Safe Travels in Ireland - McGann's Pub and Bobo's Gourmet Irish Burgers

McGann's Pub

Kayleigh here. On our third night of pub hopping around Doolin, we headed to this busy and bustling pub in search of good music and, hopefully, good gluten free chowder. Like O'Connors pub, we had to put in our food and drink orders with the bartenders, and they relayed our menu questions to the chef. He assured us that the chowder itself was gluten free, but they did not have gluten free bread to serve it with.

Our meals were served not minutes after we had ordered, and Jason was given a small basket of regular brown bread with his soup- It was in a separate plate, so it was not a danger, but it seemed like the kitchen went too fast to make special orders happen.

The chowder was delicious, and the drink selection was extensive, but we did not check to find out if any other menu items were gluten free- I would recommend making sure the whole dish is safe, and avoid making substitutions. The pub gets very busy from 5:00 onwards, partly due to being one of the few pubs that accepts reservations, and the kitchen works like a well oiled machine, pumping out food orders like nobody's business. Even if you only come for drinks and the evening's live music, McGann's is worth dropping by. They have speakers throughout the building, so you can still hear the band play if you're not seated in the right room.

Jason here. I was excited to go out this night and enjoy some live music, after my previous night of drowsiness. By this point I had learned seafood chowder was my favorite Irish meal. I was secretly getting my hopes up that McGann’s would have some gluten free chowder available, so I was ecstatic to discover they did. Naturally, I ordered two bowls before last meal call. Since it may be a bit of wait for music depending on when you arrive, be sure to spread out your meal order and take your time to enjoy the food and atmoshpere.

As Kayleigh mentioned, the chowder was delicious. Just behind Wilton’s this was my second favorite chowder in Ireland. Like everywhere else it was filled with large chunks of seafood.

Bobo's Gourmet Irish Burgers

Kayleigh here. We found this place after leaving the Guinness Storehouse at closing and getting very, very lost on the way back to Kilmainham. The sign out front promised that they could work with any allergens or restrictions, and the menu itself stated 'Ask server for gluten-free options'. As we found out, the chips were fried in the same fried as the battered foods, so they were out, but most of the beef burger were safe as-is if served on lettuce instead of a bun (I'm sure you could bring your own gluten free bun in with you). And since the kitchen was right out in the open, we could see that the bread and breaded items had their own sections on the grilltop, so cross contamination was minimized.

Bobo's is a great option for fast, convenient food, although you may need to order a couple of burgers to get a full dinner. The burger menu is huge, though, and they were very open to customizing and building your own if none of them catch your fancy. Beware, though, that they get quite busy during mealtimes and there are not that many tables, so there may be a wait until one clears up.

Jason here. We wandered around for quite a while before finding a place that mentioned gluten free food. As Kayleigh mentioned the burger menu was quite extensive. However, that’s just about all your find here. It was delicious, although a bit messy as all lettuce wrapped burgers tend to be. I ordered my usual bacon cheeseburger, and enjoyed every bite. It was properly cooked, and had plenty of toppings and sauce which I enjoyed.

Safe Travels in Ireland - Gourmet Burger Bistro and Wilton's Steak Bar and Pub

Gourmet Burger Bistro
Jason here. One of the great perks of staying at a B&B is the personalized recommendations you can get. In this case our B&B owner’s son recommended we go to Gourmet Burger Bistro in downtown Cork. Cork is a pleasant city to walk around and we were able to find the restaurant easy enough.
Located just next to the river it’s a small place that specialized in cheese burgers. Gluten free buns were called out on the menu and the waitress answered any questions we might have had. I ordered the Blue Cheese Burger with which came with caramelized pear. 

It was only when my burger came out did I realize why the put so much emphasis on the cheese. I had a huge wedge of blue cheese melted over the burger. Far more then I have gotten at any other burger joint. It is worth mentioning that the burger also came with a pretty standard affair of lettuce and tomato. 

The blue cheese was excellently cooked, melting enough so it covered the burger, but still solid enough to bite into. After how good this tasted I might just start ordering extra cheese on all my burgers. The caramelized pear added a sweet flavor to the otherwise earthy and salty flavor of the burger. The sauce was mayo, which I found was the standard in Ireland over ketchup or mustard. Plenty of the burgers on the menu had other sauces, so everyone will find something to their liking. 

Kayleigh here. I was very tempted by three or so burgers on the menu, but I decided to go out on a limb and get the Beef, Chorizo, and Manchego burger. Like Jason mentioned, they were VERY generous on the lightly melted cheese, which was great to cut the spice of the salsa and chorizo slices. This one was definitely more of a fork and knife burger, though- I had chorizo and beef juices dripping down my hands whenever I took a bite, and went through more than my fair share of napkins. The whole thing was delicious, though- a big emphasis on high quality ingredients and carefully prepared dishes here.

Wilton's Steak Bar and Pub

Kayleigh here. We spent the first full day of the trip driving all around the Ring of Beara and up to the Killarney National Park before heading back to our B&B in Cork. The last thing we wanted to do at that point was drive, so our hostess pointed us towards Wilton's as a walkable option for dinner. It was fairly easy to find- across the road from a shopping center and just down the street from the hospital, and the waitress was able to find a table for two almost immediately. It had more of a family restaurant or sports bar feel to it than an Irish pub atmosphere, but it fit the menu and gave us a chance to try and puzzle out the Rugby match on the television near us.

Wilton's menu was unique to us in that it listed major allergens present in each dish- not just gluten, but also dairy, eggs, shellfish, and even mustard to name a few. The menu did not cater specifically to gluten free diners, so the options were fairly typical- not many starters to choose from, but most of the steaks and several other entrees were safe. The real bonus to Wilton's is if you are traveling with other restricted diners, or have multiple restrictions yourself. There's a good chance that anyone can find something on the menu.

Jason. Wilton’s had the greatest seafood chowder I’ve ever had. It was so thick and creamy! Plenty of large salmon chunks along with the shellfish. Seafood chowder is something I find can easily be made wrong. Either two thick, or watery, or not enough actually seafood. Everything was just right here. Kayleigh has already bought the ingredients to try and make something similar at home. Oh, and remember to ask for the gluten free bread.

The Pike Pub Review

Jason here. I really like bar food. Particular appetizers, burgers, wings, and fries. However, most pubs don’t cater to gluten free, and when they do the appetizers are usually still fried along with everything else limiting my options. I was hesitant to agree to try out The Pike Pub for those very reasons, but I’m happy to say I was mistaken and this place has excellent gluten free options.

The menu is pretty expansive, and all gluten free options are labeled. To start I ordered a Bison Bacon Burger, with a side of fries. The fries were listed as gluten free, but I have found in the past that means nothing when it comes to fried foods. I asked my waiter, and he was very knowledgeable and let me know that only fries go in that fryer to keep them safe for that reason. He even let me know they would take off the Pale Ale braised onions which would not be gluten free. Having the waiter catch that made me feel very safe ordering off the menu, and I did not have worry about cross contamination.

The plate came out with a massive burger, and covered in fries. It also had two delicious pickle spears which I was not expecting. They were listed on the menu, so I must have been particularly absent minded that day. I love the burger, with plenty of crispy bacon and some sort of cheese I did not quite recognize. The menu listed it as Samish Bay Ladysmith cheese, but I’m not sure what that is. If you have never had bison burger I recommend you give it a try. I find I prefer the taste just a little bit more, and it has more of a solid patty consistency, as opposed to the ground beef. Ground beef tends to leave a fatty coating in my mouth, which bison does not. I’ve heard it described as sweeter, but that’s not been my experience. I think just having less of that fatty coating in my mouth brings out the flavor more.

Now that we have found a couple different places not too far from the convention center, I’ll feel more prepared when Emerald City, or PAX roll around and we are hunting for places to eat.

Kayleigh here. Despite always being on the lookout for gluten free restaurants with homey pub atmospheres, I had passed this one by so many times because I assumed it was just another tourist trap on the waterfront. But then I noticed it had actually won a few awards for their beers, and I decided it was worth giving the food a shot. The gluten free menu is mostly limited to sandwiches and pizzas ( a couple of the salads are also safe), but there are quite a few options to choose from, and being able to order actually gluten free french fries is such a rarity! Plus, they have some decent kimchi as a side dish option- who would have guessed?