One of those magical places that visitors dream about finding, Conor Graham and Mark Commins’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.
Flaggy Shore Oysters (produced by Conor and Mark's company at New Quay, within sight of the bar) appear in various guises on the menu, along wiith prawns, mussels, 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 and Scallops New Quay (pan-fried scallops with bacon served on rice, with a white wine sauce). But especially recommended, when a cold dish suits, is the Seafood Platter – an impressive big dish of smoked salmon, mussels, prawns, oyster, crab (meat and claws), and maybe some lobster too, served with salad and brown bread, it’s good value 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 hardworking staff keep things moving well and do their best to seat new arrivals as soon as possible.
