Gaslight Brasserie - Galway

I loved the location of this restaurant, but I was looking for something a bit quieter with great food. I made a reservation in advance, which turned out to be a good decision as the place seems to be very popular with American tourists. The restaurant is located inside a hotel, but the dining room was nice with high ceilings and not too noisy. However, the highlight of the experience was definitely the food. The starters and mains were excellent, and the wait staff were very friendly. I would definitely recommend this restaurant as it offers good value for delicious food.

This restaurant earns a five star rating in our opinion. The staff was most attentive and our compliments to the chef for a variety of choices and an excellent presentation. The bar delivered a perfect cocktail; the Tommy Gun. Great for my traveler’s scratchy throat. Our first night in Galway was top notch because of The Gaslight!

I recently visited Galway and searched for "kid-friendly restaurants" online. GL Brasserie appeared in the search results and I remembered the dining room from before COVID-19. However, when we arrived, the dining room we had booked was closed and we were seated in a dark bar room next to a former staff member on a date. The food was disappointing, especially my pork belly which was extremely dry with no traces of fat, just a tough piece of pork. To make matters worse, multiple waiters kept coming over to talk to the former staffer, reminiscing about the past, giving out free drinks, and using inappropriate language while ignoring our empty plates for 15 minutes. The only positive aspect was a waitress who was attentive whenever she was available. Overall, the service was poor, the food was subpar, and the prices were high.

My friends and I met at a pub in Eyre Square for dinner, but we weren't impressed with the menu options. We decided to search for other restaurants and came across this one, which caught our eye. We were warmly welcomed at the door and seated at a spacious table. The restaurant had a nice ambiance with high ceilings and friendly staff. We ordered drinks and found the prices to be reasonable. We enjoyed the Fish and Chips, Massaman Curry, Linguine with Prawns, and Braised Daube of Beef - all of which were delicious. Some of us also indulged in desserts, including the Apricot Torte and Triple Chocolate Mousse, both of which were excellent. The bill came to 120 Euro, including the tip, which we felt was good value. I would definitely come back to this restaurant when visiting Galway again.

We entered the hotel lobby at five of 5 pm and asked about dining. A pleasant young man called Angus assisted us with making a call to find that it wouldn’t be until half past 5 for our table and offered the bar as a comfortable waiting area. At 5:30, we wandered to the restaurant. We were greeted kindly enough, our Covid-19 certificates were checked and we were seated in a completely empty restaurant. This set me off from the very start. The entire place remained empty through our entire meal save the last 10 minutes. What was the point of the wait? The hours are posted 7am until 10pm on Tuesdays. I expected to walk in and be seated in a completely full room. We received a pitcher of water and our orders for meals were taken. We were later asked if we would like to see a drink menu. My husband said yes, we would. The waiter returned and asked *only* my husband if he wanted a drink. Halfway through the meal, I asked if it would be a bother to have a drink for myself and our daughter. These weren’t difficult drinks to prepare; a gin and tonic and a Bellini. As we were finishing our meal, we were advised the bar didn’t have an ingredient for the Bellini. We requested a cancellation of the two drinks. My husband ordered the seafood chowder and likened it to canned soup. The beef he and our daughter ordered was over salted and the mash seemed to be from a package. They were also supposed to be garlic mash but it seems they just wave the garlic clove near the potatoes and call it good. I ordered the curry chicken. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t near a four star meal. We went in believing this would be a highlight meal of our month long trip to Galway. Sadly, it has been the most disappointing. I give two stars because the staff were not unkind and the water was potable. I must say, I’ve paid more money in a lower rated eatery and had better service and flavor than I received today.