This was the first place my wife and I stopped to eat when we moved to Jamaica Plain from North Carolina. Â Galway house is located on Centre st, which goes through the heart of Jamaica Plain and has a lot of neat places nearby. Â We both split a fish platter which was more than enough food for the both of us. Â Very generous portion size at this restaurant! We chose the clam chowder (awesome, very meaty). Mac and cheese (average) and broccoli. Â The fried fish itself was delicious. Â Our waitress was also really great, kept checking up on us. Â The only downside is that the bread they served us before our meal was cold and was something similar to a hoagie roll, which was a bit strange. Â We will definitely come back, especially if we're in the mood for a lot of bang for our buck. Very divey location!
Review Source:I don't appreciate waitresses with a mean attitude.
When we visited this place my friend asked if the chicken sandwich was good. She said in a very ironic tone: "It's horrible, that's why we have it on the menu." That would have been hilarious if we had known this woman. But honestly, dear waitress, that was just plain rude.
And guess what, she was right. The chicken sandwich WAS Â horrible.
Now that I think of it she was not being rude. She was being HONEST. Thank you, I should have heard you from the minute you said and walked out then!
I've been a frequent customer at the Galway House over the decades. I live in nearby Mission Hill, and the food and service have generally been good, the location convenient, the hours extensive, and the prices reasonable. This evening, however, all of my positive feelings about this place, which are echoed in the comments here at yelp, went right down the toilet.
After a long day at work I was looking forward to a fried seafood platter. I'd had a couple of them here before, and they were very good. When I arrived all of the tables along the right hand side of the wall were pretty much empty. I sat down and after a few minutes a young waitress came to the table and asked, "Would you like a menu?"
Duh, I'm in a restaurant. "Yes, please." Soon after another woman, who I believe has been working there for some time, took my order. While waiting I turned on my laptop, checked my facebook page quickly, and clicked on an article I saw on my newsfeed. My beer, salad and meal all arrived fairly quickly. I was really hungry, so I pretty much was scarfing down my food the whole time I was reading. I took perhaps five minutes to type responses to the news story.
The shrimp and scallops were great, the fish OK, the fried clams (which had been excellent last time) were doughy. Corn on the cob was good. The "rice pilaf" was basically plain white rice with some sort of herb or peppercorns sprinkled in. Â
The mediocrity of the cooking was not, however, my main issue. Several times while I was eating the waitress would stop by, asking (as I chewed mouthfuls of food) "Are you doing OK?", Â "Do you need anything else", "Is everything alright?", the usual platitudes, to which I responded with polite overstatement, "Everything's excellent". Then a few more drive-by remarks, half-aloud musings like, "OK, he's still eating", and finally, "Are you finished? Oh, and by the way, Eddie's here (who???), and we have quite a few people waiting, and he wants you to know this isn't an internet cafe or anything like that."
"Excuse me, I haven't stopped eating the whole time I've been here."
"Oh yes, I know that."
"Fine, just give me the check please."
Mind you, from stepping through the door to finishing my platter, I'd probably been there a grand total of about 45 minutes. I spent about $30 on food and beverage, including a 20% tip. Â I would have ordered coffee and dessert, but I didn't want to inconvenience them any further. I was highly insulted, and will never set foot in this diner/wannabe fast food joint again. I also plan to post this review on other sites, including Galway's facebook page.Based on previous more positive experiences, I've decided to award these mamalukes two stars instead of one.
I've been here twice, had steak one time, fish sandwich another.
I really love the ambiance, almost like a diner? Just a nice, local eatery, no gimmicks, not stuffy at all. The service could be a little friendlier, but they work their butts off to serve the crowds.
The food could use a little...something. Seasoning, probably. What they lack in punchy flavor, they make up in size. HUGE PORTIONS. My fish sandwich I could only eat less than half off. Their fries are really good, too. I had their junior steak once, overcooked but pretty yummy. And it's always nice to grab a beer and apps. They always have specials to try, but often they're out of them! Boo. They have seafood, burgers, pasta, pizza, etc. Something for everyone!
