Crosskeys Inn in Ballymena

A real Irish Pub, with a real history! (Just look at the paintings, publications and decoration). Place recommended by our host, we met a super welcoming owner. In short, if you pass in the area, go and make your own opinion and hope that there will be a music group at that time. The regulars were also very friendly. A great vacation memory for our family!

What a great evening! First local musicians play Irish music while you sip your drinks. Then a delicious meal (cookout) simple food, then more music, gift shop available. Great atmosphere and a family run business.

We go back in time. Very kind. Highly recommended

Mythical experience! A journey through time. A wonderful pub impeccably run! Frequented almost exclusively by locals. A real pearl. Even beer has a different flavor in this particular setting! Highly recommended

Stunning little ancient pub. Fab to have live music on a Saturday evening, but do book a table in advance as the music room is very small.

What a wonderful evening!! We were with a tour group and Vincent and his team provided a great experience for us. The atmosphere is everything you could want in a pub. The music was great and we all loved our time at Cross Key. The thatch roof has quite a history.

Excellent traditional Irish pub, it feels like going back in time. Advised.

Beautiful people, very very friendly and welcoming. So much personality. Would definitely go back.

A fabulous Irish country thatched pub with a unique atmosphere Renowned for traditional music.

Sadly no entertainment on the Sunday night visit

An authentic Saturday evening, immersed in a unique and traditional atmosphere thanks to the decoration, music and beer 🍻🇮🇪 This is what we experienced during our visit to Crosskeys Inn! An exceptional boss, more than welcoming! Quite simply, an atmosphere that makes us want to stay there for much more than just one evening!

A must see if you're ever in the area, great Guinness and if there's music on this postcard perfect spot is sublime. Great whiskey to boot

Fantastic experience! Wish we could have stayed longer.

My wife and I visited The Crosskeys Inn as part of a CIE tour. The hospitality at the pub was superb. The meal was wonderful, the beer cold, and the music hot. I enjoyed the music so much that I bought the "Closing Time" CD. You can't go wrong with an evening at The Crosskeys Inn.

Best Guinness we have had yet! The staff here is warm, welcoming, and give GREAT insider knowledge about the country. Our bartender Adrian was truly a joy to talk with all night. You couldn’t ask for better staff! Thanks for the tour, Adrian, and making a few Americans feel like they have a home away from home. See you again soon!

Very friendly place. Bar staff are excellent 👌 😁 Guinness is the best around 😎

Love place!! Great atmosphere 👌

Good service and the best point of Guinness in Ireland, Can't wait to get back there

Amazing place that time has forgot.

Imagine foggy roads and horse-drawn carriages.. candlelight and roaring fires, this place will take your imagination knocking on that door. Well worth the drive. Best Guinness!

Where do I begin? This tiny pub has become one of my happiest places on earth. The music is always amazing and the Guinness is always the perfect pour. Off the beaten path and it's so WORTH the visit!

Exceptional family owned place, very pleasant atmosphere. Excellent food,even better whiskey.

Please be assured that this is the best place!!! From the family, wonderful employees to the food, one will not be disappointed here. The music was spot on 💕💕 Don’t miss this 🥰

A real gem, family run, beautiful music. You couldn’t beat it, just mind the head.

Wonderful pub! Excellent entertainment!

Superbe accueil d’Adrian au bar du plus vieux pub irlandais. Après avoir parlé avec lui, il nous a fait visiter les lieux de ce bâtiment chargé d’histoire. À refaire

Enjoyed this place tremendously, wonderful people who are maintaining true Irish tradition, language, music and fun. Couldn’t have better.

Bus tour was great, CIE Tours did extremely well on this stop!!! Local musicians did a jam session with wonderful Irish Folk music.

We are a group of 40 people and what a cool place and the food was great especially feeding 40 of us. Local music with harps, violins etc fantastic sound.

Great old Pub, lLive Music weekend, sitting at the open fire possible

Enjoyed a really good Gin Tonic in front of a lovely fireplace! Defenetly worth a visit!

What a fun place. Had a good meal and an excellent "session ". Music was fun!

Bar man very helpful and informative. A special place full of charm and character

WOW what an interesting place! Apparently there are two ghosts 👻 Very friendly people especially barman Adrian😊

Worth the journey to experience this historical place and its lovely local people, we'll certainly be visiting again 😀

Brilliant atmosphere 👏 staff are lovely and really friendly

I’ve been to Ireland 5 times and the Crosskeys Inn is the finest Inn/Pub I’ve visited by far (and I’ve visited many). The family and staff that run it are amazing. It’s the oldest thatched roof Inn/Tavern in all of Ireland and the atmosphere is all you could ever hope for in an authentic Irish Pub! The live Traditional Music is the best I’ve experienced here on this beautiful island! I highly recommend this place to anyone!

We came here for a couple of drinks. Like stepping into a time machine. Lovely atmosphere and friendly staff.

