Galway Bay

Our party of four saddled up to the rail and were pleasantly greeted by the young bartender on Saturday, June 25^th. He promptly took our drink orders and delivered them quickly and accurately. We discussed ordering food, but decided to take a peek at the beer garden first. We informed the bartender that we were coming right back, so imagine our surprise when one of our seats was occupied. Rather than make a big deal, we all scooted down a seat. The new occupant rudely stated that the seat next to him was also saved. The bartender was awkward and didn’t speak up, so I informed the new man that, «Actually, sir, we were here before you and stepped out for two minutes.» His reply, «Actually, I’m the owner, so it’s really my seat.» I was flabbergasted! Why the heck would an OWNER basically tell four paying customers to go away!!! We promptly paid our tab and left. Does the owner not understand the concept of making money, building clientele, and creating a place where people are treated with respect? That poor bartender missed out on real customers because of an ignorant fool. I guarantee this business is headed for financial ruin because of a cocky, rude owner that would rather sit and drink his own products and entertain his own personal guests than welcome new (paying and tipping) customers. Your employees probably won’t last long either because you are messing with their lively hood. The luck of the Irish won’t be enough at this rate. We won’t be back and this story will be shared repeatedly. The service industry is a competitive business and people like to spend their time and money where they are appreciated. The Port Hole Pub had no problem welcoming us after our ordeal across the street. We spent around $ 150 on drinks, food, music, and tips. Next time, we will start there.

Delightful, fresh and fun. The little house salad with fresh warm bread was perfect. Guinness gravy was superb. Mac and cheese… yes please.

We stop at Irish Pubs looking for a few items that aren’t on the menu elsewhere. We had visited this Pub when we were in Ocean Shores a couple years ago and loved it. I wish I could remember what we ordered. Normally we order Shepherd’s Pie but figured we probably didn’t here because it’s made with lamb at this pub. This place is really authentic I’m sure. Most food items on the menu were made with lamb or with Guinness. That’s not exactly what we were looking for. I’m not fond of beer tasting food.
Service was fine but server a little «too» friendly.
I’m giving it an average rating because for us, it wasn’t great but don’t believe it deserves less than average. Besides, we did like it on the previous visit.

To my East Coast friends: If you ever make your way to this side, please visit Ocean Shores. The beach will blow you away. I’ve never seen horses trotting on a beach until I visited, and there’s great food in the surrounding area including this restaurant!
This is easily one of the most «we love everything Ireland-​related» Irish pubs I’ve ever dined at. The wall and ceiling have references to Ireland and the love of the local police and firemen. My boyfriend got beef stew and I ordered appetizer ½lb clams. Full disclosure, I suspect it wasn’t actually ½lb but it was absolutely delicious, and the waitress made sure I was provided with bread to make it more like a lunch. And she was pretty.
I also ordered my very first Irish coffee. Within 10 minutes, I was giggling and talking my boyfriend’s ear off. Poor fella.
Other bonuses:
Very relaxing-​looking beer garden where live music is featured
Free pool
Gift store with authentic Irish paraphernalia

We decided to try Galway Bay after reading reviews for every resturant in town an noticing a huge disparity at every location so we ended up picking a place that sounded good and forgot about the reviews.
Our experience:
We were seated quickly in the family section. The resturant is set up wierd in that there are two sections with separate entrances. I think that can cause problems since as we were being seated, a group who was waiting for seats got upset because a group from the other door got the seats they thought were theirs.
The décor was ok, nothing out of the norm for a irish pub. The chair arms were sticky and in need of a washdown, if someone was a germ-​a-​phobe it would be an issue. Our waitress was nice and took drink orders quickly. We all just had water but I was interested in what they had on tap due to having a taste for irish beer but there was no beer list provided. We ordered our food I ordered my beer and waited. Thank goodness for the salads and Irish fry appetizer we ordered because it took a while for us to get our meal.
Now, I want to stop here and say that I look at dining out as an experience so I don’t mind waiting. We talked amongst ourselves and had a good time drawing on the chalkboard table and it was cool. Plus it was a busy night so I’m not going to give marks off for that but some people may find the wait a bit long.
Live music started up about the time we got the fries and I got my beer (waitress forgot the first time)
Overall, I would say food was a 4 but presentation/​ambiance was a 2. Averages at 3.

