Loam Restaurant

This was our first international Michelin restaurant and Loam did not disappoint. The tasting menu was excellent. We appreciated that they went over the menu and allowed for single course substitutions with the vegetarian options. Our favorite course was tied between the lamb or the suid noodle. We found all of the staff attentive and personable. We opted in the wine pairing which was interesting. The pairing included a lot of wines that we wouldn't have individually chosen on our own but most were an excellent pairing. If we get a chance we'd definitely go back!

Amazingly good restaurant. We got the 7 course tasting meal with wine pairings. Each course was lovely, brilliant tastes and beautifully balanced. The staff were fantastic, talking through all of the courses with us and joking with us - which we enjoyed! The wine pairings were also lovely, each of the 6 wines was described by the sommelier prior to the food arriving. The restaurant would be best for a romantic meal but could also be a nice place for a group of friends. It is a nice place so try to dress up a little, but there isn't a dress code (that I am aware of!). At the end of the meal we received an envelope with our meal details on it and wine pairings to take home. The meal here was wonderful and we would definitely return if in the area.

Winter menu is much better than summer time last year:) signature dish of squid noodle is delicious as always. Dessert remains good quality. Love it! The sommelier did a very good job! Waitress (Tabitha) provided good service yesterday. Have to say that..this time Loam deserves the one star:)

Unforgettable dinning experience - the food is more like an art, beautifully paired with wine. Interior is very warm and spacious. Loam has a Michelin star and it's absolutely deserved. Highly recommended.

Had dinner here recently and it absolutely exceeded my expectations. Actually, I don't really know what I expected, but the whole experience was overwhelmingly positive. The food is just unreal and each course was paced brilliantly. We felt like we could savour each dish without being rushed. The egg and squid noodle dish is honestly one of the greatest things I've ever tasted! We also got the wine pairings which were SPOT ON with each course. The Sommelier (can't remember his name!) was so informed and chatted to us with ease, gave us loads of recommendations. The decor is just a dream, modern, funky, totally European, you could imagine it being a really trendy club after dining hours :D. But I could not leave a review without mentioning the wonderful, friendly, helpful staff who really were the icing on the cake for us. They made the evening for us and we could've stayed all night! SUPERB, and would recommend to everyone. Treat yo'self!

We had a lovely dinner date, the best thing of the restaurant is the service, professional, attentive and respectful, they explained us all of the dishes and answered each of our questions. 10 out of 10. Presentation, decor, ambient: Asian/Nordic with an Irish twist and an earthy feeling to it. Very romantic candlelit dinner with a homy yet elegant-vibe 10 out of 10. The food: Everything was quite good, with a few highlights of the menu being the apple liver tartlet (so delicate, balanced and refreshing), their signature dish the squid noodles with shiitakes broth and egg yolk (beyond words, great textures, creaminess, soooo satisfying, one of the best dishes I've had in Ireland), the aged beef with coolea custard grains and whiskey vinegar (superb clean flavor, great light meat course with great texture and temperature)and the Elderflower granita with sheep's yoghurt and buckthorn curd (surprising and light, with asian influences, yet Irish flavors, this one should have been the final dish because it leaves you wanting 10 more and with a clean palate). Special mention to the Irish soda bread!! So authentic, with real butter.The real deal. The appetizers, were more like amouse-bouches, were ok. The dishes I liked less were the braised shallot (too sweet to my taste, I get the originality of trying to make a veg glow as Intermezzo between two meat dishes but the dish needed balance of flavors to transform the shallot to a main character role without being overpowering) I didn't dislike the mackerel dumpling dish per se and had a lot going on, and with this dish I got to try new flavors, with the Herby taste Of the kelp, but the radish and the mackerel did not ignite my taste buds and the whole combo lacked something. Now, regarding the main meat dish, the lamb, salsify and Ramson with chanterelles, mint gel, turnip and two different purees....the lamb was cooked to perfection and so were the chanterelles and the dish was original, which each of the elements being good but the combination of it all, the flavor profile wasn't that good, with the bitterness of the Ramson not adding up. When you have beautiful produce and an element so umami like chanterelles and lamb, give it relevance without trying to achieve too much in one bites cause then the flavors get lost on the mixture! Excellent petit fours. Food overall 8,5 out of 10. But the reason I'm giving 4 stars instead of five it's the portions. I'm from Spain and I don't quite know if it is a cultural thing but the dinner seamed to have very small portions, I get that fine dining can be like that sometimes, and don't get me wrong, I enjoyed each dish but I left with the sensation of not being full, not with hunger but craving something else, which could be "fixed" by making portions slightly bigger or by adding another couple dishes to the menu. Finally, Ireland and specially Galway has excellent seafood, oyster...Its a pitty that the menu did not have any. Had a fantastic glass of Riesling, dry clean slightly acid,without much aftertaste, just how I like it. On another note, I'm extremely allergic to honey and they had the excellent detail to modify one part of the rhubarb dessert while delivering the same desserts, a kind of thoughtfulness towards the client which blew me away. Thank you for a wonderful dinner!!!

