Having a great time on hols, back Sunday!
Archive for May, 2006
We are heading off to Lanzarote for a week on Sunday so no doubt there will be plenty of reviews to do when i get back!
Munster are European champions after beating Biarritz in the Heineken Cup final. Munster fully deserved the win and were obviously ecstatic. Congratulations to the lads, they did the whole of Ireland proud.
I came upon Victor’s blog tonight and found it a good read. For those of you who don’t know who Victor is, here goes. He works with Red FM based in Cork City and presents a late night talk show called Cork talks back. I enjoy listening to the show when i can and can recommend tuning in. For more information check out http://victorbarry.blogspot.com
I don’t know if you could classify Bennigans as a pub but it does serve alcohol. The Bennigans i am refering to is at Mahon point shopping center. I have only been here once and it was for a meal. A few people i know have had a drink in here but it has been with food. I don’t think that its the kind of place that you would just go in for a drink. The food was fine but pricey. We were in a big group and had no complaints about the service or the food. There is a good choice of dishes available. It is a big restaurant/bar. The night we were there it was relatively quiet but i have passed a couple of times before and noticed that it was very busy. With the decor and layout you would think that you were somewhere in the states. I didn’t try a pint but if i have another meal there i may do so.
The toilets were clean when i saw them. They were just after being attended to. Bennigans is a place that i would head back to again for a bit to eat. They do a meal and cinema deal that seems like good value for money. If you do decide to have a few drinks here, remember that there is a lack of nightclubs in the shopping center!
Toilet rating: 8/10
Overall rating: 7/10
Final comment: I know that Bennigans is technically not a pub but it is worth checking out for a bite to eat following a stressful day of shopping!
Its been a while since a pub in Dublin has been reviewed. I was in Dublin last weekend and stayed in Swords. It was my second time staying in this area and i have to say that i like it. We headed for dinner in the Tree Top restaurant over the pub. Applewood main street is where you will find this venue. It was my second time having dinner here and it was excellent once again. It is a fantastic setting and the food is very nice. Following dinner we headed down stairs to the pub for a drink. There is a bar and lounge available. I have been in both and overall it is a big pub. There was live music and a one man band entertained his audience very well. We were sitting in the smaller area of the pub which i think is the bar. It is very modern and a grand spot to sit and enjoy a drink. I ordered a pint of Guinness which was delivered efficiently and with a smile! It was a very good pint and my fellow stout drinker agreed.
The pub was busy where the music was on but quieter where we were sitting. The toilets were in very good condition when i saw them. It is a pub that i will hopefully visit again if i am in the swords area.
Toilet rating: 8/10
Pint rating: 8/10
Overall rating:8/10
Final comment: Last year when i was in this pub at about 23:30 on a Saturday night a guy came in selling the Sunday World. We all got our copies long before they officially hit the shops, a bit of a novelty!
Well, we have reached another milesone. The site is now about a year and a half old and going strong. Thanks to everyone that has left comments and opinions, they are much appreciated as always. Some of the pubs that we have reviewed have closed down and we have identified that where possible. If you would like to contact us for any reason please e-mail
eoin@munsterpubs.com
ryan@munsterpubs.com
Cheers!
Eoin
The Rock was our final port of call on the midweek pub reviews. This is a pub also on Gilabbey street towards college road. When we walked in i was suprised by the sheer size of the pub. It is very modern and appeared to be a sports bar. We had a huge selection of seats to choose from and there was some Cork GAA memorabilia on the walls where we were sitting. I Got a 7up and Ryan ordered a Beamish for a change. There is a distinct difference between Murphy’s and Beamish and Ryan said he enjoyed the pint which happens to be cheaper in all pubs. There was a good crowd in this pub for a Wednesday night and there was a poker game being played between a group of lads. There is a few big screens around and a match was being shown. The atmosphere was very lively and laid back at the same time.
The gents toilets were in good condition. There is one cubicle available and that was fine. I enjoyed the visit to this pub and could see that it had a lot of attraction. Again being in close proxinity to UCC it would attract a good student trade. Check it out.
Toilet rating: 7/10
Overall rating: 7.5/10
Final comment: Because i didn’t have a pint i can’t rate it but Ryan appeared happy enough. The Rock is another Gilabbey Street pub.
On the same night that Ryan refered to we headed to The Gill Tavern. It is across the road from The Abbey Tavern and on Gillabbey street. There is a bar and lounge and we headed into the lounge which was empty. We only realised afterwards that the bar was very busy. The first thing i noticed was the rings board with a basket underneath. Ryan ordered two pints of Murphy’s and the barman didn’t rush to pull them. We were waiting for a bit for them to arrive. It reminded me of an old style pub as we sat inside. There are a few tv’s in the lounge. It is a very nice place to sit and have a chat. The pints were both very good and no complaints were heard from eithier of us. It is a lot bigger than its competition across the road and judging from the crowd in bar does quite well.
I went to find the toilets but went past them into the bar area and up a stairs. I saw pool tables up there. I went back down and found the gents but there is no sign on the door to indicate that it is the lads toilet. It was in quite good condition to be fair. Overall a decent pub that is a nice place for a few drinks but maybe not a mad night out.
Toilet rating:7.5/10
Pint rating: 7.5/10
Overall rating: 7.5/10
Final comment: The Gill Tavern is near UCC so i would say it does good trade from the college. I would head back again, maybe even try a game of pool!
I hope I’ve got that name right… Anyway, it’s basically someones front room (and adjoined kitchen) converted to a pub on College Road, Cork. It’s on the way up to UCC if you’re completely lost. As I said above, it’s like walking into someones front room. Albeit perhaps an alcoholic’s front room. I personally don’t know that many people with a fully stocked bar in their front room. There was a good crowd, nothing too packed but nicely stuffed. The Murphy’s was similar; nicely stuffed. I hadn’t really expected to get a bad pint here though. The main beverages of choice seem to be Beamish and Murphys – I’m sure you could get a bacardi breezer if you were pushed though.
There was a good atmosphere there on the night we visited (Wednesday I think), I can well imagine it’d get very full very fast. Perhaps to the point that you’d get caught standing in the hallway into the sitting room having smoke wafted in your face from the addicts outside. Speculation aside, It’s a perfectly pleasant pub that I’d visit again. Not everyones cup of Murphy’s but it was mine. Let me put it this way, would you feel comfortable sipping a pint while sitting in your grandmothers living room, possibly speaking in slightly louder tones than you should be?
Right, now I’ve completely lost my train of thought. Just go up there and decide for yourself. Between myself and Eoin, it was unanimous approval.
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