It is what I would imagine an Irish pub to be like. It was not busy being a week night. It could be a hopping place on the weekends when the city folks come out to the coast. It was clean and pretty quiet.
The menu is pretty large, broken into categories as in Explore the Menu. Unfortunately I had too big of a lunch and really did not need dinner. I ordered the crab cake appetizer and a bowl of clam chowder. The chowder would have been enough. It was good. I did not like the crab cakes which was my fault. I’m a purist and don’t like any kind of filler which changes the taste. Also, the accompanying aoli dip went untouched. In short, when I go again I’ll go with an appetite and do bangers and mash or some kind of pasty which was the other meal ordered. Nice flaky crust, flavorful, lots of filling, on mash and gravy.
I know it can be tough this early in the season. It will be busy as we get more into summer. They’ve been there for years so give em a try.

This place has an authentic Irish pub atmosphere and menu, with personable staff and service. It’s a very pleasant place to eat and hang out. We’ll be coming back. I recommend checking it out.

Four instead of five… Because the service was SLOW. we ordered. amd waited for over 40 minutes. 2 things orders were stew… not made fresh. …a flat bread pizza with alfredo… a bit low on the sauce and blue cheese… delightful. the bill… a bit pricy.

Where do I begin? My wife and I went in to the Galway Bay pub for an early supper, to beat the dinner rush and give us a chance to be at the beach for sunset. We got there just around 3:30, a time that their website describes as during happy hour. Despite this fact, and the fact that we were seated at the bar, we weren’t offered a bar menu, though a couple seated near us were.
Our server was there almost before we had a chance to open the menu, and blurted out «what can I get you?» without so much as a «hello,» or a «how are you this afternoon.» He didn’t offer us a drink menu or tell us about the draught list, any of the whiskey (it’s an Irish pub, they at least have to have Jameson, right?), or offer any other info, and must have taken our confusion as anger, as he nearly broke the land speed record leaving our table with a mumbled «just water then.»
As it turned out, my wife was interested in a cocktail, but had no idea what they had to offer, and I would’ve loved to hear what they had on tap as well as their whiskey list, but it was not to be.
Then we got to the food. I had what was described as an Irish stew, which almost had a couple of pieces of meat in it, while my wife had what was alleged to be tender lamb in a puff pastry shell — but must certainly have been a failed attempt by Kellogg’s to bring mutton poptarts to market.

Stayed at Ocean Shores over Easter weekend. I have passed the Galway Bay Pub many times over the years of coming to Ocean Shores, I had heard raving reviews from different people so this trip it was a must do.
First we explored the gift shop, lots of treasures to be found there. Then walked through a sitting room with a fireplace, leather chairs, tables and a couch with scattered games around. It looked like a great place to lounge and enjoy some free time.
We decided to sit in the Pub, and review the menu and drink choices. I tried the Crab Dip with soda bread and the Salt hill salad, with a Blonde Guinness, it was all very good. Love the soda bread! My guy had the Clam Chowder with soda bread and the Caesar salad, with a Irish Hefeweizen. He loved the beer and the soda bread, but thought there could have been more clams etc in the chowder especially for $ 9.
After eating we noticed that there was a giant Guinness glass in the corner that was actually a door, so we went through and discovered it was a rather large outside seating area and smoking area. It was very beautiful, would be a great place to hang out in the nicer weather.
In all it was a great experience, wonderful atmosphere, good service and the food and beer was good. :)

Loved it! Good food, great service and a live band! I was impressed with the entire place! There’s a room to play games (not screamers like Monopoly or Headbanz, but Scrabble and Cribbage) and sip on your drink, whatever that might be. For me, I’m a Guinness girl and can’t imagine why there’d be other beers but there are and they have a selection, not sure how big because… again, they had Guinness on top, like any good Irish pub should. The humidor is nicely stocked and my man and I shared one. We will definitely be back every time we’re in the area!

The food was Irish comfort. Yummy. The gift shop was fun and you have to walk through the life size Guinness beer can portal to get to the decked-​out garden deck with the lush sofas and flat screen tv. WOW!

Excellent Friday night visit at this charming Irish pub. What gives it 5 stars for me was the amazing service, not only from our server that evening, (Stephan), but all of the staff, with the exception of the woman who answered the phone, were incredible. (She was curt to the point of rudeness because I asked if they were busy, if they had happy hour and if they took reservations, no no and. No), I guess that was too many questions considering they only had one other table full when we went in. Don’t let that fool you, they were slammed busy later as this is a popular local hang out. (Tourists love it too!)
Stephan was attentive without hovering, on point with refills for our All You Can Eat Friday night special fish n crisps, including more cole slaw (delicious), and their home made potato crisps. These are like home made chips. The fish had a great breading but was left in the fryer far too long, making it too hard and crunchy, but if you got past that shell the cod inside was fresh not frozen and delicious. You get large sized pieces of fish and they will keep bringing them as long as you can keep eating them! (I only managed three). Truly a great deal for $ 10. We had the Blond Guiness as well after Stephan offered tastings of the Harp, Stella, and the Guiness so we could decide. We wanted to stay for the Celtic music at 7:30 but I got too full and sleepy and had to head to hotel.
I will be back to visit the gift shop and next time the music for sure! I hope we get Stephan again, but really he belongs in Portland at one of the McMenamins, (I’m just glad this level of service still exists). Loved this pub, you won’t be disappointed!

