Val's Bar & Bistro

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#1 of 8 Restaurants in Ballyhaunis₹₹ - ₹₹₹, Irish, Bar, Vegetarian friendly

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4.0

137 reviews

#1 of 8 Restaurants in Ballyhaunis

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

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CUISINES

Irish, Bar, European, Pub

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Gluten free options

Meals

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch

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Location and contact

Main Street, Ballyhaunis Ireland

+353 94 963 0068

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Yes

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CUISINES

Irish, Bar, European, Pub

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Gluten free options

Meals

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch

FEATURES

Takeout, Reservations, Seating, Television, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Free Wifi, Table Service

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4.0

137 reviews

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Terrible

Christopher M

New York City2 contributions

Every summer for the past 6 years

Jan 2020 • family

Every summer for the past 6 years we come back to Ireland from New York to visit family and we always Stop and stay at Val’s Bistro in Ballyhaunis Co Mayo. In New York City we have a lot of food options and I must say that Val’s menu and food would is on par and above Par with anything we have on this side of the Alantic, the food taste so fresh. My wife and I really look forward to coming here each year. The pricing is very affordable and really the standard of the food is in a league of it own. I try something different each time we are there, on recommendation from the friendly staff who can not do enough to make our stay comfortable. The staff are always great at letting us know what festivals are in the areas and especially the bar manager, he has in the past gone out of his way in order to provide my wife with information, (Shea) a true gentleman and is a native of the Town. Last year we actually had my wife family ( 25 adults & 12 Children) come to the restaurant so that we could meet everybody in one location for a family reunion the staff even let us have the beautiful dining room for the party, as there was a lot of children there the Staff suggested feeding the children early so that we could actually sit down and enjoy our meal. There deserts are also out of this world! 😋 We like to stay for 3 nights as with flying back from New York to Ireland it allows our 5 Children get the needed rest before continue on our Travels in Ireland. We are already Booked this come summer 2020 and can’t wait to go West and enjoy the friendly atmosphere that this great town and establishment has to offer.

Written 28 January 2020

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Maire M

Liverpool2 contributions

Delicious food, superb staff

Jan 2020 • friends

Dined here on Sunday (I had made a reservation in advance as we were a group of 8) and despite the restaurant being super busy the staff were attentive and friendly. The menu had a wide variety which would suit all palettes. We were served our food quickly, which was very tasty. Service is second to none. Waiters/waitresses are passionate about the food they serve, more than helpful and friendly. The atmosphere was relaxing and cosy and we will return next time we visit Ballyhaunis!

Written 28 January 2020

Michael M

York377 contributions

A pilgrimage group to Knock, nearby, added to the ambiance.

Nov 2019 • none

We had fond memories of eating in Val’s in the past, during trips to the west of Ireland almost 40 years ago. On this visit we found the floor space much enlarged and a dark brown décor, which was quite relaxing. There seemed to be a lot of people from a pilgrimage group to Knock, nearby, so it took a while to get served but we were glad to feel the vibe. We went for the old reliables, Irish Stew served with mash potato and breaded fillet of plaice with chips and salad. Irish stew, in the past would have been made with basic ingredients like mutton, barley and potatoes but this was made with beef combined with potatoes, onions, and carrots, with herbs and added stock. The apple pie and ice cream were as good as ever. Simple traditional Irish food at reasonable prices – hope we get back soon.

Written 8 September 2020

Sarah M

1 contribution

Terrible experience!!

Jan 2020 • couples

Let me 1st say I am extremely disappointed I have to write this review, I have tried to contact management prior to writing this, I have been going to this establishment for years stopping in when visiting family, its alway been the hightlight of our trip, vals always felt friendly and you always felt welcome. Well definitely NOT anymore!! Over the weekend we had been down for our friends 30th. Myself and my partner came to vals for dinner before arriving at our friend's. On arrival we walked in busy as always great buzz around. We had been seated by a Iithuanian lady, she was very rude and blunt. My partner asked what the special was, the lady rolled her eyes.(didn't get an answer or if they had specials). I asked, what was a nice wine. Her blunt response was "they are all OK".. We ordered and the food arrived as always absolutely beautiful food but the food was slammed on the table Infront of us, might I add we swapped our dishes around as they were just put Infront of us incorrectly. I have never felt so uncomfortable or unwanted in a restaurant before. Looking around other guests seemed to feel the same, I over heard another table complaining, young dark hair Irish girl rushed off her feet and stopped to apologise to them as she could see they were unhappy with the waitress. Same again a few mins as I cought the attention of an older blonde haired woman who had just finished apologising to another table over the same lady, I asked the older lady for a finger bowl, even though you could see she was rushed of her feet she asked if we had been enjoying our meal, if we would like another drink and very friendly and warming, she took the time to make sure everything was ok as she probably could see by my partners reaction he was annoyed. We would of left but a long drive and we were famished, I was going to bring it to her attention on how rude the lady was but it's not her fault, reason I wanted to bring it to a managers attention when I cooled down and got home. Its terrible as one bad apple can spoil everything, all the other staff seemed to be well trained and polite and friendly (the way someone in hospitaly should be) As we have been going to vals for years I wanted to give it another chance, so Monday evening everyone was heading back home and I said we could all meet in vals for, 13 of us. Myself and my partner arrived 1st, we walked in and seen the same Lithuanian lady, my partner said not again and turned and walked. We phoned our friends and went else where. It's a Shame as the food is absolutely outstanding and all the staff anytime we went to vals always made us feel welcome. Tuesday evening I contacted vals and asked to speak to a manager I can presume same lady answered the phone as she was a foreign girl and extremely rude. I left all my details and still no phone call, clearly management do not care about loosing buisness or how disheartened customers are. If anyone wishes to contact me now after this review I will be more than happy to fill you in on our full experience! I can safely say we will not be returning on. Regards, Sarah M

Written 23 January 2020

Carmel R

17 contributions

Lovely, but.....!

Mar 2020 • family

We were here on a Sunday lunchtime and had 3 main courses. Two people had roast lamb and said it was very tough but that the potatoes and veg were lovely. I had the spinach and ricotta ravioli with roasted peppers and sun dried tomatoes in a creamy sauce. It was absolutely delicious. The servings were large. I didn't eat until the next day! We were offered complimentary water and cordial with ice which I always appreciate. The two servers we met were very friendly. But something I saw ruined the whole experience for me. A barman made a cocktail. He poured it into a glass then someone behind the bar got a straw, put it into the cocktail and tasted the drink. Then someone in front of the bar (I don't know if he was a customer or off-duty staff) got a straw, dipped it into the cocktail for a taste. Then...the cocktail was brought down to a customer sitting at a table! I was appalled by this.

Written 11 March 2020

lancomegirl01

31 contributions

My absolute favourite place to eat

Aug 2020 • couples

Consistently the best. We are regular visitors to Vals. Why do we keep coming back? Because their standards are extremely high, the food is honest, uncomplicated and well prepared, the environment is clean and friendly and the staff are so welcoming and helpful. I always get the ricotta vegetarian dish although I’m not a vegetarian. I have genuinely never ever tasted anything like this. It’s amazing. My husband is a big fan of the fatitas (combo) A word of caution... Be aware that a lot of people feel the same way, so book in advance you will not be disappointed.

Written 12 August 2020

Marguerite M

23 contributions

Lovely spot,lovely food.

May 2022 • family

Beautiful as always. Had lunch in here recently and as always it was lovely, Fresh and tasty. It was my mother's friends birthday lunch and the staff did a lovely display on her dessert plate and made her feel special for her birthday. Fab spot. Would highly recommend.

Written 8 May 2022

Yvonne W

65 contributions

Nice food but has one rude member of staff

Dec 2022 • family

Went to vals with my extending family who we were visiting in the run up to Christmas. Rang in advance to book table which they were happy to take booking. Arrived a little early for booking and was shown straight to our table ready for us including the 2 high chairs we needed for little ones. Ordered our main courses and as our main courses were being given to us, we heard an older member of staff telling our waitress to speed our table up as they needed the table. The same member of staff proceeded to tell another waitress how much they needed our table for another booking. This made us feel like we were an inconvenience and unwelcome. We had ordered desserts which we ended up with said member of staff above trying to give us desserts we didn’t order and when I pointed out they weren’t the desserts we ordered she proceeded to tell me that it is what we ordered, until our waitress came over and told her she was at the wrong table with desserts. When we did finally get our desserts we ordered, rather than waiting for all of us to be finished our desserts and then clear our plates, the same member of staff came and started clearing our table before all people at our table were finished their desserts. Our waitress was lovely, and food was nice but due to the attitude and behaviour of the one member of staff we certainly wouldn’t return again. Only for we had kids with us, I would have made complaint at the time but didn’t want to take away from our visit with family. I wouldn’t have minded them needing the table for another booking if we were late or were taking ages eating but we weren’t even there 15 minutes when the comments behind us started. We left the venue just over an hour after arriving which for a booking is well within the allowed time for a meal in a standard restaurant especially for a party of our size. Also there were other tables still available through the restaurant which hadn’t been occupied yet.

Written 11 December 2022

MaryRuss2014

Ballyhaunis16 contributions

Very poor dining experience

Aug 2023 • friends

Arrived with 2 friends at 4.30pm. We were barely seated when one of the waitresses asked us for our food order. We hadn't even ordered drinks, drinks were ordered and delivered, and within seconds we were again asked for our food order. We asked if we could have a little time to study the menu. We were barely given 2 minutes when we were asked again for our food order. It became apparent that the waitresses were being pushed by management to get orders ASAP. We placed our orders, the food arrived in a timely manner, but no sooner had we finished, our plates were whisked away and the waitress was asking us what desserts we'd like to order. We asked to be given time for our main course to go down, before we chose desserts. A few minutes later, a different waitress asked what we'd like for desserts, again we asked for time to study the menu. We were given approximately 3 minutes then we're approached by yet another waitress pushing us to order desserts. One of my party made a point of asking if we could have 10 minutes. To be fair, the waitress took this on board. We ordered desserts, 2 of our party finished theirs, I was still eating mine but felt rushed as waitresses were backwards and forwards to see if I'd finished. When I did finish, I'd barely put my spoon down, when our plates were whipped away! The owner then came over stating that we needed to leave the table in 5 minutes as they needed it. She brought the bill over and then disappeared for 5 minutes. She finally came back to us to take our payment. I'm local to this pub, and felt unwelcome and rushed, so heaven knows how visitors to the area would feel. It became clear that ours wasn't the only party being rushed, the people on the table next to us were having the same pushy treatment. We're well aware that the young waitresses were in no way at fault, you could hear management constantly pushing them to keep moving, not stand still, take orders. The waitresses were polite and efficient, but clearly under immense pressure from management. Seems Val's Bar and Bistro is all style and no substance. Beautiful building, decor lovely, food delicious, but it's policy is clearly "Get them in, get them fed, get them out asap" Not a chance of relaxing post meal.

Written 12 August 2023

Cruiser720923

4 contributions

Disappointed

Jan 2020 • friends

I don’t normally post about staff but I believe this needs attention!! Had dinner in vals yesterday, a foreign girl had served us, I have to say I found her so rude, very blunt when she took our order and basically slammed our plates on the table!! I was afraid to ask her for more water because of the puss on her face! The saving grace was the older blonde haired lady (I should have asked for her name) who was very helpful, couldn’t do enough for us and a great personality which a waitress should have, credit to your business. Food was fabulous, will be back hopefully. Would only give 1 star if it wasn’t for the blonde hair waitress , thank you

Written 20 January 2020

carol g

1 contribution

Menu changes

Nov 2022 • family

This is a nice pub. Typical pub menu, well presented and some dishes plentiful. Nice hard working friendly staff and pleasant atmosphere. HOWEVER the vegetarian choices are poor. I can't even remember what I had, it was very forgetful. Watching my son eat steak, chips, vegetables (too much to fit on one plate) while I had a few pancake things with a small pan of mainly onions and peppers. I was starving! Also asked for cheese and biscuits because I don't like sweet things I was told they don't do it. You do cheese and you have biscuits, why not put that on a plate with a pat of butter, the waitress didn't even ask the kitchen. Maybe improve the vegetarian menu and make it hearty. It hasn't got to be fancy. How about a plant based alternative to most of the dishes you already do? Burgers, lasagna, sausages, fish all have alternatives. All food was well presented, and tasty though.

Written 16 July 2023

Bailey O

Ireland11 contributions

Very rude staff member

Feb 2023 • friends

Although the food here was nice, a very rude staff member who I have since found out is the owner made the visit very unpleasant. He was very rude to staff members who were doing an exceptional job. Our server, Aishya provided excellent customer service. It was very uncomfortable to have to listen to staff members being spoken to in a very unkind manner.

Written 19 February 2023

David

Dublin2 contributions

Excellent food and very warm atmosphere.

Feb 2023 • solo

Always enjoy the wonderful food in Vals. Very warm atmosphere and very warm premises too with the prominent fire place inside the front door. Would be great for a single diner like myself if you could activate the subtitles option on the TV screens. It would allow customers to follow the TV programme on the screen if they wanted to and it wouldn’t take away from the background music playing on the house system. Thanks very much. Will be back again for more of the same!

Written 18 February 2023

Rchippex

Preston83 contributions

Great place for a family meal

Aug 2024 • family

Brilliant food with massive portions. If you're planning on 3 courses just be sure you're very hungry!!! The food itself was lovely. Seemed freshly cooked and we all enjoyed our meals. It's not fine dining food but it really hits the spot. Great pint also. Very friendly welcome and service.

Written 31 August 2024

Martino101

2 contributions

Horrible.Dont waster your money

Nov 2024 • family

From the minute we walked into this restaurant I felt like they were doing us a favor by allowing us to eat there. The place was busy nearly every table taken. No service whatsoever. No greeting not even a simple Hello. We were seated. Eventually got drinks. Our orders for 4 main courses ordered. It was over an hour later when the food arrived. No apologies no one came near us to say anything else we can get you,food will be out shortly etc. Food was served and yet again no one bothered to visit the table ask how everything was. The food was dreadful. Burger half cooked rare on one side well done on the other. The joys of the merry chef. Pasta carbonara was THE worse I have ever tried to eat. Spaghetti floating in a sea of cream. Carbonara does not contain cream. No seasoning whatsoever. Lasagna tiny portion again horrible. Manager or owner acting as a food runner delivering chips etc. He may want to supervise his staff Anyone can run food. Dont waste your money here. Totally unprofessional. Rates high as one of THE worst restaurants I have visited in Ireland in many a long year.

Written 5 November 2024

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