Dropped into this bar to grab some cold beers and a couple of cocktails. Unfortunately we had just finished lunch so we didn't get to try any food. The bars in here were amazing! There are several (3?) levels and bars everywhere! I wish we had spent more time here, but we were on a group tour. Service was mediocre once our server realized we were only having drinks, but hey, we weren't hungry! Anyway, we'd probably go back should we ever again find ourselves in the area! read more

See all

First irish pub in Galway, Ireland. People were very nice, very welcoming. The Clash was playing on the speakers and a football (soccer) game was on television, with lots of supporters in the bar. Ambiance 5/5 Abigail our waitress was pleasant and efficient. She took our drink and lunch order, ordered a house scale ale, a pornstar martini, a Kingston glow, a Cajun chicken salad, and fish and chips. All were delivered quickly and with a quirky smile. 5/5 Food was as described in the menu. Pretty large portions. Fish and chips came with smashed peas and salad. The chicken Caesar salad came with a ham garnish. Not bad but not Cajun. 4.8./5 If you are ever in Galway stop by Skeff! read more

See all

onderful place to warm up during a cold winter night. Arrived in Galway after a short drive from Dublin and discovered a cute Christmas time market in Eyre Square. This bar opened in 1850 and has tons of room and bars to choose from. We came around 5 pm and before the music and crowds arrived. Staff is very friendly and one person wasn't assigned to your table. Multiple waiters kept asking if we needed something, took our order, served our meals and brought us our check. Baked salmon was the daily special. Nicely cooked and lots of flavors. The fish and chips were our favorite. The fish was crispy and flaky. Not a fan of the Irish chips but I ate quite a few of them. We ended up staying for a drink by the fire. The bartender brought a Whisky bible which included history of Irish whiskey and big selection of whiskeys. Add this to our list of traveling through Galway. read more

See all

Gord and I had a quick lunch Friday at The Skeff. My wings had Buffalo sauce and Gord's had no sauce. They were tasty! Morgan took good care of us. read more

See all

The place had two levels, 6 bars, live music. Great venue. Loud and busy. Nice beer selection. Decent service. Breakfast is served on the second level for hotel guests. It was very good: I had the full Irish. read more

See all

Just left The Skeff Bar in Galway and had to share -- this place is so inviting and homey. The vibe is warm the second you walk in, and the bartender was absolutely wonderful. Super friendly, great recommendations, and genuinely made the experience feel personal. If you're wandering around Galway and want a cozy spot with great service, The Skeff is definitely worth stopping into. read more

Average at best. Had the MEXICAN CHICKEN SOURDOUGH and for what you get for €14.50 I cannot recommend. It tasted nice but overpriced for a single piece of sourdough bread with salsa, guac and mozzerella. Chicken was minimal so can't comment on it. Paying €36 for a couple of average sandwiches and soft drinks(3) for 2 people is not sustainable. Can't fault the service though! read more

I enjoyed the live band that was singing American music. Our bartender Thomas was also very nice and attentive.

The Skeff has long been one of my favorite spots in Galway--great music, good atmosphere, and usually a reliable go-to for celebrating milestones with friends. As medical students, my friends and I don't often have time to go out, but we always looked forward to celebrating exam finishes at The Skeff. Most nights, I'd easily rate the place 5/5. Unfortunately, I'm writing this review due to an upsetting incident on Friday night. After finishing exams, I arrived at The Skeff calm, sober, and simply hoping to enjoy some music with friends. However, I was denied entry by a bouncer I didn't recognize, who insisted I had caused trouble there previously. I hadn't been to the venue in months, have never caused any issues at bars, and had never seen this bouncer before. I believe he had mistaken me for someone else, but he refused to hear me out, avoided eye contact, and made a dismissive comment suggesting I "eat some fries and come back." Despite my respectful attempt to explain, I was met with condescension and no opportunity to clarify the mistake. As a result, all 30 of my fellow medical student friends left the venue with me in solidarity. It's disheartening to feel misjudged and unwelcome at a place we've enjoyed for years. While I understand and appreciate the role of security in maintaining a safe environment, kindness and fairness should never be optional. Unfortunately, we no longer feel comfortable returning to The Skeff. It's a shame to lose what was once a favorite spot due to an encounter that felt more like a power trip than professional discretion. I hope the skeff can take my experience as a learning opportunity to ensure the staff treats everyone with kindness so they enjoy their evening to the fullest extent. read more

What I liked: - Massive place good for an event or party. - good, attentive service. Water is served at each table without asking. - great bacon and cabbage dinner. The bacon was more like a Mount ham, and it came with a nice portion of mashed potatoes. read more

The Skeff Bar - Bacon, cabbage and mashed potatoes - Bars Near Me - Galway, G

This place is huge. Food was great, as was the Guinness. The staff were super friendly and attentive. Had the fish and chips, huge portions. Great taste and quality. Highly recommended. read more

See all

The bar is located in a beautiful old hotel. It feels cozy and although there is a lot of seating, it was spaced out every nicely and included tables and booths. They do check your vaccine cards and collect your phone number. For lunch I had the soup of the day which was potato leek and the goat cheese salad that had pine nuts, greens, beets and orange slices. Very tasty. Soup came with brown bread. Service was very good and e retime was pleasant. read more

The Skeff Bar - Potato leek soup - Bars Near Me - Galway, G

See all

Service, meh. Food, not great. It's a bit of a tourist trap. Buy ambience is very nice .

