Hickie's Bar in Kilkee

We arrived at about 6pm on a Sunday night in November -- when most of the other restaurants in town were closed for the season -- to find a substantial crowd and several people waiting for tables. The very polite proprietor did a quick survey and suggested it might be as much as a 40 minute wait, but lacking other options, we settled at the bar. Fortunately, things moved more quickly and we were seated in about 15 minutes instead. Their menu follows the "gastro pub" model, with upscale versions of a lot of Irish standards . I had a bowl of chowder (very good), my wife had goat cheese crostini (excellent) and we shared a tiger prawn appetizer (also delicious). The service was attentive and friendly, and the atmosphere cozy on a chilly fall night. Overall, a win all around.

Amazing chowder and excellent service. Everyone was very kind and attentive. Would happily come again.

The fish soup could have been better seasoned. The curry was very tasty. The staff is friendly, but not very attentive. For example, I wasn't asked for another drink even though my glass had been empty for some time. We had to order it ourselves at the bar. Otherwise, a nice place.

Lovely atmosphere & good food -really enjoyed our meal. Staff were friendly also

The service was excellent. Very friendly and not too intrusive. The food was delicious and plentiful. I would have liked to try dessert, but there wasn't enough room.

An absolute MUST! The food, the drinks, the service, and the ambiance 👍 the best food in 10 days in Ireland. We felt incredibly comfortable.

We were on a one night stay in Kilkee and went into Hickies for food,we had no reservation but they booked us in for an hours time and we happily went off for a walk.When we arrived back we enjoyed a delicious,fresh and tasty meal.We had great table service and were so happy they accommodated us with such short notice and for so many of us,4 adults and 4 kids.Would highly recommend!

The food was delicious and portions were large. The restaurant had a very beautiful setting - authentic decor and a lovely view of the sunset over the beach.

First, the good: breakfast/brunches. We went twice for brunch and the GF breakfast was great. Second, the not so good: four of us went for dinner and there was little to no option for the GF/DF member of our party. A very lacklustre pea fritter thing was served with rice, salad and about a qtr of an avocado (the chips are done in cross-contaminated oil, so they were not an option). We then asked for a jug of tap water during dinner and two large bottles of water were produced. We were told that the tap water wasn’t drinkable. Considering we were staying about 200m away with no such warnings, we thought this was strange. We then asked if the ice in our drinks was therefore safe and were told that it was as it came from a filtered ice making machine. When the bill came, the bottled water was on it so we had to have that removed. When we questioned a different server further about the water, she said that the staff were able to drink it but they didn’t want to risk customers (?!), and that they were waiting for clearance from the water company. Imagine our surprise, then, when we went for brunch the very next day, at seeing staff filling up water bottles for tables from the tap and lots of people with those water bottles on their tables! Gosh, the Irish water company must have worked overnight to test and certify the water!! We politely approached the same manager that had been behind the bar the night before who shrugged his shoulders, said “that’s Irish water for you”, then walked away. This whole situation stinks of deception in that selling bottled water makes more profit. In conclusion, although the brunches are good and the old bar restaurant is nicely decorated with a modern vibe, the service is quite slow and there is little to no choice on the dinner menu for GF & DF allergens together, so this, together with the whiff of deception, is off-putting.

First, the good: breakfast/brunches. We went twice for brunch and the veggie breakfast was great. Second, the not so good: four of us went for dinner and there was little to no option for the GF/DF member of our party. A very lacklustre pea fritter thing was served with rice, salad and about a qtr of an avocado (the chips are done in cross-contaminated oil, so they were not an option). We then asked for a jug of tap water during dinner and two large bottles of water were produced. We were told that the tap water wasn’t drinkable. Considering we were staying about 200m away with no such warnings, we thought this was strange. We then asked if the ice in our drinks was therefore safe and were told that it was as it came from a filtered ice making machine. When the bill came, the bottled water was on it so we had to have that removed. When we questioned a different server further about the water, she said that the staff were able to drink it but they didn’t want to risk customers (?!), and that they were waiting for clearance from the water company. Imagine our surprise, then, when we went for brunch the very next day, at seeing staff filling up water bottles for tables from the tap and lots of people with those water bottles on their tables! Gosh, the Irish water company must have worked overnight to test the water!! We politely approached the same manager that had been behind the bar the night before who shrugged his shoulders, said “that’s Irish water for you”, then walked away. This whole situation stinks of deception in that selling bottled water makes more profit. In conclusion, although the brunches are good and the old bar restaurant is nicely decorated with a modern vibe, the service is quite slow and there is little to no choice on the dinner menu for GF & DF allergens together, so this, together with the whiff of deception, is off-putting.