The Old Boro

Love this place now… great value and lovely staff! Breakfast, lunch, coffees, dinner, drinks, occasions you name it!

There’s cheap food and drink to be had here, but at a price. The lack of music and bright lighting make for an odd atmosphere; it’s not the kind of place where you’d like to linger over a pint. There is a wide range of drinks on offer and the prices are great but the food is verging on terrible. It’s basically what you’d rustle up at home from the freezer on an evening you couldn’t be bothered with actually cooking. ‘Tis grand for some cheap tipples but avoid the food!

So yummy and cheap! Great selection of beer and also a huge food menu! Every time we go shopping we just use it as an excuse to pop in for a bevvy :) the burgers are really tasty and the fact you can get a beer on the side is the icing on the cake! Definitely worth a try, you’ll come back for more!

It has now opened its doors under the weatherspoons franchise. The drinks and food are cheap. However I was dissapointed to find out the drinks in the weatherspoons in Dun Louraigh are cheaper! The décor is okay. It felt more like a family resturant than a bar. I would return for the cheap alcohol but not for the food which was alow to arrive and very under whelming… but you get what you pay for!?!

So we decided to give the newly opened Old Borough of Swords a chance tonight. It’s by J.D. Whetherspoons and it celebrated it’s grand unveiling in late July of this year. A recent enough opening which needs to be considered.
The restaurant does food until 11pm at night and some pretty fantastic deals (Tuesdays: steaks for between € 10.50−14.50 with chips, peas, mushrooms and grilled tomato + a non-​alcoholic/​an alcoholic drink — including some good craft beers!).
It’s fair to say that The Old Borough is still getting to grips with it’s recent opening and this was apparent tonight. We ordered 3 sides (at € 3-​€ 3.50 each) which were fairly good, the wings in particular were ample with a very very nice blue cheese sauce and a hot sauce that ticks the boxes if you’re a fan of Frank’s buffalo wing sauce and some fairly succulent scampi but I’d give the prawns a miss. We also decided to get some onion rings (only € 1.50 if you ordered the steaks from the Tuesday deal meal menu) but the quality was reflected by the price sadly, they came out limp and cold. But as said, they were only € 1.50 and you get what you pay for.
A quick note: you have to go to the bar to order your food and you give your table number and pay before the meal comes out, which was a different but good idea considering the story that unfolded. (The boyfriend struggled with a waitress when explaining our order though and had to rely on using the specials menu to ensure that no misunderstandings could be had. Alas, misunderstandings occurred regardless.)
The combos don’t come as a starter [not allowed if using one of the daily special menus] so we patiently– ravenously– waited for our food to all come out.
However the steaks, well, that was a different story. We had ordered two Aberdeen Rump steaks, medium rare at € 14.50 a pop (bargain!) but what we got were two Aberdeem Rump steaks cooked well done. Our waitress, Jade, was an absolute delight though and took them back without issue and full of genuine apologies and made sure we got looked after with two complimentary craft beers (The Crisp and Bengali Tiger). We munched away on the combo sides and happily sipped our beers in eager anticipation for our steaks, take 2.
Round two of steaks arrive, even larger than the previous two and nearly hanging off the plate so generous were the portions. We happily cut in but our delight was cut short. Someone in the kitchen had made the same mistake and over cooked our steaks and this time the 14 oz lumps of meat before us were more incinerated than the worst sinner in Dante’s 9^th level of hell. Cremated, tougher than a leather boot and potentially a weapon if you needed to defend yourself from a home invasion. Luckily we got the attention of another (equally lovely) waiter called Jack, who immediately took care of the issue and offered us a replacement but understood when we declined. The manager shortly arrived, full of apologies and thankfully no excuses and refunded us for both steaks and was sincerely sorry about the issues of the food. Cue 2 more complimentary craft beers (as I write this I actually feel quite guilty about just how nice they all were). The manager, Sarah-​Louise, and the staff, Jack, Jade and one guy whose name we never got, we encountered were so pleasant and really made up for the unfortunate experience we had in the restaurant. I understand that the restaurant is open less than 3 weeks and they have been extremely busy with training up staff and deciding on a menu and I have to say, besides the mess up with the steaks, the rest of the meal was very very good, especially when you consider how low the prices are. The boyfriend decided to try the apple crumble and myself a chocolate sundae (they kindly offered us both of these free of charge considering the whole affair) and the desserts were SERIOUSLY good. His crumble was nearly as generous as the half a cow we were each given and swimming (nicely) in a delcious custard, the flavour of the crumble perfectly captured with some sprinkling of cinnamon and the custard rich but not too heavy. My sundae definitely contained the 734 calories advertised on the menu and every bite was worth the damage to my heart and gall bladder, the hot brownie pieces were really good but not sickly sweet and the belgian chocolate sauce was good, silky texture and a nice flavour without making you feel like you ate half a cocoa field.
All in all, the reason for the 4 stars is because we went in only for a steak each but ended up with sides, 6 beers and two desserts. Had we gotten the steaks cooked the right way either time round, I’d be giving 5 stars considering how brilliant the staff were and the quality of Sarah-Louise’s management in light of it all.
Staff alone deserve 5 stars. They are an asset to the business and the reason we’ll be giving The Old Borough a second chance once my body’s coped with the sundae and the kitchen’s a bit more in order. Very happy we went.

I was here with a work colleague last Thursday. I really like this pub. It has a lively young atmosphere and is somewhere you could see becoming your new local.

I think the covered and heated patio outside makes this place a hit.
Asides from that, the place serves lunch and all the beer you can find in many other pubs along the way. Parking is a challenge.
But that covered and heated outside patio makes this a really nice neighbourhood pub.

The Old Boro has a pretty interesting story behind it, because up until about 6 years ago it was a primary school! When you think about it now, it would definitely seem strange to have a school right in the centre of Swords Main Street. However, it has become a well-​established and sophisticated pub and restaurant. Whether you’re heading here for an afternoon meal, to watch the match, or for a night out, you will have a great time! The seating areas are comfortable and classy. One thing I noticed as well was that the washrooms are always spotless — so that’s a great sign! There is a heated beer garden which is always a plus. The prices are a bit steep compared to the other pubs in the area, but there is a good selection of drinks to choose from and sometimes there are drink promotions so keep your eyes peeled for the discounts!