Galway Bay Irish Restaurant and Pub

One of the best Irish pubs in Maryland. The pints are great, food is amazing, service is top notch. We love this place to much we had our engagement shoot here and the staff was so kind and welcoming. -A forever customer

An inviting Irish pub in the middle of historic Annapolis. The fish and chips were ok, but the fries were cold and limp. I would not recommend the flavorless crab cake (which I got on an otherwise decent salad) nor the bland and dry chocolate cake (it was served with egg nog ice cream which was good). Excellent drinks and great pub atmosphere, with attentive service. Their specialty is whiskey. Nice Happy Hour deals.

We ended up here on a whim the day of the fall festival. It was crowded but we were seated very quickly. The service was great and was completely unaffected by how packed it was. They had gluten free options available (even dessert, which is rare). I had a BLT on a gluten free bun AND a gluten free strawberry shortcake. I will absolutely be back.

A great little Irish Pub and whiskey bar. Good selection of Irish pub fare, the whiskey flights are awesome, super friendly staff, and great atmosphere, especially on Navy football Saturdays - a great pregame location! (although if you do want to go for lunch pregame, I would definitely recommend making a reservation)

Looks great and the selection of Irish whiskey, bourbon and scotch is very large. The food was ok but not great. Service was good and we were able to get a table for dinner eventhough they were busy. Would have enjoyed the experience more if the food was better.

A great variety of Gluten Free meals. We can recommend the crab cake dinner with the rice and veggies, and the lamb cheesesteak platter, both were excellent. Two strong contenders to substitute for your sides, the house salad and the mashed potatoes were very good. Skip the Reuben, our sandwich was cold and the meat was tough. If you have room for dessert, the house GF Strawberry Shortcake was good.

Great old school feel... not a bunch of TV's where a pub tries to be a sports bar. Go there, listen to the Irish music and chill out. They do a proper Guinness poor and the food has always been good. Bartender was a bit in the weeds, but usually the service is pretty good.

I don't want to be overdramatic, but the Shepherd's Pie Mac & Cheese changed my life. I have a life mission of trying to find the world's best mac & cheese and after just one bite, Galway Bay's Shepherd's Pie Mac & Cheese gained a top 3 spot on my list. The other food was amazing as well! The strawberry shortcake was incredible and my sister who is gluten intolerant could eat it too! Our server was super friendly and attentive and the atmosphere was cozy and inviting. I would highly recommend taking the time to walk a little off of the main street to stop and eat here, you won't regret it!

Got a great menu and ambiance. If you like great original Irish menus, you have to check it out. My favorite dish is their Shepard Pie. Tony J. Spencer

Festive and lively spot to grab a drink and enjoy a meal! I haven't eaten here yet but purely off of drinks it's one of my favorite spots in town during the holidays!

Absolutely loved the corn beef poppers, the mustard was delicious! Everything was amazing!!! Can't wait to go back!!!

This pub is classic from the look, the food, and of course the pints! The service is a bit slow for food but as long as they keep pour good Guinness and baking soda bread I'll be back!

Wow! My wife and I decided to have dinner at Galway Bay this evening. What a fantastic meal at a reasonable price. Parking is difficult as one would expect in a city like Annapolis. Our food came quickly after we ordered and it was prepared well. I had the Steakhouse Salad and substituted a few things which they accommodated. The steak serving was generous and the salad was tasty. My wife and I had dinner, appetizers, and sodas for $63. The bathrooms are clean and they are in the basement. What a fun experience! I would definitely done here again.

Atmosphere is very nice, service is adequate, food sounds incredible on the menu but results were mediocre, prices are a bit high but probably in line with Annapolis tourist areas. Overall a nice place but not one I intend to go back to given all the choices in the area.

The service was great and relaxing. The food is really amazing. The appetizers were good as well

If ever a restaurant needed to install booths it's this one. The food was fabulous, but it was so noisy and so hard to have a conversation. But service was great and the potato soup is the best.

A classic Irish bar in Annapolis in the shadow of the Statehouse. It's one of two larger bars on this side of town. Certainly worth visiting if you're nearby.

This place was a great find. The food was excellent, and the environment was awesome. I had the Shepards pie, with some crab cakes to start. Highly recommended.

Great authentic Irish food. Service was friendly and attentive. The restaurant had a great ambiance. Loved it! I had the lamb shepherds pie which was delish. And the fried pickles were interesting! For the price, it was awesome.

This was my first time visiting this pub and whew, the COZY VIBES!!! Coming in here on a chilly November day and walking into a warm lit, cozy place, you feel right at home. I suppose that might be the natural beautiful effect of Irish pubs :) They have a unique menus for their Irish whisky, they do Irish whiskey flights! I did not try it because I had to drive, but I'll be back again to try it! I did try a Guineas Draut 0% and it was delicious! We ordered burgers and they were yummmmy. I absolutely appreciate the quick service and the staff are so friendly and warm. Street parking is predominantly available. There are restrooms inside the eatery and plenty of seating options accommodating to 4-6 people or more.

Fantastic local Irish restaurant. They have put great attention into the details. Small row house restaurant with dark walls and brick facade. They have live Irish music on Sundays with their bar serving a wide variety of whisky and Irish beer. The menu is simple but effective, they really have perfected the items they offer. I have come here multiple times as a local and will continue to come. The lamb cheesesteak was amazing, but surprisingly the tomato whisky soup was to die for! The wait staff and host were very kind! This is a perfect restaurant for a casual date or a group of friends.

Incredible happy hour prices, the food was great. I was there with my partner on a Friday night and the place was packed. We sat at the bar and really enjoyed everything we ordered. The whiskey flight we tried was also very reasonably priced and it was nice to try some new things. Only complaint is there was only one bartender and she was also serving tables, which meant even though we were sitting at the bar itself we struggled to get service. We would have ordered another round of drinks if we'd had any attention on the last half hour of happy hour. Still will definitely be back anytime I'm in town.

We stopped in at the end of a busy day. We were immediately welcomed by a very friendly host who was very welcoming. It was trivia night and it was halfway over but he gave us the sheet so we could follow along. We asked a question about a whiskey and the bartender came over immediately with two bottles for my husband to taste. The bartender had a lot of knowledge and was very gracious. We had Silkie and I had a hot toddy. A wonderful experience.

Went to this fun lunch spot for fish and chips on a Friday in lent. Seated promptly with choice of table and greeted by a waitress promptly. The menu was a good mix of traditional Irish food and other basic options. We ended up having the fish sandwich lunch special and Shepard pie Mac & cheese. It was evident locals appreciate the restaurant. I'd love to go back in the evening to join in some evening Irish fun!

Cozy classic local Irish Bar in DTA. Perfect Irish setting to spend an early morning or even afternoon outside, sipping on an Irish coffee and enjoying their famous tomato soup--which you should pair with their flattened potatoes as dippers (you're welcome). If you find yourself in DTA for St. Patrick's Day do not skip out on visiting Galway Bay! They have an epic party.

For nearly 25 years, Galway Bay has been serving up traditional Irish fare in Annapolis. One of the more underrated restaurants in Maryland's capital city, when I'm in town and want to take a break from eating crab cakes or other seafood specialties, I like to stop here. There are two distinct sections to Galway Bay when you enter, specifically the bar section to the left, and then the larger general dining room to the right of the building. I usually opt for the bar section, which also has small intimate booths along the wall, since I find this area has a bit more character. The decor is mostly wood and darker color tones, with Irish themed memorabilia on the walls. We opted for two of the classics of Irish cuisine, the bangers and mash and the Shepard's pie. The sausages for the bangers and mash plate were amazing. They are from a local MD purveyor and were cooked through and finished with a nice sear on the skin which gave it a subtle snap when bit into. Mashed potatoes for both dishes were definitely home made and not from powdered box mix. The mashed potato layers on my shepherd's pie had a char on top which provided a crunchy textural contrast. And let me tell you, it was LOADED with plenty of delicious filling consisting of seasoned ground beer, potatoes, peas, carrots, in a savory brown gravy. There is nothing fancy or pretentious about a place like Galway Bay. It's solid hearty food, served in a homey atmosphere, with good service to match.

Love this place. Been coming here since 2005. Great service and tasty options. Can't recommend enough.

(Sorry, this review is for July 3rd. I originally posted it as a check-in.) We missed Drew when we returned for dinner. Our server was sweet and checked on us several times for drinks etc. An interesting take on Creamy baked artichoke and spinach dip was served with crunchy bread. Flaky fish with crunchy beer batter accompanied by creamy mashed potatoes was delicious. The Half and Half was an Irish twist on tomato soup and grilled cheese. The tiny pieces of tomato and hint of Irish Whiskey were a tasty enhancement for the soup. This restaurant is a little bit of Ireland in America. The only thing missing was live Irish music and a view of Galway Bay.

Galway Bay may have consistently great food, perfect drinks, an amazing ambience, and a weekly Irish trad band, but Brian and Seamus are the reason we come back every single Wednesday. These two are RUNNING the SHOW like I have never seen at a bar in my life. THEY are the reason this place feels like home. No one else epitomizes the friendly, welcoming, family culture I'm sure an authentic Irish pub would want to cultivate like Brian and Seamus do. Seriously, the friendliest, most down to earth people who've ever remembered my drink order. What would my Wednesday nights be without them? Nothing. Y'all better tip them sooooooooooo well.

You ever stop at a restaurant because you're hungry and you have no expectations of greatness - and it turns out to be really really good. That happened to me today at Galway Bay Irish Pub. We had a meeting in Annapolis and, afterwards, we were starving. When we passed Galway Bay, we stopped in. What a great find! We both ordered the crab cake sandwich and it was fantastic! I have had MANY crab cakes in my life and this one had the most lump crab meat of any I have ever had. The sandwich was served with some very good aioli sauce but I did not use it - I did not want to cover up the crab flavor at all. So I dunked my french fries in it and that was delicious. The french fries were awesome too. The service was great - not just good - but GREAT!!!! First of all, the host staff kept us talking so long that I almost forgot I was there to eat. So friendly and warm! Then the waitress was so nice that she walked me outside and helped me extend my parking meter. Outside the restaurant - to my car - helped me. Maybe I have lowered my expectations about customer service but this lady, Sue, exceeded EVERY level of customer service ever! I definitely will be back to Galway Bay Irish Pub and I highly recommend it to everyone!

Galway Bay has been a Wednesday night staple for my life! Brian and Seamus make every visit here a great one, providing excellent service and a cheerful demeanor to all people.

A favorite while in downtown Annapolis. Legit Irish pub. 2 bars - one whisky bar on right side. Other larger bar with beer etc on the left side (pub side). Super good Black and Tans available. Professional pour. Food is legit Irish. Boxty is a fave. Highest recommendation!

Hello from Annapolis! My heroic hubby and I have just arrived here from Austin for the United States Sailboat Show, and we're BEYOND excited because it was cancelled last year, and we love it so! One of the places here that we've been waxing poetic about since we first came in 2019 is Galway Bay Irish Restaurant and Pub! This pub has such a great vibe, and it just feels so cozy, homey, date-nighty, and legit! On this trip, we started with a much-needed-after-the-travel-day Guinness for him, and a Pinot Noir for me, natch! For our appies, we went with the Cabbage Wraps and Potato Cakes! The wraps were delicious! It was three large cabbage rolls packed with everything that you'd get on a corned beef and cabbage plate atop a bed of bistro sauce, which tasted mustardy and horseradishy, and dang tasty! The potato cakes were SO my jam! They were four dense, blue cheesy, oniony, and just unctuous discs of goodness! They're served with ranch, which may seem weird, but it worked for me! I actually ended up making these my meal! In terms of the main entrees, hubby opted to try both the Corned Beef and Cabbage and the Irish Beef Stew! The Corned Beef and Cabbage was, according to hubby, incredible! It's traditional and belly warming! I found the meat itself a bit too salty, but he found it all perfect! He especially loved the carrots and parsnips and the mashers that accompanied it! The Irish Beef Stew was exactly what you want on a cold night! A hearty bowl of yum with a generous scoop of mashers on top! The carrots were cut chunky, just like I like them! Chris and I were both fans, and we'd def order it again! We also added a side of the smashed peas, and we were shocked and delighted by these! They were minty, creamy, peppery, and buttery, and I could easily dive headfirst into them! I almost did! We finished with the Bread Pudding (not pictured), and this was the least favorite part of our meal! First of all, it was en fuego, like it had just been microwaved for far too long! To be fair to the pub, it was close to closing time on a Wednesday, but it just wasn't great. The sauce was meh. Really, all of it was unfortunately meh! That was okay, though, because we were stuffed to the gills, so we rolled out of there with big, satisfied smiles! All told, we'll absolutely be back during every sailboat show from here on out, and we heartily recommend it! Thanks, Galway Bay Irish Pub and Restaurant! Sláinte!

Ugh. If you like Irish beers and passable bar food this place is for you. Beyond that you'll be disappointed. We ordered 7 meals including the fish special and Irish dishes. The house salad was the best item. None of the mains made it to the recommended list, just the salad. That sums up our food experience. Service was good as we went early and there were few patrons there. Interior was as expected. Irish bar decorated. Will I return? No. Gave the 2nd star for the Irish beer.

This is one of my favorite restaurants in Annapolis. The Wexford Potato cakes are my favorite appetizer. You can't go wrong with their fish and chips. The fish are pipping hot and the batter is crispy and crunchy. My go-to sandwich was the Pub Turkey Bacon Club, but I don't believe it's on the menu anymore. If you like soup, their Irish Whisky and Tomato is delicious. They offer small plates, salads, a variety of sandwiches, burgers, and the typical Irish faire. The service has been great whenever we've stopped in. Just a tip: all to-go orders have to be placed and paid for online. Parking on the street can be a bit tight, but it's worth the hassle!

Food was very good, the whiskey flights were amazing! Not too crowded on a Saturday night because it's not "downtown". Ambience, service were fine. Top of my list to return to next time I'm in Annapolis!

Stopped here for lunch and it was very good. My wife had the Honey Salmon with rice and mush peas and she loved it. I had the Bangers and Mash and liked it. The service was on point and the atmosphere is terrific. The portions were generous - I think next time we either share an entry or go for appetizers, but then again that's just us. I give it 4.5 stars.

It is a delightful environment perfect for the season. Service is very good and personnel are friendly! Food is always good. I love their delicious lean corned beef and great Potatoes, and a carrot parsnip mash that is so flavorful and unusual,, cabbage is always cooked just right. It's an experience of historical colonial Annapolis. Think about who walked on those floors in the past:

Great atmosphere and food. We will be back next time in the area. Across from state house

Great Irish pub! Food was very good and service was great!! Terrific evening!! We will absolutely be back

Service was fantastic! The food came out quickly and was so delicious! My first time to visit. I was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful and fun decor.

Historic Irish pub near the port of Annapolis with the best ambiance and service ever. The staff really rocks this place with their warm smiles and attention...they even gave us some of their Irish eggnog which is (of course!) a boozy version of the traditional drink which they sell by the bottle year around, so good! Try their delicious crab sandwich with a pint of Guiness while chatting with the staff and leave a very happy customer.

This place was awesome! And if you love Ireland - this place is like walking to a pub in Dublin. The vibes were on point! I took my kids here after walking around downtown Annapolis. They have a good kids menu (so important) and my kids got fish and chips and Mac n cheese. They were very content and ate everything on my plate. The dishes also come with a lot of yummy fries that I happily "shared" with them. I wanted to try everything on the menu so I shared with my sister the following (don't judge!): oysters, corned beef balls, cabbage rolls and crab cakes. My favorite was the cabbage rolls -it was filled with goodness (ground beef and potatoes) and flavored with mustard. It was so tasty!! Crab cakes were my second favorites and it was very delicious but a little stingy on the crab. But I was just hungry and I love crab cakes!! The service was amazing and we even enjoyed the live music. We loved reading all the history on the walls! Highly recommend for a classy Irish pub feel!

Great pub! Great food and service, and made us feel like we were back in Ireland! My fish and chips were awesome.

I agree with a 4 star for this overall. I enjoyed the corned beef bites, fish and chips and jerk chicken tenders. All very good. The "chips" or fries went from being thin/chip-like potatoes to a standard pub or sandwich shop fry. I went out of my way to recommend and come for the fries... that said I would return and I have enjoyed enough other things to say it's worth a trip. Best Irish food in area still.

Great staff, good food! Visiting on business... Both times I've been have been great. Would recommend the lamb burger

We stopped in for a beer, headed to an event. Ended up taking shelter from the thunderstorm, after the event. The bartenders were fabulous! Great ambience, and a lot of locals, not the usual snotty tourist crowd. Highly recommend their food. Whiskey selection is off the charts.

This place is an absolute banger. Being from Ireland this place provides a lot of genuineness to their atmosphere and menu. Their Irish whiskey menu is broken down by county from Ireland. Rare whiskeys I haven't seen since being in Ireland last. The food is great. Staff is great. We were greeted with warm eggnog on the house. We had curry chips....extremely popular drunk food in Ireland so you know if you've been. First place I've seen that actually has that. I had the shepherds pie and that was outstanding as well. I'll be back again to bring my family from Ireland so they can enjoy a slice of home.

We went for lunch, I got the lamb burger and my husband got fish & chips. We also got fried pickles and smashed peas. Everything was great! The waitress was so sweet to our 1.5 year old! The whole meal was nice, and the atmosphere was really cool! Definitely recommend eating here while visiting!

Bartender was an ass. Said he was grumpy because he didn't get enough sleep and go mr woke up early.

Being from a Irish Bronx neighborhood, we know pubs. Galway was THE most authentic pub I've been to in the States and more authentic then some in Ireland. Irish Breakfast and BLT made with Rashers was on the money. The Guinness and Harp perfect. What stood out most was the bartenders. Colin treated us like long time customers. Went toe to toe with our Irish sarcasm. Just a great day!,

The place is beautiful, warm and inviting, and the staff is all that and very friendly. I had Bangers and Mashed which were exactly what they were supposed to be. My associate had a grilled chicken and bacon sandwich which was excellent. Overall, and outstanding experience.

Drove down to Annapolis on Sunday. The market area was packed with masses of hangry folks. So I decided to give this place a shot. Got there had a couple of very nice cotes de Rhone wine. Went out Side and had late lunch. Turkey burger was excellent with tomatoes and onions. Wow great food. Met the owner a really nice guy. Overall a nice afternoon in Annapolis

Second try at Galway Pub for dinner. Great location in downtown Annapolis with a fantastic vibe, good drinks and great service. The fish n chips are really good. The beer batter and chips, mushy peas all spot on! You can taste the beer in the batter it makes a difference.I had pork chops marinated in beer and pineapple juice- it was delicious. Regular shepherds pie also good. The Not so good... Burger ordered medium, it was way undercooked, a nice sized burger though. Shepherds pie mac n cheese is my hubby's favorite but too rich for me. There's a weird flavor in some of the food, maybe gas from the grill? Noticed it in the rice and the shepherds pie mac n cheese dish. I really don't like that after taste, almost metallic. They also take reservations this place is always packed. Try it you'll like it.

Great place food was really good, the ambience was nice good prices and greats service.

Always a great experience! Love the food, the atmosphere and the live music! Would be 5 stars, but the best chicken, champ potatoes and mushy peas are no longer on the menu. Really missing them, please bring them back

Food was mouth watering amazing. We ate the beef pot roast and the veggies that came with it were flavorful fresh and cooked just enough. We had flights of whiskey and that was a great experience. The desert chocolate mouse was delicious. These food scream cooked and prepared fresh. Nothing has been sitting in the fridge. May have been we came in at the perfect time but I don't think so. Server was great and helpful with the flight recommendations.