Beautiful, quirky, traditional Irish pub.

I was here with colleagues, and some international visitors. We were in awe of the building and it's history, and the friendliness of the staff and locals, and of course the very talented musicians. We chatted to everyone and had a great laugh and sing along, and one of the musicians even allowed my colleague to show his skills with her fiddle. A great night had by all of us

Was a pleasure to visit the crosskeys on a recent visit to Ireland. This place is everything an Irish pub should be , being irelands oldest thatched pub. It is steeped in history from the minute you walk in. The barman was very helpful and friendly and showed us around and told us a bit about the incredible history of this ancient treasure. Amazing artefacts and pieces of history all over the walls. A couple of old coal fires, great music and even better guinness which was to die for. It was made even more special to know that my irish ancestors originated from the area and had probably drank in the pub many, many years ago. I would recommend anyone to visit this place if they have the chance.

Traditional pub decor, good atmosphere, friendly staff, handy parking and good food that's reasonably priced. Ticked all the boxes. The all day breakfast options are class!

Lovely old pub with friendly proprietors!

Oldest thatch pub around! Stop in and hear local music played by fantastic artists from around the area! If you have a tour, they have a brand new event building tucked away in the back where they can serve meals and more!

Fantastic atmosphere with some of the best pints in Ireland. Friendly staff and locals. Very good bar, traditional music sessions are a must see.

Old Irish bar, a lot of historical features

The Oldest thatched pub in N Ireland warm and friendly greeting lots of charm and cozy rooms live music in the bar unfortunately too early in the day on our trip, would recommend a visit if you are in this part of N Ireland with stunning scenery what more could you want.

Quirky place with lots of history, but drinks are very expensive. £6.50 for two halves of Guiness-so take plenty of dosh with you if you want a session

I have been remiss in writing this review. Our first day in Ireland after driving from Dublin. Our Airbnb host recommended this place. However, when we got there, we found out they did not have food. They were so warm and hospitable. When we said we were going to go get something to eat, they said give us just a minute. The gentleman came back and said they still had some food from a wedding and we were welcome to it. How awesome is it to find a place that pulls you in like family. We got to listen to some good music and we got to have some good food and even wedding cake. I had always heard that the Irish treated you like family. I found this to be very true. What a great welcome to Ireland for first time visitors!

Excellent service in a country pub

Great spot, fantastic meeting Liam Neeson having a pint.

This is where my family came from and Bovill’s still live around there ..

Samstag Abend schönste irische Hausmusik. Beste Simmung. Super gastfreundlich.

This place was awesome. The atmosphere, food, drinks and live music were just the Best. What a nice family of owners.

Crosskeys is a must visit if you're in the Belfast area. Authentic, super good hosts, great food, amazing entertainment. Don't miss it.

Fantastic pub with great staff and music

Incredible music, wonderful staff, incredible place!

Best Guinness, great whisky, amazing place to just sit and ponder the world whilst listening to trad music

Our friend & AirBnB-host took us to this amazing pub where we enjoyed a taste of real Irish culture. The place has not changed for decades or even centuries. The atmosphere is very hospitable and traditional live music really was the finishing touch. Definitely would recommend to visit!

Stopping at the Crosskeys Inn was one of the highlights of my trip. The authentic environment was amazing and the owners and locals embodied the friendly Irish spirit.

We visited this pub with our tour group for drinks, lunch, and terrific Irish entertainment. It's a beautiful, well kept, historic building, that shouldn't be missed. The owner and his daughter were so informative & friendly, and really made us feel welcome. I highly recommend that everyone that visits Northern Ireland should put the Crosskeys Inn on the top of their list!

We visited with Colmn our host and this was the high light of our holiday to Ireland .Beautiful music and atmosphere. The bar ladies were very friendly and the customers . We hope to return to Ireland and the Crosskeys Inn . A lovely experience.

Good food and drinks,nice friendly atmosphere and good Irish music

We love the Crosskeys Inn. Living in Belfast, and being from Northern Ireland we know a good pub when we’re in one. The Crosskeys is a friendly, warm and welcoming family run pub, serving possibly the best pint of Guinness on offer in Ireland. You would be a fool to not check it out when you’re in the area!

We love the Crosskeys Inn. Living in Belfast, and being from Northern Ireland we know a good pub when we’re in one. The Crosskeys is a friendly, warm and welcoming family run pub, serving possibly the best pint of Guinness on offer in Ireland. You would be a fool to not check it out when you’re in the area!

Family were visiting and took them to this bar. The bar is beautiful but the owner behaves like a a control freak. He patrols the place like a bouncer. The whole atmosphere is tense and not enjoyable. You can’t make any noise at all and he is telling you to be quiet. It is a pub, people are going to make some noise. We only had one drink and left. Get a life, if you are that uptight and controlling of peoples fun , you shouldn’t be running a bar.

So much fun to be in a truly ancient inn with a thatched roof and cozy low ceilings. I enjoyed the owners personal attention and recounting of the history of the place. The music was an added plus. Wonderful place, so glad we were able to go there.

Nice historical place 👌 good refreshments and friendly staff 👌

Tolles Pub, tolle Leute, sehr netter Chef, super Whisky- ein oder mehrere 😉 Besuche Wert!!!!!

Great service, very welcoming! Fantastic olde world feel. This place has a special charm which is amplified by the very warm welcome received from the owner and staff. A highlight to our trip!

I recently traveled from Canada and had a small event hosted here. The owner/manager made the experience very unpleasant from the get go. Hovering over all guests and seemingly patrolling the area at all times. A very uncomfortable experience for what was supposed to be a fun family day.

Best Pint of Guinness this side of the border, fabulous bar staff don't pass it buy if you're in the locality.

Was over at the crosskeys inn for a special occasion visiting from philadelphia Pa. The place was a beautiful historic venue but the owner was a absolutely disrespectful/ungrateful. The inn is small and absolutely lovely but for the amount of people spending money at an establishment the owner was ignorant and ungrateful for peoples hard earned money. He was yelling at the kids who were outside the booked venue. Seems to me that the owner would only want to be a tourist attraction with the notion of you buy one beer ,get out and head to the next bar. Other then being harassed by rude owner everything else was grand!

Was over at the crosskeys inn for a special occasion visiting from philadelphia Pa. The place was a beautiful historic venue but the owner was a absolutely disrespectful/ungrateful. The inn is small and absolutely lovely but for the amount of people spending money at an establishment the owner was ignorant and ungrateful for peoples hard earned money. He was yelling at the kids who were outside the booked venue. Seems to me that the owner would only want to be a tourist attraction with the notion of you buy one beer ,get out and head to the next bar. Other then being harassed by rude owner everything else was grand!

Visited with friends and whilst the bar is nice, the staff/management were very rude to us. Created a horrible atmosphere where you felt uneasy and unwanted in the bar. No customer service skills, not willing to go the extra mile at all. Even though the...

Excellent Guinness and a friendly welcome even though they had a private function occupying most of the pub.

Had a nice cup of tea there and a lovely chat with the staff. Gorgeous, historically interesting old pub, super friendly staff and all set in the wonderful landscape of Antrim. Well worth a visit.

This is the perfect Irish Pub. The pub was established in 1654 and now run by a wonderful and friendly family. Just 30 minutes from Belfast and we’ll worth the trip. Absolutely LOVE this Pub.

Awesome pub authentic peat fire

Perfect place for an Irish pub experience Get in touch with friendly staff before visit as often many things happening in this magical setting. Great place for a guinness and whiskey boilermaker 🥃🥃

Love this place, log fire, nice pint of guinness, nice whiskeys and good craic, what more do u need 😁😁

Came here with a few friends on a Saturday night. The staff were very welcoming and the traditional music was phenomenal. I definitely plan to come back!

Visited with friends at the weekend. Staff was very friendly and accommodating. We were told a lot about the history and the local area. We will be back!

Went too the crosskeys fir a few drinks with friends. The staff where ignorant and unhelpful, (especially a women with an American accent) so much so we decided too leave, never too return.

absolutely ponged on bud in there 😍😍😍😍😍😘😘😘😘😘

My wife and I really enjoyed the day the bar man was a fantastic host hade lots of times for us and showed us all around

Owners are such friendly people! We really enjoyed our time here, beautiful place with such a fascinating history.

Wow that an amazing wee find! The place is stunning. Great location and absolutely stunning inside. The owners were absolutely 100% welcoming and attentive. We cannot recommend this place highly enough!!! We will be back with our friends and family!! Love this place.

Best night's traditional music in great company

Incredible little gem of authentic Northern Irish charm and culture. But please, mind your head!

Perfect atmosphere well worth a visit

Such great service, amazing history and the team have so much knowledge to share - thanks for having us

We were given the warmest welcome I have ever received when entering a pub. It is completely enveloped by history and Irish culture. The landlord and her daughter could not do enough for us. I enjoyed the best Irish coffee ever! Thank you, we will...

myself and the wife travelled here on the recommendation from a guy i met at grogans bar in dublin. when we arrived the owner's wife sat us beside a turf fire and served us our drinks, she then asked us if we would like a...

Beautifully quaint. Lovely country pub 🍻

Real Ulster heritage Bar. Not only is it the oldest thatch roof pub but it also has great irish music nights. Traditional and off the cuff

Friendly people great atmosphere

This place was amazing! The owners personally came and chatted with us. Atmosphere was so warm and cozy. It's a place a family could come to or a night out with your friends. A must visit for anyone in the area.

Transitional Irish pub. Music sessions at weekends. Well worth a visit.

Is é an áit is fearr sa cheantar seo le deoch agus bia a fháil.