Loam ranks as one of the best meals we’ve had - in Ireland or anywhere. The setting feels luxurious in an unassuming way, stylish and restrained. Service is just right in the balance between attention and allowing you to chat with your party. The wine pairings are interesting - some challenging, some more straightforward - and well explained by the sommelier. And the food, of course, is brilliant: inventive but not wacky, bold and delicious.

Absolutely fantastic dining experience. The restaurant is very open space and has an Asian vibe to it (maybe die to the light fixtures), which is pleasant. The tables face the kitchen, so you can see some of the action. The food is outrageously tasty. The combinations of flavours and presentation are excellent, and make for probably the second best meal I've had in Ireland. The floor staff are attentive and know their stuff; we had great chats about their food and the Irish food scene in general. Yes it's a bit pricey, but the portions are generous (for a Michelin) that is and the experience is truly memorable. Can't recommend going here enough.

Hands down the best dining experience we've ever had! We were in Galway for the day and had booked Loam pretty far in advance. We were the only ones in the restaurant for about an hour and the staff was just exceptional. We had the 7 course tasting menu which is really about 9 courses with snacks and finishers and every single one of them was amazing. Super knowledgeable and friendly sommelier who was a joy to chat with. Super attentive and timely staff. We do not have one complaint!

My husband and I enjoy trying local Michelin Star restaurants when we travel. Even though the service was outstanding, the taste of the food from the 9 course tasting menu needs much improvement. The presentation was excellent, however 5 of the main tasting items were incredibly salty. We kept the mood light and made some jokes of how our blood pressure will rise after this extremely salty meal. The atmosphere is modern and spacious, the sommelier was extremely knowledgeable and the staff were professional and exceptionally polite. I'm quite genuine, easygoing, grateful and normally write positive reviews . I'm writing this review in hopes that this Michelin Star restaurant becomes aware of this issue. Hopefully Loam improves their tasting menu by reducing the amount of salt they use in their ingredients.

We both had the 7 course tasting menu. My husbands review will be sunnier than mine. Had high hopes, but as a veggie who can't have sugar or flour, I left hungry. Bear in mind that the 7 course is only €78, and they covered my desserts with a very generous cheese plate, the other courses, without rich proteins or flour were very light. After asking for another sparking water it took until the next course for the water to arrive. We ended the 2.5 hours needing to ask for the check so we could leave. They seemed understaffed. The veggies were lovely, fresh, flavorful but I'll be stopping for chips on the way back to our hotel. The server was very kind and when he heard that I was leaving hungry, he offered to comp my meal, which I politely declined. Very sweet. However, the descriptions by the wait staff were lacking, one could not answer what the types of cheese were, a different person described each course with less detail than a Michelin star would predict.

A truly wonderful meal in a beautiful, yet unfussy restaurant just out of the hustle and bustle of Eyre St. The food was superb, especially the squid noodle course (I resisted the urge to slurp from the bottom of the bowl) and the staff were amazing. The true star however was the wine pairing. I would recommend to anyone looking for a unique dining experience without the fuss of some other Michelin restaurants. Bonus Points: My husband doesn't really eat fish/shellfish and they were able to accommodate this for the tasting menu - which is an actual first for us amongst restaurants of this caliber. Other Bonus Points: We both wore jeans and a sweater. Nothing fancy. Overall, Loams food and wine are exquisite and their staff were tremendous - especially Tabatha and Keelan! (sorry for spellings). If you're looking for a phenomenal meal in a lovely, yet unfussy atmosphere, then Loam is a perfect addition to your trip.

Well prepared food and friendly service in a simple, good-looking space. The flavors weren't my favorite, but I appreciated the experience and the effort put forward by the staff. We had the 7 course tasting menu and my favorites were probably the sourdough bread and the squid with mushroom broth. The flavors of the dishes were interesting but some just missed the mark for me. Mostly everything was cooked perfectly though. Some slight tweaks could make this really amazing. Also, the amuse bouches came right when we sat down. I would have rathered ordered a drink first and gotten settled in, but this part seemed very rushed. Overall though, it was a very good experience. Just needs some tweaks to balance the flavors out.

