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

Another Irish Pub

Okay, I guess I need to be a little more specific about our search for Irish Pubs around the world..  We are not writing about Irish pubs in the US or the UK.  We’re beginning to find that this is harder than it sounds; when you are in a city for only a day or two it could be easy to miss a gem so; if we’ve missed one that you know about please let us know or send us your own review.

Next up: old town San Juan, Puerto Rico.  Well, this was a total failure.  While we really loved the old town there wasn’t an Irish pub to be found.  Even the locals couldn’t point out any.  San Juan is a big city though so I’m sure there may be one or two but on our visit in April we stayed exclusively in the old town.  We’ll explore the rest of the city on another visit.

After San Juan we visited St. Thomas and St. Maarten.  Guess what?  No Irish pubs to be found in the half day we had in each of these places.  Six full days at sea followed by a quick stop in Tenerife (you guessed it; we found no Irish pubs) we finally arrived in Lanzarote (Canary Islands) and after passing an Irish themed nightclub (not open while we were there) called The Dubliner; we settled in at O’Reilleys. 

O’Reilleys is located on the boardwalk across the road from the black sand beaches in Puerta del Carmen right on the tourist route.  It is a large place with both indoor and outdoor seating.  We noticed a man; we assumed was a drunk, sleeping on an out of the way bench inside this pub.  As it turned out, this was the owner and I’m going to give the place a point for ambiance because of this.

The wait staff was wonderful and provided great, friendly service but they were all Spanish, not Irish.  The bar had Guinness and Magners on tap, but no Irish beers or ales.  We enjoyed a delicious bacon sandwich from the menu which also included a breakfast fry-up but we did not see a shepherd’s pie.  Entertainment consisted of people watching (not to be underrated) and well, the owner.  If we’d had more time, or been there for an evening it might have become interesting.

O’Reilleys ranking:  2 out of 3 for ambience.  There was definitely an Irish pub atmosphere with wood floors, paneling and name.  This pub receives 0 of 3 points for their lack of Irish bartenders but qualifies for 2 of 3 possible points for having Guinness and Magners on tap.  The kitchen gets 3 of 4 points for the breakfast fry-up, the bacon sandwich and the quality of the food which was excellent.  Finally, we award 2 of 3 points for entertainment because there was futbol and other sports on the several televisions scattered around the bar and well, the owner looked like he might be fun in the evenings.  All told; 9 points out of 16 possible for a second place showing.

Rankings thus far:

            Hannigans, Granada, Spain                                 16

            O’Reilleys, Lanzarote, Canary Islands                 9

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”.