Top Notch Tavern

Specialties

Chef Robert Palmateer tells the story of Top Notch Tavern in every dish. Top Notch Tavern is a heritage restaurant, with recipes learned as if a folk art– passed down from the generation before and taught as a part of family life. Even though they might take a litte longer to prepare, dishes at Top Notch Tavern are well-​worth the wait. Top Notch Tavern is not just home to famous prime rib. We offer an extensive wine and beer selection, sure to please any palette.

History

Established in 2014.

Opened in 1968, West Galway’s Top Notch Tavern started as a bar with a jukebox and a small kitchen that was used to feed the bar of hungry men that just hopped off their Harleys. Doreen «Charlie» Palmateer and her husband David Palmateer had a hit on their hands and soon opened the «Tiffany» dining room on the building’s east end, featuring her protoype salad bar known as the «Relish Tree». The horse barn was then attached to the bar, converted into a dining room and finished with rustic wood and a stone fireplace by a few of the handyman bar patrons. After finding local fame with her succulent prime rib, she sold the business in 1979 and moved on to two successful restaurant endeavors. My goal was to recreate that experience for you, our guests, every time you walk through the door of the Top Notch Tavern. I restored and re-​established her restaurant in October 2014 to continue the legacy of Doreen «Charlie» Palmateer, cooking everything just the way she did.

Meet the Business Owner

James P.

Business Owner

James is Doreen Palmateer’s grandson, and the owner of the Top Notch Tavern. He has a lifetime of restaurant and bar experience, as well as having learned his grandmothers recipes from her firsthand. He also owns DP Construction and Electric, who remodeled the building prior Re-​Opening. On a typical night he can be found in the kitchen cooking, behind the bar serving customers, or helping out the waitstaff.