Photo: Tripadvisor

The Horseshoe

Name: The Horseshoe
Address: 193 Main St, Gibraltar GX11 1AA, Main Street & Town Centre, GI
Telephone: +350 200 77444
Price range: ££–£££

Bar · BritishMain Street & Town Centre££–£££

A British restaurant in Main Street & Town Centre that rates below most of Gibraltar, on 411 Tripadvisor reviews.

Gibraltar Index

3.7 / 5

Tripadvisor3.2411

Google3.9821

A weighted blend of both, not an average. How this works

Ratings read 6 September 2026.

Our review

The Horseshoe, known to locals as the Donkey's Flipflop, is an old pub on Main Street with pavement tables, serving breakfasts, fish and chips, pies and roasts. It holds 3.2 on Tripadvisor from 411 reviews and 3.9 on Google from 821, for an Index of 3.70. The reviews were re-read on 6 September 2026 and the newest is from 3 September.

The 2026 Google reviews, many in Spanish and Polish, are mostly about the welcome, and they are kind: an older man behind the bar who knew all the Polish football managers, a very friendly barmaid, warm service and big plates at fair prices, a place to escape the tourist traps. A returning Tripadvisor visitor in March 2026 said standards were back to their best, with an Ulster barmaid serving quick, filling breakfasts and a bill of just over £30 for two with drinks.

The food is where opinion splits, and fish and chips is the hinge. Praised in August 2026 after a hike and called the best a visitor had eaten in 2025, it was also "zero taste" in June 2026, tasteless and overcooked in November 2025, and dismal alongside a roast beef that seemed microwaved in August 2026. Beef stroganoff like leather, dry baguettes, black and dry chicken and lamb, and old sausages at breakfast make up the rest of the case against.

Two accounts are more serious than a bad plate. A June 2026 reviewer says the card machine was declared broken, they paid 59 euros in cash for a £38.20 bill, and their bank later showed the card payment had gone through. A May 2026 reviewer describes sticky glasses, a barmaid wiping a rim with her finger, and toilets that customers were complaining about all evening. Both are single accounts, on the record.

Come for a beer in a pub with real character and a cheap breakfast served fast, and keep the receipt if you pay by card. Whether the fish and chips is good on the day is a coin toss on the reviews, and dinner remains the weaker bet. Nobody from Gibraltar Index has eaten here; this write-up is drawn from the reviews.

Written from the Tripadvisor reviews and both platforms' scores on 6 September 2026, not from a meal we ate — nobody from Gibraltar Index has eaten here. We show the Google rating but have not yet read Google's reviews for the write-up. The recurring themes it draws on are below.

What reviewers consistently say

Our summary of recurring themes across the 28 most recent reviews, written in our own words and read on 6 September 2026. Recent reviews from both platforms are quoted, with attribution, further down.

A characterful old Main Street pub, nicknamed the Donkey's Flipflop.
The welcome is praised more in 2026 than before, especially by Spanish and Polish visitors.
Fish and chips divides the room almost exactly in half.
A June 2026 card-machine dispute and a May 2026 cleanliness complaint are the sharpest accounts.
Breakfast remains the safest thing to order.

What it gets right

Real pub character on Main Street
Fast, filling, cheap breakfasts
Friendly bar staff in the recent reviews

What it gets wrong

Fish and chips as often poor as good
A card-payment dispute and a cleanliness complaint in 2026
Dinner dishes called overcooked and dry

How it compares

It holds 3.2 out of 5 on Tripadvisor from 411 reviews — well below the Gibraltar median of 4.1 across 106 restaurants with enough reviews to rank, and on a large body of reviews.

Among comparable places, it is 9 of 12 British options we track, by rating.

It is priced in the middle of Gibraltar's range.

How the Gibraltar Index Score is built

It is not an average of the two. Each source is weighted by how many reviews it carries, then pulled toward the Gibraltar average so a high score from a handful of reviews cannot outrank a strong score from thousands. The Horseshoe scores 3.2 from 411 on Tripadvisor and 3.9 from 821 on Google, which the model blends to 3.7.

We read the 28 most recent Tripadvisor reviews and summarised what recurs, in our own words; the reviews we drew on are quoted below, attributed to their authors. The Tripadvisor and Google scores are each shown 1:1 as those platforms publish them; the Index Score is ours and the formula is above. Nobody from Gibraltar Index has eaten here, so nothing is a first-hand verdict.

Recent reviews

Shown from each platform, attributed to the reviewer. We don't edit them — read the full set at source.

Tripadvisor★★★☆☆3.2· 411

All on Tripadvisor →

2026-07-20
Gib’s Classic Local Spirit
The Horseshoe is one of Gibraltar’s proper gems. Right in a great location, this traditional bar has an atmosphere you can’t fake. It’s warm, lively, and full of character. The beer is great, the food is hearty and satisfying, the service is genuinely friendly, and the value is spot‑on at a great price. If you know Gibraltar you know the more →
H7417LSsimonh · via Tripadvisor
2026-06-30
Disappointing on every level
The fish and chips was large but absolutely zero taste. The small packets of condiments ridiculous to open to get a tiny amount. No vinegar for the fish. Meal £38.20 with coke and water. They pretended that their credit card machine didn't work and proved the transaction didn't go through. Its showed on our bank account it did. Instead ofmore →
A1833PVtimc · via Tripadvisor
2026-05-30
Disgusting.
This must be the most dirtiest pub I’ve ever been in. My drinking goads was all sticky, when I took my drink back the woman behind the bar just wiped her finger round the top of the glass.Finaly I persuaded her for a new drink. The whole pub was in need of a complete deep clean. These clearly rely on a passing trade, I can’t imaging this more →
Frankie3363 · via Tripadvisor
2026-04-13
Not the best. Wouldn’t visit again
Overpriced and poor quality. The baguettes were extremely crunchy and dry, skimpy filling for the price. If coming from Spain, eat well in La Línea first.more →
A5519OIpedroj · via Tripadvisor
2026-03-26
Stay away! Service curt & uptight Manager paced staring at cell phone . Staff said they knew no English and beef strogenoff mea
Stay away! Service curt & uptight Manager paced staring at cell phone . Staff said they knew no English and beef strogenoff meat like leathermore →
jeanettesF2119GF · via Tripadvisor

Google★★★★☆3.9· 821

All on Google →

2026-09-03
Proste i smaczne jedzenie przy głównej alei Gibraltaru, starszy Pan obsługujący bardzo sympatyczny, znał wszystkich polskich trenerów piłki nożnej 😀more →
Olga Cierlicka · via Google
2026-08-29
Local típico, buen servicio gente muy agradable, la comida estaba buena, fish and chips , aunque no sea la mejor comida del mundo había que probarmore →
Marcos Jimenez · via Google
2026-08-17
Hemos pedido un fish and chips que era penoso y un roast beef que parecía calentado en el micro. El servicio muy bueno la verdad y esta bien situado pero la calidad de la comida deja mucho que desear.more →
kike · via Google
2026-08-10
Pub estilo ingles con unas cervezas muy buenas. La camarera majisima... Me ha gustado muchomore →
Uno mas · via Google
2026-08-05
Muy recomendable por relación calidad, precio y tamaño de las raciones. Muy buen servicio, amable, cálido, y los platos abundantes. El precio correcto. Para escapar de los tongos para turistasmore →
G T B G · via Google

Reviews are the opinions of their authors, reproduced from Tripadvisor and Google with attribution and a link to the original. The Horseshoe did not provide them and Gibraltar Index did not solicit or edit them.