On a short stop in Donegal, we had just enough time to have lunch and have a look around the town. We were told that the Olde Castle Bar was one of the best and it turned out to be one of our favorite meals in Ireland. We ordered the Donegal Seafood Chowder. While every pub seems to have this on the menu not all chowders are created equal. This generous bowl of creamy soup was filled with fish and shellfish and was well seasoned, hearty and delicious. A slice of brown bread comes with the chowder. This area is known for seafood so we decided to split the single portion of the Olde Castle Seafood platter, which was more than enough for two people. There is seating inside and outside. The restaurant has a series of small rooms and seating areas and has nice decor. The staff was friendly and efficient. The restaurant is located in the main square and is next to the castle. Prices were a bit higher than other restaurants but reasonable given the freshness and quality of the seafood. read more

The vibe is very "traditional Irish pub" so unsurprisingly it was almost completely filled with American and British tourists on our midweek visit. The staff was lovely, but the kitchen must have been going down in flames. As the wait time for food increased, the waitstaff became less engaging and increasingly scarce. My shrimp could have been used to play handball they were so overcooked and rubbery. The flavor was nice I think? But I couldn't get past the texture, especially since it was the dish our server recommended. Fish and chips were solid. I think I'll stick to drinks next time. read more

good food but terrible wait times. I asked 6 oysters which I had the wait 45 minutes for to get shucked, waste of time

Solid food, great atmosphere, delightful servers. I'd rate it higher, but the food is pricey-fine dining (so smaller plates). We settled in, after a recommendation from a bartender nearby, and ordered a seafood pie to share, with the local Donnagul Stout. The stout was very sweet, a chocolate syrup kick, not my cup of beer. The seafood pie was delicious, with hearty chunks of fresh seafood; including salmon, shrimp, and clams (or mussels), lots of potatoes, and the ideal amount of gravy. It came with a side basket of fresh peas, carrots, and broccoli-which were steamed :) The food was amazing, but the pie was barely enough for one, let alone two us us trying to share it (like the waitress recommended). Our waitress was friendly, asking about our travels, and gave pit-stop ideas. It was a nice place to stop and dine, but wish there was more to the food. read more

Great place! We were looking for another spot in town, but it was no longer there. Popped into Olde Castle...both the steak sandwich and ribeye burger were great! read more

We went here for a beer on the patio and ended up staying for dinner. It was a really enjoyable evening all around. Awesome view of the castle and church. Great waitstaff, friendly patrons and then the food...mm. I had the seafood pie which was loaded with mussels and fish and topped with mashed potatoes and cheese with a side of really nice mixed veggies steamed just right. I would highly recommend! One of my best meals in many trips to Ireland! read more

Olde Castle Bar - Great view of the church on a nice Friday night! - Pubs Near Me - Donegal, DL

Delicious food and a true old bar feel. Best stop on our trip. Definitely a must if only for a cold Guinness.

Solid pub style Irish food. We arrived as a party of two and had to wait about 20 minutes as there weren't too many options in Donegal for dining, even for smaller groups. We split a seafood pie to start, which was very cheesy and had a fair amount of fish, while our entrees were the lamb shank and the venison pie. The lamb was fairly tender, while the venison pie was also pretty tasty but also a bit heavy. The meal was reasonably priced and a pretty cozy environment and is a decent place for a meal in the area. read more

Decent pint of Guinness, decent staff, lovely interior, and most of the regulars are friendly. However, the 2nd time I was there I had 3 pints of the black stuff, and I felt really bad the next day (the next night I had about 8 tins of the black stuff at Mulreany's and I was grand). I was in a few days later and was drinking Smithwicks and on the second glass I started to get a taste of dish washing liquid. Watching the barman wash the glasses I think there's a problem here where they don't rinse the glasses properly. So lads, can ye not use a dish washer? Going from 4 stars to 3 stars until I'm sure me glass doesn't taste of Fairy Liquid. However, they do have really really good pub grub during the day. read more

Best Restaurant in Donegal. Perfect seafood, fresh soups, great Appetizers and very nice crew. This is where the locals go for special occasions, and that is all you need to know. read more

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Great atmosphere in this quaint bar. Tasty food with friendly service. Definitely worth checking out!

The bar is very nice on the inside. But, when we came at 9:50 on a Monday night the kitchen was closed and it was dead inside. There was no table service either. Definitely did not live up to its reputation. read more

Not a great crowd. Guinness was good. Glasses were clean. Fish and chips was mediocre at best. Very tuff fish. Chips were under cooked. Fish stew was ok. Will probably not return. read more

Wandered over here after visiting the castle and had a lovely lunch. The menu wasn't that extensive, but what they offered was hot and tasty. Prices were good and we were never ignored by the waitstaff. read more

Our tour group descended on this place for lunch, and the staff responded. There were 21 of us and we were seated and served. My lunch was good, the service was very good. Place was enjoyable to visit. read more

My wife and I stopped in for dinner and it was spectacular. My fish and chips were the best fish I've had in Ireland. They just happened to have their summer festival going on and we enjoyed the music on patio while we had a great meal! read more

Worst seafood chowder ever. It tasted like raw flour. Fish and chips served with cold chips. Wait staff never came back around to check that everything was okay. Seafood pie was good. read more

three times we ate here, first time, we had a great time, tried their local beer. food was great. 2nd time, they let us walk in and let us sit and then waited a while to tell us the kitchen was closed, umm pretty sure it was opened when we walked in, but after 20 minutes till a server was flagged down, to tell us sorry kitchen just closed, 3rd time, waited about 20 minutes to get our order, 45 minutes later we got a soup, and stew and daughter got her food, 20 minutes i flagged down a server and asked for our drinks we ordered 65 minutes ago, water, and soda and one beer. we then saw our server wow 65 minutes later who blamed the bartender for not giving us our drinks, i call bullshit. so then she asked if we are done, i said well i haven't received the rest of my food, she brings me one of two dishes and then asked if we have everything, i lied and told her yes. after we paid, with missing half our food dishes, I gave her a zero tip. about what she deserved. Always fun to eat a spicy soup with nothing to drink and have a server sit next to us folding napkins while we are thirsty. read more