Recently I was invited to taste the new food and cocktail menu in McGettigans, Galway and I was delighted as had been in there a few times for drinks but had not actually had food. And it turned out to be such a fun evening!
So to give you a little backstory, McGettigans is the premises where one of my beloved university nightclubs used to be – Cuba! We used to go there so often as they had a floor of dance music and then another floor of rock music which suited everyone in our group of friends. I remember being so sad when it closed. Since then there have been other businesses in there but none lured me back in – that is until now…
McGettigans was a new brand to me but one that I think will add to the Galway nightlife. The bar is welcoming and bright and really, really funky. The interior is pretty amazing actually. The back of the bar has a wall of books and old style lounge chairs which are perfect for relaxed drinks with friends. There are large TVs all around the bar which means that no doubt we will be back for rugby game or two. Then the front of the bar is like you are in a forest with fake trees as decoration. Now I am certainly not doing it justice with that description…. However, I’ll bet you are now intrigued to pop in and see what I mean 🙂
They are actually an Irish family business which I think is great. Their roots go back to 1964, when founder Jim McGettigan opened his first pub on Queen Street, Dublin. A family business from the start, Jim’s children now head up operations, with his son Dennis McGettigan at the forefront. Today, there are McGettigan’s bars across the UK & Ireland, the Middle East, Asia & USA.
When we arrived we had a little area reserved which was cute and the service was excellent. The staff were attentive but not overbearing. Sometimes when you pop along to taste a menu the staff are over every 5 minutes to see how it is. Not in McGettigans – the staff seemed to know the right times to pop over and it wasn’t just our table. Everyone eating seemed to be happy, merry and had staff serving, taking orders or dishes away all the time.
Now onto the food… one word… yum! We decided to forgo a starter as we wanted dessert! I ordered the mushroom risotto and my boyfriend ordered the grilled salmon. Since I am vegetarian I found that the vegetarian options on the menu were limited which was a little disappointing but my boyfriend was delighted with the choice of meat options.
The risotto was so filling and delicious – it had peas and pesto running through it and I would certainly get it again. My boyfriend found the salmon cooked really well and the sides of vegetables (Broccoli, sugar snaps, green beans, baby potatoes) that came along with it complimented the dish perfectly. We also got chips to share – because you know… that‘s what you do 🙂
And now onto dessert… I ordered the Strawberry & Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with Wild berry compote upon the recommendation of our fab waitress and himself got a Double Chocolate Brownie with ice cream. They were both delicious – though we were both so full after the mains that we couldn’t finish them.
To accompany dinner we tried out their cocktails menu. I ordered a strawberry daiquiri and he ordered a virgin passionfruit daiquiri (he was driving). They have a fab selection and I could have stayed there for a good while longer trying out more of them 🙂 They were really tasty and I certainly would go back with the girls for a fun cocktail night. They also do an offer on all cocktails for €5 from 5 pm every Thursday & Friday for the full night which is fantastic.
Overall – would I recommend you pop into McGettigans? Well, it is a resounding YES. We had so much fun with good food, a great atmosphere and great cocktails.
They also have a Christmas Jumper party coming up….. on Saturday, December 17. Basically, you need to grab your cheesiest Christmas jumper or make your own with tinsel and bobbles and the person with the best jumper can win a complimentary meal for two plus a bottle of wine !! This just sounds like such a fun evening – and who doesn’t love a good cheesy Christmas Jumper!!
