The best restaurants

01/01/2026: Friendly local pub, Great pint of Beamish, a good age mix here, well worth a visit.

29/11/2025: Lovely bar...calm, quiet relaxing.

12/01/2026: Really nice food and staff here. Much nicer vibe under the new management

12/01/2026: Wonderful place for breakfast and coffee

18/03/2026: Wings Wednesday is such a bargain, great food and even better staff special thanks to Jessica for fabulous services

17/03/2026: Jessica was great and kids loved the play area

22/12/2025: A thoroughly positive impression, both from the very friendly and welcoming service staff and the beautifully maintained ambiance with its view of the water. Good coffee and tea, delicious snacks, and homemade cakes. We'll definitely be back! Please note: the café is somewhat hidden, located directly on the riverbank. A small footpath leads from the bridge right to the café. Further upstream along the river, there's a large parking lot where parking is free on Sundays. From there, it's about a 2-minute walk to the café; simply stroll along the riverbank and you're there.

27/10/2025: Got a delicious coffee and toastie here! Love the flavour of the coffee, really special. Food was fresh and delicious. And the women working were so lovely. Love the river views, what a location. Thank you ladies 👩🏼‍🍳☕️🙏🏻🙏🏻

07/01/2026: Great place. I've been going to Clifden since I was a child and never been in before. We had a really great meal.

03/01/2026: It is conveniently placed in front of the bus stop, so it was easy to eat there while waiting for the bus. We had the penne pasta with cream sauce and mushroom and the steak sandwich. Portion size is generous and food is really good.

25/01/2026: Very disappointing experience. I was genuinely taken aback by how rude and dismissive the young man behind the bar was. His attitude was openly hostile and unwelcoming, and it was clear his priority was chatting with his friends at the end of the bar rather than serving customers properly. While I was there, a couple of people came in looking for food and left visibly unimpressed by his manner as well, so it certainly wasn’t just my impression. Good customer service costs nothing, yet it was completely absent. If someone dislikes dealing with the public, working behind a bar is probably not the right job. What’s more surprising is that locals told me he’s been there for years, which raises serious questions about management oversight and standards. Ballycotton relies on hospitality, and places like this should be setting a far better example. Unfortunately, based on this experience, I wouldn’t be in a hurry to return.

11/01/2026: You cannot beat a proper Irish bar with live music EVERY WEEK, multiple times at that. They always have a mix, it could be rock, folk, trad, dj, and general mix. They also serve food through the trawler boys. And they cater for afters of weddings or birthdays etc.

16/03/2026: A lovely Cafe. Hard to find nice independent cafes making their own food these days. A gem!

08/03/2026: Horrible place,, senior female staff member has a contemptuous attitude to customers and I'm not the only one to make that observation..tables and chairs in outdoor section belong in a rubbish skip..pity as it's a great location otherwise 👍

24/02/2026: A fantastic atmosphere in this traditional pub with live music every night (see website). Lots of regulars and a few tourists. Impeccable service! Children welcome until 9 pm 👍

22/02/2026: Great buzz in the place, lots of people jammed in. Live music.

04/03/2026: Spent an overnight stop in campervan on a hardsdand with water and electricity.... had evening meal from an extensive menu... Great food and drinks from a friendly staff .... proprietor on hand meeting and greeting...lovely touch... not many place provide same anymore ... would definitely recommend !

17/02/2026: Stayed here for the weekend and had a lovely time! Staff are friendly and helpful. Would definitely recommend to a friend.

07/01/2026: Update: adter a few more visits I am writing a short review. I am more of a coffee quality than vibes person, but Brew Lab is in my opinion the best coffee shop in the area- and the staff are a huge credit to it! To add, it’s the nicest and most consistent americanos I’ve had of about 20 shops in the past year. It’s a shame about the cup volume and some of the discounts were reduced

07/01/2026: We visited Brew Lab on Sunday and it is the best coffee shop I ever been to. My partner ordered a pour over coffee, and I had a chai latte. The pour over was a real experience with the staff member talking passionately about coffee and the different stages. Although I don't usually drink coffee, I tried the coffee he made and really liked it! It's the first time that I feel like I could drink a full cup of coffee as it was fruity and not bitter at all. He also helped my partner choosing a bag of coffee. Fantastic customer service! Unfortunately, we forgot asking for his name, but I think that he was Korean as he translated the name of an ingredient on his phone from French and I believe the language was Korean. Hopefully it will help identifying him and thanking him again :) Also, the lady that made my chai latte also did the cutest latte art on it (a seahorse) so many thanks to her too. We will definitely visit again when we return to Dublin!

28/12/2025: Excellent coffee and really friendly, welcoming staff. Nice range of freshly baked pastries. Great opening hours over the holidays :)

27/12/2025: Such a cool spot. Bartender was super cool and the vibes were excellent. Didn't get any food as the pizza was sold out but still a great time

18/01/2026: Fabulous food 🥘 great atmosphere with service with smile had a wonderful meal

10/01/2026: Beautiful food, and excellent staff. Would totally recommend.. five stars

01/01/2026: Breakfast on New Year's Day, wonderful experience

29/12/2025: Loved my vegan breakfast here! Generous portion (a massive plate of seasoned potato cubes!) w/ complimentary coffee, and they stock oat milk! Friendly service and a very warm welcome as you enter! Note: it is cash only, so keep this in mind if you plan a visit!

17/12/2025: Collected a beautiful cheese bored for the morning of my wedding, went down a treat. Presented beautifully

07/12/2025: Went here two weekends in a row highly recommend it. The atmosphere and food is lovely. The waitress April was so helpful and accommodating, her energy made us feel very welcomed.

10/11/2025: I created a video of our visit to Nano Nagle Convent. To see a complete review of our visit to this tourist attraction search on YouTube for "@travellingtourist Nano Nagle Convent”

07/11/2025: Fascinating visit, we now know the difference between a class 1, 2 and 3 relic! Thanks Tatiana for bringing it to life for us.