Galway Bay Irish Restaurant and Pub

Yummy! Fish and chips and crab cakes were absolutely off the charts. Great service!

Very friendly staff and I’ve been there where there was live music (Sunday is great!) They had a female guitarist that sang a lot of Irish traditional songs and then mixed it up with classic rock. Very cool to watch.
Food-​wise: Fantastic spinach salad with salmon. The corned beef poppers are great bar food too.
Great all around! Never been on a Friday or Saturday night, so can’t speak to crowd levels. Have only spent time in the bar area vice the restaurant side.

I love when Irish bars lure you in with character, and then deliver with great food. Was exploring Annapolis and stumbled in on a lark looking for a late lunch. The bar, as noted by others, is devoid of tvs and has a great village pub feel down to fully wooden booths and rails across the ceiling. Ordered my standard half and half (poured perfectly), and then moved on to the menu.
I can’t speak for the rest of the menu, but if you’re in Annapolis and looking for a quick break from the town’s various seafood options, come to Galway Bay and try the chicken cashel blue. The never-​dry chicken breast is stuffed with a blue cheese tapenade that I assume must have had mushroom and/​or diced wild rice in it as well, then the entire chicken breast is wrapped in cured Irish bacon and roasted. Served with fresh and steamed veggies, it was exactly the meal I needed.

Happy hour is amazing! The fish tacos are hands down the best! Great service and friendly bartenders.

This is by far my favorite spot in Annapolis! Not only are the fish and chips the best I’ve had in Maryland, but the atmosphere is unbeatable!
The absence of TVs give the bar a more intimate setting so you can truly enjoy the company of your party!
The beer is always cold, you can’t go wrong when it comes to menu choices and the staff is awesome!
Although very crowded on Friday and Saturday nights, the bar tenders and servers make sure your glass is always full!
Whenever I’m in Annapolis, we make sure to stop by for a nice, cold Harp!

When I came early enough to get a table, this place was great. Didn’t order food, but service was very prompt. When I needed a beer, I got a beer. A server will always stop to greet you, even if they are busy with a full section to politely inform you (incase you are completely oblivious) that there are no tables and to try the bar. I think it is first come first serve, bit typically I try to avoid downtown Annapolis during prime time anyway.

It’s an Irish pub– I’ve never had authentic Irish food, but this place seems alright. The bread is made with flour from Ireland supposedly and it’s definitely an acquired taste. The only beers you can order here are Irish. which is fine but I naively thought I could at least order a local IPA or lager. I wasn’t feeling particularly Irish that day so the Smithwicks didn’t go down too happily.
The bar area is a bit crammed, but alright. Looks like the dining area would be nicer.

Best Irish joint in town, no TV’s great food! Corn beef mashed potato cabbage wrap my favorite.

I’ve been here once before but only for a little socializing over a few pints. Had to come back and try the food this time. I had the pot roast and it was the best I ever had. My buddy got the liver and onions and said it was the only time he has liked it as much as his mom used to make for him. Great atmosphere. Will visit every time I’m in Annapolis!

Nice Irish place tucked away in the not so busy part of annapolis. but don’t be fooled this place does get busy and for a reason! Service was top notch and the menu had so many delicious a sounding items that our group had a difficult time deciding what to order! Lots of people in our group got the corned beef and loved it along with the Shepard pie and loved it! I don’t eat red meat so I settled on the cottage pie which was very satisfying, yet large so you could totally share it. Would definitely recommend if you are in annapolis to visit this place!

Traditional Irish pub mixed with a Annapolis seafood restaurant. I went with a large group on a Monday night. I am normally not in the area but I was down for a conference and a friend recommended this place. It’s in a old congested area so parking can be hard to find. After walking a few blocks from where I finally found a spot I walked in and was seated right away. Maybe because it was a Monday night it was not crowded at all. I was going to order some fish and chips. I am not sure if that’s traditional Irish fare but that doesn’t matter because they ran out. Most of the menu contained red meat which I have recently given up :(. I opted for a Club Sandwich in stead. It was good, nothing to write about but nothing to complain about. I tried a local brew they had on tap, I wish I could remember the name of it because it was the best part of my meal.

A lovely spot with perfect comfort food. I was especially grateful that they were so understanding of my allergies– can’t have gluten, corn, onions, or garlic– and they prepared me a wonderful meal centered around a perfectly prepared salmon filet with a gluten-​free chocolate-​peanut butter café for dessert. The boyfriend loved his cottage pie as well. It’s rough eating out with allergies to common foods, and the staff was really sweet and accommodating.
I’d note, however, that I’m non-​celiac gluten intolerant and can be okay with a little bit of cross-​contamination. The kitchen doesn’t have a dedicated gluten-​free section for people with celiac.

Nice, friendly atmosphere, usually great Celtic music playing, consistently good food. Menu has a good variety of Irish food. Staff is great!

Walk in, no wall-​to-​wall TVs, The Pouges playing and some great friendly bartenders behind the bar. What else does one need?
This place really exudes what a pub should be and I am glad Unilocal and a friend’s suggestion put me here on a Monday night. There were a few people at the bar, so no problem grabbing a seat. I sucked down a couple Guinness before I ordered some food. One bartender was also from NJ and apparently the owner used to own The Quays in Hoboken, small world! I am so bad with names but Hoss I think he said his name was was fantastic. Friendly, talked to me and I felt like I was a regular. When the regulars came in he introduced me. This is what a pub should be, not staring at a screen devoid of human contact. I felt at home and it’s my first time here. I had to work in the morning so I didn’t stay too late, but enough to fail at helping with some trivia.
As for the food, I ordered the corned beef poppers, they were very good but not sure worth the price tag, it was only about 5 smaller fritters. I think bring it down 3 bucks and it’d be on point. But they were very good as well as the steak fries. They even hooked me up with some old bay. Being married to a girl from Maryland I am well acquainted with old bay and love it.
Overall this is an absolutely fantastic place to visit and when the wife and I come to Annapolis to visit this will be on the must visit list. I had a great time!

