A Guide to Derry, Northern Ireland

The Derry Girls don’t seem like the type with a standing Saturday tee time, but they should because of their town’s location. About an hour from both Royal Portrush to the east and Rosapenna to the west, and with many great golf courses in between, Derry is a historic city in the middle of a world-class stretch of golf along the coast of Northern Ireland.

Earlier this year, my wife and I had the opportunity to tag along on a golf trip with a home base in Derry. With the Open Championship returning to Royal Portrush this summer, it seemed like a good time to check out both the city of Derry and the golf courses you can visit while in town. Northern Ireland is nothing if not charming, and we were immediately hit by the character of the country when we settled in.

While I would never be as bold as to say the below is an authoritative guide to the town of Derry, I do think it provides a comprehensive overview of recommendations based on our experience. You can only fit in so much in a week-long visit but we did our best. Hopefully these spots give you a good picture of what Derry has to offer!

Derry Debriefs: Volume One - Portstewart and Castlerock | Volume II - Off to Ireland

Pubs

Before we talk about specific recommendations, I have to tell a story. On my first night in Derry, my wife and I were heading out to stumble into the first bar we found. An employee at the hotel directed us to, as he called it, “the Golden Mile.” In reality, it’s a street with pubs as far as the eye can see. It’s far shorter than a mile, maybe 200 yards, but when you’re wandering home at night I’m sure that hill can feel like a mile.

Waterloo Street – The aforementioned Golden Mile. It really is a stretch of the most authentic Irish pubs you’ll ever find, each wonderful in its own way.

Rocking Chair – At the top of Waterloo Street, you’ll find the Rocking Chair, a charming pub with live music every night of the week. Hell, I’m pretty sure they all have live music every week. The main room of the pub can’t fit more than 15 people with three on stools at the bar itself, but if you find a table you’ll get as genuine an experience as you could ever imagine.

Peadar O’Donnell’s – Located towards the bottom of the hill that is Waterloo Street is, at least in my experience, a very lively and more crowded affair that goes by the name Peadar O’Donnell’s. It’s no less authentic than any of the others on the block, and in fact, is the home base for many locals even though it does get a lot of tourist attention. Jazz seems to be the music of choice.

Bentley Bar – On the other end of the Walled section of town and directly across from the Derry Girls Mural is the Bentley Bar. Unlike the first two bars in this section, the Bentley Bar offers food to accompany your libations.

‍Sandinos – If you’re already looking to switch up the vibe from a typical Irish pub, Sandinos has an eclectic mix of people, music, and decorations.

Embankment Bar & Grill – We didn’t participate in the “& Grill” but the Embankment Bar at Ebrington Square was a nice place to grab a quick pint. They have a great patio overlooking the square.

Restaurants

The Kitchen at Walled City Brewery – Normally I’m a bit skeptical about all food coming out of a brewery kitchen, but not at Walled City Brewery. Not at Walled City. Chef Chris Moran is a Michelin-star chef at his former restaurants and he brings the heat to all the dishes at Walled City. Their team will also help you pair their beers with your meal to round out a wonderful experience.

Lo & Slo – Located at the Brook Hall Estate, Lo & Slo is one of the most surprising meals I’ve ever had. We were told we were going out for a barbeque on our visit and we wound up having an intimate experience with Lo & Slo’s founders, enjoying brilliant barbeque right off the grill, and experiencing it all in a beautiful wooded environment on the shore of the River Foyle. And this wasn’t special to us, it’s how they operate all group meals at their location and cooking school. Booking at Lo & Slo requires a larger group, but I would kill to have this meal all over again. And if you’re not visiting with a group but are at the Open Championship, they’ll have a food truck on site!

Castle Bistro – I’ll caveat this by saying we didn’t visit but it was highly recommended by the locals and our hotel staff. We did walk past and by all indications, it seemed like a great, laid-back place to grab a bite and a brew after a long day.

Coffee

Rosta Coffee Bar – Derry doesn’t have many bad coffee stops, but Rosta may just be the best of the ones we visited. They offer beans from all over the world in just about any variation you’d like.

Terra Artisan Bakehouse – Nice patio area at the top of Waterloo Street. And as you may guess, their baked goods are not to be missed.

Sites and Sounds

Walled City Tour – If time allows, I can’t recommend this tour enough. In an hour you’ll very quickly learn about Derry’s long and complicated history. I won’t even try to get into it all, but everything from the history of the city walls to the siege on Derry is a fascinating look at the city’s passed. 

Derry Girls Mural – Largely just for your Instagram feed but it really is fun.

The Peace Bridge – It’s a good bridge, especially on a clear evening as the sun sets.

And don’t forget, as Michelle says to James, “Being a Derry Girl, well it’s a f***ing state of mind.”