What a fun place. The food and drinks are fantastic. I had the crab cakes and clam chowder. My wife, who doesn’t like crab, loved her bite of my cakes. Her fish and chips where fantastic.
We were tired and full, but we couldn’t leave because the live music was so entertaining.

Two for price isn’t nice — service was a bit to distracted with friends to do her job apparently — yet Bartender was Exemplary! Good Man .! The décor is amazing !! seriously A Focal point of OceanShores Washington. Perhaps the only point of OceanShores Washington.
Well — the BestWestern Lighthouse Inn was EXEMPLARY as well !!

I wish they had a 3.5 stars. That is really were I am on this. It was OK not excellent but closer to Yay than Meh.
Let’s start with the best part — The beer. The waitress had good knowledge of the beers available and with her help my husband ordered a flight of beers that he enjoyed very much.
We ate in the pub and found the ambiance nice. Low lights, music… it felt cozy and comfortable.
Service — A+ for knowing her beers. She was perhaps a bit over friendly though. I appreciated her checking in but we didn’t really want to engage in conversation. A really good server can pick up those hints and does not get all upset when you ask for the check. She actually stood there looking forlorn asking if she had upset us when my husband requested the check after she had been standing at our table for several minutes trying to chat. My husband just said, as nicely as he could, «No we are just almost finished and it would be nice to get started on that process» It was the only way we could shoo her off.
Of course she had time to chat — given that there were only 6 tables (it was a very rainy weekday in January — NO ONE was out and about!). I have worked as a server and I know how hard it can be HOWEVER, when there are 2 waitresses and 6 tables I really expect my dirty dishes to be picked up promptly and for my water to never run out. Unfortunately we sat there with our soup bowls and salad plates for quite a while and I had to ask for a refill on my water.
The food was OK. I think that Ocean Shores suffers from one and done syndrome. They know that most of the clientele is transient and may well not be back so they serve food that is OK but not great. The chowder was nice, my Cesar salad was nice (but a bit unwieldy as it came un-​cut and on a small plate — it made maneuvering difficult) My fish and chips was over battered and over cooked. My husband’s chicken and mushroom pasty was lacking filling in a what appeared to be a commercial puff pastry.
For $ 50 before alcohol, taxes and tip we really would have liked to have better but Unilocal seems to indicate that this is as good as you can expect in Ocean Shores.

We thought this place was pretty good! If it’s a busy weekend or holiday you’ll definitely want to make reservations. My opinion is its a good place to have as one of your destinations to eat while in Ocean Shores.
Ups figure all places are going to have great food/​seafood cause you’re.well at the ocean! So many places though as my experience in Ocean Shores is mediocre.
Galway Bay is good food. We also happen to be there (new years eve) and there was an awesome musician playing. They often have good live music so I hear.

Great traditional Irish pub in Ocean Shores. We noshed on the Pub Chips (MUST ORDER), Sausage Rolls Dinner (MUST ORDER), Beef in Guiness, Potato Soup and burger. Had to salt Beef in Guiness, but flavor otherwise was nice. The Irish soda bread I this served with is delish! Sausage rolls are heaven, cooked to perfection. Potato soup had too much flour in it, and not enough potatoes. Guiness and Stella are nice and cold on draft, and Jameson warms you up on a cold winter day. If in area again, we will be back. Our server/​hostess was super sweet and kind with suggestions.

Delicious food, done with local flair and great appreciation of Irish cuisine. Has family entrance and pub entrance — great for parties with small ones. Service was exceptional, timely, and friendly, even to kids!
Seafood dishes were excellent and plentiful, as were some of the Irish favorites. Bridie tasted homemade, and the sauces — both on pastas and in gravies were out of this world. Clam chowder was tasty and better than at some of the seafood restos in town. Top off your meal with a perfectly poured Guinness.
Prices were high, as is expected in Ocean Shores, but felt like it was worth it.

Good place for lunch or a cold beer. We enjoy watching Sounders, Huskies, Seahawks games here. Food is average. Large selection of beers. Huge Irish menu. Open late night as well. Service is always friendly and fast.
Pool table and shuffleboard table. Plenty of parking.
Outside back patio/​beer garden. They often they have live Irish music.