Aunty Lena’s

Well I feel like it can’t get much better than this, first pint of Guinness since arriving here in Ireland was here. So I’m already pleased beyond all means. I have been anticipating bangers and mash for a while and I was definitely not let down. The bangers were very flavorful, almost crispy on the outside and juicy on the outside. The mash and mashed carrots lay in a sea of the perfect gravy. It’s slightly sweet and salty and very flavorful. The service was excellent and we got our drinks and food within like 15 mins. The atmosphere is exactly what you would expect for your Irish restaurant experience. This place is also not touristy at all, seems like we were the only Americans in the place.

We just had drinks but the bartenders are great. They have live music every night and do traditional Irish on Friday nights.

Sitting in the heart of town, Aunty Lena’s is the first pub most people set eyes on when they visit Adare. You have to give it to the Irish; in a town with only one intersection they have a surprising number of places to grab a drink (good on you guys). Walking in you get the sense that this place has seen its fair share of faces, and that this is where the sports loving locals come on a nightly basis. I say sports loving, as they had quite a few TVs hanging on the walls and some sporting event or another is always on (be it a horse race, football, or my new favorite thing in the world — hurling).
This would have absolutely where we would have had our first pint in the countryside (like I said it’s got the prime location in town), but it was hosting a wedding party — pretty sure the last thing the happy couple wanted hear was a couple of soon to be drunk Americans commenting on how quaint their village was. We did end up here that night, after putting a few back at Bill Chawkes down the (one and only) road. Finding a stool at the bar, we quickly ordered up a couple of pints and got to people watching. This place was the real deal, old guys talking about sports, young guys goofing around; the crowed was really lively and fun to be a part of. The food looked kind of hit or miss, and we had just eaten at Bills (good, albeit lucky choice). We did split an order of chips, which were good; but then again, you would be hard pressed to find a place that messes chips up. Honestly this place is much more a bar than it is a restaurant, if you are looking for a quiet place for dinner this is not it.
All in all, this is a good place to see how the locals in Adare do it after a long day; the mood is fun and alive. I would recommend this place for a pint, but find someplace else for food (Pat Collins down the road has great fish and chips).

Adare is a lovely small town. The roofs are straw thatched, the building are quaint and the bars are sparse. Of the 4ish bars along the main stretch, Aunty Lena’s will jump at you from the start. It is painted a gaudy gold color (that I love) with flowers lining the windows and a portrait of an elderly woman on the side of the building. We took a tour of the town on a Friday and quickly learned there were at least two wedding parties taking to the local bars. Sadly they had packed into Aunty’s so we passed it by and took our first Irish pints in a bar down the street.
Later that evening, when the parties had moved to different locations, we were able to stop in. It is a rather large with a full bar and dining area. The bartenders were very friendly and service was quick. We did not have any meals here but the french fries were very good. The bar always had seats available and the locals and visitors were pleasant to talk to. They do have WiFi and if i recall correctly it is just the bar name all lowercase. The ambiance was quiet and dim with great old world décor and feel. Of course, I’m always a sucker for copper bar counters!
After a long day of driving to places like Cork or Galway, it was nice to stop in for a few pints before heading back home for a quick night’s sleep. It’s weird enough to drive on the wrong side of the road and we were certainly not dumb enough to drink and drive that way!

This was our 3^rd pub in Adare… and our favorite. Grabbed a bite to eat last night and the food and service were wonderful. I had the chicken fingers and Zoey had the chicken wings. Mine came with a salad and chips, which were so tasty. Zoey’s wings were delicious. The portions were generous. The place was charming and we felt welcome and comfortable. We will definitely be back when in the area again.