Congratulations to all at The Boothouse Bar in Ballineriskig, Cork which won best local bar in Ireland in a recent poll done on Newstalk. We will definately give a call in for our own review at some stage.
Archive for August, 2009
I think Ryan reviewed this in more detail before but what the hell. The next pub we visited on our short trip around Dublins drinking establishments was the above mentioned Porterhouse. It is on Parliament street in Temple Bar. We were given the once over by the bouncers on the way in and we entered a different world in my opinion. I suddenly felt very underdressed. Everyone was out to impress, except myself and Ryan of course. It was very busy inside this trendy pub. I managed to get to the bar and decided to try one of their own brewed beers. I think it was porterhouse red that i tried but can’t remember exactly. As i was waiting at the bar i noticed the band playing upstairs on the televison. We headed up the stairs to where the band were playing and hung around there. The band were good but were very much for the tourists. I found the red/pink beer hand to drink and was having an almighty sugar buzz. The only pub i can compare this one to that i have been i, is The Bishopstown Bar in Cork. I only think that they are alike in the geography of both places with stairs everywhere.
The toilets were in very poor condition when i saw them. There was a bouncer standing outside the toilet but they could have done with him cleaning inside. I presume that there are other toilet facilities available, i just didn’t discover them. I was glad we headed in but i certainly won’t be going back when i’m next in Dublin. Its just not my sort of place. It’s great that they brew their own beer though.
Toilet rating: 4/10
Pint rating: 7/10
Overall rating/ 6/10
Final comment: If your looking for a busy pub with plenty of different beers check it out.
I was up in Dublin recently and met up with the co-owner of this website, Ryan. Seeing as he is now living up there we decided to check out a few establishments. The first pub we went into was Sin e on Ormond Quay. We headed in at about 9:30pm and the place was relatively quiet. The bar man served us efficiently and we took a seat overlooking another area below us where others were sitting. It is quite a dark pub and there were plenty candles dotted around the place. The pint of Guinness was very decent and it went down well to be fair. When i went down stairs i noticed another bar with plenty of seating but it wasn’t open while we were there.
The toilets were fine when i checked them. There are two cubicles available for use. We only stayed for the one drink in this pub but it was a very relaxed and chilled out drink. Being from Cork i did notice the increase in prices for the drinks.
Toilet rating: 7/10
Pint rating: 7/10
Overall rating: 7/10
Final comment: There is a pub with the same name in Cork City although i haven’t reviewed that one yet.
After leaving ‘The Islanders Rest Bar’ the stag group all headed to this bar. It was very convenient because i felt i could nearly jump into my tent from the front door of the pub! There was people sitting on the benches outside when we arrived there. The place was packed inside. There was not a seat to be seen. I managed to get to the bar and ordered my drinks but the bar man forgot to serve me so i was waiting a while. To be fair even though the place was very busy the pints of Murphy’s were still reasonably good. The bar staff ran out of draught beer at one point during the night and were only serving bottles. There was a mighty sing song going on in the back section of the pub and thats where i found myself for most of the night. I even eventually got a seat for a while. There is a smoking area available out the back of the pub and there are also more benches here.
I know that they do food here but we didn’t try any. The toilets are located out the front door and in another door. The gents were in very poor condition it has to be said. There was no lights working in there for most of the night. To be fair we were all removed at a pretty reasonale time and managed to get some sleep before getting the ferry back the next morning and heading our seperate ways.
Toilet rating: 3/10
Pint rating: 7.5/10
Overall rating: 7.5/10
This is a very popular pub and i enjoyed my visit. It is small but has a lot of character and there was a brilliant atmosphere there on our visit.
I attended the stag party recently of a friend of mine over on Sherkin Island about 10 minutes by ferry from Baltimore, west Cork. We camped in someones garden and had a good game of football on the beach. That evening we decided to find somewhere to eat and myself and Ryan wandered into this pub. It’s much more that just a pub really. They have accomodation and a function room available. In fact the great John Spillane was playing a gig upstairs while we were there but we didn’t attend. We all ate here and the food was reasonably priced and the portion sizes were generous. The pints of Murphy’s were consistent all night. The bar area is quite spacious and there is also a room where they have loads of pool tables and a fussball table. This is where we spent most of the night. We played music and pool and it was fun. There are seats and a garden outside the back area and there are fantastic views of Baltimore and surrounding areas.
The toilets were well maintained when checked but one of the cubicles was locked so was wondering why that was. There was a group of lads singing in the main bar and they were having a great time. It appeared to be doing a very healthy trade while we were there. We stayed there before heading up to the only other public house on the island.
Toilet rating: 6.5/10
Pint rating: 7.5/10
Overall rating: 7/10
Final comment: I enjoyed the food in this bar but it wasn’t as lively as the other bar on the island ‘The Jolly Roger’.
On the trip to Lanzarote we stopped off at this bar a couple of times for food and drink. It is located on the main strip in the new town of Puerto Del Carmen. The food here is very reasonable as are the drinks . I have to say that the lady who served us both times that we headed in was very pleasant and helpful. As with most of the bars along the strip you can sit outside and people watch. We had a baby with us so we sat inside, out of the sun. The lady provided table service which was great and the beers that we had were great. There is nothing that stands out or is special about this bar. It was quite relaxing and had a bit of space for our buggy.
The toilets were a gents and a ladies and they were just a cubicle each and were in good condition. Overall this was a convenient stop off point while we were out strolling around. We were not there at night, only by day so i can’t say what it’s like then.
Toilet rating: 7/10
Pint rating; 7/10
Overall rating: 7/10
Final comment: Spanish Inn is one of many bars that you have to choose from.
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