Northern Ireland Restaurants

Belfast has experienced an influx of au courant and internationally influenced restaurants, bistros, wine bars, and—as in Dublin—European-style café-bars where you can get good food most of the day and linger over a drink. Local produce and seasonal creativity are the order of the day with top-quality fresh local meat and experimental chefs constantly trying out new ideas. Traditional dishes, of course, still dominate some menus and include Guinness-and-beef pie; steak, chicken and pork; champ (creamy, buttery mashed potatoes with scallions); oysters from Strangford Lough; Ardglass herring; mussels from Dundrum; and smoked salmon from Glenarm. By the standards of the United States, or even the rest of the United Kingdom, restaurant prices can be surprisingly moderate. A service charge of 10% may be added to the bill; it's customary to pay this, unless the service was bad.

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  • 1. Deanes Restaurant

    $$$ | Central District

    For 25 years, Michael Deane has been the leader of the Belfast culinary pack, and his flagship operation has three distinct restaurants in one building. The Meat Locker is a beef-driven grill room and steak house; Eipic is an upscale, one–Michelin star restaurant and opulent champagne bar serving a variety of multicourse menus; and Love Fish is a less formal seafood restaurant with a Hamptons vibe. The Meat Locker is inspired by London's Hawksmoor steak-house chain. Menus come on meat hooks, while a "salt wall" is used for dry aging locally sourced beef. In the extension is the Eipic (Wednesday to Saturday evenings, lunch Friday), a classy round-table, 30-seater restaurant and champagne bar serving a variety of multicourse menus featuring venison, quail, or halibut; lunch costs either £30 or £45, and dinner £70. Running beside these two eateries, in an elongated conservatory, is the seafood restaurant Love Fish. A bright atmosphere with Brentwood steel chairs and local artwork dominate here. Lunchtime staples include fish-and-chips, roll-mop herrings on toast with chips, smoked mackerel salad or an open prawn sandwich, with main courses starting from £6.50. The Deanes empire also includes Deanes Deli Vin Café in Bedford Street, Deanes at Queens in the university area, and Deane and Decano on the Lisburn Road (check website for details).

    28–40 Howard St., Belfast, Co. Down, BT1 6PF, Northern Ireland
    028-9033–1134

    Known For

    • Locally sourced beef at the Meat Locker
    • Elegant food at Eipic
    • Great value seafood at Love Fish

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Eipic closed Sun.–Tues.; Meat Locker and Love Fish closed Sun. and Mon.
  • 2. The Great Room

    $$$$ | Cathedral Quarter

    Inside the lavish Merchant Hotel, beneath the grand dome of this former bank's great hall and Ireland's biggest chandelier, find the perfect setting for a memorable dinner of adventurous European fare. Exceptional dishes include wild Irish venison loin, lamb saddle, or, for vegetarians, pappardelle pasta with black truffles and olive oil. First-class service in truly opulent surroundings makes this restaurant worth a detour. The two-course dinner is £25 and three courses are £29.50 and are an exceptional value, considering the surroundings. There's also a nine-course tasting menu at £90 with wine or £70 without. Afternoon tea is also a specialty with vegetarian, gluten-free options. Vegetarian and vegan options such as artichoke royale, wild mushroom ristotto, and roasted cauliflower steaks feature on dedicated plant-based lunch and dinner menus.

    35 Waring St., Belfast, Co. Down, BT1 2DY, Northern Ireland
    028-9023–4888

    Known For

    • Halibut with lobster mousee
    • Thornhill duck breast
    • Kilkeel crab with green apple, celeriac, and imperial caviar
  • 3. Fitzroy's

    $ | Central District

    Great-value portions of burgers, steaks, lamb shank, fish, and Caesar salads are dinner favorites at this popular city-center brasserie that has chalked up over a quarter century satisfying the Derry palate—it's rumored that the first cappuccino in the city was served here. The lunch dishes may include seafood chowder or the delectable chicken melter, made up of cheese, tobacco onions, and bacon with Mexican spices. Fitzroy's frequently has specials, including half-price meals on Monday and Tuesday (excluding bank holidays) and 30% off the rest of the week on all food and drink—check the website for the latest offers.

    2–4 Bridge St., Derry, Co. Londonderry, BT48 6JZ, Northern Ireland
    028-7126–6211

    Known For

    • Firecracker burgers
    • King prawn linguine
    • Thyme and mushroom risotto
  • 4. Neill's Hill Cafe & Brasserie

    $ | East Belfast

    Named after a long-forgotten railway station in East Belfast, this casual brasserie has established itself as a calming spot in buzzy Ballyhackamore, where lunchtimes can get crowded. Dishes change monthly, but typical main courses for dinner are burgers, steaks, pork fillet, prawns, lemon sole, and sea bass from Walter Ewing, Belfast's top fish supplier. Weekend brunches include a malted waffle with fruit or bacon and maple syrup, scrambled eggs with Irish smoked salmon, granola with fresh fruit and natural yogurt, or a hot vegan breakfast. Small plates such as duck croquettes or potted crab are an excellent value. The drinks menu includes smoothies and cocktails or a fruity craft beer called Jack the Lad, an Irish pale ale made by the Reel Deel brewery in County Mayo.

    229 Upper Newtownards Rd., Belfast, Co. Down, BT4 3JF, Northern Ireland
    028-9065–0079

    Known For

    • Local Portavogie prawns
    • Awesome weekend brunches
    • Sunday roast carvery dinner

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
  • 5. The House Restaurant

    $$ | Central District

    A duo of dining experiences is reflected in different rooms at this refashioned old waterfront building which was once Derry's Custom House where taxes were collected from ships arriving at the port. Beef, chicken, and fish dominate the main restaurant, Entrada, where you can also enjoy snacks such as meatballs, salted cod fritters, or cured meats and cheeses. The elegant lounge, with its Spanish Para Picar menu, is a wine and tapas bar and may feature ham hock, spiced beef, or charcuterie.

    Custom House St., Derry, Co. Londonderry, BT48 7AS, Northern Ireland
    028-7137–3366

    Known For

    • Variety of options
    • Sirloin steaks
    • Classic cocktails

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
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  • 6. The Northern Whig

    $ | Central District

    Housed in an elegant former newspaper building in Belfast's historic Cathedral Quarter, the Northern Whig is spacious and stylish. From Thursday to Sunday evenings, one wall slides away so you can watch a jazz band, or a DJ playing funk and pop. The food is brasserie-style—not astonishing, but good. The environment, wine and gin selection, and cocktails such as Perfect Storm (rum, ginger beer, and Angostura bitters) or French Martini (pineapple juice, vodka, and raspberry liqueur) are the main draws, though.

    2–10 Bridge St., Belfast, Co. Down, BT1 1LU, Northern Ireland
    028-9050–9888

    Known For

    • Brasserie-style food
    • Traditional wooden bar
    • Cocktails

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