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John J. Burke & Sons

Everybody loves Burkes pub - this characterful old family-run pub is one of this attractive village’s greatest assets, well known for atmosphere, music and homely food.

It’s a friendly, welcoming place no matter when you might drop in, and very much the heart of the community and sporting activities - and the business of feeding people with wholesome traditional meals is taken seriously both in the bar, during the day, and the more formal dining area overlooking the garden towards Mount Gable at the back of the pub in the evening. Bar meals are quite traditional - egg mayonnaise, spicy wedges, roasts, home-made lasagne, apple tart.

There’s a much wider range offered in the evening: starters like baked mussels or venison sausage, for example, followed by the likes of steaks, rack of lamb and fish from sea and river. Irish stew is a speciality - a unique version, using prime cuts of locally farmed lamb with herb dumplings and the friendly relaxed style (the food is kept refreshingly simple), with traditional music and dancing later in the evening, wins a lot of friends.

Booking for the restaurant is essential in high season.

Seats 140 (private room 30; outdoors 20); Bar meals 10am-5pm daily; L 11-5pm (Sun 1-3pm), D 6.30-9pm; D daily 6.30-8.30. House wine from €19. Closed 24-26 Dec, Good Fri; open weekends only Oct-Feb. MasterCard, Visa, Laser.

Directions:

48km (30 m) north of Galway city, between Lough Corrib & Lough Mask. 5 km from Cong (R345)