I’m the first one to admit that I had preconceived notions about Galway based on preliminary research and had initially scratched it off my list when I thought I would be traveling solo. But when a friend decided to join me on the second half of my trip, I thought this was the perfect time to check out Galway and see if it was an Ireland keeper.
So, what did I expect? Big college town. Lots of street and pub revelry. Not much in the way of art or historical sights. Great music. Claddagh rings.
Admittedly, superficial. But on a short visit, Galway was pretty much what I expected.
Galway is a pleasant, lively city center with tons of pubs and revelry.
However, I didn’t expect the compact pedestrian shopping area of aptly-named Shop Street. This turned out to be a good turn of events since I was near the end of my travels, and needed to do some obligatory gift shopping. Galway came through with local Irish wares such as artisan Aran wool sweaters and silver jewelry.
Galway City Center
We joined the mass of humanity trolling Galway’s cobble stone streets that segue from shopping to sidewalk cafes of pub-after-pub running from Eyre Square park down to the river where the historic Spanish Arch resides with little fanfare.
But the arch does serve as a cool entrance to the Galway City Museum along with the eye-catching Joe Caslin mural that seems to signal “Art Here.” Typically I would have prioritized a museum stop, but that was thwarted by gift shopping.
Food in Galway
Food though, as always, remained a high priority. Based on some sleuthing and recommendations by some fellow foodies that we met along the way, I had my sights focused on a few Galway venues: Ard Bia, Cava Bodega, Kai Cafe, Dough Bros, and the Malt House. We had arrived in Galway by bus, just in time for dinner and with less than two full days in town, we needed to double-up on restaurants.
Ambient Ard Bia Restaurant
We had decided on Ard Bia for dinner and made a reservation upon arriving at our hotel. Ard Bia is housed in a low, unassuming brick building next to the Spanish Arch.
Upon entering the modern, low-lit interior it is immediately impressive. Their take on food clearly strives to be creative.
We started with the mezze board as I was sucked in by the muhummara component which you rarely find on menus – it was pretty good but the hummus hit a sour note for me.
For the main, I went for the interesting-sounding vegetarian dish of Cellariac Gallette with Mushrooms. The appealingly-plated dish turned out to be more of a lasagna-construction than a gallette. It was fine, but dense and a bit flavor-muddled without the complexity promised by the description.
My friend had the Pumpkin Risotto with Goat Cheese, which was a colorful and a bit more flavorful dish but still a bit odd in flavor profile.
I didn’t leave as excited about the menu design in comparison with my anticipation. And while Ard Bia’s dining room is one in which I would love to linger, after traveling in friendly Ireland for a couple of weeks, I found Ard Bia’s service a bit aloof.
The Fabulous Cava Bodega
I was so happy that I had squeezed-in Cava Bodega for pre-dinner drinks and appetizers.
And it was probably good that we had arrived at Cava Bodega as soon as it opened so that we got a seat – it soon filled up and is clearly very popular. And rightfully so.
Cava’s food was inventive, delicious, and the interior space interesting and lively. So much so that I was sorry we had made dinner reservations somewhere else. I’ve created a post dedicated to Cava Bodega.
Kai Cafe: Architectural & Delicious
The next day we made our way out of the city center and across the river to seek out Kai Cafe and Restaurant.
Kai is set in a fantastic architectural space with casual ambiance and a tasty seasonal menu. The staff was immediately friendly.
Kai Cafe was so wonderful that I wrote an article dedicated to this fabulous spot.
I liked getting off the beaten path to this more neighborhoody area. It’s a great spot from which to launch a walk along the seawall after lunch.
The Malt House Restaurant
That night we were meeting a local family friend for dinner and so we sought out something a little more bistro style that could accommodate a variety of tastes. We settled on The Malt House, tucked into a little alley. Since my visit though, I understand the restaurant has closed.
We were seated in one of the back rooms that immediately called to mind tasteful contemporary bordello with its purple wallpaper and Victorian chandeliers.
Service was friendly and the menu was modern Irish bistro – simple local components with a creative spin. We started with a Seafood Chowder and a side of brown bread.
While there were lots of fish options, they all seemed to also have a meat component as well, but they were happy to leave the chorizo off my Rockfish. The Rockfish dish was perfectly fine – the biggest disappointment was the bland plating.
Likewise, the Steak-Frites was a classic presentation with some parsley thrown in for color.
My friend’s “gnocchi” dish – misleadingly named – turned out to be log-shaped, but it probably had the most interesting plating of the night using fruit, greens, and hazelnuts.
The Malt House has a pleasant, modern feel with friendly service. But it didn’t quite live up to my expectations based on the reviews. Mostly I walked away with the regret of what could have been for my last Galway meal, such as the Dough Bros, which we were ultimately unable to fit in.
Galway Pubs
After dinner we went to hear music at recommended Taaffes Bar (nearby Tig Coili had also been recommended but was on a music break so we moved on). Taaffes is set in the pedestrian center, and we saw a fantastic group called Shane Fahy and the Family Ballad Band who did the best version of “Stand by Me” I’ve ever heard, with a Trad spin. It was super dark in the pub, but I’m posting his photo anyway.
I really liked the other side of the river from the center of town, with its low-key local sensibility.
In that part of town, the Kai Cafe folks had recommended their pub neighbor The Crane Bar, but it was getting late to walk back over the river.
Goodbye Galway
A quick hotel breakfast the next morning, and then we walked a block to the train station for our 2 1/2 hour ride to Dublin.
Leaving the city, the best and biggest rainbow I’ve ever seen emerged over the Galway landscape.
Maybe it was on omen compelling me to come back someday and give Galway another try.