Stopped in this cozy and gorgeous bar briefly on our tour stop in Galway. It was snowing and this was the perfect place to warm up in front of the fire and enjoy a hot coffee. Wish we would have had time to sample the food, but it looked very good. We stopped here as it was recommended by a Dubliner we met the night before. Definitely recommend. read more

The Skeff Bar - Cozy front room - Bars Near Me - Galway, G

Food was good. Service decent. Lovely, old building and nice atmosphere. NOT wheelchair friendly. read more

The Skeff Bar - Potato leek soup - Bars Near Me - Galway, G

See all

Didn't try any of the drinks, but the band here was amazing! They played a fun mix of new age and classic, and there were many spike dancing and singling along. There was an international college student event being held that evening, so that may have contributed to the environment. Either way, this place is unmissable! read more

Came to the skeff, excited to return as I remembered it as a top bar/restaurant in Galway for a good time. TERRIBLE!!! One of the coolest historical/bar layout spots in Galway but unfortunately the entire staff was MISERABLE. They had all of ~30 people in the entire spot (not a lot if you know the size of this bar), playing classic 2000's tunes. We watched as they kicked out a group for dancing (on the dance floor?), a bridesmaids group for asking others at the bar to dance with them, etc. A bunch of miserable staff clearly trying to get people out so they could go home - maybe don't work at a bar then! Needless to say, Galway is the best! The Skeff sucks!!!! Booo read more

Beautiful interior to the bar - it is cozy & there is a ton of seating (but doesn't feel cramped)! We walked into this place while first arriving in Galway & adventuring around Eyre Square. For food, I got the fish & chips and my boyfriend got a steak sandwich. We split the nachos which were quite good as well! read more

The Skeff Bar - Bars Near Me - Galway, G

I'm a foodie of sorts. We were starved, so we decided to stop in without looking at reviews. My usual go to when traveling especially internationally. LOUD -due to game ...France won by the way. The food - salad and leak soup. And no fresh soda bread. Sorry just not excited about the food. It's a bar more for drinking. Music was pretty good. read more

Stopped in for lunch after Cliffs of Moher tour. Sat on patio. Seated immediately. Very friendly. Quick to attend. Tried the hot (Franks) wings and they were crisp and delicious. Charlotte B. was brilliant. read more

Amazing food!!! Everyone loved their dinner (roast beef, fish & chips, caesar salad). My goat cheese bruschetta was the most amazingly smooth goat cheese ever!! Servers were all super friendly. Affordable!! Highly recommend. read more

The Skeff Bar - Goat cheese bruschetta. - Bars Near Me - Galway, G

The 2 stars are for our friendly waiter who was clearly overworked...working the bar and running plates. Don't know if they were short staffed that night or not. I asked for a classic drink, a sidecar, that was not on the menu. I asked for it in London and Scotland and other bars in Ireland and bartenders gladly made it...so easy to look up the recipe. My husband gave the bartender at the Skiff the recipe and they said "sorry we are too busy" I'm sorry...too busy to make a drink with 3 ingredients?!? Really too busy to actually mix a drink. they had some "drink of the week" that was horrible! Obviously some premixed crap. Anyway...the food...very dry pork medallions --ordered a mojito (on the menu) and it came when we were done eating...Too bad I really wanted to like this place...the waiter was a wonderful friendly guy who we had nice conversation with about how to pronounce certain Irish names...Do yourself a favor and take my advice and go to Harry's bar (not associated with the famous ones in Venice and Paris) Food EXCELLENT, Drinks, EXCELLENT, Service EXCELLENT!! Ask to sit in Martha's section...she was terrific! read more

If you are looking for an amazing Bar in Galway. I highly recommend visiting The Skeff Bar. The food was amazing. and The Staff are all so professional, kind and genuinely care about their guests. The Full Irish Breakfast tasted delicious. I had such a great experience that I will return in the near future .Very clean Barand restrooms. This establishment rates five stars and more! It should be noted I am originally from Dublin Ireland and lived in the United States for over thirty years and served in the United States Marines all over the world. I definitely know a great bar from all my life experiences and travels all over the world. I definitely will return in the near future! A must visit if you are looking for great food. You definitely won't be disappointed! read more

See all

We came here a couple times because it was so convenient to our hotel and it had great food, beer and service. It is really nice inside and quite large with an entire upstairs where they played trivia one night while we ate. Yes, you could argue it is a tourist trap but the prices and everything did not seem out of line compared to the rest of the places we went. read more

We are US and were in town for a tour. I'm in Law Enforcement in the US and I asked a local cop where would she recommend for lunch. Skeff Bar was the top of the list. We had great burgers, some drinks and awsome service. The atmosphere was friendly and clean. Food was served hot and tasty. Wait staff was attentive. This place earned all 5 stars. On my list of recommendations, nothing wrong here. read more

