Give your palate a break from the regular and head to Kumar's Taste of Asia for a feast of scintillating Asian food. Its cozy, yet lively atmosphere, coupled with its Indian-style decor and Asian artworks, perfectly replicates the essence of Asian hospitality. On the menu are a host of flavorful Indian and Thai delicacies that never fail to be a truly blissful treat. Spicy yet irresistible, the food served here is certain to bring out a new-found fondness for Asian cuisine. Be sure to try the signature biryani, tandoori and seafood dishes, while the curries and kebabs are also well-worth a shot.
Come here if you want to spoil yourself and a friend. Tucked away on the eponymous laneway, Kirwan's Lane restaurant offers excellent and innovative Irish food. You'll enjoy new combinations of specifically Irish ingredients such as black pudding, new potatoes and a variety of local seafood. However, the menu is broad enough for most palates, including imaginative vegetarian options, roast lamb and monkfish. The two rooms are warm and comfortable; the service is courteous but unobtrusive.
Goya's is one of the nicest places to sit in Galway, and they offer some of the best baked goods. This airy cafe is located in the lovely medieval quarter of the city, and the scent of freshly baked cakes fills the air when you enter. A wide range of cakes, pastries and other treats abound, served with teas or fine freshly ground coffee. This cafe is also completely non-smoking, a rare thing in Ireland.
Just off Eyre Square and close to Galway's bus and train station lies this family-run business, which attracts its regulars with its reliably good food. Cormac Rabbitt bought the premises in the 1870s after his success prospecting for gold in California's Gold Rush. The pub is friendly and comfortable. Locals and tourists come for the Guinness and oysters, and stay for the chat.The oysters are also served in the restaurant with other delectable dishes, such as fresh scallops, salmon and trout. The homemade soups and traditional Irish Stew will satisfy the most ravenous appetite.
On the site of the old slate nunnery stands this impressive pub and restaurant. A place where the old meets new, Busker Browne's is one of the most popular places in Galway. Three bars are warmed by log fires on cold winter days. Busker's also serves good fresh food, including seafood chowder, oysters and fresh Irish salmon. The Sunday morning jazz sessions are a particular treat.
This popular restaurant has an intimate, relaxed atmosphere and is located in the old quarter of Galway city; note the 1816 cross carved close to the entrance. Fat Freddie's is a bistro and pizzeria specializing in seafood and Italian cuisine. It also serves a fine breakfast, and vegetarians are handsomely catered for also. It can get busy here, particularly in the summer, so booking is advised.