Gallagher's, Montevideo

On our fourth visit to a pub with an Irish name and a green lettered sign with shamrocks we found an establishment that tried to be an Irish pub.  Gallagher’s, located in the lovely Pocitios barrio of Montevideo has an impressively Irish looking façade and outdoor seating on a wood deck facing a quiet little street.

Upon entering we were impressed with the wood paneling, the lighting and large bar.  There are comfortable booths along one wall and a semi-private dining room on the second floor.  Music was playing at a comfortable level that didn’t interfere with conversation.  The menus were large but difficult to read in the subdued lighting due to the small, fancy print and because the drinks menu was black.  Because the bar was properly lit and comfortably furnished we give Gallagher’s two points for ambience.

The beer taps had no names on them but there appeared to be a large selection.  The friendly bartender only spoke Spanish, which, while disappointing, gave us a chance to practice.  It turned out that the bar had only been open for four months and was just now gaining a reputation and a following.  He explained that it was difficult, if not impossible to obtain Irish beer and ale in Uruguay and the need for a new bar to work closely with their distributor which means basically, that you serve what they offer.  For Gallagher’s that meant a selection of brews that were little different than that served all over Montevideo.  This pub receives one point for the bartender even though he was not Irish because of his friendliness.

What was a little different were two things: they had a selection of beers on tap “tapidas” known only by their color (rubia, roja, negro, etc.) and a selection of expensive English bottled beer called “Fullers”.  Some of these were priced at $50 for half a liter!  No Irish beer, ale or cider was to be found and worse, no Guinness.  No points can be given for the taps and the food menu was also typically Uruguayan but did feature a roast beef sandwich and fish and chips.

We ordered red ale and decided to split an order of fish and chips.  Both were disappointing as the ale was rather weak and the fish was tasteless at best.  We couldn’t fault the cheerful and responsive service however and give the pub one point for this service and for the attempt at fish and chips.  The bar is popular among the locals however, and by the time we left was quickly filling up.  Because we really like the music selection and because the volume was always at a comfortable level, we choose to award one point for entertainment.

Overall, though we were disappointed at Gallagher’s lack of “Irishness” we were happy with our comfortable experience and would certainly not hesitate to return with our Uruguayans friends although we might not chance the kitchen again. 

We award five total points to Gallagher’s.

Ambience                                            2

Bartender                                            1

Taps                                                    0

Food/Kitchen                                      1

Entertainment                                       1

This puts Gallagher’s into a tie for fourth place for the moment.

Hannigan’s                                          Granada, Spain                       13

O’Reilley’s                                          Lanzarote, Canary Islands       9

Devil’s Forest Pub                              Venice, Italy                            7

International Brewery Bringas            Madrid, Spain                           5

Gallagher’s                                          Montevideo, Uruguay             5

The Tower                                           Moraira, Spain                       5

An Irish Pub in Venice.

An Irish Pub in Venice; weird right?  Nonetheless, there it was; the Devil’s Forest Pub, and it looked authentic.  We walked inside and found Harp, Strongbow and Guinness on tap and the ambience was decently Irish for Venice with quaint sayings on the walls, pictures of wild Irish landscapes and the odd mounted animal head.  The Devil’s Forest Pub claims to be the oldest pub in Venice and, although we haven’t covered every inch of the city, we think it might be the only one left.

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There wasn’t much of a crowd since it was only noon; too early for lunch but the bartender spoke English and was friendly.  Unfortunately, he wasn’t Irish; he was a true Venetian living only a few blocks away.  The owners were Venetian as well but the beer (and the cider) was excellent and the food wasn’t bad; it just wasn’t Irish.

The menu was a little disappointing starting with spaghetti and continuing on the Italian theme throughout.  We had a small snack; a panini or something, and while it was pretty good, it wasn’t what you look for in a pub like this.  Although the incomplete Irish pub set-up disappointed us a little we won’t hesitate to drop in again for a wee drop after a busy day of sight-seeing.

Devil’s Forest Pub is awarded 2 points for ambience; they almost got it right.  Although this particular pub strikes out and receives 0 points for the friendly but not Irish bartender we must award the maximum of 3 points for the taps which included Harp, Guinness, Strongbow and Kilkenny.  We also award 1 point for the food quality and another for entertainment value because the television had the appropriate sporting events on and the bartenders were enjoyable to talk to. 

The total for Devil’s Forest Pub is 7 points which ranks it in third place behind Hannigan’s and O’Reilley’s all of which are worth stopping by if and when you’re in the neighborhood.

Another Irish Pub,,,,,not in Ireland

Okay.  We were there so we have to do it.  In Moriara, a very beautiful town on the Costa Blanca there is an Irish themed pub called The Tower.  At first, the place looks perfect in fact we waited for half an hour until they opened because we were so interested.  There are two small but comfortable tables on the sidewalk in front of the pub and the exterior looks very, very Irish.  What could be more perfect?

The interior of the pub is finished in dark polished wood, there is a long bar filled with bottles and glasses, booths line one wall and there are barrels serving as tables in the open areas.  All of the signs, advertisements and knick-knacks are Irish style and sporting events are shown on the several flat screen televisions

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Our excitement evaporated when we were told, in Spanish by the Spanish bartender that they only had English ale on tap and while they did have Guinness, it came in a bottle.  For shame!  There was Irish whiskey but the menu was more English than Irish when it wasn’t Spanish.  Disappointing.

The place is really very nice and we highly recommend you stop in if you’re looking for this type of ambiance and speak Spanish and want to drink whiskey.  Skip it if you are thirsty for an Irish stout, cider or ale from the tap or hunkering for a bacon sandwich.

