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$ | Mourne Mountains |
Venture a few miles south of Newcastle and a 10-minute drive toward Annalong to Head Road where hedgerows are replaced by stone walls to find a 100-year-old traditional whitewashed building that has been refashioned as a cozy café against the backdrop of Slieve Bingian mountain. Set amid the timeless wide-angle landscape of undulating countryside and green fields unspooling to the distant horizon of coast and sea, this is the place for those hungry for scenery as much as tray bakes, sandwiches, and salads. Don't miss the caramel shortbread hot chocolate or Illy coffee, served beside a blazing log fire. In good weather you can sit outside. Breakfasts are served until 3.00pm. Carrick Cottage now also offers summer accommodation in 'glamping' pods sleeping 2-5, from £160 per pod.
The café is often busy with walkers since it is beside one of the main paths leading into the mountains and is a short drive from Carrick Little car park, a major entry point into the hills.
204 Head Rd., Newcastle, Co. Down, BT34 4RJ, Northern Ireland
Known For
- Delicious homemade snacks and cakes
- Illy coffee adds perfection
- Jaw-dropping vistas of mountains and sea
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Thurs. Oct.--Mar.
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$$$ | Central District |
For 25 years, Michael Deane has been the leader of the Belfast culinary pack, and his flagship operation has three distinct restaurants in one building. The Meat Locker is a beef-driven grill room and steak house; Eipic is an upscale, one–Michelin star restaurant and opulent champagne bar serving a variety of multicourse menus; and Love Fish is a less formal seafood restaurant with a Hamptons vibe. The Meat Locker is inspired by London's Hawksmoor steak-house chain. Menus come on meat hooks, while a "salt wall" is used for dry aging locally sourced beef. In the extension is the Eipic (Wednesday to Saturday evenings, lunch Friday), a classy round-table, 30-seater restaurant and champagne bar serving a variety of multicourse menus featuring venison, quail, or halibut; lunch costs either £30 or £45, and dinner £70. Running beside these two eateries, in an elongated conservatory, is the seafood restaurant Love Fish. A bright atmosphere with Brentwood steel chairs and local artwork dominate here. Lunchtime staples include fish-and-chips, roll-mop herrings on toast with chips, smoked mackerel salad or an open prawn sandwich, with main courses starting from £6.50. The Deanes empire also includes Deanes Deli Vin Café in Bedford Street, Deanes at Queens in the university area, and Deane and Decano on the Lisburn Road (check website for details).
28–40 Howard St., Belfast, Co. Down, BT1 6PF, Northern Ireland
Known For
- Locally sourced beef at the Meat Locker
- Elegant food at Eipic
- Great value seafood at Love Fish
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Eipic closed Sun.–Tues.; Meat Locker and Love Fish closed Sun. and Mon.
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$$ | Central District |
A cut above the average fish-and-chips restaurant, award-winning Fish City serves sustainably sourced seafood including Carlingford oysters, cod, scampi, and other treats. For non-pescatarians there are vegan and vegetarian options, too.
33 Ann St., Belfast, Co. Down, BT1 4EB, Northern Ireland
Known For
- Fish City Kiev
- Fisherman's curry
- Gourmet burgers
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$$ | |
With its raw wooden tables, wood-burning stove, sand on the floor, and outdoor terrace, this beachside restaurant in Portstewart, about 20 minutes from Dunluce, is the destination restaurant par excellence of the north coast. Brunches might consist of pancakes with maple syrup, smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, or pasta. Dinner highlights include the just-landed Greencastle hake with chorizo or whole lemon sole, while summertime sees lobster, langoustine, or mussels on the menu. A deck with picnic tables and an outside bar have been added so you can watch the sea coming right up to the front door. The food is a great value and the outside attracts crowds for both eating and enjoying a pale ale (try the house Shack beer), a stout, or crisp beer from the local Lacada brewery.
118 Strand Rd., Portstewart, Co. Londonderry, BT55 7PG, Northern Ireland
Known For
- Fresh, tasty lobster
- Local pale ale
- On-the-beach dining with outdoor bar
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$$ | Cathedral Quarter |
This self-styled "restolounge" in the happening Cathedral Quarter is one of Belfast's buzziest bistros and is especially popular with weekend brunch lovers (10:30--12:30). Decorated in a giant mishmash of vintage lamps and fabrics, 1950s collectibles, and drawings from local artists, this outlet follows the Cuisinart school of restaurant design, mixing and matching all sorts of antiques and upcycled objects, including a ceiling covered in glossy magazine photographs. It's truly one of Belfast's most eye-popping decors. The typewritten menu, set on clipboards, showcases seasonal and retro dishes, specializing in steaks best downed with fab cocktails such as the Jaw Breaker with Jawbox gin, ginger, lemon and lime, and homemade honeycomb. Start with whipped goat cheese or delectable tomato jam and Guinness wheat bread.
