We gambled on arriving at No 35 right at opening to hopefully get a seating on Good Friday…read more Luckily for us we were accommodated right away. We were craving more seafood and the menu had lots of great options to choose from. We started with the drunken mussels which had a tasty broth but the mussel meat was a bit small. The hake special was perfectly cooked and paired with fingerling potatoes and a side of carrots. I believe this was my first time eating hake. The seafood linguine had a deliciously different taste that we liked. Service was very good throughout and ambiance was nice and cozy. Those with reservations got escorted up to the second floor which would definitely be a lot quieter. Overall a very filling meal and a little bummed that we could not fit in dessert.

Intimate setting, each room is quite private. Very smart to have the specials on the wall in each…read moreroom. Had the slow cooked beef and it was delightful! Pulled apart with the touch of a fork. Followed it up with the apple berry crumble which is the best I've had in Ireland! Crust was to die for. Service was slightly lacking because there was not one dedicated server. They were generally on top of it but as the night went on it was hard to track someone down at times.

So many choices of pubs and restaurants in Kenmare but the landlady of the Bold Thady Quill stated…read morethis is the best pub in town and she was spot on. Great tasting food, awesome authentic Irish dancing and musicians who genuinely cared about maintaining the traditions of Irish music and the kids who volunteered their services to dance both the nights we were there. The guinness tasted magical too.

After a long day of driving we came here for dinner…read more It was quite busy but we were seated within five minutes. Inside was dominated by the bar and sit down tables lined the walls. The crowd was lively that evening. Our server brought over the specials board while we perused the menu which showed a variety of food choices. We ended up getting the haddock special and a seafood soup. The haddock turned out to be a generous portion with creamy mashed potatoes and green beans. It was quite good and nicely priced. The seafood soup was tomato based, rich with lots of seafood inside. Desserts were showcased in a small refrigerated case but nothing stood out to us that night. Service was fast, very friendly and good throughout our meal. If paying by credit card there was an option to add a tip.

After a lovely day of driving the Ring of Kerry, we decided to finish our day with a nice dinner,…read morewe chose this place after reading all the good reviews, and now all my thoughts are how did this place got those good reviews? It was the worst experience ever, I have been in many dinning places and I wouldn't give reviews even it is just ok place, and this one is something else. Ordered food (place was quite quiet at that time), and nothing came for 40 min, asked staff and told just few more minutes, and nothing has came for another 10min, we were all starving by then, and asked staff again and she told us kitchen is busy and we have to wait longer, so we decided to ask for a manager to talk. Few minutes later food came, and both of our burgers were undercooked, raw in the middle, mine I asked for no cheese(lactose intolerant), there they were stick on the burger bun, we couldn't eat ours, my son's pasta was tasteless so he didn't eat his, my parents had their food not because the dishes were nice, only because they were starving. Called staff to complain, asked for manager again, and after 10 minutes no one came and we were completely ignored. Grab a staff to ask for manager again, he just said manager was busy in the kitchen, I think he just try to avoid dealing with us. Honestly, with undercooked food and waste of our time we did not want to pay anything, however, we paid everything apart from the burgers. This place if you want to grab a drink maybe ok, but keep away if you want some food. And if the owner of the pub ever see this, please train your manager on customer service, I have worked in hospitality and there is so much better way could deal with this situation then trying to ignore.

The food was great and the vibes were very chill. Great place for a drink or food. The service was…read moregood.

My friend Thomas and myself had a super meal here last night.....Thomas had the scampi for starter…read morefollowed by a seafood Curry with rice which he said was excellent and I had seafood chowder followed by a steak which was cooked to perfection.....the two staff members Catriona and Danny couldn't have been nicer to us and were both extremely efficient at their jobs plus they created a nice friendly atmosphere for all in the restaurant.....I have eaten here many times over the years and I have never once been disappointed.....well done to the horseshoe restaurant and keep up the good work

The term "gastropub" is overused, but it certainly applies here. The food at O'Donnabhains was…read moresignificantly above the norm in quality and innovativeness. All the meat is Irish, the fish from Star Seafoods, a local Kenmare fishmonger, and the produce is from the Wild Irish Way (coastal western Ireland) wherever possible. I had two "starters" for my lunch, both specials so I can't get the details from the menu now. The first was a baked goat cheese and chorizo tart. Made with a phyllo pastry, and served over greens. Everything about it was perfect: the phyllo so light that it shattered when cut yet it wasn't dry. The cheese was golden brown on top from broiling. The chorizo was in tiny pieces scattered on top so it didn't overwhelm. The two or three kinds of lettuce greens underneath were light and delicate. My other dish was a fish cake, fish and potatoes actually. Fried to a beautiful golden brown, drizzled with a balsamic vinegar sauce, and served over more of those excellent greens, this time dressed with vinaigrette. The dill on top was more than a decoration, it was lighter in flavor than most, and the flavor complemented well. It was a very attractive presentation; even the dish it was served on was pretty. I didn't try the wife's Cottage Pie: minced steak and potatoes topped with mashed potatoes and Dublin Cheddar but she did like it. And it was also attractive, with the potato crust ruffled and the peaks perfectly browned. Garnished with parsley. Like my dishes, visually beautiful. We shared a banoffie pie for dessert. This is uncommon in the US but I might compare it to a banana cream pie with caramel sauce addition. Ok but not really my thing, and too much cream filling for the amount of crust. That's all I remember about this great meal. Looking at the menu just now I don't see my items on the menu as they were specials. I was surprised and pleased by the prices of the standard items, most of which were below average for the area, especially for a place that describes itself a "gastropub".

Gayle, Don, Fern, and I enjoyed a nice pub lunch here at "O'Donnabhains during our recent short day…read moretrip into Kenmare. They also have hotel accommodations and you can order your meal to go. As it's cold in October, we enjoyed nice cozy seats inside. I'm sorry to say that during a vacation, restaurant dining experiences sometimes run together, and details can sometimes escape me. That's why I save the receipts! 3 Pints of Kenmare Stout (and water) started our meal, followed by orders of Cottage Pie, 2 Flatbreads, and a Ploughman Panini. It was all really good, and that our order was taken and delivered fast and friendly.

Our first night in Kenmare was spent at Packie's (which by the way was delicious) but we were…read moreunsure where to dine our 2nd night. While we had narrowed it down, we decided to ask our server at Packie's what she recommended - and The Mews it was. Located right off Henry Street on Henry Court, The Mews it a small new restaurant. Walking in, we loved the decor. Clearly much thought went into it, making it warm and cozy. While there are quite a few tables, it has a great lay out. Maria was our server as well as one of the owners. We loved chatting with her about not only her history in the restaurant business, but the birth of this new gem. The food was incredibly delicious with beautiful presentations. No doubt they will have continued great success.

Wow. If you want great food, get a reservation and eat here. The food was amazing. All of the…read moreother reviews have this restaurant pegged. Our friends had the gnocchi which tasted amazing. I had the fillet of Kerry Beef which was perfectly cooked and seasoned. My daughter had the cod which she also loved.

Subpar food and subpar service. Maybe I overestimated that people in Ireland would know how to cook…read morea steak given the sheer amount of cows (basically that outnumber the people in this tiny town), but this was abysmal. Filet was overdone, and had no flavor (had to be drowned in peppercorn sauce that was basically just cream). Apps were nothing memorable. Got the goat cheese tart (one note) and the cauliflower (no flavor and covered in a mound of cheese). Guinness and whisky sour were both fine. Service could really use some work- our waitress argued with us on the doneness of our steak and insisted that it was perfect. We're tourists from a big city and are totally fine paying to support the local economy, but this was a weird hill for her to die on... small town means maybe nothing better to do...

Lovely restaurant, at which a group of us had lunch. The folks there adapted the main menu for us…read morefor more lunch-sized portions, which worked out great! Excellent beef -- I had a small steak, and someone else had a beef Wellington. All delicious and high quality. But if you really want a treat -- have dessert. Save room, walk your steps -- whatever you need to do, because whatever any of us had was outstanding. If it was this good for lunch, I'd love to go back for a special dinner!

Stopped here for a spectacular meal while visiting Ireland. What a great cozy little place with…read moregreat food

My family and I have visited Ireland on two occasions, each time setting up camp on the Ring of…read moreKerry. On our first visit to the quaint, beautiful town of Kenmare, we stumbled on the Purple Heather Bistro. On our second visit, we made a point of returning. The Purple Heather is Irish pub at its best. The ambiance is cozy, with dark woods, low lighting, intimate booths and tables, and Irish memorabilia tucked into corners and stored on fireplace mantles. As in most pubs, a peat fire crackles away with its sweet, smoky aroma. The food is delicious at Purple Heather. We love their soups, especially, which are all homemade and served with the usual Irish brown bread. Purple Heather's brown bread is wonderful: dense, moist, nutty, chewy. Everything you want from brown bread! It makes a perfect soup sopper -- the vegetable soup is a savory, salty puree of a number of veggies. The Irish stew is thick and loaded with cubes of tender lamb, potatoes and carrots. Everything comes "Ireland hot," as we've dubbed it: piping, steaming hot! I happen to love it that way. Sandwiches are also great, with a better variety than you'll find at most pubs. Having a nice sandwich half to dunk in your soup or stew is a great bonus. Tucked away on a side street, you could almost miss the Bistro. But making the effort to locate it will be well worth your time!

We were American visitors seeking an experience a bit different from the Kenmare town pub scene and…read moreBoathouse Bistro did not disappoint! A short beautiful drive to a waterfront setting and we felt relaxed and tranquil. Our table of 7 was cared for by the friendly professional staff. All the seafood choices were exceptionally fresh and well-prepared. Highly recommend!

There's several separate places within this estate, the Manor House itself is not open to the…read morepublic but can be booked for events such as weddings. The Boathouse Bistro is a high quality restaurant about 250m from the Manor House on the seafront and is open from 12:30pm to 9pm, 7 days a week during the March-October tourist season. They have a Michelin rosette for 2017 and the menu is mostly seafood and the foot is top class and offers great value for money compared with what's available in Kenmare town.

7/19/2019 - We had a great dinner. In fact the best dinner out of three nights in Kenmare. The…read moreSole was very fresh and entire filets on both sides. Our son and daughter had the pork and fish and chips. Great wine and beer selection. Service was awesome and felt like a family restaurant. They also had local music, which was wonderful. Highly recommend!!!

I didn't find this place in my original search so I added this business under just Tom Crean. I…read morecan't say enough great things about this place. The mussels were amazing. This was the 1st time in my life I ordered them because I tried my friends plate. Omgoodness! It was heavenly and zero fishy flavor. The wine sauce was amazing. Friend ordered scallops and they were really good. Presentation was also really nice. They brew their own beers, and I could have easily order a 4th pint of their expedition Ale!