We have to give The Tower 3 points for ambience although the name could use a little work.  The Spanish bartender, while being helpful in a typically Spanish manner generates 0 points as does the lack of anything Irish on tap.  The menu was primarily Spanish and because the kitchen was not open we are unable to award any points in this area.  The entertainment consists of sporting events on the televisions and there were several so one can watch from any seat in the house.  Since they were the proper type of events we give The Tower 2 points here for a grand total of 5 points which places it in a tie for third with International Brewery Bringas in Madrid.  

Irish Pubs in Madrid

In our short three day stay in September 2013 we found and, more importantly, patronized two Irish pubs.  The first, disingenuously named International Brewery Bringas was just off the Plaza Mayor and did have Murphy’s Irish Red on tap and Magners cider although in a bottle.  Unfortunately, the bartenders were both native Spaniards and not Irish and, unbelievably, there wasn’t a Guinness to be found in the bar.

The menu was Spanish food, not Irish and the décor had a more wood-paneled western US, rocky mountain bar feeling than being Irish pub-like.   The bartenders were friendly enough when addressed in Spanish and the place was enjoyable enough for us to return to again.

So using our previously discussed rating system the International Brewery Bringas receives 1 point for ambience, 0 points for the bartenders’ non-Irishness, 1 point for having Murphy’s Irish Red on tap (although I’m tempted to give them a demerit for not having a Guinness in the house and for having Cruz Campo on the primary tap), we didn’t try the kitchen but people enjoyed their orders so we’ll give them 1 point for food quality and because the bartenders were friendly and there was the appropriate futbol match on the television we’ll give them and additional 2 points for entertainment. 

So the rundown is this:

Ambience                                 1 point

Bartenders                                0 points

Taps                                         1 point

Food                                        1 point

Entertainment                            2 points

Total for International Brewery Bringas is 5 points which puts them in a distant second behind Hannigans.  Congratulations to International Brewery Bringas for being the second Irish bar we have found in Spain.

In spite of the lower point total, if you ever find yourself in the neighborhood of Plaza Mayor in Madrid and in need of refreshment we would absolutely recommend this establishment as a quality option.

A short footnote: we found another, very Irish looking bar on our walk through Madrid from the Brazilian consulate.  We were very disappointed to find only Spanish beer available on tap, a Spanish bartender, a Spanish menu, a Spanish ambience inside and no entertainment (although it was during the day).  Because of this we took no photos, and cannot for the life of us remember exactly where it was located or the name of the place but if you find it, don’t hesitate to patronize the place because we enjoyed it. 

That does it for this edition of Irish Pubs Abroad by Marilyn and Mike.

The best Irish Pub we've found yet...

Seems like everywhere we’ve been there’s one or two self-proclaimed Irish pubs.  So, out of our own personal interest, hunger and thirst, we’re going to look for and document Irish pubs wherever we go.  We’ve been saying for years now “There’s an Irish pub in every town and if not, there’s a business opportunity”.  We’re going to have a little fun with this so please let us know if we’ve missed a candidate.  We welcome all suggestions (researching will be enjoyable). 

The first Irish pub sets the standard of course, and it sets the bar high.  To try and bring a little objectivity to this very subjective effort we propose to rate the pubs on the following scale.

1.  Ambience (1 to 3 points) – dark wood paneling and furniture, lighting, mirrors, floors, signage, etc.

2.  Irish Bartender (0 to 3 points) – a second point is available if there is more than one Irish bartender.  The third point is for a bartender that insults you while he/she serves you and you find that you enjoy it (he or she could only be Irish).

3.  Taps (0 to 3 points) – One point each for having on tap:  a) Guinness, b) Irish ale, or beer, and c) Irish cider.

4.  Kitchen (0 to 4 points) – One point each for having: a) an Irish breakfast fry-up, b) a bacon sandwich, c) a shepherd pie, and d) food quality.

5.  Entertainment (0 to 3 points) – No I do not mean “Paddy jokes”.  Fiddlers and tenors are appropriate as is futbol and hurling (on the television of course).  Bartenders count.

First up:  HANNIGAN & SON(Granada, Spain)

Located at the base of the Albayzin near Calle Elvira we are rating the original Hannigans (there are two in Granada).  We found this gem in the fall of 2010 and have been returning ever since.  We give 2 points for ambience for the dark wood, the bar and the signage.  Uncomfortable and poorly arranged seating are only a small problem.

Hannigans receives 3 points in the Irish Bartender category because Rory and John, God Bless them are both Irish and Rory is also the house master of the insult, bad jokes and on good days, part of the entertainment.

This pub scores extremely well in the Taps (3 points) and Kitchen (3 points) categories.  Guinness, Strongbow and Murphys Irish Red are all on tap although we have been considering that we should deduct one point for their also having Amstel on tap.  The kitchen is small but generates an amazing fry up, bacon sandwich and hamburger (made with Irish beef and good Irish cheddar cheese) along with a limited number of other items such as chicken wings.  They do not offer a shepherd pie.  Kitchen hours are somewhat limited (currently 1:30pm to 5:00pm weekends and 7:00pm to 10:00pm weekdays) and closed for a couple of months during the summer so you have to plan a little but it is well worth it.

Finally Hannigans receives 2 point for entertainment.  Futbol and hurling are regularly on the television and the bartenders are worth a few laughs every time.  Music is from the bartender’s playlist and requests are sometimes granted.

Summary for Hannigans:

Ambience                                2

Bartender(s)                            3

Taps                                         3

Kitchen                                   3

Entertainment                         2

Total                                        13 point of a possible 16

This is a very high standard indeed and we can’t wait to get back.  Oh and Rory, you are only worth 3 points “petal”.