You can easily spend less than $10 per person.
If you need a friendly atmosphere and some down home cooking, Galway House is the place to go.
Awesome bartenders, lots of beers to choose from, and surprisingly good food at very reasonable prices. Â As others have stated, there is always an interesting mix of people here, from hipsters, to surly old local guys, to young professionals, and everything in between. Â Also, plenty of big screen TVs on the walls if you're looking to watch anything in particular. Â
If you like dive bars, this is an awesome one. Â If you don't like dive bars, give this place a shot anyways - you might be pleasantly surprised.
If you are in JP and don't know where to go and you want to just wear sweatpants, go here! There is nothing Irish about it, except for the name, but its a very cozy, divey bar/restaurant.
You can expect friendly service, albeit, very slow during the week, but the food was really good. I had stuffed sole in a cream sauce and it was delish! I could do without the mac n cheese next time but overall everything was pretty good.
I wrote a negative review about this place a couple years ago, and I'm sorry. I was wrong. This is the best bar in JP.
The food here is awesome: it's a diner menu in a bar. Â It's open late. On a cold January day, I learned the beauty of what a good cup of clam chowder really is.
The beer selection is respectable, and the bartenders tend to know what they're talking about. Table service can be hit or miss.
it's bright in there!
It's a pleasant old watering hole. It bring a lot of JP together. I was with a big group a few nights ago and the waitress brought out a plate of chili fries on the house. So if you're looking for places to score free chili fries... bring some friends here. (a lot of friends.)
Pretty good bar in JP. Here lies an interesting interaction between the many cultures of JP enhanced by the only thing they all have in common- Beer (or liquor).
A place where Old timers come to waste away over a scotch, middle aged men come to scratch off the opaque substance of scratch offs and hipsters come to scratch off the emotional latex of their latest failed relationship.
Woah, that was deep, but Galway house isnt! Its actually marked by the absence of ceremony! The rumblings behind the windowless door beckon you to touch the knob, your thirst turns it, and your horny curiosity pulls it open.
Don't understand these reviews- might be of a different place?
The place smells like cat, the service is slow, and can't remember the food because the last time I tried to go, waited so much for the server to come that just left.
Would give one star, but left two because I think at one point, years ago, we like the wings, until just stopped going because of the smell, ambiance and service.
So my boyfriend and I were looking for a new local place that had some good seafood and the Galway House came up with some pretty good reviews. At first sight I was hesitant to walk in but once in I was greeted by a really friendly member of the wait staff who told us we may sit anywhere we liked. The menu had a lot to choose from and there was a big list of specials. We ordered the stuffed mushrooms for our appetizer ( recommended by another Yelper) and they were sooooo tasty. I was not expecting them to be as good as they were. Then we both ordered seafood dishes. I ordered the stuffed sole and my boyfriend ordered the Galway sauteed seafood special. Both meals came with choice of soup or salad. We both decided on the Chowda. The waitress came out with giant mugs filled with creamy chunky clam chowder which was one of the best I have had in a long time.
When the meals came there was so much food that I knew there was no way I was even going to be able to finish half of what was on there. My meal came with 2 sides and my boyfriend has a giant bowl of pasta and seafood. My stuffed sole was oh so good. The fish was fresh and tender and the stuffing had the perfect amount of seasoning. My sides were just ok :( The mash potatoes did not have any kind of flavor so a generous amount of salt & pepper or gravy a must. The corn on the cob was not bad.
My boyfriends dish was ginormous. Lots of fresh seafood but dish could have used some seasoning or some kind of sauce. But I did taste some of his food and have to say that the quality of the seafood was very good but I thought it could use a little something.
Overall we really enjoyed the meal. Come with and appetite, don't fill up on the bread and read some other yelpers reviews and recommendations on what to order. I can't wait to go back and bring friends.
