Franciscan Well Brewery & Brewpub — Restaurant in Cork

The Franciscan Well is always a delight to visit be it on a week day or at the weekend! The bar has its own brewery supplying the wide variety of beers, stout and cider. They also offer a number of outside berweries offerings and change it up every so often so that there is always something new on the drinks menu to accompany their own offerings! The staff are very friendly here and they are helpful when choosing a drink! If you are unsure that can offer a small taster!

Main Bar: The front bar is cosy and is furnished with all wooden furnature and is located on the ground floor as you come up the alley from the main steet. The bar counter is also located here and there are a number of snugs dotted throughout this space!

Beer Garden: There is a larger beer garden to the rear of the bar and it is covered! This section is where most of the bar's seating is located as well as Pompeii Pizza! During the summer this area is decorated with an abundance of flowers hanging from the walls and the ceiling making it really beautiful! There is heaters and a stove, which I recently noticed, in the beer garden as well so even during the colder months it is still a welcoming area no matter the time of year! On another recent visit I did notice that there are 2 tv screens located in the beer garden area but thankfully there were not turned on. To be honest I never noticed them before! I hope most people that come to the Fran Well go there to coverse with friends and not watch tv instead, there are a million other bars catering to that!

Food: Pompeii Pizza located in the beer garden is a little gem and they offer a variety of delicious freshly made to order pizzas! They will give you a buzzer so you can return to your table while you wait. Nothing better and few beers and fresh pizza!

So if a small craft brewery type of bar is what you are looking for then I suggest taking the time to make a trip to the Franciscan Well is at the top of your list!

Note: On the night I was here last a Jazz band showed up and started playing really good music in the front bar. It was a nice surprise as I was not aware that bands played here!

Update: Live music is definitely played here as I called in for a drink with my partner and they was two musicians playing in the...

Worst experience ever in an Irish pub.

In years.

Horrified and shocked by the rudeness and the arrogant approach style operated at this "public" house.

Unfriendly and unemphatic staff since the beginning, went from ridiculous to grotesque to complete madness in the end.

While having a reunion, we were told that we had to leave straight away the garden as a new booking for our tables was due in.

Manager simply admitted not informing us that we were going to be asked to leave a booked table, only to spray disinfectant next to me on the table before I was even standing.

We were offered indoor tables and we moved.

Then, immediately afterwards I was kicked out from the let's say "center" of the designated smoking area in an unneeded rude approach.

My reply was, literally, "man, give me a break please" and I moved away.

Towards the "end" of the same area.

Kind of shocked, I then asked to pay my drinks so to leave, waitress (?) was unable or unwilling to do so and basically asked my full group of some 12 people, divided in two indoor tables, that was, despite all, keeping on staying, to pay the full bill.

Rules for safety, I know, but in that moment it was just too much, especially if delivered in a clearly hostile manner.

Took the receipt, went back to the table.

At this stage, just to add a bit of spices/drama/ridiculousness/whatever you want to call it, security (!) was called to check on me, as at this point I was labelled as trouble, where I was basically asking to pay so to go. And never ever come back again for sure.

Dialogue:

Security guy: guys no discussion, you need to pay and go.

Me: it's ten minutes that I'm here asking to pay and I'm happy to go.

Security guy: ...

Service, an unknown concept.

Ridiculous. Aggressive. Unemphatic. Seriously...

I had one of their brews at a different pub somewhere in Ireland, and a few nights later, when I found out their brewery was located in the town I was visiting, I just HAD to stop by and check it out for myself.

This place breaks the mold of the traditional Irish brewpub and instead represents itself more as a beer garden than anything else. Plenty of indoor as well as outdoor covered areas for those rainy nights and days.

The service is good and food is available 7 nights a week (mainly pizza). Just like every single other pub or bar I visited on my trip, this one offers a full bar. I don't think I visited a single place that was beer and wine only like we see quite often in the states.

I'm a fan of red ales, so I highly recommend their Rebel Red ale. Very malty like a red ale should be, and also with a bit of a stronger caramel finish than the typical red ale. I really enjoyed this brew.

I also had the Ole Pilsner. It was good, but nothing stood out as being unique or distinct from other pilsners.

I'm not a fan of pale ales or stouts, but they have a pale ale and a stout that are aged in Jameson whiskey casks. It sounded very intriguing, so if you are into those styles, you should inquire within.

Great place for a visit, and they do offer tours - check their website for details.

I would give them a solid 5 stars, but I'm deducting 1/2 of a star because there was slight cigarette smoke smell inside, because the doors to the back patio (where smoking is allowed) were propped open.

There's absolutely no reason to NOT visit this place if you find yourself in the area - check them out. They have a very unique history that you can read about on...