McGann’s Pub

This is a great place hidden near to Cliffs of Moher. If you go out to see the cliff, you should try to make it to McGann´s to stay for a night. It is a very old tavern with music every night and a great place if you need to get far away from everything. The town gets really busy in the summer time, so make sure to make reservations.

Good Irish Stew! Nothing spectacular or too memorable, but a bit above the average pub food quality. The bread served with it was somewhat stale though.
It was a very authentic Irish pub experience with drinks and stew. I’ve had slightly better stew in Dublin, but this was still good.
This place has a great atmosphere, and really feels like a genuine family-​owned Irish pub. I would recommend stopping in if you’re nearby, mainly for the atmosphere.

I can’t speak about the food because the kitchen was closed by the time I got there (the french fries smelled fantastic), but the atmosphere is great! I had a couple pints of Guinness while listening to the traditional Irish music. The musicians were extremely talented (I don’t know how their fingers move so fast), and I’m glad I decided to visit Doolin. It gets really packed so I would suggest going before 9pm to secure a table and/​or seat.

Soirée à Doolin dans ce pub restaurant très sympathique. On est accueillis par la maîtresse des lieux qui nous fait patienter au bar le temps que le bar se libère. On en profite pour scruter les lieux, nos Smithwick’s à la main.
L’endroit est chaleureux, respectant l’atmosphère typique des pubs irlandais. Tout autour du bar sont affichés des écussons de police américaine.
On nous installe enfin au fond de la salle, à une petite table en bois. La commande se fait au bar et on indique notre numéro de table.
Mon burger était parfait. Les frites très bonnes, à la manière d’épluchures de pommes de terres, croustillantes comme je les aime. L’ambiance est parfaite.
Vers 21h30, un concert de musique live commence. On est entraînés par la musique traditionnelle irlandaise. En partant, on découvre avec surprise la patronne, polyvalente, car elle chante aussi sur scèné !
Bref, un très bon moment !

I cannot say enough good things about McGann’s! We were on a day tour with Joey to the Cliffs of Moher and stopped here for lunch. The food was great, the fish was so fresh and as I told the woman working there, I don’t even like fish but I LOVED this! The atmosphere, the food and the people make this an absolute must if passing through this beautiful small town.

Great atmosphere and food. We sat near the fireplace burning peat briquettes. The food was excellent: lamb shank, beef stew, chips etc. Order at the bar.

We were driving along the coastal route and needed a place for lunch. We weren’t sure about McGann’s, but we were so glad that we stopped! We got to enjoy some great Irish food and a really friendly staff, and we were a little ways away from the more «touristy» part of town but still near some really neat little shops. Wish we could go back!

So Doolin has a few pubs and McGann’s was one of the closest ones to our B&B so we gave it a try after dinner.
I sat at the bar area and got us some drinks. My parents were kind of being difficult so we weren’t really the most excited of people but it soon improved once we had some drinks. Live music is played here every night, but we were there early and it was just a regular pub. I kind of prefer it that way.
The problem was that after that first drink, the bartender wouldn’t even look at us or serve us. Not sure what exactly we did but whatevvvvvers, we just got up and left to go to the pub across the way.
This place does get packed out when the music is going and it is difficult to get a spot so my suggestion would be to get there early and get a table if you want to see/​hear the band. Honestly though, I preferred the other two pubs much more.

We had a great time at McGann’s. We were only in Doolin for one night, and we arrived to the pub a bit on the early side. It was pretty quiet inside, but the staff were friendly, the pints were flowing, and we had our pick of tables. We settled in for some drinks until we got hungry enough for dinner. We may have pressed our luck a little, but the plan was to drink and eat and drink some more while we waited for the live music to begin. We didn’t know it would get PACKED. The music started quite a bit later than we anticipated (I think it was 10 pm) so by the time they went on we had already been there for oh, 3 or 4 hours. I wish we had stayed longer (we ducked out mid set), as the music was fantastic
I recommend this spot for sure — just be sure to come early-​ish to stake out a seat if you’re planning to stick around for the music.

Writing to update my review from last year, based mostly on the food. This is the best family-​run, local food in Doolin. The menu is interesting and full of more formal meals such as roast duck, lamb shank, pasta dishes. You can have a pub meal of fish and chips (thoroughly impressive) or a small salad such as the calamari for only € 7.95 (delicious, fresh, filling). The interior is indeed cramped, but the bar runs this place with wonderful efficiency. You won’t have to wait too long for a pint or your food and you just pay and order at the bar and tell them your table number. Similar to other Doolin pubs, the traditional music is stellar. I quite enjoyed the outdoor tables and seating here. More locals than the other pubs too. Highly recommend.

My wife & I were taking a day tour to the Cliffs with Extreme Ireland Day tours. They stopped by here for lunch. She ordered the vegetarian plate that had the puff pastry & chips. I ordered the Irish Beef Stew. The place was not crowded other than all those on our touring bus. We were slightly put off as we were one of the 1^st to order but probably the last to be served in our group — but this happened a few other times during our stay in Ireland so maybe the vegetarian dishes were taking much longer to prepare? I’m not sure. Nonetheless, we enjoyed our meal. The Irish stew was amazing — best I had throughout our stay in Ireland. The stew had great flavor & the beef was tender. I have to say that I’ve never had finer tasting potatoes than during our 10-​day trip in Ireland & this place had some of the best tasting potatoes in the stew — it has amazing texture & flavor without being bland or overpowering. My wife said that her lunch was very enjoyable as well. The table next to us had ordered the fish & chips — the fish was unbattered — it looked so fresh & awesome. I was looking at their food thinking that I should have ordered the fish but once I took a bite of my stew, I quickly forgot. I am still curious how good their fish & chips tasted. Throughout the remainder of our trip, we tried to find another restaurant that served the fish & chips the same way — unbattered but never found it & were sad. The prices were reasonable & the food was delicious. I would recommend. I am not sure how it is at night for dinner.

Best beef stew of our trip to Ireland (3 – 4 tries) plus fabulous brown bread. Fun locals and great music, plus the Cliffs of Mohr being very close by make Doolin a great place to stay for part of your trip.

Great Craic! So of the three main pubs in Doolin, this one kind of won me over. As someone who doesn’t eat meat, they had quite a few good options (sundried tomatoes and fried brie salad? Yes please!) The guinness was flowing, the nooks/​crannies/​booths made for great seating options, and the music was contagious. Saw Blackie O’Connell play the uilleann pipes here and the entire bar was full of life and joy. Friendly locals, warm fireplace, and endless fun. I will be back!

Charming little pub. The ambiance is perfect, with a roaring fire in the hearth and a salty lass behind the bar. The food is a bit on the pricey side, but it’s tasty and well portioned. Also, they have multiple Smithwick’s on tap. Huzzah!

What a find! Family run, good food with generous portions at a reasonable price, then a lively session at 9ish.
The mussels with garlic butter cream are so good you will be dreaming about them. The lamb shank is a seriously big hunk of meat; tender and flavorful, served with a heap of mashed and a side of veg.
The music was also some of the same family, very good, and the gal has a lovely voice and is a killer bodhran player.

Nice little pub. I went there during the day for lunch, but according to Lonely Planet they get really crowded at night and have some fantastic live traditional Irish music. I ordered a bacon cheeseburger. It was slightly overcooked (I had ordered medium rare) but still tasted really good. The bacon that came with it was delicious, but the cheese was a little sharper than I’m used to back in America, I think. Fries were crisp and flavorful, service was prompt, and prices were reasonable.
Recommended overall.