Navan’s Railway Bar gets all five stars – even though the pints set us back €5.70

​THE Commandos were delighted to be back on the road this week after some very contrasting Christmases. The ones with small children were delighted to get a break from home, while some of our older ones spent the week in bed sick.

“Three quarters of the country is sick,” the Old Commando began whinging as we left headquarters towards the N3. “Even during the Covid years I never seen as many sick.

“You’re off to a flyer anyway. Day one for 2025 and you’re already whinging and moaning. Did anything positive happen to you over the Christmas at all?” the Young Commando joked.

It took us just under an hour to arrive in Navan town and the Old Commando had a pub in mind before we’d even parked the pub-mobile.

“I want to try the Railway Bar, if you lot don’t mind. I’ve been driving past it for donkey’s years and I’ve never stepped foot inside the front door,” he told us.

Located on a roundabout on the corner of Railway Street, this was a first time visit for Pub Spy and the team but it’s not one we’ll forget any time soon.

The green coloured exterior with gold nameplate is in perfect condition and the engraved opaque glass in the windows adds that touch of class.

As we stepped inside the front door there wasn’t much room to manoeuvre but we shuffled along the narrow space between the counter and front wall, eventually finding some seats beside a radiator.

There were two young barmaids and two more experienced barmen on duty when we called and they were all mannerly and welcoming.

One of the young barmaids served us immediately and it was pints of Guinness all round. Birra Moretti and Rockshore lager are both available on draught but it was the €5.70 pints of stout that captured our attention.

Our Old Commando gave them his seal of approval while the Young Commando settled in quicker than anybody as he joined in a conversation with the locals who were all praising Liverpool FC. It was like music to his ears as he basked in their current moment of glory.

“Roll on Sunday evening for the big one, should be a tight game,” the Young Commando said with a smirk on his face.

There is a very private snug area just inside the front door that has its own doors so you can block out anybody you don’t want to see.

The tiled floor was clean and the black leather barstools were all in good condition. In fact, it was very noticeable just how clean this pub was — there wasn’t a thing out of place.

A small second section of the boozer contains a pool table and a jukebox and there is a sign advising that the pool table closes at 8pm on Saturday and Sundays.

We fully agree with this rule as people using the toilets have to pass through this area and it could become congested and inconvenient for everyone involved.

A clock hanging behind the counter features some historic Meath GAA figures and moments, and the Old Commando couldn’t help himself but point out that none of the pictures are any way recent.

“They’ll come good again some day I’m sure,” he added.

It is well known that Pub Spy rates the toilets in every pub every bit as much as he does the pint of stout. And the toilets in the Railway Bar are exceptional.

The timber flooring looked as good as new, the two cubicles were immaculately clean and you could see they had been recently cleaned that evening.

There are four urinals, a roller hand towel and two timed modern hand dryers.

Back in the bar, there was a really nice atmosphere among the locals.

We thoroughly enjoyed our first outing for 2025 and hopefully we’ll come across plenty more gems like this pub throughout the year.

Rating: Five pints out of Five

One for the road:

Ryan’s – Navan

Following a memorable visit to Ryan’s pub in 2019, the Old Commando was delighted that we decided to call again to check up on how things were going.

We’re pleased to report things still look as good as they did back then and it was extremely busy during our stay with a brilliant atmosphere too.

There was a good mix of local and tourists and young and old customers because Ryan’s has something for everyone.

There were two barmaids on duty and one barman, and they were all helpful. There are multiple large screen TVs and a projection screen in the bar with live sport and horse racing being shown.

We sat at the end of the counter beside a framed photo and two tributes to former sports journalist Con Houlihan where there is also plenty of Meath GAA memorabilia.

One of the cubicle locks in the toilets was broken and should be fixed immediately.

Rating: Four pints out of Five