Fantastic place! Food was so good, hard to describe. We went to both Loam and Aniar while in Galway and we thought the food at Loam was much better although the experience at Aniar was better than loam. There were 6 of us, we had the 9 course menu and three bottles of wine and it was about 1000 euros. Definitely the best food I had I in Ireland. Will always come back when I visit Ireland

Not too much I can say other than OH MY GOD. This restaurant is simply brilliant. The food is amazing, but what sets them apart is the incredible service. I've been to a number of Michelin Star restaurants but Loam sets the standard for service. With what appeared to be a limited staff, they were attentive, helpful, and absolutely amazing. The sommelier was incredible and knew his wines. The pairings were perfect. HIGHLY recommended.

Spectacular food. Up there with the best I've had in Ireland. The detail and refinement in some of the dishes meant even the dishes with subtle flavours weren't overshadowed by those with punchier flavours. The service, too, was excellent. If you're anywhere near Galway, it's worth going out of your way to give it a try.

One of our favorite restaurants in the world. Love the clean, simplistic, nature-inspired decor. The kitchen is modern and beautiful too. Each dish was impeccable planned and presented, and the flavors were on point. We did the wine pairing and our sommelier was hilarious! Service was flawless. I would definitely eat here again if I ever return to Galway!

Still to this date one of the best tasting menus I have had. I went with my sister in April 2018 and I continue to dream of the shiitake broth. I had a "vegetarian" menu (no pork or shelfish), my sister had the full tasting menu and we both had the wine pairing. Just magnificent. The food and wine were only further bolstered by an exquisite dining experience thanks to the friendly, personable staff. I have recommended Loam to others who have been visiting the region.

Very nice, refined meal with Irish influences. We arrived a little early for our meal, and they sat us in an open air waiting area while we waited. The whole dining space is very open, which makes it spacious but also somewhat quiet, so you can have a fairly private meal. We had the 7 course tasting meal, which I found to be delightful and interesting. The meal was overall very well prepared, definitely with some Nordic influences but a unique meal nonetheless. The pacing was a little off; there were definitely large stretches of time during which we didn't have food in front of us, but the service was otherwise pleasant and the meal overall delicious.

Thoroughly enjoyable evening with great food and service. The sommelier paints a description like nothing I've seen before. Tasting menu was superb, wouldn't be a huge fan of the chicken custard with barley but all other dishes on the 9 were delightful.

Wow, just wow. Food was unbelievable, especially the strawberry dessert which had our entire group in food-induced ecstasy for a solid five minutes. Prices were very cheap for what you got -- a Michelin-starred restaurant with gorgeous plated meals and added bonuses (three amuse-bouches to start, each better than the last, hot bread with to-die-for butter, and a giant bowl of potatoes alongside the main course) -- we paid 50 Euros for each three-course meal. Would come back for the tasting menu, but you have to be a little comfortable with more "out there" dishes, in comparison to the two- or three-course menu.

I was in Galway for a few days and decided to eat here on the spur of the moment - it was Friday night but pretty early so they were able to accommodate me. The space and food definitely show the Scandinavian influence - the room is comfortable but relatively spare with a little bit of an industrial feel. Part of the dining area looks into the kitchen--had I noticed this initially, I would have requested to sit there, but as it was the chefs were fortunately spared my continually staring at them aside from some gawking in passing on my way to the ladies' room. I usually go for a tasting menu anytime one is offered but I uncharacteristically had the 3-course "simplicity" menu as I thought the courses looked more interesting and I was rather in the mood for lamb. The chef provided three amuses, which were both fun and tasty, serving their purpose. Bread and butter were good. I could eat Irish butter as an entree, really, but that's neither here nor there. Had the scallops, lamb, and "peat, whiskey, and hazelnut" dessert (how could one resist that name?) Everything was cooked properly, the approach allowed the ingredients to shine (again, a kind of minimalist scandinavian aesthetic), and the portions were the perfect size for a 3-course meal (my lamb came with a side dish of half a dozen new potatoes so I can't imagine anyone would leave hungry) The dessert was kind of what I would describe as a deconstructed black forest cake, and quite delicious. Service was low-key - a surprisingly small number of servers, but they were friendly and attentive, good with their suggestions for wine pairings, etc. Definitely much more laid back than most Michelin-starred restaurants, but not in a bad way, as I was looking to relax. The sous chef came to check on my experience towards the end of the meal, which I always appreciate. I would also be remiss if I did not mention what an excellent value this place is - my meal with two glasses of wine came out to under 70 euro, which may be the least I've ever spent at a Michelin-starred restaurant for dinner. Obviously one can argue about the merits of the Michelin star system, but for the quality of the food, service, and experience, this place is a steal. Overall, a really enjoyable dinner. I'd definitely return the next time I'm in Galway. Oh - another tip: they also had cheese and charcuterie plates available, and a very reasonably-priced selection of wines by the glass, so I meant to come back for some snacks and wine, but alas, ran out of time.

Dined here a few weeks ago. Amazing experience. I'm not the type to spend a lot of money eating out. I also went to this place in a ratty old T-shirt, shorts and runners...so I wouldn't be into the image of a Michelin star but I was compelled to try it at least once in my life! It was incredible. Flavors I had never experienced before! They brought us complimentary little bites as starters along with bread. They were really clever and tasty. For main course I had the air dried Connemara spring lamb. I really don't like lamb but it was incredible! Part of the cut was the belly, I don't think I ever had that before because it was amazing but even the other cuts of lamb were so tasty! For dessert I had some honey ice cream with honeycomb and pollen. Wow!! So good. Also noticed while having this that the ambient music seemed to jive with the meal options being served. It seemed like there was a frantic piece of music similar to a bee hive... So much thought put into the entire dining experience. A bargain and I can't wait until next year when I'm back to go again!

Went for the full tasting menu. I am not new to starred restaurants. In this case several dishes were disappointing and two of them we didnt finish and told them we really didnt like them. For some reason everything was very salty. Sure some really good ones too. Oysters were in small pouches selved with vinegary stuff. made no sense to me, was not pleasant. Lamb was amazing and i'll try to remember that. Wont be back

Had the tasting menu with wine pairings. Delicately put together dishes and the wine pairings were excellent. This place does not do conventional food, keeps things interesting without being pretentious! It was an amazing experience.

Honestly the best meal I ever had, anywhere in the world. Every one of their dishes was meticulously prepared, well thought out, and brought out the best flavors of all the ingredients. I would go to Ireland again just to eat here.

We ate here while on vacation and booked a reservation based on the recommendation of the NYT. Had absolutely no idea what we were in for other than their award of a Michelin star. Naturally, we came after a rainy day of hiking up the Cliffs of Moher. So there we were, two wet bedraggled women, entering what turned out to be a posh space with romantic lighting. My friend and I were certain they'd kick us out. But the staff were lovely and very helpful. They adjusted their tasting menu to accommodate my being a vegetarian. Everything was incredibly delicious with delicate but strong flavor profiles. Originally we decided to skip dessert but once we started going, we realized that would've been a mistake. (I'm pretty sure my body evolved and a second stomach formed to hold all this food) All said, you must try it if you're in town.

We had a tasting menu last night and it was one of the best dining experiences. Each course is extremely thought out and has a myriad of components but yet it tastes very clean and balanced. Above all I was truly impressed with their food philosophy of only using locally sourced ingredients and as I understand from their website they do not even use foreign basics such as olive oil and spices. The result is you get to taste dishes that are extremely creative which you may have never thought of and make you really really happy and feel good about yourself. The happiness culminates with unbelievably creative deserts which made me want to hug and kiss the pastry chef. I wish them continued success in this noble endeavor.

How do I write a review that is understated yet emphatic about how good this place is. Not possible. This place is the definition of understated perfection. The service is extremely fast, professional, yet far discreet. The food is using the highest level of technique, but doing so with amazing simplicity, focusing on very fresh, high quality ingredients. Sounds like a cliché, but this is about as close to farm to table as I have ever experienced.

I recommend you never go here. Ever. Stay away and save your money. Went here during the second week of October. Worst experience ever had in a restaurant. All four of us were going to post negative reviews, yet I asked that we only do one. If you are considering this restaurant, please, think again. Never ever step foot in this establishment. You will regret ever knowing about this place. Go somewhere else and don't waste your time. This place does not merit a star.

First experience at Michelin star restaurant and it simple amazed me from start to finish

I hope that everyone in Ireland will go to Galway to eat at Loam. I hope that anyone with money and means to go to Ireland will go to Ireland, just to go to Galway, just to go to Loam. Tonight was the most incredible dining experience of my life. Thank you so much to Tabitha, Gladys, and Nial. I was astounded. We had a seven-course menu with wine pairings, snacks at the start and end, and we finished the evening with a cheese course and coffee. Everything was so extraordinary. I can't begin to describe the intricacy, beauty, and uniqueness of each dish. I've never given a 5-star rating in any review, but this restaurant deserves it and more. I will definitely come back if ever given the opportunity. Thank you to the service and kitchen staff so much for an incredible evening!

We came because it is my daughter and son by marriage's second anniversary. I admit the menu and the ambiance put me off. Esoteric descriptions for the non foodie in me had me ready to bolt. However I am SO glad we stayed. Everything was excellent! My only description ? Perfection and worth it!