Maddens have got to be the best bar in antrim. Friendly bar staff and bouncers, not much trouble,…read moregreat djs and good live music. Its always good on a saturday nigt with dj johno and on a thursday night with a fairly regular crowd. Also a restaurant during the day serving awesome food.

From the owner: Great Beer, Food And Entertainment. Good Service By Our Welcoming And Friendly Staff. Come Join Usread more

The Sportsmans bar located just about in Ballyclares town centre is the main watering hole if you…read morewant to watch a live premier league football match on one of their many television screens. The front bar got a revamp a few years ago and it looks quite trendy and almost cosmopolitan like a Belfast City centre hangout. It was long overdue as it had started to look a bit run down, but this didn't bother the faithful locals who have been loyal to the pub most of their lives. The back bar is quite spacious with pool tables and a few slot machines. It often comes alive when there's a high profile sporting event on were you can watch it on "the big screen" as its locally known. The back bar also is popular for private party nights when it really comes to life. Overall a good little spot which I'd recommend for a half decent night out, or during the week when it can be very quiet there's a relaxing atmosphere for a cold pint.

We called in here for a bite to eat as we happened to be passing and I was absolutely famished!…read more Walked inside and I immediately felt as though I had gone back to 1953 having looked at the decor. We took a seat at the bar and waited for a table, and waited, and waited. Finally we got seated and had menus brought to us. The food on offer was very standard 'pub grub' burgers, chips, sandwiches and the like. I decided to go for the cheeseburger and chips. Food came, and it was pretty much like the type of burger you'd get from a burger van, and I was happy enough with that, it was cheap too. The cheese on the burger was good quality stuff. The chips on the other hand, were the greasiest things I've ever seen in my life. I had a couple and just couldn't eat them. It's not a local place to me and I don't go by there that often, but if I did, in honesty, I probably wouldn't go back.

Slightly out of the way as this is situated in mallusk industrial estate however its a decent…read morefriendly bar with one of the most cheerfull barmaids i've ever met lol!

My two daughters, wife and I had the pleasure of dining in the biggest restaurant in Glengormley,…read morethat is The Loft. Perched above a row of shops in the busy Industrial area of Mallusk is this fully equipped 120 seater restaurant. When we ascended the stairway and entered the reception area we were amazed at the size!! The kitchen hatch was immediately to our left and at the helm was local chef John Hadden (who has worked in Ballyclare Golf Club, Knags, Sugar Rays and Blue Chicago). John has just introduced a new and very appetising menu......more on that later!! Further along was the fully stocked bar, with a myriad of wines, beers, spirits and soft drinks and I hear they do cocktails!! To the right as we entered was the seated reception area (above), where live bands and entertainers will play on busy weekend nights. We were taken through the dining area and seated in our well accommodating booth, overlooking the car park. The booth was set for four and would have fitted six!! Chef John's passion for good quality wholesome fresh food showed through in the menu. John was saying that there will be an express corporate lunch starting soon at £5.95 to cater for the many corporate clients and office workers in the area, who want good quality food, quickly and at a reasonable price. There were so many dishes that screamed out, "Eat me!!!" So we decided to take the plunge and order. My two girls had the pork sausages (2 pcs) with skinny fries and freshly breaded chicken strips (3). My wife opted for the salmon sizzler and chunky chips,whilst I had the chicken stack. We all loved the presentation of the food John served up. The baskets for the kids meals went down a treat with them, the sizzler really sizzled and my stack was well stacked!! The breaded mushrooms were really crispy and served on a simple dressed salad with garlic mayo. The chicken strips and sausages were piping hot, the salmon and prawns were delicious and not over cooked and the chunky chips worked well with the fish. My stack was the best!!! The champ was perfectly cooked with tasty crunchy scallions, chicken was butterflied and succulent, the pepper sauce was reduced well and spot on and the tobacco onions were juicy and moist and not oily!! The portion sizes were big and we all polished the food off, leaving just enough room for dessert. Kids having mint chocolate ice cream and strawberry ice cream respectively whilst my wife and I shared the banoffee. We were well and truly filled after all this and all for less than £40......because kids eat free on a Monday and Tuesday night!!! There is BYO on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (can only avail of one offer per order) and Steak Night on a Thursday. This restaurant is a truly fantastic family friendly place which offers great quality food at very competitive prices. There is also scope for corporate/business lunches with the advantage of having a section able area to the rear which can be used for presentations, product launches, training, conferences, private parties, communions/christening and the whole venue can be used for large parties and even weddings. As can be seen this is a truly remarkable restaurant and we are so lucky to have it on our doorstep. Do call in and try for yourself......watch out for promotions and the new flyer, it will have a discount on it!!!!

