Dineens

Published on May 13, 2011 in Clare. 1 Comment

The next pub I visited on my quick stop to Macroom Co Cork was Dineens bar on the main street just up from TP Cotters. There was a good crowd inside on heading in. The bar man was extremely welcoming and served me promptly. The pint of Murphys here was top class and I took it down the back of the pub to enjoy it. The television was on in the pub but to be honest it was way too loud. Dineens appeared to be a real locals bar and had a good atmosphere.

The toilets were in good condition on checking. This pub was enjoyable to pop into for a pint.

Toilet rating: 7/10
Pint rating: 8/10
Overall rating: 7/10

Final comment: Dineens is a pub in Macroom that is worth consideration for a pint of the black stuff or anything else for that matter.

TP Cotter

Published on May 10, 2011 in Cork. 0 Comments

Was down in Macroom recently and had a bit of spare time before I went for a meal in Granvilles restaurant. I headed into TP Cotters as I found the exterior quite appealing. It is a very well kept comfortable public house. The open fire was very appealing and I sat near it. The bar man was very polite and efficient and appeared to have a good rapport with the people sitting at the bar. I got a pint of Murphys and unfortunately I didn’t enjoy it. I was disappointed as I found this pub great to sit and have a pint in.

The toilets were absolutely immaculate. I honestly couldn’t fault them. They were some of the cleanest I have come across in a while. There wasn’t a huge crowd in the pub but it was relatively early on a Tuesday evening. Despite being disappointed with the pint I got I really enjoyed my short visit to this pub. Out by the toilets I noticed a very nice smoking area. It’s well worth a visit.

Toilet rating: 9/10
Pint rating: 6/10
Overall rating: 8/10

Final comment: Even though I didn’t enjoy the pint I would definately go back again for another visit and can certainly recommend TP Cotters.

Sirius

Published on April 4, 2011 in Cork. 0 Comments

Another bar that we visited on our trip around Passage West was Sirius. There is an off licence just off the corridor as you head into this bar. As you walk in there is a pool table in front of you. We had a game while we were in there. I was not enamoured by this pub on heading in. We ordered the drinks at the bar and the bar man wasn’t overly friendly. He told me that the pint was 3.90 but i never saw change from the 4 euro i gave. The pint of Murphys was poor and i probably should have adjusted my choice of drink as i didn’t see any one else drinking stout. I didn’t finish the pint. There was about ten people in the pub when we were there on Friday night.

The toilets were fine when i checked them. There was just something about this pub that i didn’t like. I would be happy to hear from anyone who disagrees with this judgement.

Toilet rating: 6.5/10
Pint rating: 2/10
Overall rating: 4/10

Final comment: Sirius is one of the pubs in Passage.

The Tavern

Published on April 4, 2011 in Cork. 0 Comments

The next stop on our tour of Passage West’s pubs was The Tavern. This pub is on the road out towards Rochestown. It was busy when we headed in and we went up stairs where there is a pool table but that area was closed. We perched ourselves at the bar and got the drinks in. Looking around i noticed the clientele were mostly in the 50 plus bracket but i was reliably informed that the younger crowd would normally head upstairs. There was a function for the GAA club being held the same night hence upstairs being closed. The pint of Murphys was a good one but the bar man didn’t engage in much conversation with us while at the bar. Saying that he had an excellent rapport with the regulars.

There are toilets up stairs and down stairs. The gents toilets up stairs are small but were well maintained. The toilets down stairs were well looked after too. There was a good atmosphere in this pub and its well worth a visit.

Toilet rating: 7/10
Pint rating: 7/10
Overall rating: 7/10

Final comment: The Tavern is a lively bar with what appeared to be good local trade

PF Barrys

Published on April 4, 2011 in Cork. 0 Comments

I hit Passage West on Friday on Friday night to check out some of their establishments. To be honest even though i live relatively near to this town its not somewhere that immediately springs to mind when planning a night out. I started off in the Criterion for a pint which was great before heading down the street to PF Barrys. It is also known as Farmers locally. The pub itself is extremely small and is more like a decent sized sitting room. The bar man was friendly and it was an excellent pint of Murphys and i saw that they had Beamish for 3 euro which is good value. There is plenty memorabilia on the walls and a tv screen also on the wall.

The toilets are out through the corridor and through the yard. Even though they are basic toilets they were well maintained. I have to say that i enjoyed my visit to this pub and would certainly pay a return visit.

Toilet rating: 7/10
Pint rating: 8/10
Mud rating: 7.5/10

Final comment: I enjoyed my visit to this pub. If in Passage its certainly worth checking out.

Bandon Pubs

Published on March 28, 2011 in Announcements. 0 Comments

I’m planning to head to Bandon, West Cork soon to review some of their pubs. Should be a bit of fun!

