulous food and definitely one of our Galway favourites.
The Dough Bros
Looking for something a little more casual? Dough Bros pizza is the absolute best pizza around – and they can prove it! They were voted best takeaway pizzeria in Europe 2021 & top pizzeria in Ireland 2021, a serious achievement given the competition! With a small but seriously tasty menu, you should follow your nose along Galway’s windy cobbled streets to find the amazing smell coming from Dough Bro’s pizzeria.
Available in their store in Middle Street or from ‘The Big Bus’ in O’Connell’s Bar (another beautiful and fun spot for drinks and chats), it’s a great shout for a quick lunch or some soakage before hitting Galway’s huge array of nightlife!
