Cottage Bar
Cottage Bar
4.4
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience nearby attractions
Are you currently on your trip?
Help us find experiences available for you.
The area
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
88 within 5 kms
Attractions
17 within 10 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.4
60 reviews
Excellent
42
Very good
12
Average
0
Poor
1
Terrible
5
Peta P
Sidcup, UK507 contributions
Oct 2023 • Family
Came in here one evening for a quick drink before heading back to the hotel.
All I can say is wow! It was like stepping into someone’s living room. Atmosphere was so good and a nice roaring fire along with 3 men playing instruments in the corner , singing and generally adding to the traditional Ireland experience.
I love Ireland and this little pub just added to our trip here. Would love to visit again and will do when I’m over visiting relatives.
All I can say is wow! It was like stepping into someone’s living room. Atmosphere was so good and a nice roaring fire along with 3 men playing instruments in the corner , singing and generally adding to the traditional Ireland experience.
I love Ireland and this little pub just added to our trip here. Would love to visit again and will do when I’m over visiting relatives.
Written 22 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
angie
Belfast, UK12 contributions
Sept 2021 • Couples
Loved the quaintess of this bar. How far do you have to travel to find an old fashioned pub that reminds you of your youth ? The innocence of your grandad having a glass of stout and you having a brown lemonade ? Love the memories this place stirs up, the old tea cups etc are memory jerkers. Great smithwicks, good gin selection and lovely fire with great staff. I'd prefer to have a drink here rather than the many, many 'disco music' bars packed with teenage drinkers !!!!
Written 13 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
e42b
Paderborn, Germany9 contributions
Mar 2022
Ages ago, in the early 90s, i dropped in there by chance. I had 3 very entertaining nights with some students, from which i got some great tips to go to.
In 1991, i went to Letterkenny without any personal motion facility. I tried to travel the west coast by train and bus. What i found was the craic. (I still love Mary who ordered a second glass.) Taking the tips i went to Galway, meeting a guy in the recommended "The Quays", have been picked up there by a nice guy who took me to "Taylor's Bar" where i met my Galway girl.
In order to cut the long story short: Next year, same place, same craic. I went down to Westport then. With my car, found Liam with whom i had some kathartic days. Pitily my former Galway girl went to Belgium as Seamus told me.
In order to cut the story even shorter: Dropping into The Cottage Bar has been the initial spot to guide me down the west coast.
If i ever get the money to go to Ireland again i'll start at The Cottage Bar in Letterkenny.
Don't mind the given time. They don't give a bit of a chance to tell the truth which is 1991.
In 1991, i went to Letterkenny without any personal motion facility. I tried to travel the west coast by train and bus. What i found was the craic. (I still love Mary who ordered a second glass.) Taking the tips i went to Galway, meeting a guy in the recommended "The Quays", have been picked up there by a nice guy who took me to "Taylor's Bar" where i met my Galway girl.
In order to cut the long story short: Next year, same place, same craic. I went down to Westport then. With my car, found Liam with whom i had some kathartic days. Pitily my former Galway girl went to Belgium as Seamus told me.
In order to cut the story even shorter: Dropping into The Cottage Bar has been the initial spot to guide me down the west coast.
If i ever get the money to go to Ireland again i'll start at The Cottage Bar in Letterkenny.
Don't mind the given time. They don't give a bit of a chance to tell the truth which is 1991.
Written 13 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Colin B
Belfast, UK373 contributions
Sept 2022
Called in as part of our pub tour of Letterkenny. A real eclectic mix of patrons.
Found a nice spot by a roaring fire and chatted away to the locals.
Upstairs is very unusual - like small living rooms of a house where you can sit and drink.
Def worth calling in to experience
Found a nice spot by a roaring fire and chatted away to the locals.
Upstairs is very unusual - like small living rooms of a house where you can sit and drink.
Def worth calling in to experience
Written 28 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Shamie W
Multyfarnham, Ireland77 contributions
Jan 2018 • Couples
Hi we visited the cottage bar last sunday night. We had two drinks each and the publican never spoke to us. No please, thank you, where are ye from, its cold out. NOTHING. We are dog lovers and he has even thought his cocker spaniel to be as ignorant as him.
If this is number 1 bar in the town, well God help Letterkenny
If this is number 1 bar in the town, well God help Letterkenny
Written 13 January 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Claireh2000
33 contributions
Oct 2017 • Friends
I was in this pub last night with a group of my friends who were all predominantly male - the bar lady (blonde curly hair and older) aggressively grabbed my friends pint out of his hand and excused him of robbing drinks. We were shocked and when confronted she did not apologise and cursed at my friend. Im actually dumbfounded about the entire episode. Safe to say we wont be back.
Written 14 October 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John C
1 contribution
May 2017 • Friends
The cottage bar looked lovely, warm and cosy untill we walked in and the woman behind the counter shouted at us "GET OUT" are ye a stag "NO STAGS, GET OUT" we had 6 in our group and we just wanted a quiet drink. I was shocked the way she spoke to us and I overheard a customer say to her that was very harsh what you just said.
Written 29 May 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Katie D
1 contribution
Nov 2019 • Solo
I'm a transgender woman, I used to frequent this bar perhaps once a month, never had an issue with it until tonight. Went into the bar are ordered a pint of Guinness, and was met by why the bar tender nodding her head side to side saying "no" thought perhaps the Guinness was off or something. I said "have you got anything else to drink" she went on to say she wasn't serving me. I said "perhaps it's because I'm transgender" TYPICAL she said she "didn't know that". Then a male customer became involved. He went on to say "this is trish's pub and what Chris says goes". I asked what I had done, her response was... "You Know.. a couple of incidents away back". This is no way to treat people especially people from vulnerable minorities.
Written 29 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jose
Dublin, Ireland6 contributions
Jul 2018 • Friends
Awful, one of worst pubs I have ever been in. It’s a dump do not go there. Not even a pub really. Old women behind bar was not friendly and was visibly miserable, everybody in there seemed unhappy because of it. We were staying locally and had a lovely meal and pint in McGinleys.
Written 24 May 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
genie30
County Donegal, Ireland180 contributions
Grand for a pint but you will be very disappointed if you are looking for quality food.
Really should be removed from list of restaurants.
Really should be removed from list of restaurants.
Written 13 October 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No questions have been asked about this experience
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing