Galway Hooker Irish Pub

Let me start by addressing what many people say about the wait staff not being super attentive: THE REASON IS BECAUSE YOU ARE FORCED TO TIP THEM 20% OF YOUR TAB REGARDLESS OF HOW WELL THEY DO. –Even if they do a half ass job or ignore you a lot. Many of the reviews also state confusion about this automatic gratuity as they ask mngmnt about it upon receiving the bill in surprise & they say mngmnt said on tabs over $ 100 or on tabs over $ 50, but the truth is that on both of my small tabs the night I went there, there was an automatic gratuity so I’m guessing it is actually on all tabs? So look out when you are adding the tip on your tab there… if you are planning on adding a 20% tip first without checking the details of the bill, you might actually be giving 40% to your server. Keep this in mind. Because most places you have to add your tip or the service will not be rewarded (which is important to do for sure) …but here things are done differently.
I initially went to the bar to fetch a beer for the watching of the soccer game and asked what’s the cheapest beer? He said, «They are all the same price:$ 5.» So I said alright, then a Dos Equis please. When signing the check I was going to add a tip of course but then noticed a tip was already added for me. Then later after seeing the waitress pass me by many times I finally got her attention and asked for a Dos Equis and handed her my credit card. She came back with the beer and and tab for $ 7.80 for my «$ 5 beer. So I found out because Dos Equis is import it’s actually supposed to be $ 6 and I was undercharged at the bar. Okay, no big deal. The place is not bad but just interesting in the charging practices. I wonder if I had tried to pay cash how they would handle that. I imagine asking how much a beer is and they saying the price and when you hand them the exact amount in cash they would be like oh actually give me a few dollars more for tax and tip… I’ll have to try that next time, to pay in cash to see if it changes things. I took a picture of the last receipt to show you as an example so you will be prepared. didn’t get a picture of the first one but you get the idea.
The food menu is not cheap which is fine, it’s probably great food but I ordered the two cheapest options which were the spuds (loaded potatoes skins) for $ 6 and the Cole slaw (only $ 1!). The spuds were no better than TGIF or Chili’s, came 6 in the order so $ 1 each and the Cole slaw was huge for only a dollar! And came with toast slices for dipping! The Cole slaw in my opinion was too creamy and I brought it home so I could buy a bag of slaw vegetables to add to it but for the price I was impressed at the size and it might be to some people’s liking.
I believe in tipping for great service and for assholes who refuse to tip for great service-​this automatic gratuity thing could be a nice slap on their stingyass faces but if the service sucks you shouldn’t be forced to tip 20% and just know when you come here that you are forced to tip for great service whether it is great or whether it is horrible. Unless you believe the waiter deserves 40% (which is rare) then pay attention to the bill as the 20% (normal rate for great service) might already be done for you. I’m pretty sure that a lot of customers accidentally double tip here because they don’t notice it’s already been done for them. This is very advantageous for the employees. If you feel they deserve more than 20% then by all means add extra (on the credit card receipt you sign instead of saying «tip» it says «additional tip”-if you want to give more). Anyways, all in all, no hard feelings, and I was impressed with the bartender’s professionalism (aura and presentation), I’m sure I’ll be back for another game if invited. It’s a little confusing at first but at least I understand for next time.

Review for the all you can eat crawfish! Early in the season it’s 20 $ all you can eat and drops to 15 $ usually in the month of May. If you have a large party you can call in advance. The price includes corn, potatoes and dipping sauce. You get a wristband and continue to go up and help yourself. They are the perfect level of spice but the juiciness really varies each time we go. Last batch had good spicy flavor but were completely dry so we just tossed the heads aside without a second glance. Buckets of beer specials (20 $ for 5) on Saturdays as well.
Glad they got rid of the novelty mini soccer court to add more outdoor seating (they also have an outdoor bar).
The servers are slow and unattentive … But not rude so it leaves me just saying MEH

We’ve been making this a regular stop since the Saturday all you can eat craw began. If this review was for crawfish only I would give it a strong 4 – 4 ½ stars. They are good. The wait isn’t too long and the guys cooking them know what they are doing. That being said… the waitstaff…
Where do I begin. First know that upon arrival you will have to hunt down a waitress. They are seen frequently but they do whatever it is they came to do and quickly buzz back inside without checking on any new arrivals. Second, I would advise that you watch the pricing. Just be sure you know what the prices are or you might be surprised in the end. This past Sat. we were treated to a 20% gratuity on the tab even though it was just us two. When ask about it we were informed that they were told to add it for tabs over 100 dollars. After asking to speak to a manager the waitress came back, plunked the tab down and said I changed it with no other explanation. Hmmmm. After readying other reviews I see they were told tabs over 50. Seems like there’s some hustle and game going on here.