Ernest Hemingway often wrote about the time in life when a man must come to grips with the loss of religion or a clear sense of moral certainty, when he must see himself as just a man struggling to make a life for himself. In this state of alienation, Hemingway wrote that sometimes all a man has left for himself is a clean, well-lighted place to drink his whiskey, and dream himself into existence. This might just be that place.
I come here about 3-4 times a month, mostly to drink with friends, but often we'll have dinner here. The food is pretty solid, with several standard options like burgers, sandwiches, and fried appetizers. The Junior Sirloin special is a great deal (less than $10 for a steak!) and the clam chowder is delicious (in the interest of full disclosure, I'm from Hawaii, so what do I know about chowder? Probably nothing, but Galway's is really great).
If it were just food, this place would be a 3-3.5, but the service is what keeps us coming back. My friends and I always make a huge commotion, but they never seem to care, they just keep bringing us beer and food. I like that.
Come here often, if only to just drink in a well-lighted place, watch a Red Sox game, and think of the ways to hold your shattered existence together. Also, the pasta dishes are tasty and reasonably priced.
It's nice to see this place averaging four stars because that's exactly what it deserves.
For someone who has spent a good amount of time in JP before entering the Galway House, you don't feel like you're in JP. Â Feels more like New Hampshire: Â
Big menu with the basic meat and potatoes and pasta dishes. Â
Semi-friendly career waitresses who call you "Hon." Â
A bunch of lame shit on the wall like posters of Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, etc. Â And I can't remember right now, but probably a Route 66 tin and some Three Stooges paraphernalia. Â Basically whatever the owner got at some NH flea market.
I see people praising the steak tips. Â I found them to be quite disappointing along with the other entrees I had. Â
But quite often you get what you pay for and these bad boys are all around $12 and come with a soup or salad along with a starch and vegetable. Â So a pretty good bargain. Â They also have pasta with a pretty lousy red sauce.
(Wow, I sound like a snob. Â Let me quickly move on to the good stuff).
There are two sandwiches that are TDF. Â One is the fried chicken club. Â And the other is one of the best sandwiches I've ever had. Â They call it the Monterey Chicken or something like that. Â A piece of golden fried chicken breast, monterey jack cheese and bacon on focaccia. Â Sounds simple enough, but MAN, is it good. Â You can get it with their pretty standard steak fries or their fantastic, thin-cut, "Revere Beach" style onion rings. Â Yum!
Next, their beer selection is unbelievable for a place like this. Â And at VERY reasonable prices. Â At first glance, you'd think they'd only have Bud, Coors and a token "good beer" like Sam Adams. Â Don't judge a book by it's cover, asshole.
There's so much more than that. Â Usually something by Victory on tap, or Founder's in a bottle, Â BBC, Sixpoint. Â I could go on but you get the idea. Â (I felt the need to name the beers because, I'm sorry, but sometimes my fellow Yelpers don't have a good grasp on what a good beer selection is. Â God, I'm a snob sometimes.) Â
Now two quick anecdotes about this place's awesomeness:
Last year Sam Adams introduced their "Spring" beer Noble Pils and I fell in love. Â Too bad it wasn't actually, you know, available in the springtime. Â By the time April rolled around, everyone had moved onto Sam's crappy Summer beer. Â But not Galway House. Â The owner recognized its greatness and hoarded a few kegs and kept serving it well into June. Â
I got one of these Noble Pils last June when I caught a Celtics-Magic playoff game there (good place to watch a game, by the way.) Â The C's won and advanced to the Finals (that's all I'll say about that) and I went up and ordered another beer. Â The bartender said "On the house." Â The owner had bought a round for the bar to celebrate. Â Thanks!
I lived in JP for a year and a half before having the guts to venture inside. Â It looks scary as hell from the outside! Â But once inside, the outside world is quickly forgotten.
Food is so-so, but the beer selection is great. Â So much good stuff on tap! Â Staff is great too, very friendly and no-bullshit.
