Out To Lunch: Top Service, Surroundings And Good Food In Baily’s

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Baily's Corner 1Baily’s Corner

Castle Street

I’M pretty much down to the last few places in town for the ‘Out To Lunch’ column, but I left one of the town’s institutions towards the end.

Garry O’Donnell has been serving up lunches to the people of Tralee since the ‘Croppy Boy’ was, well, a boy.  First in the ‘old Baily’s’ on Ashe Street and now, for the past few years, at its new home on Castle Street.

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The move was a roaring success, retaining old customers and welcoming many new ones to the spacious hostelry.

The bar has always been a favourite of legal eagles, business titans, merchant princes and members of the ‘Fourth Estate’ (many’s the good night was had by Kerryman editorial staff there down the years if I recall).

But I digress, this isn’t a bar review (watch this space folks) so I’ll get on with it.

It was a wickedly, windy Friday when I entered the pub at about 1.30pm.

It was quieter than normal – the blustery weather keeping people in their offices for lunch no doubt – but Garry still had a number of people in for some sustenance.

What you get when you enter Baily’s for lunch is personal service.

Garry is the quintessential host; welcoming you as you arrive, showing you to a seat if you’re faltering in your search, recommending a soup or special.

He gave me the menu and informed me of the soups, specials and the various types of bread I could have to accommodate the filling in my sandwich.

I ordered the vegetable soup (€4) and the ‘Decent Man’ (€4.30) which is a beef salad sandwich with horseradish sandwich on granary bread.

The menu is full of various types of sandwiches, paninis and hot lunches like quiche, lasagne, curry, seafood pie and Irish stew.

Garry brought the soup immediately and I tucked in. It was a huge bowl, thick and tasty, perfectly seasoned, with a slice of brown bread on the side. Top notch.

The sandwich came soon after and I attacked it with gusto, smearing on the horseradish sauce which Garry left on the side.

I was stuffed by the end of the tasty sandwich, but still managed to find room for a cappuccino (€2.50) and a complementary chocolate biscuit.

Top service, great surroundings and good food. Same as it ever was in Baily’s.

4/5

 

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