Belfast Restaurants - find the best here:
Happy hunting and bon appetit!
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Belfast Restaurants that we recommend:
CoCo €€€
In the former Roscoff premises, this is the new Belfast restaurant everybody is talking about
Molly's Yard €€
This atmospheric restaurant on two floors - informal ground floor bistro with a more elegant dining room above - on the site of former stables.
Hawthorne Coffee Shop €
If you're shopping or have business in the area, this stylish contemporary café in a well known furniture store is a great place to know about, as they specialise in real home cooking and the art of scone making is alive and well here.
Café Conor €
Just across the road from the Ulster Museum, Manus McConn's unusual high-ceilinged room is bright with natural light from a lantern roof and was originally the William Conor studio (1944-1959).
Deanes Restaurant €€€€
Following a major makeover, Michael Dean merged his two former city centre hot spots, transformed into one elegant fine dining restaurant - and once again, he has established himself as one of Ireland’s foremost chefs and restaurateurs.
Aldens Restaurant €€€
A neat canopy in aubergine-toned livery highlights the discreetly distinctive public face of Jonathan Davis’s fine contemporary restaurant, an indication of the quality that lies within.
Aldens in the City €
Very centrally situated in the former Skandia site just a few paces from the City Hall, this smart Belfast restaurants an offshoot of the well known fine dining restaurant, Aldens, has really taken off.
Sun Kee Restaurant €€
The Lo family’s little place just off Shaftesbury Square has earned widespread recognition as one of Ireland’s most authentic Chinese restaurants.
The Olive Tree Company €
This unique delicatessen/café specialises in freshly marinated olives, handmade cheeses and salamis - and also sells an exclusive range of French specialities, notably from Provence.
Beatrice Kennedy €€
Named after the lady whose home it once was, the dining area of this unusual restaurant begins in what would have been her front room and extends into adjoining areas towards the back, retaining something of the authentic lived-in feeling of a private period residence...
The Merchant Hotel €€€€
Three central steps take you from the lobby up to
The Great Room Restaurant - a small antique reception desk and menu signal the transition; here, despite the great height and scale, low dividers give a sense of more intimate spaces without interrupting the view - and a bold choice, carried throughout the hotel, is the striped carpet.
Ginger €€€
Chic and cheerful is the atmosphere at redhead Simon 'Ginger' McCance's bistro off Great Victoria Street. Carefully sourced ingredients have always been at the centre of this likeable chef's philosophy...
Cayenne €€
Paul and Jeanne Rankin’s chameleon-like restaurant is always on the change, and is now much bigger, with a more attractive and comfortable reception-bar area, and private dining / conference facilities upstairs.
The Bank Gallery €€
Right on the Lagan and just a short stroll along a walkway from the Waterfront, this gently contemporary first floor restaurant is over a designer bar, The Edge...
Ten Square Hotel €€€€
The dashingly informal Grill Room & Bar, which occupies the whole of the ground floor, has become one of Belfast’s most popular restaurants and is always busy with non-residents...
Bennetts on Belmont €
Good, fast and moderately priced food is the aim at this sister restaurant of Colleen’s famous Holywood restaurant, Fontana (see entry).
Tedfords Restaurant €€€
Sailing folk may remember Tedfords as a ship’s chandlers - you can almost smell the sisal even now, especially as there are reminders a-plenty of this listed building’s venerable maritime past.
Swantons Gourmet Foods €
Run by husband and wife team Stewart and Gloria Swanton, this speciality food store and café has earned a following amongst discerning Belfast people - even in an area that is especially well served with good places to shop and eat, it stands out for dedication to quality and value.
The Crescent Townhouse €€
This is an elegant building on the corner of Botanic Avenue, just a short stroll from the city centre. The ground floor is taken up by the Metro Brasserie and Bar/Twelve, a stylish club-like bar with oak panelling and snugs
Shu €€
A smartly painted Victorian frontage and traditional arched windows provide a vivid contrast to the stainless steel efficiency of the bar and de rigeur ‘on view’ kitchen of this fashionable restaurant.
Bourbon €€
Behind an unassuming entrance lies an amazingly theatrical interior: totally at home alongside neighbouring buildings like the Crown Liquor Saloon and the Grand Opera House, it features pillars, palms, ornate plaster work and wrought iron, chandeliers and statues...
James Street South €€€
Just across the road from the Europa Hotel, Niall and Joanne McKenna’s cool modern restaurant is well located and well-appointed in a beautifully understated style with white walls and crisp white linen, relieved by fresh flowers and effective lighting...
The Water Margin €€
This brassy 200-seater in a converted church at the bottom of the Ormeau Road is the biggest Chinese restaurant in Ireland.
Nick's Warehouse €€€
Nick’s Warehouse is a clever conversion on two floors, with particularly interesting lighting and efficient aluminium duct air-conditioning. It’s a lively spot, notable for attentive, friendly service and good food...
The John Hewitt, Bar & Restaurant €
The in-place pub for discerning Belfast people, who like the combination of traditional interior and good quality sassy modern food, The John Hewitt is owned by the Unemployment Resource Centre next door, which was originally opened by the poet and socialist John Hewitt in the 1980s.
Cargoes Café €
This is a special little place run by partners Radha Patterson and Mary Maw, who take a lot of trouble sourcing fine produce for the delicatessen side of the business and apply the same philosophy to the food served in the café.
Deanes Deli €€
Ceiling to floor windows, with purple panels suspended, and recessed lighting - the simplicity of this light and airy space and uncluttered lines reflect the general ethos of Michael Deane’s youngest restaurant...
Mourne Seafood Bar Belfast €
A sandwich board sign will lead you to Mourne Seafood Bar, recently opened by Andy Rae, who was previously head chef with Paul Rankin at Roscoff and Cayenne, and business partner Bob McCombrey, of the original Mourne Seafood Bar in Dundrum, Co Down, who have their own shellfish beds on Carlingford Lough.
Café Renoir €
Husband and wife team Lindsay and Karen Loney’s Café Renoir restaurant and shop have a great local following, especially among young professionals, for wholesome homemade food.
Deanes @ Queens €€
This all day bar and grill is the latest addition to the Deane empire - and, as well as Deane’s trademark good food, it brings a refreshing contrast to the mainly traditional atmosphere that the fine Victorian architecture of the university brings to the area.
Harbour View Teppanyaki €€€€
At this scenic Lagan side location beside the Waterfront Hall, the ever popular Japanese dining experience, Teppanyaki, is alive and well.
Zen €€
An ultra modern, stunningly cool Japanese restaurant….
McHughs Bar & Restaurant €€
This remarkable pub near the Odyssey Arena is in one of Belfast’s few remaining 18th century buildings; built in 1711, it is the city’s oldest listed building.
Avoca Cafe Belfast €€
Open since late 2007, the Belfast city centre branch of Avoca is the ninth store in Ireland for the renowned Wicklow-based homeware, fashion and food company.
Number 27 €€
This relatively recent addition to Belfast's Cathedral Quarter dining scene was quick to make an impact after opening in December 2007
The Barking Dog €€
Popular university area bar-restaurant in the former Rain City premises near the Egg and Bot (Eglantine and Botanic inns)