Expect a hangover the next day (you won't want to leave until it's too late).
I barely had time to register the supposedly scary exterior of the building before I was inside, but reports of blinding light are valid: the inside of Galway House is quite illuminated.
Once seated, I was impressed by the beer list; for such a salt-of-the-earth kind of place, they had my beloved Allagash White. Sold. I did my homework before I headed over, so I knew I had to order the steak tips. My order had a million steps: temp of the meat, type of sauce, soup or salad, what kind of dressing, what style of potato, what kind of side vegetable. This is not a place for indecisive people.
Did you know GH offers popcorn from one of those little carts your elementary school used to rent for their spring fair? It's true. Unfortunately, my companion's request for it went unfulfilled, so I can't report on the actual taste.
HOWEVER. The plate of steak I got... holy cow (pun intended). The portion was huge! And beautiful. The meat was perfectly grilled. I had to restrain myself from gobbling everything in sight; the plan was to have leftovers, so I had to keep muttering "lunch, lunch, lunch" to myself. Improbably, it worked, and I was one happy Yelper at work the next day.
This is a great, relaxed hangout. I wasn't bothered by anyone, the service was friendly, and you get tasty food for cheap. In the words of Albert Einstein, I'll be back.
I want to give them one star, because people might ruin my neighborhood bar by filling the place up with out-of-towners... but I just can't lie about the Galway.
You will see the facade and think "oh hell no." Â (dont give up)
You will open the solid windowless door and think "oh HELL no!" (don't give up)
You will take one look around at the clientele and think "OH HELL NO!" (but seriously, don't give up)
The bottled beer and liquor selection is impressive to say the least. Â I mean, they have Fernet Branca, an assortment of single malts and both Green & Yellow Chartreuse... Really Galway? Â Really?
The food? Â I give the food a solid "Meh".
I once heard the following words spoken,
"I think I will have the duck and a glass of chianti"
This said, unless you are from JP or you go with someone from JP... it might seem a little too sketch for you.
Once i joked with someone who had just moved here that I would meet them at Galway later. Â
She went. Â
I was JOKING!
But now.... I know better and simply love the place. Â
Excellent staff, reasonable food, free popcorn - oh, and did i mention that they are open till 2?
All of this said. I will still sneer at you when you walk in the door.
Normally, I would go with the one star rating for this particular establishment, but the additional star is for the comedic factor of how hilariously bad this place is.
On the outside it looks like a super-sketchy biker bar where you could get bottled or jigged quite easily and for no good reason. And as for the inside...well the inside looks very similar.
In all honesty, it's more an "Oldman JP locals only" kinda vibe...which I would be totally down with, if every beer on tap didn't taste like a Coors Light that someone had accidentally pee'd  in, filtered through a roll of rusty nickels and left out in the sun for a fortnight.
Seriously, I drank 3 "different" beers from the tap and got the before mentioned concoction each time.
The food is exquisitely bad and not cheap at all. And I'm the type of dude that will eat really shitty food if the price is right.
I do encourage you to go one time, but heed my instructions:
-Order beer in a bottle / can and not from the tap
-Don't order food
-Never go back
Do you want to know what JP was like before all you bohemians moved in? Â Head to the Galway House in the middle of JP and find out. Â Here you will hear thick Boston accents from people who have lived in the area since before you and I were born, and on some level resent us.
It is a classic layout inside: Â Long bar along the left side, a divider and a dining room on the right side. Â The furniture is crummy, the dining room is carpeted, and the lighting is bright, too, very bright. Â But that is okay, the local charm will win you over.
I am a big fan of the Mass. cuisine specialty, steak tips. Another hit are the cheese ravioli. Â I am pretty sure the ravs come out of the freezer, but after a basket of gummy Italian bread served with pats of butter, I am pumped. Â Add to this, cheap Bud drafts, and you have yourself a great meal, and a window into life in the "real" JP.
You might not meet "Gals" here but it's the "Way" to go!!
