The Universal Reviews

We visited The Universal for dinner during the Bank Holiday weekend in Galway after reading so many great reviews. Looking at the menu beforehand, I wasn't entirely convinced—it wasn't the sort of menu we'd normally choose on a random Tuesday. I'm very glad we ignored our instincts!
We started with a couple of cocktails, which were a great way to kick off the evening. They were beautifully made, well balanced, and set the tone for what turned out to be a fantastic meal.

The real stars of the evening were the starters. We had the Iona Farm Baby Beets and the Organic Spinach Salad. On paper they sound almost too simple, but whoever is in that kitchen clearly knows how to work magic. The combinations of flavours, textures and dressings turned humble vegetables into dishes that had us wondering why salads at home never taste remotely like this.

For mains, we chose the Roast Kinvara Lamb and the Castletownbere Monkfish. They were both very good—beautifully cooked and full of flavour—but after those spectacular starters they had some very big shoes to fill. It's the culinary equivalent of opening for Beyoncé.

The atmosphere was lovely, the service was friendly, and it's easy to see why this place has such a loyal following. If you're in Galway and fancy something a little different from the usual pub fare, The Universal is absolutely worth a visit. Just don't make the mistake we did and underestimate the salads—they might just steal the whole show. And if you enjoy a good cocktail, be sure to try one or two—they're the perfect start to the experience.

Hidden gem! The food is local and outstanding! The cheese plate starter has a great assortment of local cheeses paired really well with jelly and honey. The steak and lamb entrees were top notch! The cheesy bread, spuds and cabbage were delicious accompaniments. The chocolate tort at the end with a heavy cream and cherries was so good. Only issue was the table that wobbled. Highly recommend this restaurant!

I try to aim for Michelin bib or recommended restaurants as typically they’re always worth the money. For the first time I felt as though this wasn’t the case at the universal. The food was tasty but over priced. A few areas where there was a lack of attention to detail expected from somewhere from a Michelin recommended restaurant - stone cold tomatoes (on a dish dedicated to heirloom tomatoes - yes it’s a cold starter but normally expect room temp), the steak garnish of lambs lettuce was low key ruined by the hot plate (wouldn’t hurt to pop it in a bowl on the side but then the plate would be even more empty - for €37 quid you’d expect more garnish than butter and lettuce. Just a bit of jus or something would have even made a bit of difference) can’t fault the cook on the steak though it was a perfect medium rare. Furthermore the crab claws were nice but nothing really left to dip the brown bread into, not much coriander butter on them as written on the menu also for €19 I wouldn’t bother. The brill which was used as a switch for John Dory was cooked really well and actually a decent portion but served with a very small amount of the garnish (pepperonata) so by the time you were half way through the fish there was no garnish left to eat it with. The spuds were nice just simple baby potatoes and absolutely necessary. Skipped dessert payed €144 for the food with 2 pints (which were had outside before the meal which was a nice atmosphere) a glass of beer and cocktail (with dinner). Overall just expected more, a bit of an underwhelming meal for the price.

4 of us shared a few mains at the counter in here. Superb food & service. Great wines and cocktails. They recently celebrated their 10th birthday and hopefully it will be here for another 10 years.

The starter was rather unremarkable. The soda bread served with the crab claw became especially dry after being pan-fried. The pairing of red cabbage with chilli oil didn’t work—the dish lacked a strong foundational flavour, and the addition of peanut chilli oil only heightened the bitterness of the cabbage, resulting in a muddled and incoherent taste.

The main course, however, was a pleasant surprise. The steak, in particular, was rich, juicy, and full of flavour—I would return just for that dish. The lamb was exceptionally tender with a lovely hint of char from the grill. As always, the dessert was consistently excellent.