The Locke Bar

Limerick, Ireland

4.4

Open now

20 reviews

Free Wi-Fi

Contacts

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Telephone:
+353 61 413 733
Website:
www.lockebar.com
Address:
3 George's Quay, Limerick, Republic of Ireland
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.2 miArthur's Quay
0.2 miDublin Coach M7 Express
0.3 miWilliam St.
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
Yes
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepted Cards
Credit, Debit
Good For
Dessert
Parking
Street
Bike Parking
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Loud
Music
Live
Good For Dancing
No
Alcohol
Full Bar
Happy Hour
No
Best Nights
Fri, Sat, Sun
Coat Check
No
Smoking
Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
Free
Has TV
Yes
Waiter Service
Yes
Caters
Yes
Has Pool Table
No

Today

Today 9:00 am – 12:30 am
Open now
Local time (Limerick) 7:42 PM Friday, May 23, 2025

Business hours

Monday 9:00 am – 11:30 pm
Tuesday 9:00 am – 11:30 pm
Wednesday 9:00 am – 11:30 pm
Thursday 9:00 am – 11:30 pm
Friday 9:00 am – 12:30 am
Saturday 10:00 am – 12:30 am
Sunday 9:00 am – 11:30 pm

Description

Specialties

The Locke Bar in Limerick specialises in a number of areas. Our award winning seafood is unrivalled as well as our full gastro bar menu.

The Locke’s famous seafood platter is a favourite amongst our customers, incorporating a variety of seafoods including fresh salmon, smoked salmon, prawns, crab claws, oysters, smoked mackerel, marie rose sauce and soda bread.

Another favourite is our tasty Dingle Bay crab claws and the delicious Castletownbere organic mussels, a must try for any visitor coming to the city of Limerick.

As well as specialising in seafood The Locke Bar also provide an array of exclusive, premium drinks. From our very own craft beer, The Locke Stout, to our premium whiskey selection. If it’s a drink you’re looking for The Locke is the place to go.

History

Established in 1724.

The Locke is Limerick’s finest gastro pub, situated on the site of one of Limerick’s oldest pubs dating back to 1724. Our traditional Irish pub is situated beside the city’s most historical landmarks: St. Mary’s Cathedral, King John’s Castle & The Hunt Museum.

This Olde World pub lies on a tree lined quay overlooking the Abbey River. Old wood panelling & open fires make it the perfect place to snuggle down in the winter & in summer you can sit outside in the beautiful riverside setting. No visit to Limerick is complete without a visit to the Locke.

Awards

The Locke is a winner of numerous prestigious awards such as Irelands Best Tourist Bar, Limericks Best Gastro Pub, Catex Best Main Course, Black and White pub of the year, Irish Music pub of the year, Dining pub of the year and listed in Georgina Cambell’s best places to eat.

The Locke Bar also recommends

The Hunt Museum

5

reviews

Museums

The Locke Bar says,

«This former custom house holds a 2000+ collection of ancient and modern treasures that must be seen to be believed! Take a tour — you won’t regret it!»

King Johns Castle

16

reviews

Landmarks & Historical Buildings

The Locke Bar says,

«Located on King’s Island, King John’s Castle dates all the way back to the 13th Century. This medieval fortress is great for history lovers!»

St Mary’s Cathedral

1

review

Museums

The Locke Bar says,

«One of the most beautiful sites in Limerick City and the oldest building in Limerick that is still in use! St Mary’s Cathedral is a must see!»

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Vicinity

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20 reviews of The Locke Bar

No registration required
Place rating: 2
Saint Louis, MO
The redeeming quality is the seating by the river. We paid more for a beer than we have anywhere else in Ireland, 6.50 euro, and the fish and chips was not seasoned and very small portions. Very disappointed. Ranks at the very bottom of the list compared to the other pubs we have busted across Ireland! I do not recommend.
Place rating: 5
Downey, CA
Totally fun!
I really enjoyed my Guinness and loved band playing!
I love Irish Culture, and visiting from America it is such a treat to be surrounded by such fun and kind-​hearted local folks going to enjoy a night out after a long day.
Place rating: 2
Brooklyn, NY
The food sucks, and by sucks I mean disgusting.
but aside from that, the atmosphere is great. Would definitely come back for a few drinks, but I rather starve than eat the food again. …I’m starting to think the food is gonna be free… Been waiting for almost an hour to pay my bill…:/ 2 stars only bc I would come back for drinks.
Place rating: 4
Santa Clarita, CA
Excellent beer and the sausage and leeks was awesome, also the beef stew was amazing. Hope to come here again!
Place rating: 4
Belleville, IL
Update to the review: the food is always good, but sometimes the service is really slow. Our meal last night was fish and chips, and mine ended up being soggy it sat for so long. Our waitress changed halfway through the meal and the rest of the meal was fantastic. The older waitress we had in the beginning came to the table twice within fifteen minutes then tried to snub us for ordering drinks at the bar. I’ve had her before and it’s the same issue. She’s the only iffy thing at the Locke bar, and I’ll really regret the wasted piece of soggy fish I had because the rest of the staff is suberb.
Place rating: 4
Norfolk, VA
Perfect cozy dark little irish pub right on one of Limericks locks. Had the fireplaces going and football on the tubes and the food was fantastic. The spinach/​garlic soup was very tasty, creamed and puréed. The salad was okay, but I just needed a salad so it worked for me. And then we sat around long enough for the dinner menu so tried the craws claws… Good and seasoned nicely but a dainty little claw. Don’t expect dungeoness or king crab size… More like Chesapeake blue claw size… ~8. Good but not filling. Brownie for dessert was delightful! Definitely be back to this joint!
Place rating: 5
Sacramento, CA
Great food, great drinks, excellent service, plus live music. Awesome place!
The crab claws were nothing like I’ve ever had in the U.S., the chicken sandwich was delicious, and they have a HUGE selection of beers, wines, and other beverages.
You will not be disappointed!
Place rating: 5
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Had dinner here on our first night in Limerick. I had the chicken with mashers and asparagus and it was excellent. My son had the burger and fries and was excellent as well. We waited for the live music that was suppose to start at 7:30pm, by 8:00pm they hadn’t showed up. We were tired so didn’t wait around. I would have loved to hear some live Irish music. Other than that it was great. The staff were very attentive.
Place rating: 5
Baltimore, MD
Amazing food– we had the tomato basil soup with soda bread, goat cheese salad, and salmon with spinach mashed potatoes, all of it was delicious! Amazing service– Lindsay was awesome and gave us good suggestions of things to do in the area! And, amazing atmosphere– live Irish music, cozy fireplace, and fun spirits!
Place rating: 5
Tampa, FL
My husband, sister, and I had dinner at The Locke Bar during our stay in Limerick. The pub was packed on a Friday night, but we managed to get a table upstairs without a reservation.
The pub had closed all of the upstairs windows because it had rained earlier that evening. Unfortunately, it was turning the upstairs floor into a steam bath so I asked our waitress if we could sit outside on the balcony and she was happy to move us. Once we moved outside we realized we were in our own little oasis overlooking the restaurant’s beer garden. We could even hear the live music playing downstairs so it was the perfect spot for dinner!
We started our meal with a dozen oysters and a goat cheese salad. Both were amazing and I could not get enough of the soda bread! My sister and I ordered the cod (special of the day) and it was fantastic! My husband kept stealing bites from my plate so I was able to save room for dessert. Dessert was an apple and rhubarb crumble tart with vanilla gelato. The dessert tasted great, but was a tad on the dry side (too much crumble).
Would definitely return for the fresh seafood, cold beer, and friendly waitresses!
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
Amazing fish and chips. The pea mash was to die for. The staff were extremely friendly. Can’t say enough about this place. The city is pretty but not very friendly so this was a welcome adventure!
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
The Locke bar is the best place in town to eat. Their fish and chips are great and the bangers and mash is to die for. They have live Irish music some of the time. The portions are very generous too.
Place rating: 5
South Lyon, MI
Great food and friendly service. While in limerick we visited this bar/​pub more than once.
I would recommend the daily specials. They always were fresh and very tasty.
Good place for a Guinness.
Place rating: 5
Cork, Republic of Ireland
The Locke is a great place to go to; inside, it has a nice atmosphere, traditional music and shows sports on the TV for all the big matches. Prices are average for drinks, the food is a little bit expensive but, needless to say, worth it. They have a good selection to choose from and you can be sure to find a lovely traditional Irish meal served here!
Great place for a Guinness after work for all the locals. On those sunny days the Locke is packed, it being located right by the river it makes it a relaxing spot and quite lively. Definitely worth a trip to if you are in limerick and looking for a traditional style bar/​bistro
Place rating: 4
Albuquerque, NM
Great location, nice outdoor seating with shade trees and canal views. Interior was interesting with great atmosphere. I had a chicken sandwich it was very good but a bit pricy at 12.50 €. My wife had seafood casserole which was ok, mostly mash with a bit of seafood underneath. Servers were pleasant and were trying hard but seemed overwhelmed once it started to get busy. I would definitely go back. It was just the two of us but it seemed like a great place for groups.
Place rating: 4
Alexandria, VA
Seafood chowder was delicious! The Fish & Chips were very good and the hubby was impressed with the Roaring Bay Oysters with Sherry Vinaigrette as well as the Beef and Locke stout casserole. The staff was friendly and helpful. Glad we went!
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
I love this place because they had TABASCO. It was the first time in 5 days I ate something spicy. God bless you, Locke Bar.
Oysters were sooooo good. I forgot what else I had but it was good. Everything was good. The service was good. Their live music was good. GREAT PLACE.
Place rating: 4
Brooklyn, NY
Super friendly service, great live music and overall nice crowd in the bar area. We came for dinner and had a nice corner seat by the window. I had a gin cocktail and he had a Locke stout. High praises on his part. To start we had a half dozen oysters which came with homemade soda bread. YUM! These oysters are SO different than those in the states. Must try. It’s. Sweeter and more plump, less salty. For main, he had the aged steak (which wasn’t that great and was overcooked) and I had supreme chicken which was awesome! I don’t typically order chicken but it had the word ‘supreme’ in the name and it was recommended by the staff. Super tender and juicy with a cream sauce, asparagus and the star croquette. YUM. Great textures. My favorite part of the meal however, was the dessert. Apple rhubarb tartlet crumble with custard and vanilla gelato. So simple. SO GOOD. The crumble ratio was ON point. I have a soft spot for crumbles with ice cream but this was beyond. Must get!
Place rating: 5
Saint Louis, MO
This place was packed! We got in before the live music started playing and could barely find a place to sit. Get here before 7 if you can. We were immediately seated at a makeshift table on two barstools and a ledge, but something is better than nothing. We were immediately offered drinks– the drink options are very easy to see since they have a chalkboard hanging about the bar with all the beers. So happy we stumbled upon this place– they have an ad in one of the Limerick maps we were given at our hotel.
Place rating: 5
Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Amazing! A friend and I strolled past this place on a recent trip to Limerick and we decided to stay for a quick spot of lunch. We expected pub grub but the soup of the day (mushroom) was so much better than that, lovely chips too, all served quickly despite the place being rather busy, and being able to sit outside on a sunny day didn’t hurt either. I would definitely go again.