BITE user comments - Son_Of_Oak
Comments by Son_Of_Oak
Update:
They've since given the outside a lick of paint, looks a lot better.
1 Nov 2006 00:57
Tucked away behind Athlone Castle is the pub that's generally thought to be the oldest in Ireland (part of the walls are still "of clay and wattles made"). A grand spot, Guinness is top notch, as is anything I've sampled there. Good trad. too, which is rare enough these days(there's plenty of trad. to be heard in Irish pubs, but the quaity can be questionable). A bit small & cramped when busy, which is most of the time, but what do you expect from a pub which is truly ancient, it's cosy. Believe it or not, there's sawdust on the floor, how much more traditional can an Irish pub be? The odd eccentric punter can be found, I've seen a particular gent have his pint microwaved for 10 seconds, to get his "warm Guinness". Good Jaysis... Good spot, highly recommended.
31 Jul 2006 05:03
A great spot in the middle of touristy Dublin and my first port of call upon arrival, without fail. There's a great selection of beers, as the name would suggest. Their own beers are very reasonably priced, due to some government wrangling over microbreweries. I recommend Porterhouse Red or An Brain Blasta (7%, beware!), but they're all fairly quaffable. The food's outstanding, but a tad pricey. Decent music to be had at varying times. The pub's built on a few levels, so it can feel like a multi-storey maze after a few pints, and if you smoke, sit downstairs - it's a long journey from the top level to get outside, especially if it's busy, which it generally is. The decor is great, lots of wood, complemented by shelves upon shelves of bottled beers, everything you can think of and more that you can't. The staff, as is typical in Dublin, are a mutlinational bunch, and a more pleasant staff you will not find in that city, very friendly and accomodating. The only criticism I have is that the downstairs toilets are sometimes a bit sloppy, could do with having an eye kept on them. Apart from that I can't fault the place, I've never had a bad time there. Great for nursing those Sunday afternoon hangovers.
31 Jul 2006 04:41
I'm not a huge fan of this place to be honest, it's a very tourist oriented pub. It seems geared to make money rather than making you feel welcome & comfortable there, as a result there aren't many regulars. There's music every night, mainly Irish traditional, which is fair enough, but a little variety wouldn't go astray. A particular bone of contention is that when they have sporting events on they have a very blurry big screen down the back (as mentioned by The Inspector) and normal TVs in the front. So what you might think, the problem is that one will show sattelite pictures, the others terrestrial, this results in them being out of synch, which is maddening when, for instance, a goal is scored in football. But that's a minor thing . The staff are impossible to describe as there seems to be new staff there on every visit, which is worrying. The toilets could do with being cleaned on a more frequent basis. On the plus side, the food's good, get a pizza. The drink's grand, but pricey. In general I would avoid this particular watering hole.
31 Jul 2006 04:21
The Inspector has it fairly spot on here, not a bad joint at all. Nice open fire in the winter, air conditioned in the summer. Pool table down the back but beware! - it's 1 euro a game before 6pm, 2 euro after, so make sure you have the funds handy. Faultless pints, very reasonable too, bit of a tracksuit & baseball hat crowd but sure every pub has it. Interior decor's grand, but they desperately need to do something with the outside. The toilets are a bit pokey, which is a bit of a letdown. Apart from that, it's a good pub, I've spent the occasional lazy afternoon there.
31 Jul 2006 04:08
Not a bad pub if, like me, you love the rawk. If not, you're in the wrong place. It's small enough, narrow & dark, but that suits this type of pub, rock pubs aren't supposed to be bright & airy. Good gigs on occasion, the only bad point about that is that it's narrowest point is just in front of the stage, which can be a pain in the arse if you're carrying a drink in either direction, but at least it means you're part of the action! The beer's grand, they have plenty of cheap stuff there (to cater for the students, I assume) & occasionally beer promotions which make it even cheaper, nice. Pool table down the back, excellent jukebox as the previous reviewers mentioned, what more do you want? There's little chance of a quiet pint here though, as it's usually fairly busy, especially on Wednesday nights when there's a rock DJ in residence. The only complaint I have is that there's a skanger (chav) element, that can cause the odd bit of bother, I've seen plenty of forced evictions, so bear that in mind. All in all, not bad, check it out if you like rock/metal.
31 Jul 2006 04:00
Right, this is not a good pub. Unless you're already hammered that is, meeting someone at the end of the night. You know, when you're so locked that you don't care where you get a pint, as long as it's tasty (avoid the Smithwicks here, jaysus...). In the cold light of day it's a bare place, it's got that minimalist, cold feeling that's prevalent in a lot of spots these days, usually to attract the trendy crowd. People called Maurice or Fintan. Except that's not the crowd that frequents this joint. no it's a mixed bunch, everyone from Gardai to dealers, side by side, blind to each others' presences when there's a cider in front of them (Yep, it's a Bumers 'n' Bud joint). Sham-tastic, you might say. Not that I've any reason to be snobby in that department, it's just not my scene (Boss). Musicwise, it's yer typical jukebox, plenty of that dance crap, although a trawl can produce some gems in the rock or Irish dept. - you know, people actually playing instruments (remember the days?). On occasion there's live bands (keep an eye out for Live & Dangerous, great Thin Lizzy tribute band) or local (i.e. crap) DJs (avoid). Drinkwise, it's a typical B'sloe pub, hit & miss. The Swithwicks I've mentioned, Guinness is grand, lager okay & the spirits don't seem to be too diluted. But it's the general feel of the place I don't like, too... "functional" I suppose is the word. You'd go there to drink or meet someone,not for the craic. Racing on the TV during the day (I. HATE. THAT.), soccer in the evening (ZZZ...) & the compulsory pissed-as-a-fart-oul'-lad contingent in permanent residence. Not the last resort as a venue in the town, but near enough to make shag all difference.
3 Aug 2005 03:27
An Tain Bar, Ballinasloe
This is my favourite pub in Ballinasloe. I've been drinking in An Tain since it opened 10 years ago & unless something drastic happens (i.e. redecorating the "old" part downstairs) I will continue to do so.
It's a good, comfy, friendly pub with a generally favourable atmosphere. I'm partial to the original bar (downsatirs on the right hand side of the building), which is decked out in a traditional pub manner, with beautiful murals depicting various scenes from the Irish folk tale that gives the pub its name. The rest is a bit "new-fangled" for my taste (a fairly minimalist feel to it, all sharp lines & corners) but I suppose the younger/trendy/contemporary crowd have to be catered for, and upstairs is perfect for it; colourful (with a nice nod to the previous incarnation's paintings above the bar) & well laid out for the crowd it gets, there's a DJ booth & small dancefloor area for the more energetic punters, room for bands to set up too, though that's not a regular thing. The staff are all friendly & good at what they do, ranging from The Good (ladies, take a bow) to The Ugly (sorry, lads!) - no Bad, you'll notice. The pint is great if priced a few cents over the town average, but I suppose the recent(ish) refurbishments have to be paid for somehow. Trad on Wednesday nights is a long-standing & enjoyable tradition (no pun intended) here, but some new faces once in a while would be welcome. It's always, ALWAYS my first stop when I arrive in the town & will be for the forseeable future.
A couple of minor crticisms: the toilet facilities are woefully inadequate when there's a crowd, at least twice what's available is needed, upstairs and down. Also, better acces to the downstairs toilets from the "new" bar is badly needed - that archway between the 2 bars is sometimes tough to get through when the inevitable crowd gathers at the end of the old bar. The smoking area upstairs is ridiculously small, and surely dangerous in case of fire. As a non-smoker, this doesn't directly concern me but you can see what I mean. I don't know if this is still the case but up until recently at least, a pint cost 10 cents more at the upstairs bar than at the downstairs bars - this is inexcusable. Though I rarely venture upstairs unless there's a band or group of people I want to see, I can't see how or why this should happen.
Those things aside, it's a hearty "thumbs up" from me. Long may it continue in its course as the finest drinking establishment in Ballinasloe.
7 Oct 2007 18:16