Cocktails, wine bars and dives: drinking in Galway for grown-ups.
Cocktail bars, wine bars, dive bars and gastropubs: drinking in Galway for grown-ups.
Tigh Neachtain on Cross Street Galway is the most ambient trad-session pub in the west; low ceilings, open fire and live music most nights since 1894.
Signature drink: Pint of Guinness in one of Galway's oldest pub interiors
Food: Bar snacks only
The Crane Bar on Sea Road Galway is the hub of traditional music; nightly trad sessions on a stage that launched music careers since the 1980s.
Signature drink: Guinness served before and after trad sessions
Food: No food service
Monroes Tavern on Upper Dominick Street Galway stages live music every night from trad to folk and rock in a corner pub that defines the West End.
Signature drink: Pint of Galway Hooker stout at the bar before the band starts
Food: No food service
Roisin Dubh on Upper Dominick Street is Galway's principal live-music venue; the 400-capacity upstairs room has hosted every major Irish act since the 1990s.
Signature drink: Pint served at the long bar before heading upstairs to the gig room
Food: No food service
Bierhaus on Henry Street Galway stocks 150 craft beers from Ireland and Europe, with 10 rotating taps and monthly tap-takeovers from leading Irish breweries.
Signature drink: Galway Hooker Pale Ale from the rotating 20-tap line-up
Food: No food service
Taylors Bar on Dominick Street Galway draws late-night crowds with DJ sets and live gigs in a no-frills room where Galway music has gathered since 1985.
Signature drink: Jameson and Black Bush alongside a pint of Murphy's stout
Food: Bar food: toasties and soup until early evening
Oslo in Upper Salthill is the Galway Bay Brewery taproom on the promenade; 10 rotating craft taps, wood-fired kitchen and Atlantic views on the promenade.
Signature drink: Galway Bay Brewery tap pours on the promenade terrace
Food: Artisan pizzas from the kitchen on Fri-Sun
John Keoghs on Dominick Street Galway pours 14 draught craft lines and 80 Irish whiskeys in a Victorian bar that anchors the West End craft scene.
Signature drink: Irish whiskey flight from a 150-bottle back-bar selection
Food: Full kitchen: wild Atlantic seafood, fish pie and seasonal mains
The Salthouse on Ravens Terrace Galway is a Galway Bay Brewery pub; seafood boards, oysters and craft taps beside the canal in the Spanish Arch quarter.
Signature drink: Atlantic Sour with Connemara whiskey, lemon and sea-salt foam
Food: Seafood boards, oysters and sharing plates
Pub Salthill on the Salthill promenade is the Galway sea-front local for an after-dip pint; open-terrace seating and live acoustic sets on summer weekends.
Signature drink: Aperol Spritz on the Salthill promenade terrace
Food: Full casual menu: burgers, brunch plates, seafood
The Kings Head on High Street Galway occupies a building licensed since 1611 with nightly trad sessions, live comedy and the longest bar in the city.
Signature drink: Pint of Galway Hooker or Murphy's in the medieval great hall
Food: Gastropub: seafood chowder, Irish stew and daily specials
McSwiggins on Eyre Street Galway is a warren of dark-wood rooms and gas fires that feeds a lunchtime crowd then stays loud with live music until midnight.
Signature drink: Pint of Stout and a toasted sandwich at the bar
Food: Bar food: toasties and soups until 17:00
The Quays on Quay Street Galway is a three-floor Victorian bar with stained-glass from a French church; trad sessions run seven nights a week.
Signature drink: Pint of Guinness in the converted medieval church interior
Food: Bar food and pub classics daily until 21:00
McDonalds Bar on Quay Street Galway is the after-fish-and-chips local drawing both visitors and families in a relaxed pub beside the famous chipper.
Signature drink: Pint of Guinness at the bar while waiting for your fish order
Food: Full fish and chip restaurant and bar menu
The Dail Bar on Middle Street Galway is the political-cartoon-lined pub famous for the cheapest pint in the city centre since the 1990s with long hours.
Signature drink: A pint and a chaser at the long bar before the trad session starts
Food: No food service
The Cellar Bar on Eglinton Street Galway is an 18th-century landmark basement; DJ nights and acoustic sets in the granite-vaulted room Thursday to Saturday.
Signature drink: Connemara Negroni: Connemara whiskey, sweet vermouth, Campari
Food: No food service
The Harbour Hotel Bar on New Dock Road Galway is the pre-theatre cocktail lounge for the Town Hall with refined bar snacks and Atlantic oysters nightly.
Signature drink: Galway Bay cocktail: Connemara gin, elderflower, tonic
Food: Light bar menu and charcuterie boards until 23:00