Galway - Dublin food

Chris_5339762

Off to Dublin tomorrow evening.

Any good places to eat close enough to a junction of the M4/6 with easy parking? I remember hearing about somewhere in Moate awhile back.

Failing that, something awful like a Burger King would do.

ErnieBert

There are no Motorway Services on the M6/M4 unless you get off the motorway.

It is only a 2 hour journey so I suggest that you keep going and get somthing to eat in Dublin.

There is a big choice of fast foot places in the Liffey Valley at the at the M50 junction.




MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM KFC

Surely you will last 2 hours without food?

Chris_5339762

Difficult THo I will be leaving Galway at the height of rush hour (+1 hour) then have to find where the hell I'm going in DUblin (+1 hour) so I'll be peckish.

happyoutscan

Eastern side of Athlone (Exit Junction 4?) there is a Dominos Pizza, McDonalds, Subway and a service station with half decent food. A bit further on in Kilbeggan the Black Kettle is a grand spot for a bit of grub (Kilbeggan is small so can't miss it). In Maynooth you have a few chippers, Bradys pub does food as does the Roost and a couple other spots.

Unless you know Dublin it can be a bit difficult finding grub, but then again maybe that's just me.

biko

Yeah the Athlone place is were I usually stop for meal/coffee.

Robbo

The Castle in Tyrellspass isn't too bad and is maybe 5 mins from the motorway junction.

paconnors

Robbo wrote: »

The Castle in Tyrellspass isn't too bad and is maybe 5 mins from the motorway junction.

+1

fuelinjection

good question, no proper Irish food along the way, but ask some truckers before you drive and they will tell you where to eat.

civis_liberalis

Magnus wrote: »

Yeah the Athlone place is were I usually stop for meal/coffee.

I usually stop at the Subway there.

There's a hotel also, but I prefer the quick service in Subway.

Madame Razz

Just an FYI for the op regarding the Athlone place. You take the exit signed Athlone/Birr. Have heard of several people missing the turn whilst needing fuel etc. Tho I think Mcdonalds has a sign on the motorway now.

kraggy

Just after driving this journey and though it's a great time-saver, the lack of petrol stations near any of the exits is gonna catch a lot of people out I'm sure.

Particularly cause you burn a lot more petrol when you have the foot the floor on a motorway.

ronnie3585

kraggy wrote: »

Just after driving this journey and though it's a great time-saver, the lack of petrol stations near any of the exits is gonna catch a lot of people out I'm sure.

Particularly cause you burn a lot more petrol when you have the foot the floor on a motorway.

Cruising at high speed in a tall gear with relative low engine speed on the motorway is quiet efficient.

?Cee?view

ronnie3585 wrote: »

Cruising at high speed in a tall gear with relative low engine speed on the motorway is quiet efficient.

I'm definitely saving near enough to a tenner on each one way Galway Dublin trip, even allowing for having to pay two tolls.

kraggy

ronnie3585 wrote: »

Cruising at high speed in a tall gear with relative low engine speed on the motorway is quiet efficient.

It's inefficient when most people will have the foot to the floor. It's a motorway so most people will bomb it. I did today and I spent 10 euro more on petrol for the return trip than normal.

dec25532

Back to food. It is terrible that there is no service station, rest area or restaurant on the motorway between Galway and Dublin Airport. The road was built without any consideration for those who need to stop off.

ronnie3585

kraggy wrote: »

It's inefficient when most people will have the foot to the floor. It's a motorway so most people will bomb it. I did today and I spent 10 euro more on petrol for the return trip than normal.

I drive home from Dublin absolutely balls out every two weeks or so. There has been a noticeable saving in petrol money. Again, even though you're in a high speed cruise, the mean engine speed is much lower than if you were on the old national road. Think of all the stopping and starting you do on the national road with towns and villages, then when you're on a relatively straight stretch of road it's near impossible to keep a constant speed with other drivers going at different speeds. As a result you are constantly braking, speeding up and changing gear - all of which significantly increase inefficiency. Now you can sit in 6th gear from Doughiska until you get to the lights at Palmerstown.

It is terrible that there is no service station, rest area or restaurant on the motorway between Galway and Dublin Airport. The road was built without any consideration for those who need to stop off.

There is a services being built on the north side of the motorway at Enfield. They're only doing the ground works at the minute so I'd say it'll be a while before it's open.

Carolyyn

ronnie3585 wrote: »

I drive home from Dublin absolutely balls out every two weeks or so. There has been a noticeable saving in petrol money. Again, even though you're in a high speed cruise, the mean engine speed is much lower than if you were on the old national road. Think of all the stopping and starting you do on the national road with towns and villages, then when you're on a relatively straight stretch of road it's near impossible to keep a constant speed with other drivers going at different speeds. As a result you are constantly braking, speeding up and changing gear - all of which significantly increase inefficiency. Now you can sit in 6th gear from Doughiska until you get to the lights at Palmerstown.



There is a services being built on the north side of the motorway at Enfield. They're only doing the ground works at the minute so I'd say it'll be a while before it's open.

I suppose it's just another example of the bad planning that goes on all over and has landed us in current economic mess. Building a motorway without any services from one end of the country to the other must be viewed as the height of stupidity by drivers from other countries.

biko

Meh, you can just turn off the motorway for food etc. Although more Services signs are needed.

