Friday’s Featured Food: Seafood Lunch At The New Quays, Portavogie, Northern Ireland🔴✋️☘️(The Most Easterly Pub in Ireland)

“Take me back to the town where I was born, because I’m tired of being a stranger and I’m miles from home” – Noel Gallagher.

I grew up in North Down, County Down, Northern Ireland. It’s my homeland and I’m a beach boy and a seaside city boy at heart. I spent most of my childhood in my ABBC hat-trick of letters or quartet of settlements of Ards (Newtownards), Bangor, Belfast and Comber. I love that part of the world and still have spent most of my life there (23 years there v 21 abroad). Down the coast from Bangor where I lived as a child, there are some truly lovely seaside settlements, and I’ll list them and cherish their existence – Groomsport, Donaghadee, Millisle, Ballywalter, Ballywhiskin, Ganaway, Portavogie, Kearney, Cloughey and Ballyhalbert.

As a kid, I’d often holiday at Claire McKee’s caravan in Cloughy. Those were glory days and I already recounted much of that in my Backpacking Centurion book series, particularly in Don’t Look Back In Bangor. Today, I’m taking you to the seaside village of Portavogie! The legendary Balon D’Or winner George Best once lived here, his mural is still here and I’m popping into his old local bar and grill for lunch!

Here by the coast sits the New Quays in Portavogie. This is the most easterly pub in Ireland. It’s a cosy wee bar and restaurant with textbook local seafood, of course. On the menu, I opted for the Mixed Portavogie seafood combo! This was £11.50 and was lemon and black pepper breadcrumbed cod scampi, battered smoked lythe goujons, deep fried dusted squid and a hat-trick of dips. Seafood in Portavogie is famous and always excellent.

Portavogie is home to The New Quays, which can boast itself to be both Northern Ireland’s and Ireland’s most easterly pub. It’s a great spot – for views, for beers, for food and for relaxing away from the trauma of life.

Of course I choose a Guinness to water down my seafood with.

Here are the details for booking a table or visiting The New Quays, Potrtavogie:

https://www.facebook.com/thenewquaysportavogie/

Here is a video I made in Portavogie: