The 16 best bars and drinks in Donegal Town

Great food, good atmosphere. If nitpicking risotto was a bit undercooked and there was some dust on the divider. However all and all will be back

Went to La Bella Donna for dinner and really enjoyed it. I had the Pollo Diavolo which was full of flavour and had just the right kick, while my wife had a pizza that was fresh and delicious. The staff were really patient and accommodating with our little ones, which we really appreciated. Great food and a relaxed atmosphere – we’ll definitely be back.

Lovely atmosphere, delicious pizza, my husband was OBSESSED with the carbonara pasta. The slow gin fizz and mai tai were also delicious. Highly recommend the lemon tart! So yummy! Staff were super friendly and pleasant and checked in on us frequently which we really appreciated.

The food at La Bella Donna was excellent, and our waitress was really great. We expected a bit of a wait since the menu mentioned that everything is made fresh, but we ended up waiting over an hour for our food. A couple of tables seated around the same time had already finished and left before we were served. That said, our server was very apologetic and kept checking in with updates, which we really appreciated. The only other downside to the experience was the woman who seemed to be the host or manager. She was not pleasant to interact with and came across as quite rude.

My sister Melissa and I dined there tonight. We are visiting Donegal for a few days from the US so based on positive reviews we called and made a reservation for 5pm which is opening time. We were not disappointed. I wish I knew our server’s name. She was lovely and very attentive. We had the bruschetta which was one of the best we’d ever eaten and each had a Caesar salad for our entree. Absolutely delicious and the portions were great. We even had dessert—my sister had the gelato trio and I had the Tiramisu which I found out is made in house. So delicious I ate every bit of it. Would definitely recommend and eat there again .

Fab. Lovely food. Setting. And service excellent. Very friendly and helpful staff. Lovely night and highly recommend.

Delicious food, will come back to eat here for sure. A bit noisy at the evening, but it’s every where like that in Donegal. Very kind waiters. Good service! 💛

The muscles and soda bread was very good. The steak and peppercorn gravy was delicious. The fish/cod stew with muscles was delightful. The parking was about a block away. The place was packed but we did not have a problem getting in. The drinks were also very good and bartender made a wonderful old fashioned. It was a bit loud with all the tourists but still a great place to dine.

I ordered the veggie wok-fried stir-fry and really enjoyed it, fresh vegetables with a nice balance of flavour without feeling too heavy. My meat-eating friends, however, found their dishes a bit much. The seafood chowder and fish in white wine sauce were both quite rich, and the shepherd’s pie was also on the heavier side. If you’re looking for something lighter, I’d definitely recommend the stir-fry. Waiter was nice!

There was a place across the street at the time that had way better food, service, atmosphere & decor. Dom's Pier 1! Hopefully it reopens! This place was decent, I found it less in comparison but still a good meal. Its flashy on the outside so I guess that attracts people. The meal at Doms had way better value for the money though & the man serving us seemed to actually care, which is rather hard to find in Irish restaurants!

We had a large party of 7, and the seating was comfortable, the service was quick and super friendly, the drinks were delicious (cocktails, beers, and wine), and the food was solid. The lamb stew was a stand-out. Also treated ourselves to the profiteroles for dessert - perfect end to the night.

We came here for dinner and had an awesome experience. Wonderful food, friendly staff, prompt service, and an inviting atmosphere!!

Went here for a huge group dinner before a wedding. Staff was very accommodating, friendly and patient with orders especially with the elderly. Food was very good. People seemed to really like the turkey, salmon and especially their Old Fashioned made with maple syrup.

I ate seafood chowder. It tastes very delicious 😋 My friends ate hamburger and roasted beef. They said it’s good 👍🏼. Atmosphere and service are wonderful. I highly recommend this place

The food was absolutely amazing! I had the superfood salad, which was fresh, colourful, and full of flavour. Courgettes were a little on the dry side, but the salsa chickpeas completely made up for it. My meat-eating friends were thrilled with the lobster (priced at €48) and said it was worth every cent. We finished with the Summer Berry Tart, which was just as delightful. Crisp pastry, sweet-tart berries, and the perfect amount of cream. Highly recommend!

We went here twice with large groups (no reservation) & they were VERY accommodating. The shrimp skewers are amazing. Others also raved about the Venison pie & lamb stew & pasta dishes. They were very friendly didn't get rattled if someone changed their mind on something. Great place!

We were lucky to get a tight corner table on a Saturday afternoon. Food & service were great. Gluten free beer available- and very good! Also love the Kinnegar beer - and their marketing vibe is really fun. See the poster! Enjoy!! Even if your table is a tad uncomfortable 🍻😂

Stopped in for lunch. Seafood chowder was very good, definitely a 10 out of 10. The pork sandwich was just average. Wouldn’t recommend ordering extra chips — €6 per portion and they tasted over-fried in old oil. Service was fast with drinks and decent with food. Atmosphere was nice and relaxed, no loud music, even though the place was busy. Overall, a solid 4 out of 5. Would go back for the seafood chowder alone. Definitely recommend that.

Even though the restaurant is quite large, it fills up quickly. As soon as we were seated, a line started forming at the door. Feels like one of those spots all the tourists go to. With so many people, the service was pretty much absent. I tried the burger and the seafood linguine. The burger was a tad salty and the linguine was lacking in flavor. Maybe we came at a bad time.

Terrific lunch experience here. One of their specials was a beef and mushroom Guinness pie. It was fantastically done. The location itself is very neat and gives that authentic pub vibe. Service was great too!

We ordered steak, seafood chowder, seafood platter, 4.5 Guinness, lemon meringue and 2 Irish coffee for around €150. Fantastic value for money given the cosy venue and food was genuinely delicious. Definitely worth a visit as part of your trip to Donegal Town!

Ordered 3 coffees while passing through and unfortunately it seems the oat flat white was burned and found a hair on the plate. Also pretty cold inside the cafe, which was unfortunate as it was another rainy day in Ireland (shocker). Otherwise, staff was very nice and looked like a nice assortment of baked goods to choose from

Awesome cafe with great vegetarian options to choose from. Tried the veggie burger and the quinoa salad. Both were amazing. Lots of good options for kids to choose from. Mine tried the waffles and was happy with it mostly due to the maple syrup that came with it. Service is quick and the servers are all smiling which makes you feel welcomed. Finally, seemed like a busy place. We were there at 1pm Saturday and still it was full. We did get the table in a few minutes though.

Enjoyed a lovely breakfast here in Donegal Town in a cosy cafe. We ordered poached egg with avocado and two small old stone breakfasts. Black pudding stood out with a spicy clove flavour to it. Great start to your day!

My family and I passed through Donegal and decided on this establishment based on the menu selections (proper coffee selections). It's a cute cafe with a great atmosphere located near a car park. The food was amazing. My husband had the Pecan Belgium Waffle and loved it. It was sweet, but not too sweet. The bacon is more like ham, so if you're from America we want you to have proper expectations. My son had the Vegetable Soup, which he's tried at every restaurant we've stopped along the way. It had a sweet, fresh flavor with little bits of carrots in it. My daughter had the Old Stone Burrito which came with a side if potatoes she absolutely loved. The burrito was done well and paired with a sauce on the side. I had the Cinnamon French Toast. I was thrilled to see it came with proper berry compote. We've had compote at other places in Ireland and it was like canned pie filling. This tasted as if it was just made with my meal. It tasted very good and was light and fluffy. Must be the Irish milk that made the difference. Overall, we would eat here again. The dirty Chai came as expected in a nice sized cup and truly hit the spot. My daughter had an iced caramel latte and didn't care much for that. I didn't mind it but wouldn't order it again. The only thing lacking was service. We had to get up from the table to order food, to get more water and for to-go containers. No one came by after dropping food off to see how our meal was.