You are welcome at the Galway if you are looking for some grease for your palette, some whet for your whistle, and a friendly ear/beer.
Don't be intimidated by the expert townie drinkers in the vestibule/street by the gigantic setback blue door and boarded up windows. They are the good old Red Sox and Bruins fans. They/we are the people.
I recently sat at the high tops with good old Ruth and she bought the beers. We were gonna head to the Gate after for the "finer" fare but opted for the more light/space/quiet of the unassuming grungy golden Galway. Â Decent burger, decent chicken sandwich, soggy onion rings. Heard the meatloaf is good. Starbursts in a plastic cup. Friendly fast accented service.
We watched the Bruins, getting into the play-offs by the skin of their teeth. We watched the volcano and Obama on the news, and caught up with each other at last. We laughed with strangers at the high-top and shared stories.
The Galway feels like a secret hide-out and it is. No one is trying to be hip in here, but surprisingly there was a healthy handful of some late 20s early 30s folks; my ilk. I immediately like them.
In the book All Souls the Irish family, from a few generations ago, used to chill here. I remember hanging out here a decade ago when the cigarette ban first came to Boston, and the bar was empty and people were crying. I can imagine my sloppy, hilarious ancestors hanging in places like this-
As the Galway's  vintage PBR sign says in Galway-"Next Time, Bring Your Wife!!"
Apparently I have had my official JP Resident card punched, because I was admitted entry (and served dinner) and the Galway House. Â
I've been a taxpaying homeowner (and before that a renter) in JP for 3 years or so. Â I figured I was going to have to wait the normal 5 year probationary period before I was a legit local. Â I dunno, maybe security was lax; it was after all midweek, so maybe I'm just getting my hopes up. Â Because I do want to return. Â The stuffed mushrooms, yummy. Â Shrimp cocktail tasted fresh, the cocktail sauce had good horseradish flavor. Â The entrees are large and inexpensive. Â
That the Galway House is doing what it is doing is a testament to the neighborhood and to their food (and their prices). Â You won't get tuna tartare, but if you want a tuna salad plate I'm sure theirs is exactly how you remember it. Â Maybe better. Â The place is a bit of a time capsule. Â The menu is certainly dated when you compare it to the neighboring establishments. Â But they know their menu, they've been at it long enough. Â But unlike ordering steak tips in 1981, the broccoli on the side is not canned and overcooked. Â It is a couple of fresh, crisp spears, nearly half a head. Â Similarly, the side salads are not cafeteria iceberg lettuce. Â Good chowda, not pasty like lesser establishments might serve. Â The food here is better than Doyle's or the James Gate (though last time in the gate, it looked like they made some changes). Â
Then there is the ambiance (or some might say the lack thereof). Â I gotta say it's refreshing to walk into a place that does not have funky glass pendant lighting, even if only once in a blue moon. Â The waitstaff were your typical salt of the earth folks. Â And the customers? Â Its the closest thing to the RMV. Â They serve all types here people. Â This place is one of a dying breed of restaurants. Â I hope they don't ever change a thing.
If this were some trendy bullshit crap with lametini's on the menu it'd be called "Brightest Bar!" but it's not. Â It's the fuckin' Galway House. Â Basically a "family restaurant"-style bar, in which the "family" is always drunk and spouting some bullshit. Â A good place to sit around and shoot-the-moon! Â The menu is really affordable. Â I had spaghetti and meatballs (with angel hair pasta), what the Galway waitstaff terms "Hairy Balls". Â It was good and cheap (like $6) and I was good and cheap (like $6), so it worked.
They have some interesting bottles behind the bar, like W.C. Fields whiskey (the bottle for it is a bust of his head). Â Actually they have some just plain strange shit behind the bar in general. Â I can't tell you exactly because I'm not sure what that shit was! Â
Also, as I was told, "some songs just don't work" on the jukebox. Â No explanation. Â None needed. Â It's the fuckin' Galway, brother!