Seaneh

There is a hotel at that service station in Athlone called cregen court and they do carvery and pub food, its not bad, but not great, standard hotel bar food.

If you just want a sambo or whatever the service station and around it are a good bet, there is a subway, maccy d's, the service station itself do good sambos/wraps etc.

KevR

happyoutscan wrote: »

Eastern side of Athlone (Exit Junction 4?) there is a Dominos Pizza, McDonalds, Subway and a service station with half decent food. A bit further on in Kilbeggan the Black Kettle is a grand spot for a bit of grub (Kilbeggan is small so can't miss it). In Maynooth you have a few chippers, Bradys pub does food as does the Roost and a couple other spots.

Unless you know Dublin it can be a bit difficult finding grub, but then again maybe that's just me.

Kilmartin's on the Eastern side of Athlone with Dominos, Mc Donalds...etc. is at Junction 8 (Exit for Birr). Going towards Dublin you'll be heading along the Athlone Bypass which is Dual Carriageway (Green Signs) and when you're approaching Junction 8 there will be 'Motorway Ahead' Blue signs.

?Cee?view

Why would you bother pulling in to Athlone, particularly on your way up? Nowadays it'd not even an hour from Galway and all you'll get at that service station stop (Kilmartins) is fast food crap or carvery food.

If you're travelling towards Galway, keep going to Galway and head into Scotty's, before you even reach town.

If heading to Dublin, stop off at Fureys in Moyvalley. Exit the M4 just west of the toll, I think it's the Enfield exit.

http://www.ireland-guide.com/establishment/fureys_bar.5434.html


Both Scottys and Fureys serve great steaks. Fureys is the better of the two by far though.

KevR

Magnus wrote: »

Meh, you can just turn off the motorway for food etc. Although more Services signs are needed.

Some towns (e.g. - Moate) are not right beside their motorway junctions. If you only have time for a very quick stop-off, then turning off at a town won't be an option a lot of the time. This can be dangerous if someone is driving when they are tired but doesn't have the time to go into one of the towns for a quick break from driving and a cup of coffee.

The Motorway Service Areas will be open 24hrs also, you have no gaurentees late at night in the towns along the route.

?Cee?view

KevR wrote: »

Some towns (e.g. - Moate) are not right beside their motorway junctions.

Now why would anyone, ever want to stop at Moate?

One of the highlights of the motorway for me is that I never have to see (Re)Moate again!

KevR

churchview wrote: »

Now why would anyone, ever want to stop at Moate?

One of the highlights of the motorway for me is that I never have to see (Re)Moate again!

I was on my way up to Dublin Airport a few months back and just after I passed Athlone I realised I had no money for the M4 toll. I decided to swing into Moate quickly to get to an ATM but the town was a lot further from the junction than I thought it would be. Had to really rush the rest of the way to the Airport...

?Cee?view

KevR wrote: »

I was on my way up to Dublin Airport a few months back and just after I passed Athlone I realised I had no money for the M4 toll. I decided to swing into Moate quickly to get to an ATM but the town was a lot further from the junction than I thought it would be. Had to really rush the rest of the way to the Airport...

I'd say you could have avoided even that emergency trip! The M4 takes credit cards, and it may even take laser, but I'm not sure about the laser.

KevR

I didn't have my CC with me and was unsure if they took Laser so I went to an ATM to be safe.

kraggy

Yeah they take credit cards and Laser. Used Laser yesterday.

Very efficient too. They just swipe your card. No need for putting in your pin or anything. Just as quick as using coins.

Chris_5339762

Thanks folks. I ended up slumming it and getting a Burger King at Liffey Valley.

I guessed that it cost me about €20 in petrol and €5.10 in tolls to go one way. Dun Laoighre to Barna in 2hrs 40 mins today, and that was driving bang on 120kmh for the motorway the whole way except for Athlone (120 on the GPS which is more accurate, car said 128kmh).

?Cee?view

Quite easily the 40 of the 2 hours 40 could have been Headford Road to Barna!

Chris_5339762

Even though I arrived at 400 to Doughiska, it only took 20! Couldnt believe it, must have gotten lucky, traffic the other way was pants though.

?Cee?view

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

Even though I arrived at 400 to Doughiska, it only took 20! Couldnt believe it, must have gotten lucky, traffic the other way was pants though.

That's incredible! You were dead lucky

Coillte_Bhoy

churchview wrote: »

Why would you bother pulling in to Athlone, particularly on your way up? Nowadays it'd not even an hour from Galway and all you'll get at that service station stop (Kilmartins) is fast food crap or carvery food.

If you're travelling towards Galway, keep going to Galway and head into Scotty's, before you even reach town.

If heading to Dublin, stop off at Fureys in Moyvalley. Exit the M4 just west of the toll, I think it's the Enfield exit.

http://www.ireland-guide.com/establishment/fureys_bar.5434.html


Both Scottys and Fureys serve great steaks. Fureys is the better of the two by far though.

+1 Great spot.

?Cee?view

I treated myself to Furey's fillet steak last Friday.

The best steak I've had in a long time!

If coming from Dublin, get off the M6 at Enfield and rejoin it afterwards at Kinnegad, and vice versa if coming from Galway.

Chris_5339762

Get a receipt at the toll booth when you come off the M4 and you wont have to pay again at the mainline toll.