Kind of disappointed. If the food would have been better, could have overlooked the service. Had the incorrect menu (brunch) for 10 minutes before we were finally able to get the correct one, and it wasn't because they were busy. They handed us the incorrect ones when we arrived. Food was presented nicely, but my "smash burger" was not a smash burger. It was a thick, overworked, dense beef patty that was cooked on one side and not flipped. It reminded me of the airport food. Service was 'meh' as well. Came here because of the reviews.

Food was delicious, we had vegetable soup, southern fried chicken ceasar salad and chicken and bacon belgian waffles, coffee, water and a diet coke. The vegetable soup was so good my first reaction was to say stop the press to my wife sitting beside me. The chicken and bacon Belgian waffles and southern fried chicken ceasar salad were top notch. I'll take half a mark off for receiving a coffee which confused me. I don't know if they do different sized coffees but I received a large cup half full with my americano, see pic.

I went in today with a party of 6 for lunch. Waited 30 mins and still no sign of our drinks. I then approached the till and asked for them after 20 mins but still no sign. Then a young staff member came over a plonked a bottle of water with 5 glasses for 6 people with a rude attitude. Still no sign of our coffee or 7up etc. Eventually we gave up and left. I did ask to speak to a Supervisor/Manager on our way out however, I was told there was none working. I did point out that it was very obvious there was no manager given it took the staff 30 minutes to still not deliver drinks to a table in a Café that wasnt busy at the time. Staff didnt care it was very obvious. 6 young staff wandering around the cafe and talking at the till area doing nothing.

Came here for a couple of drinks - well priced and fabulous atmosphere with little nooks and spots to talk.

Visited because I had a recommendation that the Guinness was the best in town. It was a busy Saturday night and there was one member of staff serving - they were doing their very best to serve everyone promptly and efficiently. A new bar person joined eventually, but their attitude was kind of rude, in my opinion. I was trying to catch their eye to order a drink, instead of shouting for their attention (in the front bar), but they went to great pains to avoid my gaze, looking anywhere but at me, waiting for a pint of Guinness to settle...I found this quite strange behaviour. We upped and left - there are other more central pubs that are much friendlier. 5 star service from the over-worked bar person. 1 star because the other bar person had some sort of chip on their shoulder.

Wonderful little place , there was music and the craic was good . On the smallish side but very friendly and worth the visit

Very mixed crowd of good people who looked like they knew each other, great vibes.

Crackin bar, away from the madness in town. Great pints and class live music. Will be back.

Still the best local in town, great atmosphere and friendly banter. Best Guinness and Thursday jam club is a great event.

The best Guinness I've ever had..amazingly cold and creamy! Cute little pub, very snug!

The service is at a high level, the food is delicious. We were greeted with a compliment from the restaurant, the bread was incredibly delicious. Linguini were perfectly cooked. And the coffee.. many thanks for the coffee, Italian espresso ☕ Prices are €€

Food looks good and very tasty 😋 😍 Highly recommend 👌 👍

What an excellent place, the food was outstanding, the decor is so nice and the staff was excellent to. Would highly recommend here, every one of the group loved it. Lamb excellent, steak excellent, fish excellent nothing more to say but try it.

Beautiful food , portion size very appropriate,some lovely touches and a great waitress , thank you to the lady on front desk for fitting us in without a reservation and to our taxi driver who recommended it . Everything was perfect.

Food was overpriced and not good. We got the burger and seafood risotto, and both lacked flavor. Bread was hard to cut and hard (I don’t think it was supposed to be). Save yourself the money and try something else.

We stayed at the Abbey Hotel and had dinner downstairs at the Market house in May 2023. I still think about the food we had that night! Especially the Fish Pie!

Had the steak on the stone just to die for,lovely staff especially Anne really good.

