The Oarsman Bar & Café
Category: Pub
Bridge Street Carrick-on-Shannon Co Leitrim
Tel:+353 (0)71 962 1733
Please mention ireland-guide.com when enquiring.
The Oarsman Bar & Café
This attractive and characterful pub in Carrick on Shannon is run by brothers Conor and Ronan Maher, sons of Tom and Rosaleen Maher (see entry for Hollywell), and it will be very clear to anyone who visits that they’ve inherited “the hotelier’s gene”: everything is invariably spick-and-span, very welcoming and efficiently run, even at the busiest times.
The bar - which is very pleasantly set up in a solidly traditional style with two welcoming fires, comfortable seating arrangements for eating the excellent bar meals, and occasional contemporary tastes in the decor - leads off towards a sheltered beer garden at the back, which makes a spot for a sunny day.
A strong kitchen team produces consistently excellent food, offered on appealing lunchtime bar menus and more extensive à la carte evening menus offered upstairs.
Here you might have a great meal, beginning with seared Kilkeel scallops with spring onion potato cake, minted pea purée and lime crème fraiche, followed by any one of half a dozen terrific main courses, say slow braised Tom Beirne’s pork belly with ginger & herb marinated pork fillet, roast apple, colcannon mash, and balsamic reduction.
And, desserts have always been a speciality here, so don’t forget to save a space for a wonderful ending - delicious iced pineapple soufflé, with caramelised pineapple pieces, coconut & oatmeal cookies; and a chocolate plate - composed of warm dark chocolate torte, white chocolate & brandy mousse and organic truffle ice cream – both came in for special praise on a recent visit.
This is one of the country’s most pleasant pubs and it just goes on getting better - definitely worth a detour.
Bar food Tue-Sat L 12-3; snack menu 3-5pm; evening menu 5-9pm. Restaurant seats 40; not suitable for children after 9pm; free broadband wi/fi; D Thu-Sat 6.45-9.15pm. A la carte. House wine from about €17. Closed Sun, Mon, 25 Dec, Good Fri. MasterCard, Visa, Laser.
Directions:
Town centre: coming from Dublin direction, turn right just before the bridge.