23 Talbot St., Belfast, Co. Down, Northern Ireland
Known For
- Chimichurri steaks on sourdough with patatas bravas
- Hake with green olive gnocchi and nduja
- Weekend brunch is a winner
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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$$$ | Central District |
You’d be hard-pressed to eat this well, for so little money, in such relaxed surroundings anywhere else in Northern Ireland or indeed the whole island. Lunches are either two courses (£30) or three (£35) with choices such as smoked Armagh goose, wild wood pigeon with figs and salisfy, or halibut and lemongrass, and to cap it all, views through the large windows stretch over the River Lagan to the glowing 56-foot-tall Ring of Thanksgiving beacon by the Scottish artist Andy Scott. Dinner entrées—unadulterated with butter or cream—could be châteaubriand, wild venison, or cured river trout. The six-course seasonal tasting menu costs £65, or £95 with wine, while the four-course menu is £50, or £85 with wine. They are served for dinner on weekends with European wine pairings to each course, from the amuse-bouche to the white chocolate parfait. In the Ox Cave next door, you can enjoy light bites from a charcuterie, cheeseboard, (try the Boyne Valley Blue or the triple cream Ballylisk) and other nibbles with live music every Saturday from 9 pm.
1 Oxford St., Belfast, Co. Down, BT1 3LA, Northern Ireland
Known For
- Multicourse tasting menus
- Delicate white chocolate parfait
- Top-quality seasonal ingredients
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon.
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$ | Beech Hill |
Part restaurant and café, part cocktail bar, part French-style patisserie, Primrose overlooks the Quay and is all raves from Derry foodies. Main courses may include roasted cod loin with parsnips and butter sauce, bacon loin with choucroute, pulled pork, or haddock with buttermilk batter, best washed down with local craft beers such as Northbound's Oak Smoked Beer from their Campsie brewery near Derry. Their "scratch" bakery—so-called because all breads and cakes are made fresh from scratch every day—produces scrumptious desserts such as lemon meringue pie, carrot cake, or gluten-free lemon and blueberry drizzle cake. The high-quality patisserie is famed for such delights as strawberry and white chocolate scones or treacle tart.
2 Atlantic Quay, Derry, Co. Londonderry, BT48 7NR, Northern Ireland
Known For
- Roasted cod loin
- Lemon meringue pie
- Sensational pastries and tarts made from scratch
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$ | West Bank |
Starting life as a street food truck, PNP is now a full-service restaurant (with a liquor license) but is still serving up its authentic street-food dishes such as Legenderry, Veganderry, and Jalapeno burgers. Long bare bulbs hang over rough-hewn tables made with thick wooden scaffold planks and 1960s reclaimed school chairs. The kopa oven spits, sizzles, and confers a distinctive smoky barbecue flavor to marinated grass-fed wagyu steak, fish kofta, or pork chop with sides of potato rancheros, tortillas, or salad. Squid, masa chicken, baja fish, and cauliflower all come under the tacos menu wrapped up in the best of local produce in what is possibly Derry's coolest spot.
57 Strand Rd., Derry, Co. Londonderry, BT48 7RT, Northern Ireland
Known For
- Classic street-style burgers
- Squid tacos
- Charcoal-grilled whole fish
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues.
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$$$$ | Central District |
The Grand Central Hotel's first-floor brasserie is a bright, stylish space and a favorite rendezvous for well-heeled locals, especially on weekends. Entrées lean towards modern Irish treatments of local surf-and-turf dishes, but there are tasty vegetarian options, too.
9-15 Bedford St., Belfast, Co. Down, BT2 7FF, Northern Ireland
Known For
- Rack of Mourne lamb
- Roast monkfish
- Tender sirloin steaks
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$$$ | Golden Mile |
Modern Irish classics with an international twist attract the foodie crowd to this cheerful bistro just off Great Victoria Street, which was extended in 2018 to become a 70-seat bistro. A short but perfectly balanced menu emphasizes locally sourced seafood and lean meats. Fishy dinner highlights include plaice, sea bass, or hake. Braised-then-roasted belly of pork with fennel is popular, but the flavorsome fried squid far outsells anything else on the menu, and don't forget the parsnip chips to go with it. For lunch goers in a hurry there is an excellent-value menu with haddock and chips, fish pie, and rib-eye steak, as well as an impressive vegetarian selection. The wines are outstanding, or try malt-flavored handcrafted Belfast ales or lagers from the Mourne Mountains, made with Saaz hops and yeast.
68--72 Great Victoria St., Belfast, Co. Down, BT12 5EE, Northern Ireland
Known For
- Best-selling squid and dips
- Sublime fish pie
- Outstanding wine and beer menu
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.--Tues.
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$$$$ | 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
Known For
- Halibut with lobster mousee
- Thornhill duck breast
- Kilkeel crab with green apple, celeriac, and imperial caviar
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$ | Central District |
Halfway down a narrow lane is the 19th-century Morning Star, one of the city's most historic pubs, first built as a coaching stop for the Belfast-to-Dublin post. There's a traditional bar downstairs and a cozy velvet and wood-panel restaurant upstairs serving locally sourced food. On the menu you might find venison and game in winter, lamb in spring, and grilled haddock or roast Antrim pork in summer. Also notable is the steak menu; you'd be hard-pressed to find a larger assortment of aged cuts, and they are enormous: sizzling steaks, some up to 42 ounces, arrive at the table in red-hot cast-iron skillets and are served with a flourish by the friendly staff.
17–19 Pottinger's Entry, Belfast, Co. Down, BT1 4DT, Northern Ireland
Known For
- Grass-fed beef from family farm
- Local mussels
- Artisanal breads
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$$ | Central District |
The famous Derry Girls mural adorns one outside wall of this old-school tavern. Inside, wood-paneled walls are covered with photos of local sporting legends. Those with a big appetite can wash down lavish portions of filling pub grub with what is claimed to be the best pint of Guinness in Derry, and the menu also includes bar snacks such as toasted sandwiches.
18 Orchard St., Derry, Co. Londonderry, Northern Ireland
Known For
- Traditional Irish pub decorations
- Sunday roast dinners
- Guinness pints
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$$ | Central District |
The owner, Ian Orr, a former maestro chef who has handed over the cooking to others, has put Derry on the culinary map. Candles on tables and leather-upholstered horseshoe booths with calming cream and brown timber shades set a stylish scene, where the three-course dinner menu at £27.50 is a hit. The menu showcases seafood chowder, chargrilled steak, chicken wings in a honey hot sauce, or braised shoulder of Lough Erne lamb. If you have space for a dessert, then indulge in the chocolate fondant or banoffee profiterole. Attentive service and comfort means you leave here with a mellow afterglow that lingers.
23 Strand Rd., Derry, Co. Londonderry, BT48 7DZ, Northern Ireland
Known For
- Greencastle seafood chowder
- Pressed beef with buttered greens and celeriac remoulade
- Sugar pit pork
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$$ | Mourne Mountains |
A huge mural on brick walls features a top-hatted Isambard Kingdom Brunel, this relaxed seafood restaurant's namesake and a famous figure in engineering history with connections to the area. The food philosophy here means using seasonal and local produce, and the menu features wild ingredients freshly foraged from nearby Dundrum Bay or Strangford Lough. Lunch and dinner are on offer, with main evening fish courses such as halibut or coley, as well as a variety of delicious meat and pasta dishes.
32 Downs Rd., Newcastle, Co. Down, BT33 OSG, Northern Ireland
Known For
- Goose breast with beetroot, cabbage, and celeriac puree
- Coley with borlotti beans and nduja
- White chocolate crème brûlée
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$$ | Central District |
Taking its name from the eponymous first-class café on RMS Titanic, Café Parisien divides itself into a downstairs creperie and a stylish upstairs restaurant in a landmark six-story sandstone building opposite City Hall. Choose from an array of savory or sweet crepes and galettes or head upstairs for main courses at lunch or dinner, which may include beef bourguignon or bouillabaisse, the celebrated stew of Provence. At £19.95 the two-course lunch menu du jour is expensive but worth it for the views.
Ask for a terrace table (the halogen heaters keep you warm on a chilly day) from where you can watch the progress of city life and cradle a digestif.
1–3 Donegall Sq. N, Belfast, Co. Down, BT1 5GA, Northern Ireland
Known For
- Cod fillet, mussels, and white bean cassoulet
- Hot smoked salmon omelet
- Vegan beetroot rosti with tofu and pickled vegetables
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.--Wed.
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$ | Central District |
“Say nothin' till ye see Claude," was a famous old Derry saying in the days when Claude Wilton, a solicitor and civil rights campaigner represented all classes and creeds. Although he died in 2008, his name lives on T-shirts in this central, bike-theme café. Chicken is used in a dozen different ways from cajun and chili to tikka. Meal deals are great value while paninis are extremely popular with customers and you can also make up your own tortilla wrap or try one of their baked potatoes with a salad filling, accompanied by a specialty tea or freshly roasted Segafredo Italian coffee. Bikes and jerseys hang on the wall; those on two wheels are even encouraged to drop by and receive some air in their tires. While you're enjoying your coffee, log on to one of their computers or just browse a copy of the Derry Journal, a paper that has been reporting the news for 250 years and is the essence of the city.
4 Shipquay St., Derry, Co. Londonderry, BT4 86DN, Northern Ireland
Known For
- Full Irish breakfast
- Freshly roasted Segafredo coffee
- Homemade Irish stew
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$$ | Cathedral Quarter |
The small dishes known as cicchetti, beloved of Venetian bars and a counterpart to tapas, draw the crowds to Coppi in the ever-popular Cathedral Quarter. Named after a world-champion Italian racing cyclist, Angelo Fausto Coppi, it serves flavorful Mediterranean cuisine amid modern industrial decor. Entrées include dishes such as risotto and mushroom puff, the traditional Roman specialty pork scallopine with mushrooms and spinach, or the staple porcini mushroom ravioli with duck ragù. For cicchetti dolce, the tiramisu is deliciously light, and it's no surprise that Italian wines feature prominently. Eat at the counter on high chairs or at cozy booths with rustic wooden tables.
St. Anne's Sq., Belfast, Co. Down, BT1 2LR, Northern Ireland
Known For
- Huge T-bone steaks
- Venetian-style pizzetta (mini-pizzas)
- Best tiramisu in town
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues.
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$ | |
In this atmospheric, whitewashed coaching inn dating to 1642, noted for its architectural merit, exposed oak beams, stone floors, and a large open fireplace testify to the antiquity; the Snug bar top was crafted from timbers of ships wrecked in Lough Foyle. On the menu, solid traditional dishes dominate—fish from Ardglass, chargrilled steaks, burgers, chicken, and spring lamb. The best-selling craft beer is Maggie's Leap, an India Pale Ale from the Whitewater Brewery brewed with American, Australian, and New Zealand hops and packed with citrus flavors. Back in the mists of time, it was a member of the same Denvir family who gave his name to a small settlement in Colorado, later modified to Denver. The six spacious guest rooms retain the old inn's character, with original wooden floors, mahogany sleigh beds, and pristine white linen. Live music in the bar mixes traditional Irish with old classics on weekend nights.
14–16 English St., Downpatrick, Co. Down, BT30 6AB, Northern Ireland
Known For
- Massive Irish fry-ups
- Signature cheese toasties
- Beer garden
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$ | Cathedral Quarter | Coffee
In a world of behemoth coffee chains it is heartwarming to find an independent store with a funky vibe serving freshly ground beans from plantations in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Guatemala. Right in the heart of the Cathedral Quarter, this unpretentious café with its minimalist surroundings, communal wooden tables, and cement floor attracts a crowd of MacBook and smartphone lovers, as well as those gasping for a caffeine hit. Most popular are filter coffees, and the barista's choice may include espresso tonic with lemon and lime, or honey, cardamom, and cortado. Nourishing bowls of honey and coconut porridge are served until noon, while buttermilk pancakes, salt beef sandwich, or bubble and squeak are on the lunch menu. A tempting array of ever-changing snacks includes flapjack, cornflake cookie, or cinnamon swirl. Sunday is pie and drip day featuring apple crumble, peanut butter fudge, or cherry pie.
A place to linger where latte art has risen to a new level---but be aware that food service stops at 3, by which stage the café can resemble a computer lab.
54 Hill St., Belfast, Co. Down, BT1 2LB, Northern Ireland
Known For
- Espresso filter coffee
- Luxurious cinnamon swirls
- Cool place to hang out
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner
