20. The Linenhall Bar

Disembark from the Anchor, and you’re right at the door of the Linenhall, a bar which surely has one of the most attractive frontages in the county. Its recent and thorough refurbishing has left it cosy, clean, and congenial.

The Linenhall was once owned by a proprietor who had been in China, and on his return to Derry, he named the bar The Hong Bar, possibly for those who felt a little hong-over.
Today the oriental has made way for the best in modern bar comfort; if you are one of the many who love to sit at the counter on high bar stools, you’ll be happy here.
An unusual feature upstairs is the wrought iron staircase leading up to the ladies toilets.

The food at the Linenhall has to have a special mention. Don’t let Anna hear you call it pub grub, if by that you mean the chips with everything routine. There are no chips or the like here, it’s all home-cooked fare, and according to Anna should be described as health food.

An original painting on the wall by a Buncrana artist shows a pub scene with two men holding half-full pint glasses of Guinness.

A Linenhall customer at the counter explained that the pints in the Linenhall are the best in town, so good that the men in the picture hadn’t the heart to finish theirs.