See all

False advertising. On their website and several other websites they advertise having NFL redzone. Get there and bartender checks with management and they say they don't carry it. Blamed it on "Marketing". Said they often advertise matches they don't carry. Had to turn away a futbol crowd today that came for an advertised match they also aren't carrying. Shame - looks like a cool place but needs to get their act together. read more

Ended at the Skeff bar after bar hopping our way through town. We were told this place stayed open later then all the rest so we gave it a shot. It was nice inside and more bright compared to most gloomy bars. The ladies room was a few flights upstairs though so don't wait til last moment. We met some funny locals that gave us a good laugh and bought us a round of drinks to shotgun. It sealed our night in Galway for sure. read more

See all

Beautiful place, great service, food was good. Loved the different levels and the decor was lovely

My husband and I had lunch here with other members of our Tauck tour group. We ate in an upstairs dining room overlooking the bar. We had a tasty lunch of pork and cabbage. I enjoyed the beautiful carved woodwork in the bar/dining room. The service was excellent. read more

See all

Visiting from United States, found this great restaurant. Service was fast, food and atmosphere were great.

My sister & I enjoyed a delicious meal at The Skeff Bar when visiting Galway. The restaurant is very large with many nooks and crannies. We chose to eat at the bar because we were a little short on time and generally you get better service there. We got a fried chicken sandwich and a steak sandwich and did halvsies which we do quite often. Both were extremely delicious. The steak sandwich came with brown gravy for dipping. The chicken sandwich came with a spicy sauce of some kind that was also very good. A large serving of chips-more than we could eat. Add a draft of Pauliner and we were more than satisfied. Located right in Eyre Square in the heart of Galway, I highly recommend The Skeff Bar for a bite to eat! read more

The Skeff Bar - Steak Sandwich - Bars Near Me - Galway, G

See all

Do not miss this amazing pub on the edge of shopping district in Galway! The prices and the quality of food and service are worth the visit too. The three or four levels of this amazingly decorated establishment and music made it worth a visit! The wait staff is personable and truly made our meal worthwhile! read more

Terrible experience 19/10/23 when one of the bouncers grabbed my friend by the neck and violently pushed her to the ground. The bouncers were acting aggressive the whole time we were queuing, pushing people by the shoulders and shouting at people who were in no way provoking such a reaction but things reached a boiling point when my friend was blatantly assaulted by the staff at The Skeff Bar. Additionally on multiple occasions I have found the bartenders to be incredibly rude as they complain about the drink you order after having to wait over half an hour to be served. Would not recommend visiting if you wish to be treated like a human or value your life in any way. I have always had horrible experiences in this bar but this was the final nail in the coffin. read more

Had a lot of fun here. Beautiful large space. Talented musicians. Not traditional Irish music but still fun.

RUDE bartenders for absolute no reason. Expensive cocktails, and the worst old fashioned I've ever had. Beautiful building though. Went there 5 years ago, had a blast, came back and it's trash now. Don't waste your time. read more

We stumbled upon this bar as we were exploring Eyre Square and were sure glad we did! Since it was a Sunday night, the NFL on TV caught our attention right away, but while we came for the NFL, we stayed for the drinks, vibes, and great live music. There is a solid whiskey, gin and beer selection here and the staff here was easy to talk to and order from. Skeff is certainly a spacious bar, with one big room for a projector and another for live music. We were fortunate to have John Gaughan play since he really put on a show. People were coming in and dancing and it was a good time all around! read more

Great bar to grab a bite to eat and drink with friends. The food was decent. The atmosphere was nice, several different bar rooms to choose from. read more

See all

Pros: + This seems to be a more "upscale" lunch and dinner pub where you can sit down for food and drink while in your skirts and slacks. + The wide, spacious layout lends the place a warm and relaxing ambiance. You can pick your vibe; if you want the louder crowd, they might be upstairs. If you want the quiet dinner crowd, they might be downstairs. Take your pick. + Food is more upscale, too. Had the stuffed chicken with tarragon and it was as tasty as stuffed chicken gets. + Service was good. + Located off Eyre Square. You can't miss it. I've never seen bigger gold lettering on a building before! Cons: - Because it's more chill, it could be boring for some. read more

Not bad at all! The interior is lovely to look at. The tables and chairs are super comfy. The waitress was sweet. I got the garlic & mozzarella bread and the caesar salad (not knowing the the bread comes with some salad). The bread made for excellent comfort food! My pals got the braised lamb shank (deemed good) and the fish & chips (deemed good as well). We split a piece of Bailey's cheesecake for dessert which also registered "good". Overall, a nice place indeed (won't make the top of my list but surely won't hit the bottom!!) read more

The Skeff Bar - Upstairs, back corner - Bars Near Me - Galway, G

We found this very cool bar-kitchen next to Eyre Square in Galway. Great atmosphere! We ordered fish and chips and they were the best we have ever had! Very light and tasty coating and the fish was extremely tender and delicious! read more

The Skeff Bar - Exact pint!!! - Bars Near Me - Galway, G

See all