Ever go to a bar for dinner and drinks and say to yourself "Self, I'm not going to spend my entire night here." and then proceed to ignore what you just said to yourself? Yeah. That. I do that all the time. Last night I did just that at the Gallway House in Jp.
The Gallway House is a fine spot. The exterior screams IRISH BAR. The name screams IRISH BAR. In reality it's more of a favorite haunt for several Jp locals who probably love IRISH BARs. You know who hangs out here? Some old guy that looks like an old timey sea captain. True story. And some guy I was calling 'the oliphant' in a drunken made up gypsy accent while I was watching a Celtics game and whistlin' made up tunes to the wee hours. Another true story.
And they have surprisingly decent food at non alarming, and not surprisingly suitable prices. Lots of seafood on the menu. Lots of pasta on the menu. Plenty of entrees. Even some good stuff that you won't find at too many places these days like liver and onions. I had wings and a big honkin' cheeseburger club and I was content.
Oh yeah, and they have drinks. That's how I managed to get drunk. Yeah. Plenty of decent beer on tap. And plenty of whatever else you are willing to drink if they don't have your favorite beer. You know, Sierra Nevada, Harpoon, BBC, Stella, Guiness, blah, blah. And scotch. They have plenty of that, minus what I took home in my drunk bucket.
So, need a bar to get shitty-shitty-bang-bang in for no reason on a random Wedensday night? Try the Gallway.
"Mmmm, fried chicken, fly vixen
Give me heart disease but need you in my kitchen
You a bird but you ain't got a ki
Got wings but you can't fly away from me" -Nas
Ya the song doesn't make sense and I'm not a Nas fan... but I am a fried chicken fan! Â Yay Galway House. Â I've been looking for good crispy batter-y good fried chicken for a minute. Â Man did this hit the spot. Â
Portion size = GIANORMOUS! Â
Friends and I did the gypsy thing and shared again. Â
Baked lasagne! YUM YUM GIMME SUM!
BUFFALO CHICKEN WINGS! Â tasty tangy but not too hot.
Cajun Chicken Salad! Â It's a salad but we'll forgive you since you needed the fiber...
I wish I lived in JP cuz their food...sigh. Everything that came to our table, went to other tables, looked and smelled aweseome. The portions are HUGE. Â Sides are very generous, Dessert looked super, ah so much to try so little tummy space. :(
It is terribly bright at this place, its like going to your grandma's bar and she doesn't want to dim the lights cuz you're not supposed to watch TV in the dark. Â Totally a local hot spot, A lot of the patrons looked like they've been going there since Rome fell. Â But still a chill spot, Our waitress was alone, overworked, stressed, but still AMAZING. Â Great service, very friendly, and helpful.
Oh Galway House!
This no-nonsense gimmick-free haunt is an all-time fav.
I typically just drink here maybe once a week, and enjoy their pub grub (the wings especially). And each time I come here, either with my wife or without, I meet a new neighbor and have a good conversation about anything and everything.
When there is a game on & after dinner:
I wouldn't exactly call it a "sports bar," but instead an authentic "Boston sports bar" - full of die-hard Sox, Pats, Bs, and Cs fans. I especially like watching Celtics games here. They actually have the volume on, too. A fantastic place to watch a game without blaring music, ambiance, and out-of-towners.
When there is no game on & during dinner time:
Dining room is full of folks eating big steaks, burgers, and stuffed shrimp - all for cheap. The menu is big, and caters to the "meat and potato" crowd that might turn their noses on steakhouses. Â There is also a fair amount of people who pick up orders to take home.
Bottom line:
This is a old-time neighborhood bar, owned by a neighborhood guy who employs neighborhood staff that serve neighborhood people. They keep their prices low and drinks stiff to hang on to their robust customer base. Its not new and fancy, and may look like its from 1979, but its a good place to get a good meal - a rarity in Boston.
If you can dig that, then go here.
