Vaughan’s Anchor Inn

One of the Best Sea food places I have ever had. We can me from Pennsylvania and I have had a lot of sea food. I got the fish and chips, so light and flakey. Absolutely amazingly fresh!
My wife got the crab claws and she likes them. They were like nuggets of claws with good flavor. Mashed potatoes were fantastic. If you’re going to the Cliffs of Moher, this place is right there. We were staying 1&½ hours away and we considered driving back just to eat.
Highly recommended!

This place is okay, don’t buy into all the hype. The food was good but not great. Our oysters were ok but not the best. The staff was friend and the place was very clean but the food was over priced for the quality.

I had three enjoyable meals there in the past week. The crab crumble appetizer was terrific. My monk fish and filet were tasty. The deserts off the charts. A very quaint and typical Irish pub/​Inn with very friendly staff and patrons. Go next door to Egans for a night cap and good folk music. Give Kathy a kiss from me!

Highly recommended by locals-​nice place, very crowded but service was good. Food was just «okay» for me-​I ordered the seafood chowder and it was just… lacking. My friend got the fish & chips which were better-​he thought they were great. Saw other around us getting more interesting food preparations so maybe this wasn’t the place for Irish pub fare but that is what I am seeking on our trip-​smithwicks and pub fare! Although I don’t get the «smashed green peas» does anyone enjoy them… really?

Good selection great servers and a nice location. We were with a big group and even when we had the same dishes each person had a different experience. Some of the fish were not fully cooked for the fish and chips and some were too cooked but it was a good experience

If you’re looking for excellent quality pub food using the areas local abundance of seafood this is your place.
As other reviews have said the seafood chowder is excellent and the quality of the other dishes is incredible in a traditional pub atmosphere. Service is exactly what you’d expect from a pub: good enough, gets the job done. The fish and chips was definitely some of the best we’ve ever had. It was very simple, the chips were fresh and memorable, crispy on the outside and steamy soft with fresh potato in the center.
Highly recommended, would definitely come back.

Must have hit a bad day. Wife’s fish chowder was good. My fish and chips were very greasy and the frying oil tasted old/​stale. Service OK. Parking lot fills up fast. Cozy spot though.

Vaughn’s is a hidden Gem. This is a place you must stop on your trip along the Clare coast. Comfortable friendly and the food is FANTASTIC. I could go on and on but you will not be disappointed if you stop and try it out. This is not your typical pub grub.

Three of us had a wonderful experience — the food, the help, and the atmosphere all combined into most memorial experience.
We enjoyed a fresh salmon catch, a ribeye, and fish-​n-​chips for dinner, after feasting on oysters (with a few beverages).
I would highly recommend Vaughan’s.

Absolutely Amazing! People told me to go there for the award winning Sea Food Chowder and yes I did and it was delicious. What the secret is? I can’t tell you besides of that the soup had all kind of fish in it and the broth seemed to be made of potato soup rather than cream. it is worth a try!
For main I decided for the Lobster and Prawn Risotto, the seafood for this dish comes from a guy called Michael, who lives in the area and provides the restaurant also with Crab for their starters. No cream here again, very original made :)
All in all, I am very very happy — with service and quality of the food to affordable prices.

We stopped there looking for somewhere convenient to eat after an afternoon spent in Lehinch. Had seen the place on the web but never thought this was going to turn into a gastronomic experience. This place has the qualities of a great restaurant but looks like a local pub. Not cheap but well worth a try, I’ll definitely come back and recommend it to all!

Five stars does not adequately capture the level of quality of Vaughan’s Anchor Inn, so if I could, it would be like, six or seven stars. It’s easily one of the top five restaurants I’ve ever eaten at in my life, and certainly the best seafood I’ve ever had (I was born in Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay, and grew up in Alaska, so I’d like to think I’ve had a fair sampling against which to compare). You simply MUST make this a priority if you’re anywhere in the area when traveling around Western Ireland. It’s a stone’s throw from the Cliffs of Moher, so if you’re headed that way, a meal at Vaughan’s is a priority.
1. Food. MY GOODNESS.
This was our last full meal in Ireland, before driving back to Dublin, and it was by far the best. We tried the crab legs (so hot and buttery), mussels (53 in a pot, so many mussels, my goodness!, and cooked in salt water, no less), seafood chowder (creamy, fresh and rich), fish and chips (I’ve never eaten cod, or even fish, that tasty), and four of the desserts (Baked Alaska, homemade ice cream, and two others — a meringue and a chocolate – that I can’t find the name of). Gourmet food, gourmet presentation… there’s a reason this is in the Michelin Guide, folks.
2. Atmosphere.
Our server was friendly, made sure we were well looked after, and pleasant throughout, happy to pass on our compliments to the chef. The restaurant itself has the feeling of a fisherman’s local, filled with nautical things, including a beautiful ship in a bottle, and a huge metal diving helmet. There’s dark panneled wood, warm carpet, and a crackling fire. It’s homey and comfortable, while still nice.
All around, this is the place to eat in Ireland (as far as my own meager attempts to eat my way across the Emerald Isle can tell). Make it happen, thank me later.

Absolutely Delish! I’m a huge fan. When I travelled across Ireland last year, a guy on the plane gave us two tips: stay at the Moyhouse and dine at the Anchor Inn. And so we did. Best. Decision. Ever.
Vaughan’s cute litte Pub, which is also a restaurant, serves seriously awesome food. We hadn’t been to Ireland before and were quite amazed how good the food in pubs was across the country. But this one topped it all!
Seated in the rear, with not many other people, we drank a bottle of great wine (they have a decent selection) and got some appetizers. I got a the Roasted Black Pudding, Scotch Egg, Caramelized Red Onion and Piquillo pepper. And my +1 the O Connell’s Liscannor Bay Crab with Tasting of Beetroots. Both dishes were served on a slate plate. Really awesome! (check out the photos)
As a main dish we got the 21 day dry aged Chateaubriand of Donald Russell Beef for two people, Triple Cooked Chips, Tempura of Onion Rings and Béarnaise Sauce. And again, it was so good! The meat was tender and juicy, and perfectly cooked. The fried were really special, there were like three huge pieces of triple fried potatoes, so they were still were soft inside which I don’t like too much. But it was okay, as we couldn’t eat all of them just because of the amount of meat!
Then we shared a dessert, a selection of different goodies, from caked to crèmes, it was again absolutely delicious!
Vaughan’s has won several awards and this doesn’t surprise me. It’s not just a pub or a restaurant, but it’s a gourmet place. Everybody who drives by and loves good food must stop by.
I heart this space and I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to go there again if I were in the region. Totally worth a drive!
My recommendation for nearby accomodation: Moy House (
)

I had lunch here and it was a winner! Thanks to all the Unilocalers out there, we found this gem! They had great Irish food and the soup was amazing! If you are in the area, you should stop by for some grub!