I used to work in one of the industrial areas in Mallusk, and on the odd Friday, our boss would…read moretake us all out and get us our lunch. Due to being in Mallusk, there isn't a great variety of places to go, so the Loft (or the Jolly Beggar, as it was called) was the place we always went. Additonally, if you actually live in Mallusk, this is pretty much the only place to go in the immediate vicinity. It's in a rather large building, so there is plenty of room and you are pretty much always guaranteed to get a table. The service was always good, and the menu had something for everyone, burgers, chips, sandwiches, wraps, paninis etc - in my time I've probably tried them all, although the chicken wraps were a particular favourite. The pricing is reasonable too, not that we paid as we were always treated to it! Although I often travel through Mallusk nowadays, I never stop off, and the Loft isn't great enough to warrant a special trip just for that, but if you are in the area, give it a try.

We had a wonderful experience at The Crosskeys Inn. It's Ireland's oldest thatched roof pub and we…read moregot a brief talk about thatching, so look up as you're entering! Watch your head, unless you're as short as I am. We were on the CIE Scots Irish tour. We somehow got a table directly next to the band and had a wonderful time, let folks come and sit with us, got Guinness with Blackcurrant (which depending on who you ask is WRONG ... I thought it was fun). We had a BBQ buffet dinner that was good with plenty of food. They let us take home our placemats which are maps of Ireland. Also, there was a gift shop with some lovely items that came home with us, as well.

To the naked eye, it looks like a quaint country cottage with a thatched roof, but don't let the…read moreunassuming exterior fool you. This pub has been standing since the 17th Century, they know a thing or two about hospitality. Our party of five made ourselves cozy in the sessions corner as the pub keeper offered to light a peat moss fire for our comfort. They sell tee-shirts and tourist patronize this place, on account of it being a very old, beautiful Irish pub, but there were a few locals enjoying a pint when we stopped in. One of the owners is American, and I was surprised to see JFK Memorabilia in the smaller room. They have antique oil lamps, old firearms and assorted things on display for patrons to muse. They proudly serve Bushmills and even their own brand of Crosskeys Whisky, but I got a gin and tonic and enjoyed the Northern Irish craic that was on full supply on this June day.

Nice wee bar at the front of the Templeton. Cosy wee atmosphere with fire lit in winter and has…read moresome good live local bands and DJ's playin at weekends. Nice wee smokin area there 2 with tvs and seats n things

Sam's bar is part of the Templeton hotel in Templepatrick. This bar area is used mostly by locals…read moreduring the week/end for a drink near home without having to go all the way in to Belfast. It's a lovely wee bar that feels dead cosy. There's usually live music on a Saturday night. There's also a great smoking area outside. They sell drinks at the average prices, the staffs aren't the best waiters but you can't have it all! They do a great New Year's Party and the venue is also available to rent out for birthdays. It has a pretty good sound system so the music doesn't sound horribly distorted. It's a handy place for locals who don't want prices or pretension of Hilton. There are very few bars around here so it's handy having one which is so good. It's set in lovely surroundings and you should definitely call in if you're passing or around the area looking for a quiet drink.

July17, went in (after the bartender next door looked up then turned away without acknowledging us)…read more Happy we did, many ppl here watching The Open, friendly.. I think a mix of locals and visitors. The bartender was very pleasant and she nicely made my husband a coffee and cookies Nice atmosphere.

Traditional bar which has a reasonable sized front bar, complete with open fire every day,…read morememorabilia on the walls (real) and a nice atmosphere. The Guinness is fantastic and they bring it to your table for you. Back pool room and rear bar for quizzes and other events. Very clean and tidy and a good clientele make it a nice pub to spend time in. They also have traditional music on alternate thursdays.

Do yourself a favor and make reservations on a Saturday night. It's out in the countryside but…read moreit's lively because they have live traditional music. If you enter through the red door you can go either of two ways but you will want the restaurant in the back. Very open architectural feel to it. And very young appearing wait staff of local lasses under the watchful eye of John from Ballygally. Our dinner started with an appetizer--homemade quick bread which fabulous because it was made with Guinness! The two mains were the seafood special and then the venison. Perfectly prepared and well presented. Best meal in Ireland! Four stars, but.... Ok, we went back a week later. Not the same....the guys in the bar were telling mostly offensive, sexist, off-color, and crude jokes. The food was still good--had the house specials of steak and the breen--but our desert was a total disappointment; where was the lemon crud int? Totally missing, and the manager totally agreed. Then, he gave us another one and didn't charge us for it. But at the end, our waitress literally disappeared for 20 minutes only to reappear to wish us good night never acknowledging the dessert fiasco and her disappearance. Three stars...

We were having a lot of trouble finding somewhere open for lunch on a Sunday, but we were fortunate…read moreenough to come across Billy Andy's, which was both open and able to squeeze us in even though we didn't have a reservation. Behind the bar, there is a restaurant that is quite large and very popular. The Sunday menu is a two course set price menu, and there were so many excellent sounding options. I ended up choosing the prawns for the appetizer and the Larne salmon as my entree, and my husband had the lamb. The entrees were also accompanied by potatoes and vegetables. Everything was delicious and perfectly cooked, and the staff were so friendly! We're very thankful that we stumbled across this gem during our trip, and we would highly recommend it.