So many choices in Annapolis to dine, so I turned to Unilocal for guidance. After reading the reviews I had to try the Killarney cabbage wraps. They were awesome. I had potato leek soup and salmon Kilkee (with rice pilaf and fresh green beans). Very good. My father had the shepherds pie. Delicious. Had no room for dessert.
Irish music played in the background reminding us of past vacations in Ireland. Nice atmosphere– old historic brick building. Service was great and I would return again, especially for the cabbage rolls! I may try to make them. Recipe is on their website.

Great, quick and friendly service. Sunday brunch options were uniquely Irish.
Corned beef hash brunch came with 2 delicious eggs and Irish soda bread. Potato, onion, and peppers in mash were cooked well and not diced too small (you knew you were eating real veggies).
Tomato whiskey soup was fresh in a bisque-​like broth, very tasty. I liked that all salads came in a half portion upon request. $ 27 plus tip for 1 entrée, soup, and half house salad… typical downtown pricing.
We look forward to returning with guests.

My boyfriend and I spent a good 24 hours in Annapolis in the middle of March. No real plans, just lots of wandering around and hoping to make good decisions.
Galway was a great decision! A very comfortable, traditional pub with lots of wood, lots of friends, and zero televisions. It’s a small space, very cozy, so please don’t bring all 20 of your buddies and bros here. As soon as we walked in, some locals greeted us and introduced us to the bartender, Tina. It happened to be Tina’s birthday, and she was so sweet and personable. 5 Stars for her. And 5 stars for the friendly locals we met. Thanks so much for hanging out with us, and letting my boyfriend know that I am not the only person that has ever eaten a peanut butter and cheese sandwich.
We were only there for an hour or two in the afternoon. The menu looked very tempting, so even though we were eating dinner later, the two of us wanted to share an appetizer of cabbage and corned beef rolls. The order came with two cabbage rolls filled with corned beef and mashed potatoes, topped with a mustard sauce. The rolls were a good sized, but way more potatoes than corned beef. I loved that the cabbage was not steamed to death, but only just cooked so it had great texture. I thought $ 11 was a little steep for the portion, particularly with so little meat, but we were still pretty happy with the choice.
I also highly recommend the Galway Irish Ale on tap. Tina told us that it was a beer specifically brewed just for them from the Old Dominion brewery in Dover, DE. Cool factoid, but I’m super bummed that I can’t buy it for myself here in PA! So while you’re in town, definitely try the Ale!

I’d happily try this place again! We came here during restaurant week after checking out several restaurant PreFix menus. We’re glad we choose here. You get a glass of house white or red wine with the deal!
Appetizers:
Stuffed cabbage and the smoked salmon. Both were great but I really loved the stuffed cabbage rolls. It had potatoes and corned beef inside. The cabbage was lightly steamed so it still had some crunch rather than soggy. Loved it! Even my fiancé who said he didn’t like corned beef or cabbage enjoyed it and ate a lot more of it than I expected.
Then I got the corned beef sausage which comes over mash potatoes and a mushroom sauce. So good! My fiancé had the shepard’s pie and enjoyed it. It was a lot of food and we had leftovers for breakfast. It was a bit on the salty side to us, but that might be because we don’t use much salt in our home cooking. It was definitely good though!
Oh, and give a little time to find parking. The street is small and street parking is available but probably fills up fast.

Ever since Galway Bay was featured on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-​ins, and Dives (Get outta here!) BP and I have been planning to come here for a while and are so glad we had a chance to check it out.
We found metered parking on the street in front if the restaurant. It was $ 2/​hr max two hours. I wanted to extend it so we could walk around after dinner, but the meter advised that the 2 hr limit was the max not to be exceeded.
About 75 minutes away from us, Galway Bay is worth the drive. I love the aesthetics of this place: wooden floors and furniture in both the bar and restaurant areas. The bathrooms are on the lower level, just down the staircase from the restaurant.
The food is phenomenal. I had such a hard time deciding what to order… Shepard’s Pie with ground chicken and beef both looked amazing… In the end, I chose the beef stew and BP, the pot roast.
The stew was so amazing. Total comfort food. The lunch portion was generous and hearty. The stew had tender chunks of beef, savory carrots and celery, and was topped with the mashed potatoes. The potatoes were fluffy and flavorful. I could not get enough. The soda bread on the side was great! Soft and sweet. I also ordered a side of fries, but was expecting kettle cooked chips. The wide wedges served were good, but lacked seasoning.
BP’s pot roast was the best I have ever had before. The meat was so tender! It was easy to slice and was cooked perfectly. I ate as much of it as he offered! It was a wonderful choice.
For dessert we decided on the seven layer chocolate cake. It was huge and very, very delicious. For 10.99 it was a very expensive slice, but I am glad we tried it.
I did not have any room for the Irish coffees or hot cocoa, so I’ll have to go again!

I love Irish pubs. And Irish food. And whiskey. And oysters, which aren’t particularly Irish but hey.
Galway Bay is quite possibly my favorite place in Annapolis. On a cold and dreary day, their potato soup is the best thing in the entire world. The Jamison tomato soup is a close second, and their fried oysters are second to none.
The ambiance is cozy, the staff is exceedingly friendly which is great because their are no TVs, so you’ll get to know your dining mates and bartender/​server quite well.
I’m dreaming of a hot bowl of potato soup and staring out the window at the rain right now. I may have to trek back to Annapolis this evening.