Probably some of the best steak tips in the city, and they will cook them RARE if you ask AND come with soup and two sides for 12 bucks. Â The hand packed cheeseburger club kicks ass too. Â Really good portions, high quality meat /seafood. Â Reasonable drink prices and they make them strong.
That said, they need to dim the lights earlier in the evening. Â They keep it bright until about 10:30. Â Also, this is a local's hangout, primarily working class, so if you are looking for ambiance, forget it. Â Drunks WILL talk to you. Â Doesn't bother me, but I could see how it could be annoying. Â My advice? Â Have a couple pints here with dinner, then head over to the Brendan Behan for the rest of your drinking needs.
True story: the first time I came here, I overheard a long, drunken conversation between two married people (not to each other) who were trying to decide whether they should have an affair. After much discussion, they stumbled off to dance to "Loveshack," and thus, I suppose, the matter was decided.
Since it's very, bizarrely light in there, I had the good fortune of getting to watch these two fall all over each other while enjoying several delightfully strong $3 whiskey and cokes. The Galway House pours a pretty stiff mixed drink, I must say, and the staff is incredibly nice. But they play truly horrible music--always some kind of craptastic Chicago/Boston/Don Hennely/Phil Collins overload. This is sort of a 2.5 star place, but it's too delightfully odd to get anything less than a 3.
Definitely a good stop on a JP pub crawl. You'll want to have a few by the time you get here to really enjoy all that is the Galway.
The Galway used to scare me. Grotty windows, dirty old men standing outside smoking, and a general air of unkempt-ness were all reasons why it took me 2 years to actually step foot inside. Once I managed to get inside, I was pleasantly surprised!
This is a true neighborhood joint. There are usually a few holdouts at the bar, and plenty of people enjoying their meals. There are a couple tvs scattered around should you wish to watch a little sumthin' with yer meal. The food is decent and satisfying, the prices are low, and the beers are cold. There's also quite a bit of variety on the menu which is nice if you're craving something other than a burger and fries.
If Friendly's or BigBoy had a gritty, alcoholic uncle, this place would be it.
Yet there's something incredibly charming and nostalgic about the Galway House. Â The good food and discreet ambiance combine together in a truly fantastic way. Â I can smell the musty green carpeting of the Galway as I write this and my mouth is starting to water for a cheeseburger and PBR draft. Â If you believe that dining out is an opportunity to have your sense of self-entitlement coddled, this might not be the place for you. Â Galway is humble, unassuming and tasty.
For being a bit of a dive, the food here is very good and the service friendly and quick. Â If just sitting at the bar knocking back beers and shooters watching a game in the evening or in the afternoon watching the original Oceans 11 or some Edward G Robinson flick, you can't get anything better than this in JP. Don't be deterred by the exterior - that's just there to whet your appetites. When I asked a buddy of mine who is a life-long resident of JP why he never left the old neighborhood, he said that would mean giving up the Galway House - he was actually mugged walking home from there, but fortunately he had given his last dollar to the bartender, and when the police showed up they almost arrested my buddy for being drunk and belligerent. Â Classic!
PS. The liver, bacon and onions is excellent!
They have coffee house porter on tap. That's huge, and you wouldn't expect it from this place. Part of their garish neon sign, the only notable thing about their bleak brick storefront, is out and has been for years. Inside, it's too bright during the day and too dark at night. The old green carpet gives off a strong odor of stale cigarettes and the place is an old folks home during the day. Come in here around four and you'll see plenty of old Irish ladies, dressed in their Sunday best, sipping on some kind of cocktail. In the evening there's a nice crew of drunken regulars watching the game and doing shots of cheap whisky.
All in all, a fantastic, low key, unpretentious place. Can't believe I hadn't reviewed it already.
Galway House has really grown on me. Â I've lived around JP for 4 years and didn't go in for about 3 of those years. Â The windows were tinted and grimy (but they've cleaned them!) and I'd always see some oldish guy smoking near the door. Â But my friends wanted to meet for a drink one time, so I went in.
