Old double decker bus becomes pub’s pizza parlour

At first glance, Carroll’s pub on Lower Dominick Street seems like a locals ‘old-man bar’ that young people would only set foot in because their dad roped them in with the promise of free booze, but Carroll’s quickly dispels that impression with their renovated area outside.

Carroll’s has quite the hidden secret out back – a double-decker bus parked up in the beer garden.

The bus isn’t just for show either as fantastic pizza is served from the renovated vehicle. The bus has been turned into the Crust Bucket and it has a brilliant pizza menu to make your mouth water as you enjoy a pint or two.

The interior of the bus which is now a pizza parlour.

Benches and lights line the outdoor area and the bus provides some tables inside for when it rains. There is also a section in the corner just as you exit the pub which is covered, because let’s face it – it’s Ireland.

Darragh Mullin of Carroll’s explains how he saw a pub with a bus in Dublin and thought Galway could do with something that quirky.

Renovations to the outdoor area started a month ago and finished up recently. Darragh can’t believe the feedback he has received so far. “I put up one or two Facebook posts”, he says, “and they just went viral.”

Darragh bought the bus a year ago and started work on it while getting permissions and doing up the beer garden. The inside was gutted and done up to provide seating and tables with a colourful paint job to brighten the inside up.

At the mention that the name Crust Bucket reminds one of something from SpongeBob Squarepants, he laughs: “You’re the 40th person to say that to me!”. It’s like a mix of the Krusty Krab and the Chum Bucket from the show.

The name was a result of the original paint job that Darragh had planned for the bus; it was going to be a rusty colour and named the Rust Bucket. When he got pictures of what it would look like he didn’t like it and decided against the colour. The name needed changing and his friend, Garry Ryan, came up with the Crust Bucket when Darragh decided to use the bus as a pizza place.

There is an inviting atmosphere to this pub; when you first walk in there’s a relaxed and older vibe with the telly on the wall showing any kind of sport. When you walk through to the back of the pub you’re transported to what feels like a completely different place where summer tunes float around the air outside.

So, if you’re looking for a new place to try a pizza and a pint this weekend head into Carroll’s and see what you think.