The city's after-dark street and home to Matt The Millers and Billy Byrnes, both institutions for live music and late-night food.
Langton's on John Street is a Kilkenny institution, winner of Best Gastro Pub Kilkenny 2025, serving hearty Irish food and an extensive Irish whiskey list.
Signature: Seafood chowder, Baileys brown bread gateau
Order: The hearty seafood chowder or the Baileys and brown bread gateau dessert. The Guinness pour is precise.
Tip: Live music starts at 21:00 every night. Food runs until 21:00; arrive before 20:30 to eat without rushing.
Matt The Millers on John Street combines live music every night with good pub food, the Kilkenny Red Ale beef pie a fitting local signature for the city.
Signature: Kilkenny Red Ale beef pie, Traditional Irish stew
Order: Kilkenny Red Ale beef pie; traditional Irish stew with brown bread.
Tip: Food served noon to 20:30 daily. Live music every night. The bar stays open until 02:30 Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Billy Byrnes on John Street Upper is a Kilkenny social institution serving locals since the 1980s, a gastro bar with food, pints, live music, plus sport.
Signature: Fish and chips, Seasonal Irish plates
Order: Fresh fish and chips; the seasonal daily specials built from local suppliers are consistently strong.
Tip: Arts Festival dining spot from 7-17 August 2025; book ahead during festival weeks when the city fills rapidly.
Matt The Millers on John Street blends reliable Irish pub cooking with live music every night, the Kilkenny Red Ale beef pie a natural city signature.
Signature: Kilkenny Red Ale beef pie, Traditional Irish stew
Order: Kilkenny Red Ale beef pie or traditional Irish stew with soda bread.
Tip: Food served noon to 20:30. Live music every night; bar open until 02:30 Thursday through Saturday.
Langton's on John Street is a Kilkenny institution, winner of Best Gastro Pub Kilkenny 2025, serving hearty Irish food and an extensive Irish whiskey list.
Signature: Seafood chowder, Kilkenny steak
Order: Hearty seafood chowder or the Angus beef steak; the Guinness here is poured with care.
Tip: Food runs noon to 21:00 daily. Live music starts at 21:00; arrive before 20:30 if you want to eat in peace.
Billy Byrnes on John Street Upper is a Kilkenny social institution serving locals since the 1980s, a gastro bar with food, pints, live music, plus sport.
Signature: Fresh fish and chips, Daily specials
Order: Fresh fish and chips; the daily specials built from local seasonal produce consistently impress.
Tip: Featured in Kilkenny Arts Festival 2025 dining listings. Book ahead during festival weeks in August.
Langton's Bar on John Street is a Kilkenny institution, winner of Best Gastro Pub Kilkenny 2025, with a large whiskey list and live music every night.
Signature drink: Guinness and Smithwick's Red Ale
Food: Full Irish pub menu until 21:00
Matt The Millers on John Street is a live music pub with good food, the Kilkenny Red Ale beef pie a fitting local signature in a converted mill building.
Signature drink: Smithwick's Original Red Ale
Food: Full Irish pub food noon to 20:30
Billy Byrnes on John Street Upper is a Kilkenny social institution, a no-frills gastro bar with Smithwick's on tap that feels more local than tourist.
Signature drink: Guinness and local craft ales
Food: Fresh local food daily
Sullivan's Taproom at The Glasshouse on John Street serves the award-winning Malting's Red Ale on rotational craft taps with wood-fired pizzas and burgers.
Bridie's Bar on John Street Lower serves weekend brunch in its walled courtyard garden with French toast, Eggs Benedict, and signature cocktails at weekends.
Matt The Millers on John Street is a popular late-night pub for trad music and live acts in a converted mill, with food until 20:30 and late bar trading.
Sullivan's Taproom at The Glasshouse is Kilkenny's best craft beer late-night option, with rotational taps and heated outdoor pods open on cooler evenings.
Matt The Millers on John Street is Kilkenny's most reliable live music venue, with trad sessions, contemporary acts, and DJ nights in a former mill building.
Billy Byrnes on Upper John Street is Kilkenny's most committed old-school local pub, trading on a no-frills atmosphere and Smithwick's on tap for generations.