Galway is a lot more friendly than it looks. Â I usually see a variety of people -- local folks of all colors, families, young people -- I feel like it's easy to fit in as long as you're chill (and root for the Sox -- or keep quiet -- when appropriate). Â My bf likes the salads and steak tips and I really like the chicken parm sandwich, to the extent that I will actually call or come by and get it to go, sometimes even paying a tip.
Sometimes the sports can be a little too much and the AC can be a little too frigid. Â It's a good bar to go when you're feeling really chill and don't want to dress up. Â It almost reminds me of someone's living room or den or something.
I go here at least once a month and whenever I fill my prescriptions. I'd like to go more. This place reminds me of the bars i visit when i go home. Comfortable cheap and good. I usually get garlic bread  a large portion, part of which usually goes home with me. Their hot toddy is pretty good as well.
Don't let the outside of the place deter you. And let's hope it stays the way it is and doesn't turn into the next Alchemist.
Unpretentious place that probably wouldn't toss you for being weird, but would give you shit for being a pretentious douchebag. I'm glad places like this and Costello's still thrive in JP since Triple D's got gentrified.
I got taken here by a friend who considers the Galway his local, for beers and supper. Nothing on the menu was grabbing me, so I asked if they could make me a grilled cheese and bacon (not on the menu). And DAMN if it wasn't the best one I'd ever had with a side of fries so perfectly crisped, I'm struggling to find an appropriate superlative. I honestly believe the perfection of the food had nothing to do with the fact that my friend (always gets the steak tips--cheapest in town) was a regular; that if I went back on my own without him, that grilled cheese and bacon would be just as perfect.
Galway House is a proper dive so it's way better late at night, when there's only 15 or so people in there and most of them are old and smell like despair. Â Apparently they have food there, too - the one time I was in there around dinner time there were poor people eating, and it was too bright. Â Not as good. Â I have no idea if the food's decent and I don't intend to find out.
It works best as the place you end up at after a long night, not really sure where you're at, with some guy in a hat who you apparently know but you're not really sure why or what his name is. Â But it's got Character and good bartenders, so if you're touring the JP bars it's worth a stop regardless.
Lemme know how that hamburger works out for you.
Oh, the G-way. Â We only started going here because one of my friends bartends, but as it turns out, it's a pretty awesome place. Â It's a total townie bar, complete with what seems like perpetually drunk older guys who'll talk your ear off about anything, while scarfing down the free popcorn. Â All the regulars are welcoming (or, equally as okay with me, ignoring of) all of us who troop in there on a Friday or Saturday night, or to watch any of the games [well, I don't watch the games, 'cause... I've never been a Sox fan, and I'm sure as hell not going to start now just 'cause they win things]. Â
For a place that looks like it's in a weird time warp from the 70s, the food is pretty great.  The specials are always impressive - I had some  really tasty mussels and chorizo, with a garlicky tomato sauce and crunchy french bread, for about $8.  Amazing.  The burgers are huge and well cooked, and all of the pasta dishes are flavorful and plentiful.  In a completely random touch, they serve apples with their hamburgers; don't ask me why, but hey, free dessert!
The most important part is the drinks, and they are strong and cheap. Â They have a lot of beers on tap, including Blue Moon (for about 2.50), Bud, Guinness, etc. Â Any of the bartenders are more than happy to make you a special mixed drink, and they're always tasty. Â They've also usually got a few fancy drink specials up on the board, but I've never tried them - while I like me some girly drinks, I can't in good conscience order a White Chocolate Truffle Martini. Â Even I'm not that much of a douchebag.
The Galway house is a tribute to dining as it used to be. Â It has a fan base that is headed up by some of JP's oldest inhabitants. Â I have also noticed that this restaurants is one of the most diverse restaurants in JP. Â Diverse, meaning not completely full of know-it-all yuppies and ex-cantabrigians whining and complianing about global warming and the failing clutch on their suv. Â
At the Galway, you are surrounded by real people with real problems. Â The food is good too!
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