The Bayview Bar

Truly great bar food in the heart of Dungloe. Not a huge selection but what they do, they do very well!
We came here for Sunday lunch and had the beef and the turkey. Simple traditional Irish food that (as usual) tastes a lot nicer than it looks, I cleaned off the plate!
Our deserts were delicious too.
The staff are really friendly and helpful and it seems to be quite popular with the locals. Nothing at all too fancy, but the food is of good quality.
Only reason I dock a star is because of the price, it’s not the best value around and considering 2 minutes away, The Stepping Stone has a lot higher class food for much better value, and because the menu is quite scant, it mightn’t be somewhere to keep coming back too.
Great food, brilliant service but a bit pricey for what it is.

25 years ago the Bayview was my Friday night watering hole of choice. A poor student in Dublin, each Friday I took the long 5 hour bus ride home from Dublin for some home cooking and free laundry service. For an entire year, Friday nights were usually spent watching the then banned Monty Python Life of Brian and then heading out to have a few scoops in the Bayview, or as it was lovingly known then as «Big Mickies».
Fast forward 25 years and I’m back in the Bayview, still with The Life of Brian as my all time favorite movie, a little grayer in the head and dragging along with me my longtime friend of 25 years ago to relive the experience.
Big changes, not to us, but to the Bayview. The place has undergone such a transformation it was hard to believe it was the same place. Clean as a whistle and with some brilliant old pics of Dungloe back in the day.
Under the guidance of Hugh Gerard Boyle, the Bayview has become not just a good clean pub, but it’s put itself way up there in the gastropub realms.
Let me explain.
I spent a scant 6 days scooting around from Dublin to Donegal and back again taking in my 25 year school reunion. Ate at some highly reviewed places and enjoyed it all immensely but it was the Bayview which won my foodie heart and which will remain with me as being one of THE most gastronomical experiences of my trip (my life even! which is absolutely saying something). Hidden in plain sight!
The first night in we sat at the bar drinking up a storm, pint after pint of creamy Guinness served up with a side of wit. There’s nothing like the sly wit of the Donegal person to make a pint slide down easy. After a glance at the menu we knew this was were dinner was to be had the next night, and so the plan was hatched.
Its a very non assuming place. No fancy pants falderal. Walk in and take a seat, have drinks or have dinner you are treated the same. We called for some menus and I kinda already had my mind made up from the night before. Brie baked in a filo purse with homemade cranberry apricot relish to start and seafood tagliatelle for my main course. My sister ordered the oriental steak salad to start followed by a burger and my friend John had this awesome filo pastry shell with grilled veggies and topped with grilled goat cheese and then Moroccan style Lamb shank on mashed potatoes with gravy for dinner.
Om to the freaking GEEEEE!!!
Multiple taste explosions!!! I being me HAD to have a taste of everything. And the things which stood out were:
The home made relish for the burger. Put that shit in a pint glass and give me a straw!!!
The Goat Cheese filo pastry appetizer… a dream on a plate!
The lamb shank… fall off the bone awesomeness. Who would have thought to put middle eastern flavours with mashed potatoes. THEY DID! It works.
Don’t get me wrong, my own seafood dish was eye rolling. Chunks and chunks of smoked cod, fresh salmon, mussels. Absolutely delishis!!!
Wash that shit down with pints of creamy Guinness and you are in absolute food coma heaven!
The most important thing though, is to ask for Hugh Gerard himself, and ask him how much for the read of the paper, and tell him GinaSusie sent you!

Oh the food! The food! Every meal, from lunch to dinner that I’ve eaten here has been incredible. Everything from the presentation, aroma, colours, and the taste is superb. The interior is new, the bathrooms are nice, — very clean as well. Make sure to call ahead and secure a reservation. This is the favorite dining spot in town.

If you ever are lucky enough to be traveling in Co. Donegal this pub in Dungloe on the Coast is well worth stopping in for excellent food at reasonable prices. Freshest seafood, good portions and a great vibe to the place.

Dungloe is a nice little town and this Pub is at the bottom of the hill as you start to leave town headed north. There appeared to be parking behind but of course we didn’t see that and parked up the hill. The service was very friendly, the menu selection was very good for a pub, and the seafood was among the best we had in Ireland. A lot of locals ate there while we were there and you know that the locals only eat at the good places. OH YES — and the Smithwick’s ale was VERY cold. I liked that!