I prefer this bar over Bar Munich in midtown and the only reason I am comparing these two bars is because they’re the only two I know that shows footy (soccer). My boyfriend invited me out to watch footy on a Wednesday afternoon (2pm) and the bar was surprisingly pretty busy. Is anyone still employed in this market?!
I obviously wasn’t watching the game but only came to hang out, eat, and drink. The wings were not very good. Tasted like frozen wings you would get from the grocery store. The quesadillas were super cheesy and usually I would not complain about that but it was pretty overwhelming or underwhelming. Probably would find those in the frozen aisle as well.
It’s super dark inside which I’m not a fan of. They do have a decent size patio area with fans.
If I’m ever back here, it’s because the boyfriend wants to watch footy and not by choice.

We came here for the all you can eat crawfish and although the crawfish was good, we were very underwhelmed by the service. We were approached by our server ONCE, in the 4 hour time span that we were there. We also were charged an automatic 20% gratuity for a party of four, since the tab was over $ 50. Could not say the service was deserving. Would not come again.

I was very happy with my experience here, although the parking can be a little confusing. There is a big lot across the street that has a sign that says free until 6 pm so I parked there. The sign did not say what happens at 6 so I parked and asked the bartender/​waitress inside. I was told that I am fine as long as I am in the lot before 6, after that there is an arm that comes down and you are charged for entrance.
The waitress was very nice but she did what most waitresses do during happy hour, they leave halfway through which I don’t like but that is so commonplace that I am accustomed. The waitress that relieved her was very good too, and the drinks were great as well as our experience. This is a good spot if you don’t like to be crowded as I think there were only 3 tables occupied and that means you get better attention from the staff and you don’t have to go to the bar and ask for a drink. I like this kind of spot that doesn’t require you to line up at the bar for a beverage.

Had a really good time watching the cotto vs Canelo fight. So many TVs everywhere. Very nice servers. Slow that night but really it was packed for a fight. Over all loved the mix of people and no cover for a huge fight.

Menu could be bigger but who’s here for the food right. That’s the only concern. UFC fight night walking in at 10 pm you could still get a spot to watch. The crowd is very nice no trouble here. Getting out of our über the bouncer, a Hispanic gentlemen he was very welcoming. Instead of telling us to try another UFC bar he insisted «come join us you’re gonna have a good time» as busy as it was our server was very fast and on top of things. You could tell she was busy, slender thin, younger gal. Didn’t get her name :) def be back the next time we’re in houston

My husband and I were hoping to find a big, clean and cool bar to watch our Astros in game 5 of the ALDS playoffs. We found all that and more here!!! The owner was super nice and helpful. Even tho they weren’t open yet, he let us sit and brought each of us a drink on the house! Most of the tables were reserved for the game but he told us we could have any seat on the massive bar. We took the best seats and he even offered to bring us some food… And man, was their spinach artichoke dip delicious ;) I’m sorry, but we’re sold on this sports bar and we’ll head here every time we need to watch an Astro, rocket or Texan game in the future!!!
Come here early and you won’t be disappointed.

Bad: Expensive. $ 10 for a deep eddys drink? I’ll have a water please. $ 14 for nachos, with canned cheese, ridiculous. Taps are broken currently.
Good: nice atmosphere. Free parking, sometimes, nice cushioned seats inside, blasting ice cold AC. Loads of TVs. Soccer billards! Fun!

This place needs a manager that cares to get it back in line. The number of health code violations in my one and half hour visit was astonishing. The staff seemed more concerned about interacting with each other than anything to do with the customers.

The place itself is very nice with a lot of TVs. The fires are good
The SERVICE TERRIBLE! We been neglected by waiters, no one brought a menu. I need to stand up and get the menu and put my order in the bar.
The Bartenders are GREAT!

$ 7 dollars for a draft beer on a Monday Night
Are you kidding me.
I’ll never come in here again.

