The Anvil Bar

This place was one of the highlights of a recent weeklong family vacation to Ireland. Liz, the owner, was incredibly warm and friendly and a pleasure to talk to. She made us feel right at home and could not have been a better host.
Like a lot of pubs in Ireland, this is also a bed & breakfast. Located in Boolteens, a town so small that Apple Maps couldn’t even find it, this place is off the beaten path and had the most «local» feel of any of the places we stayed. If you can brave the narrow Irish roads, however, the rather remote location is perfect for accessing the Dingle Peninsula and the Ring of Kerry. Boolteens and Castlemaine, a larger town nearby, are located towards the very beginning of both and the Anvil served as a perfect homebase for touring the region.
The rooms were top-​notch and very comfortable. They advertised luxury and they were not kidding. For what we paid, the Anvil was the best value of the trip.
In addition to being my favorite place we stayed, our night at the bar was just as good of an experience. We had a lot of pub food throughout our trip and our plates at the Anvil were among the best. Between my steak sandwich and my parents’ seafood dishes, we were all happy.
I also can’t praise the atmosphere enough. It was a true Irish pub with a mix of tourists and locals but at least on the night we came in, there was more of the latter. If I’m fortunate enough to ever make it back to Ireland, I’ll definitely be back at the Anvil!