Electric

Published on March 19, 2011 in Cork. 1 Comment

On a recent work night out i ventured to this relatively new pub on the South Mall in Cork. The South Mall would generally be regarded as the financial district of Cork City. This is the only bar located on this street. It enjoys a fantastic location overlooking the river Lee. On a summers evening you would find it hard to pick a nicer place for a pint while sitting outside in the heart of the city centre. I was impressed when i headed in. It is a modern bar with efficient and professional bar staff. There are some very nice seating areas and its quite a big establishment. I liked the decor in this pub which was formerly a bank. It is more expensive for a pint here than other nearby pubs but as myself and Ollie discussed it is a new pub with very glamorous surroundings. I had three pints of Murphys there and they were all top rate. I saw people going upstairs so i don’t know if there is a restaurant there.

The toilets reminded me of those in Sober lane just across the bridge. The sinks are located outside the door of the gents and ladies toilets. A communal hand washing area. The gents toilets are small but to be fair were immaculate and i couldn’t fault them. The city certainly needs a classy pub such as this and i think it’l do well in that niche market.

Toilet rating: 8.5/10
Pint rating: 8/10
Overall rating: 8.5/10

Final comment: Electric is probably the most exciting bar to open in Cork city for a long while in my opinion. I would certainly recommend going there. I personally wouldn’t stay here for the whole night but for a couple of pints its a great find.

Amicus (Douglas)

Published on March 19, 2011 in Restaurant Reviews. 0 Comments

I have been here on a number of occassions and have always been impressed by the prices, quality of food and atmosphere. I have to say that this was not the same story on my last visit. I went for the late lunch and ordered a steak sandwich from the lunch menu. I have to say that i was very disappointed with the quality of the meat that was presented. I asked for it to be cooked medium but it came out a bit overdone. Ok thats not a capital offence on a lunch menu at reasonable prices but the meat itself was chewy, stringy and tough. I have to say that i felt i was given the real bottom of the pile meat due to it being reasonably priced lunch menu food. Saying this i have always found Amicus to be excellent value. Their prices are not pretentious and it is simple good quality food that is provided with professional service from the staff. The place is spotless as are the toilets. The toilets are a bit of a drawback in that there are too few of them and this is borne out by the fact that there is a line of chairs to sit on if you’re waiting for the loo. Over all Amicus is a quality, well run restaurant that will facilitate a nice lunch or a romantic meal and they accommodate children well also.

AJ’s Take away (Riverstick)

Published on March 19, 2011 in Restaurant Reviews. 0 Comments

Take aways are also restaurants (Once they have a seating area anyway!!) right thats that clarified….
AJ’s fast food take away also boasts a seating area so qualifies… This is a relatively recently opened take away situated next to the Topaz garage in Riverstick. The place is generally spotless and one can, for the most part see the food being prepared behind the counter. This place comes from the “Lennox’s” stable of catering and the chips are home cut real potatoes and portions are great value. The food overall is excellent for fast food but the winner for me definitely has to be their southern fry wraps.. They are without doubt the best in the area.. prices are reasonable and as stated the food is good quality. The place is very clean as are the toilets. I can definitely recommend a visit to this spot on those sultry evenings returning from Garretstown and Kinsale (or from watching the statue move a bit in Ballinspittle) over the summer.

Cleanliness. 9/10
Value 9/10
Staff 8/10
Food 8.5/10
Family friendly. 7/10

The Grafton

Published on March 14, 2011 in Cork. 0 Comments

A relatively new bar in Cork City centre. You will find this pub on Oliver Plunkett street. It is a big pub and on the two occasions i was there i encountered two very differing scenes. On the first occasion i was there just before christmas the place was thronged with people. There was barely even standing room and a very loud band. We decided not to stay on this occasion but i called back recently on a Wednesday night. There was very few people here on this visit except some people in to watch a champions league game. It seems to be a decent pub to watch a match in. The bar man was extremely friendly and engaged in pleasant chit chat and pulled a great pint of Murphys too.

The pub has some comfortable seating areas although the area just inside the smoking area appears to not have been furnished to the same standard as the rest of the pub. The smoking area itself looked to be a very nice area to enjoy a drink. My overall view of this pub was good until i checked the toilets. They appeared fine until i saw the seat on the cubicle. It was in need of bad need of attention and i suppose i should have said it to the bar man but i didn’t. I have to say that i enjoyed my pint here and would head back again.

Toilet rating: 6/10
Pint rating: 7.5/10
Overall rating: 7/10

Final comment: The toilet conditions in this pub let it down but saying that maybe the staff were just unaware. It is definately worth checking out for a pint.