This review is just for the 20 $ AYCE crawfish on the weekends from 2−5pm that’s going on now. If you love crawfish, I don’t think it gets much better than this in Houston. The fresh crawfish just perfectly cooked alongside the mustard sauce, potatoes, corn, and sausage is the best way to spend the weekend. We came at around 2 pm, grabbed a beer, grabbed our crawfish and before we knew it a couple hours passed by. We weren’t rushed or anything. The guy serving the crawfish was even happy every time we came back for more. Highly recommended!

A pretty standard Irish pub with good beer selection and drink specials. Crawfish season wonderfully augments the standard menu. (Speaking of crawfish, they are very substantial, but slightly overcooked and not as flavorful as other crawfish options on the area. But it’s hard to beat for the price and still delicious.)
Game options and plentiful TVs outside make the mostly-​covered patio much more attractive than the freezing indoors.
The staff is great. Attentive and friendly.
All that said, they have, like the rest of Washington Avenue, an unnecessary dress code. This is a quintessential Irish pub, which does not connote «class.» But men, beware. While you can wear your oldest, dingiest tennis shoes, and while the waitresses are all dressed like sand volley ball players, you may not wear tanks – even in Houston’s 90 degree humidity on a Saturday afternoon. Don’t dress too «baggy» if you’re a person of color, also. While I wasn’t a victim of the dress code policy, I saw several people turned away, and it just seemed very silly and capricious, especially given that several hours later when the bouncer disappeared, there was no more enforcement. An Irish pub should be a place to be comfortable in your own skin and have fun – at least, that’s what I feel an Irish pub should be. These Washington Avenue dress code shenanigans seem antithetical to that.

Great service
Limes were dry
Ac was too cold inside and couldn’t be changed.
Bingo shots tasted like soda
House margarita was weak…
Beef sliders on pretzel Buns were great
Sampler was great, subsisituteded egg rolls for fried fish
Wings were good.

I thought this would be a nice bar judging from the outside, but I was wrong. There’s a decent size patio out front with life size Connect 4 and bean bag toss. It was very dumpy on the inside. The bar reeked of stale food upon entering. The bar is very dingy and divey.
The bathrooms are filthy and it was only 7pm. I have been to bars/​clubs at 2 am and it was much cleaner then this place. The stalls were extremely dark, there was no lighting installed ahead. The stall I went to had no toilet paper and there were half empty beer glasses sitting on the window sills. I looked up and saw mold growing on the ceiling. The sink area also has empty beer glasses.
I will not come back to this bar by choice, I will have to be dragged kicking and screaming next time I come back.

I’m not really sports bar kinda guy! But my dad decided to take me for breakfast! At first I saw the name and I was thinking okay it’s kinda of funny!
But as soon as I came in, people were so lovely and fun, might have been the game that was going well but I will for sure come here again! I liked the drink and the steak was fantastic!!! Must try!
Customer service was good as you all know I’m very serious about my customer service. Even thought it was a busy bar, the tenders were very productive and on point

There are several things wrong with this place, but the pluses definitely make up for it. It is located on Washington, which is not my favorite part of Houston. They retrofitted the bar in the old Eight and it has an awkward feel to it since they cut the bar in half and kind of crammed in the booths awkwardly. Finally is the bathroom, it is the original bathroom of Eight and it also smells like it too.
What they do great is their food. I had several items, but the most amazing was the Buffalo chicken quesadilla. It was so delicious and definitely made fresh. We loved it so much, we got a second one.
The service was excellent. She kept our drinks full whether they were beers or H20. She had a great personality and help our NFL game watching more enjoyable.
They have an ample amount of TV’s. We went during the Thursday night game, but I can imagine it is a great place to watch on Sundays.

I am really glad this place opened in my neighborhood. It has all the making of a fun place. I never went to Eight in the 2 years I have lived here, and I have now been to Galway Hooker once. I plan on going back.
This place is decked out as an Irish Pub, but they lack the beer selection. They also lack the Irish Pub food. Basically the only thing that feels like an Irish Pub is the exterior. Once inside it quickly becomes evident that this is a sports bar. There are a million TVs, and I can’t wait for football season to start to go watch some games here.
The food is sports bar food as well. The hot wings were good, and the sliders were juicy. Nothing blew me away, but it was all good. The service was friendly, and I cannot wait to check out the rooftop deck. I will totally go back, and I am excited this is now part of the neighborhood.