I was there the two weeks ago and the battered hake I had is still playing on my mind. It was absolutely delicious and it kills me that I left some of it behind.
McDonaghs is a great spot. In summer there can be a que of hungry people outside, waiting for a table. Its well worth the wait. Snackbox gets it bang on, all the advantages of good chipper food – great real spud chips and fresh fish – but other options on the menu if you’re not in the mood for an artery hardening deep-fry-fest.
Often visited McDonaghs as a younger man when I lived in Galway city. (in the early 00’s) ..sadly only the Take-away part usually. (Restaurant part I found is the same food but more expensive and fussy).
It was always fantastic grub and it is a genuine Galway institution. The fish is incredible and the Garlic sauce is orgasmic.
But, there’s always a but …… On visiting again this summer I found it has got incredibly busy (McDonaghs got rave reviews in Rough Guide and Lonely Planet etc.) Queues out the door… and long wait for even the Take-away part.
Noticably its nearly all tourists in the Q. (local Galweigan’s still go mad for Supermacs !!)
The sad part about this is that when demand goes up so do the prices and service levels drop.
Prices have indeed gone into Orbit (Can’t remember the exact numbers but you’re taking ball park twice the price now of the ‘regular’ take-aways) and the staff who were always kinda ‘working class’ but friendly with it, are still ‘working class’ but decidedly impatient now.
Wednesday 31 March, 2010 at 11:29 am
I was there the two weeks ago and the battered hake I had is still playing on my mind. It was absolutely delicious and it kills me that I left some of it behind.
Thursday 1 April, 2010 at 10:57 am
McDonaghs is a great spot. In summer there can be a que of hungry people outside, waiting for a table. Its well worth the wait. Snackbox gets it bang on, all the advantages of good chipper food – great real spud chips and fresh fish – but other options on the menu if you’re not in the mood for an artery hardening deep-fry-fest.
Thursday 9 December, 2010 at 11:20 am
Often visited McDonaghs as a younger man when I lived in Galway city. (in the early 00’s) ..sadly only the Take-away part usually. (Restaurant part I found is the same food but more expensive and fussy).
It was always fantastic grub and it is a genuine Galway institution. The fish is incredible and the Garlic sauce is orgasmic.
But, there’s always a but …… On visiting again this summer I found it has got incredibly busy (McDonaghs got rave reviews in Rough Guide and Lonely Planet etc.) Queues out the door… and long wait for even the Take-away part.
Noticably its nearly all tourists in the Q. (local Galweigan’s still go mad for Supermacs !!)
The sad part about this is that when demand goes up so do the prices and service levels drop.
Prices have indeed gone into Orbit (Can’t remember the exact numbers but you’re taking ball park twice the price now of the ‘regular’ take-aways) and the staff who were always kinda ‘working class’ but friendly with it, are still ‘working class’ but decidedly impatient now.
Kind of a shame, but thats progress I suppose