Gus O'Connor's Pub — Attraction in County Clare

This place seems to be set up to churn tourists through it with no regard for service. I had to order and pay for food at the bar and give them our table number. This means you have no actual waiter or waitress that cares at all about your service or will help you and if you want to leave they’ve already taken your money. I was traveling with my two daughters - one is autistic - she left in tears and me and my other daughter left hungry and upset.

I was thrilled when my daughter ordered a salad with dinner as she is a picky eater. I asked that they bring entrees as soon as they could and not wait because of the salad. The bartender took the order and said “yes” but apparently meant “absolutely not”. Because we had no real waiter or waitress there was no one to ask or check on us so I asked two of the staff that were bringing food out to other tables if they could bring the entrees when ready and not hold them. The first two said they would check and make sure they came out…..that apparently meant “we don’t care” as still we had no food. Groups came in, ordered, ate and left and still no food for us. The fourth person told me and my daughters that they weren’t bringing it because my daughter still had the salad and wasn’t done with it.

Absolute horrible system. Absolute apathetic response from all the staff. No one listens, cares or knows what’s going on….just order at the bar and they nod their heads and don’t care. We would have left but had already paid - I guess this is their system! - but we didn’t get our food until my daughter was crying because she felt guilty we couldn’t eat because of her and I was stressed and the FOURTH person bothered to react. We were starving so ate some of the food when it arrived but it was meh and we were pretty disgusted overall by then.

Conveniently located and looked like cute place, but so not appropriate for anyone that may need to be treated like a person and not a table #.

Adding to respond: Thank you for your response and your willingness to address it for others in the future! It was at 5 pm on Friday evening, 21 June when we arrived and ordered within minutes. We got our entrees around 6:15/6:20. The food was VERY hot when it arrived so they couldn't eat it straight away but the chicken was very dried out and inedible - perhaps from waiting so long and/or being reheated again prior to bringing out. It's not a system designed for service - it's a food court system. We were...

I do not recommend it! The pub is not clean, the tables were sticky. The place has several rooms and is a fairly large pub that can accommodate a lot of people. I was surprised that I had to order my food at the bar and also that I was asked to pay everything in advance or leave my credit card at the bar. I can't imagine if you are with a large group and have to split the bill. The bar guy was very nice, but not the rest of the staff. I ordered a main course and a dessert, they brought the dessert about 30-40 minutes later. I was still waiting for the main course, anyway, I ate the dessert, an apple crumble, which was quite good. About 1 hour and 40 minutes after I ordered, I told one of the waitresses that I was still waiting for my food, she was kind of surprised and looked at me badly, as if I was lying to her or joking with her. A minute later she brought the food to my table, without apology, she looked at me badly! About a minute later another person from the kitchen staff came up to me and started arguing that he was 100% sure that the dish had already been served to my table. I was shocked and told him that there was no dish served to my table and that the waitress must have given it to another table. He was not happy with my answer and just walked away without saying anything more. This was the most embarrassing situation I have encountered in the last 3 years in Ireland, in fact I had never seen anything like it anywhere in the world I have travelled.

The dish I ordered was a beef stew, it was very salty and there was more of everything except beef in just a few bites. Anyway, it was so salty that I couldn't finish it even though I was hungry.

So, prepare yourself for a scolding if you wish to visit this place, there are other pubs and restaurants in the area that are top notch compared...

So, you're in Doolin, County Clare, maybe about to hop on a ferry to the Aran Islands or check out the Cliffs of Moher? Chances are, you'll stumble upon Gus O'Connor's Pub. This place is practically an institution, dating all the way back to 1832! It's like stepping back in time, in a good way.

O'Connor's pub and Doolin’ music culture is what Jazz is to New Orleans. You can expect nightly live music, which is a huge draw. The pub itself is a bit of a maze, with all these quirky little rooms branching off. Honestly, it's a little weird, but it means you can usually find a cozy spot to enjoy your meal without being blasted by the music or overwhelmed by other conversations – a definite plus! They also have outdoor benches, perfect for soaking up the Doolin atmosphere. But I believe they only serve you outside during the lunch time hours and not at dinner time.

Now, let's talk about the important stuff: the food and drink. I have to be honest, the food was decent, but nothing to write home about. Think standard pub fare – it's satisfying enough, but it doesn't particularly stand out from other places in the area. However, their hot chocolate was delicious! Just what you need on a chilly Irish day.

One thing that did raise an eyebrow was the service. The staff were friendly enough, but they were very insistent on getting payment upfront before they brought out your drinks or food. It wasn't a deal-breaker, but it felt a little…odd to us.

Finally, a word of warning: prices here are a bit steeper than other pubs and restaurants in Doolin. So, while O'Connor's is a solid experience, especially for the music and the old-world atmosphere, be prepared to spend a little more. Overall, it's an alright place, worth a visit for the experience, just don't expect a...