I had a wonderful lunch today at Chapter Twenty at the Mill Park Hotel. I started with a pint of Guinness, the lunch special was roasted leg of lamb with mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables. Absolutely delicious!! I normally don’t get dessert, but I was tempted by the Baileys cheesecake. It was served with the dip of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and strawberries. It was wonderful! I ended the meal with a Baileys coffee which was made perfectly. The food was fantastic, the service was impeccable! I definitely recommend this restaurant with five stars!

The restaurant is fancy and well worth the price! There are few places that do good vegetarian food, and this place was absolutely amazing. All the dishes I ordered tasted great. The service was timely and the staff was friendly.

This is one the finest restaurants I have been in donegal. The hype of the restaurant comes in light with it's huge queue before the dinner starts. There is usually waiting list for around 20 mins time but it's good to go ahead and pre-book it one the weekends especially. There is a great variety of dishes with vegetarian and meat options. We had ordered spring rolls and seafood chowder for starters. They were absolutely tasty and came within record time I'll say. For mains we had ordered carbonara, chicken Supreme with sauce, kofta balls, and a burger with fries. The food and the service was amazing and couldn't hold back with the amazing deserts as well.

Underwhelming. Server Graeme was especially unfriendly, no eye contact.. no chat, very direct. Seemed to be tension between staff, as no staff engaged with us at all apart from the female maître d. Would expect more for the cost of food & drinks. Low music also. Drinks more expensive than temple bar, although I was impressed they offered gluten free pasta. Unfortunately it was quite dry, not creamy at all & the huge portion was wasteful. Won’t be returning, although visually the venue is fantastic

It was our first time to stay in this hotel and we stayed two nights to mark a special birthday. We dined with reservation in advance the first night of our stay and were impressed with our meal and experience. We split a bottle of Montepulciano priced at €31. We shared a Prawn and Salmon platter with bloody Mary dressing and brown bread starter at €12.50 which was excellent (we devoured it and forgot to take a picture of it). My husband had the king prawn and chorizo Linguini in a creamy white wine sauce €23.50 with garlic bread for an extra €3 which he adored. I had the Fillet of Hake with chorizo samphire spinach and herb vegetable rosti at €25 which was very good. Total bill came to €95. Staff picked up on a throwaway comment by me in reference to the birthday boy (it was my husband's birthday and a significant one) and marked it which I was impressed with and loved so thank you ❤️ I'd highly recommend dining here if you are staying in the hotel or if you are nearby.

Raining hard tonight in Donegal … decided to stay in for dinner (definitely not my norm). Really outstanding meal for our family group of 10. Remarkable wine list with some very well priced wines. Apps, meals, desserts all excellent. Worth staying in for. Even the cappuccino was amazing.

Very good food, fresh. thank you to the waitress named Daria, she made my time very pleasant, the only nice service there was from her ❤️

Great place to be! If you go inside you could think it's a small bar, but there are a lot of more rooms for a drink to watch sports or later in the evening to celebrate. Music from DJ or live music. Everything 's nice with people in a great mood and a great atmosphere! 🎊🔊

The atmosphere is pleasant, good music, and several drinking options. The place is spacious and the service is efficient.

A pint of Guiness is one of the best I have tasted. Cold well poured and smooth. We eventually found out that it was a 3 in 1 bar. We left the front bar to try another and walked back in round the corner. Found this so funny. Music at night and loads of entertainment.

Huge bar, different rooms, wide beer selection

If you are looking for the Craic this pub is for you young vibrant crowd with great music and dancing.Pub is massive and great place to watch sport and chill during the day while coming alive in the evening.When we were there we were part of a next day wedding party that made the pub slightly busier than it would normally be on a friday.While mostly the service was grand some of the bar stuff were very poor ....too concerned with making coctails than making any visible eye contact with potential customers.After waiting patiently to be served 4-5 min I eventually asked a bearded barman (who saw me there waiting) very politely for a drink ....only so me met with a scowl and a cutting .....'I will be with you when I am with you ...' or words to that effect.Totally out of character for all the people and service we experienced in Donegal Town....the friendliest and most helpful people I have ever come across.Overall though great pub.

Amazing place. Looks like a tiny unassuming local boozer from outside, but actually it's a cavernous collection of different bars inside. My friend had to drag me out at about 11pm otherwise I would have stayed far too long and regretted it the following morning.

Best pub I’ve ever been into. Great atmosphere and friendly. Huge bar areas for those seeking vibrance or just a quieter area to relax and chat. Decor is fantastic. Looks small from outside but massive inside. Fantastic.

A top night of our two weeks in Ireland at The Reel Inn. Thanks to the hilarious and accommodating staff there.. my sister got her Guinness pouring certificate, they moved a table so we could be next to the fire and put up with our shenanigans and requests for another round. Cheers to you guys and hope to be back one day!

We were recommended this place for traditional music but I was disappointed. It seems to be more of a tourist music gig than a real traditional session. I'm sure most people will love it but for me the microphones and amps distort the music and I don't enjoy it. It's mainly a blokes playing a guitar and accordion singing traditional songs, no pipes and not even a fiddle the night we went!

Maybe the best pub in Donegal town. Great pints, great music. Definitely worth a visit!

Amazing local pub in Donegal, Ireland. Friendly atmosphere and a mix of locals and some tourist. Mostly, locals.

Wow! This pub was so good that we stayed an extra day in Donegal to come back again. The first night was absolutely brilliant. Two different (and really good) live acts, really friendly people, and a brilliant atmosphere with lots of singing, dancing, cheers, etc. Because the second band was so good, we decided to stay another night and see them play on the Monday night. The man working that night was really lovely, helpful, friendly and informative about the area. I thought the first night couldn't be topped, but it definitely was. One person described it as the best night of her life. How the woman on the bar coped, I have no idea, but she did, and kept the drinks coming while genuinely smiling and working through it all. A phenomenal place. Must visit.

Best pint of Guinness in Donegal town, in fact up there with one of the best I've tried anywhere. Old style Irish pub, great atmosphere. Highly recommended.

Great atmosphere and very welcoming. Didn't have food, so couldn't rate it, but if it was the same as everything else, it was fab. Spent every evening of our holiday there !

Good for watching football on TV but can get very busy at times.

Good food, friendly staff. Great place for a bite to eat.

great little pub, good selection of beers, friendly staff & good for watching sports.

Had a lovely lunch,service very good.

Good beer and friendly staff

Good place to watch a match.

Very tight when busy

Had a beautiful fish and chips here , prices were very reasonable and staff were very attentive and friendly. Portions were big and food was cooked to perfection.Would highly recommend.

We got 2 large steak meals for 30 euro. The food was very good, the service was excellent (staff so friendly and responsive). Food was very quick and took us as walk ins around 8.30 or later, which we were very thankful for. They also had an excellent 80s playlist bringing back some great memories 👌 😊 ❤️

We had a lovely meal in here. Great atmosphere. The staff were a pleasure. Our waiter Martin was the most attentive Ive seen in a long time. He made sure everyone was looked after and had what they needed.

Pleasant place with a nice view. The staff is kind. Our food was okay and the prices were correct.

Dropped in here for a meal while passing through Donegal and I was very impressed beautiful view of the harbour from our table . The staff were very friendly and the meal was delicious and not overly expensive I will be back again next time I am over there 🙂

Price is fair. Plenty of parking outside. The food is good but not great

Called in a couple of times when I was in Donegal at the end of September. Great place and the food is brilliant.

Great experience, lovely crew, and a great trip. Well worth the money. I'd highly recommend this tour 👌

Nice tour of donegal bay. It was especially nice having live music on the trip back. Crew was awesome.

We booked the Donegal Waterbus for our wedding welcome party. The staff went above and beyond, making everyone feel so welcome and ensuring we had an unforgettable time. Our guests are still raving about the experience, calling it one of the weekend’s highlights. The service was exceptional, and the scenic views made for beautiful photos.

Lovely day out on the Donegal Bay Waterbus, Staff are brilliant and the live music with Eamon was great! Highly recommend!

This was such good fun. Excellent value at €22 each. 1 hr 15 mins of total entertainment. A slight delay in setting off due to waiting for the tide/water to be high enough. Seals (as promised), beautiful shorelines, ongoing commentary - some pretty corny jokes !! Great sing-a-long on the return trip. Lots of seating outside - gorgeous sunshine for us. Very comfortable area inside. Brilliant bar service. Toilets etc. Really enjoyable experience. Parking is onsite next to the boat at 30c an hour.

We went on Saturday morning after a wedding and this could not have been a more perfect start to the day after a late night. The staff are so warm. There were about 25-30 of us, but they made a point to speak with us all & make a real connection. The landscape was so picturesque. No seals 😔but when the songs started it was soon forgotten. I actually teared up when they played "Tell me Ma" remembering my Mother who passed and loved Ireland & that song. I highly recommend this joyous, friendly experience that will make you love this place even more! 💚

Best day out with a 9 yr old a 14 yr old boy and 16yr old girl! We laughed and had such craic. So unexpected with the entertainment! Loved every minute and recommend it to all my friends 🧡

Coffee here is .30 cents cheaper than at the gas station nearby and is immeasurably better. Lovely owner, nice place.

Great place with great beer and great live music and a lot of wonderful Irish people.

Awesome bar, great staff! Ask about the infused liquors!

Good bar very cosy and friendly

Excellent music. Excellent service. Should not be missed.

Great service and friendly staff

Great bar full of craic

Popped in here for pizza. We just drove from Westport to Donegal and were famished. Our pizza came really quick. Service was excellent. I only wish there was more basil on my pizza.

Located in a fantastic area right in the town centre, when we arrived we sat in the bar part of the premises, the front bar was warm when the back part where we sat was very cold with no heating on, staff was very friendly showed us to our room. Rooms where in a good condition for the price, the carpet was stained, and there was some floaters in the kettle. The heating in the room was extremely hot this left me unable to sleep, when we return to the room and I noticed the radiators were blasting I turned all off, also my partner burnt his hands on the water as it was extremely hot very quickly. Overall it was an ok spot for the price

Great room size, perfect location, get pub underneath. Staff are super friendly too and great craic

Wouldn't recommend for food, but the beer was nice and I've heard the atmosphere is lovely on busier nights

Great place to stay, great time in the bar too thanks so much to Oisin.

Such amazing food! Everything we ordered tasted absolutely fantastic. The kitchen here is amazing! Ordered a hot and spicy pizza, hot chicken sandwich, fish and chips, and smash burger. The buns and pizza crust are of a quality I haven't had before. I'd eat here everyday if I wasn't traveling

Had a rough night due to some issues with my room. A solution was found and I am grateful.

Lovely , pleasant covid friendly beer garden. Serving great Guinness. Nicole and the other waiting staff were friendly and very helpful and made us feel very relaxed and welcome. Nice little local.

Stayed at atlantic guesthouse opposite so drank in here very convenient i must say dan was the barman great bloke he was we we're here for paddy's day so if your there in Donegal pay it a visit well worth it hope to see it again make sure you book yourselves in to the Atlantic guest house opposite aswell greg and Lorraine are the owners very recommended by us here in wales good luck have a great time wish we were still there😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Nice bar, good staff. Small bar for local drinkers, nice little beer garden & smoking area.

nice pub and friendly good looking staff 👌👌

Great bar, friendly staff , great atmosphere

Best bar staff in town 😉 NR

Calm and quiet when I went. Neat little dive bar!