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.

Had the pot pie -- yummy. Super friendly and courteous…read morestaff. Adorable place. If you're in the area -- go here.

After eating subpar tourist food the last three days in Dublin, I cannot express how happy I am to…read morefind this gem. The place was recommended to us by several locals, and we headed up on a short trek from Ballygally. The food here is HOMEMADE. Everything was fresh. Nothing had been frozen or bought prepackaged in bulk. The mashed potatoes were fresh and homemade--not from a bag--and the chips (fries) were hand-cut and fresh as well. We both had the Guinness Pie, and it was quite a treat. I'd highly recommend the place if you are in the area!

A great wee placeif you ever happen to be passing this area, this is a must for something tasty to…read moreeat. The staff.all locals are friendly and chatty. The food is fresh and very tasty with good size portions.

From the owner: We have taken on The Ship Inn which has been closed for several years.read more

Went for a pint after dinner and ended up staying late thanks to the hospitality of the regulars.read more

Stayed here for 2 nights in September 2013. The Room was spacious though the bathroom small. Was…read morenice to have the pub and the nice waitstaff so close. Seemed a tad pricey but I think maybe everything was in the area. Very close to Bushmills

No longer a hotel, the Olderfleet has recently been refurbished and now includes a beer garden area…read moreoutside. When this place was recently refurbished it was extremely popular, but has died down as of date, and usually attracts an older, middle aged crowd. Outside there is wooden decking with sofas, chairs, tables and stools, as well as an outside bar. There is also a tent where bands regularly play. There are also various outdoor heaters scattered around the place to make sitting outside more comfortable. Upstairs in the Olderfleet is often used as a function room for parties, but started to serve food a few months ago. I am unsure whether this was successful! Overall, I think this place is a good place to have a quiet drink to watch the football, or socialise with friends. Not really a party place!

Typical old`style pub with public bar and lounge separated by the bar in the middle. Large plasma…read morescreens for live sporting events in both bars as well as a good jukebox in lounge. Was`the winner of best pint of Tennents lager in Scotland award a few years ago. well stocked with fine whiskies and good draughts. Staff polite and helpful. Usual locals with plenty of banter and laughs

From the owner: Traditional family run Scottish bar + lounge located in the town square, well stocked local malts -…read morevaried selection of ice cold draught beers and ciders, draught and bottled craft beer, and cocktails - past winner of Best Pint of Tennants Lager in Scotland.3 LCD screens show all Sky Sports matches + major sporting fixtures. Weekly Quiz-(Thursday 9pm). Free WI-FI. Open 7 days - 11am - 1am.

A few years back we got to to here as the Belfast telegraph had a promotion on and even though its…read morea fair distance from Belfast we thought we'd take a gamble on it, definitely worth the drive as the food and atmosphere were above expectations with being in the winter and the open fire lit, really nice and cosy. The tables by the entrance are the best but don't be fooled by the small appearance its like Dr who's tardis as the space through the next set of doors there's a massive room for dining or dancing. You have to park in a car park on the opposite side of the road which is a bit inconvenient but its just added character and the food was nice too. We'd love to go back sometime soon .

Found Saltwater Brig by pure chance on a filthy dark winter night while on holiday from Scotland…read more But what a welcome inside! The staff were so friendly and helpful with my disabled Wife. As for the food, we have eaten in a lot of places in a number of countries but this was as good as anything we have come acrooss. And the finishing touch was dining beside the huge log fire on a freezing winter night. It was so good that we went back another couple of times during our week's stay. We are going ti Ireland again shortly on holiday and Saltwater Brig will be our number one priority for another visit. We were back in Ireland for another holiday in November. The Saltwater Brig was top of our agenda for a return visit.......and we weren't disappointed. Once again everything about it was superb - the beautiful location beside Strangford Lough, the cosy surroundings and the welcoming staff (especially Olive who is the friendliest waitress you could meet). Then there is the food. The extensive menu is fantastic and we cannot speak highly enough of its quality, and all very reasonably priced. If you enjoy "a taste of Ulster" put The Saltwater Brig on your MUST VISIT list. We guarantee you will love it.

I love this place! Cutest town, cutest picture perfect Irish pub. The best goat cheese salad in my…read morelife and of course it's across the pond. I couldn't believe the amount goat cheese there was. The dressing on the salad was amazing! I also Got to try my first slice of banoffee pie. Holy cow amazing! The crust was awesome and the different flavors balanced everything perfectly. The family got burgers and fries and loved them too.

After a month traveling around the U.K., I was getting a bit sick of standard pub fare. Luckily, I…read morefound O'Connors! The classic pub elevates the menu to offer food that was tasty and fairly priced. My partner raves about the curry and my sea bass was very well cooked and presented. The vibe looks like a standard pub - dark wood, bar mirrors, etc. - but the food felt like a bistro.

good friendly local bar with a great juke box no food. good parking public car park out the back,…read morepool table and fantastic staff good bar

Stopped by this tavern, because all the other options for dinner were full up. The menu is a little…read moresmall, but it is a "bistro" second and a pub first so I can't knock them for that. It took the wait staff a little while to take our order, but once they did the food came out much faster than expected. Decent portion for the price, but be warned there is no dessert menu if that what you are after.

This bistro place is above a lovely pub in the town centre. It's a bit basically fitted out yet…read morecosy and comfy. No pretension about it, just good properly made food by people who really care about what they do. The young lady serving us was mega friendly. We were four adults and three kids. Most of the adult meals were great value, pitched at about £8. I was the only steak sandwich order with the remaining adults having beef burgers with choices like bacon added. Oh, I had a delicious pint of Guinness too. This was one of the best steak meals I've had in the last few weeks and the others all agreed they enjoyed their meals too. The pepper sauce served with my steak was absolutely ace and I loved it. Top notch. I also went for a portion of onion rings as my wife had chosen garlic chips with her main so we could share. Once again, the tasty onion rings were ace too. Thick rounds of mild onion and a crisp batter. The steak was superb quality beef. I enjoyed the garlicky chips too. The kids had chicken nuggets and chips. All made from scratch in-house including the kids nuggets. That's the right way to do it. There was a moment of shock for me when I asked for Colman's mustard, which is the greatest mustard in the world and beef as good as this deserves Colman's, and I was told they didn't have it. As I was taking in the enormity of this shocking claim she re-appeared just moments later with a plastic pot of Colman's, so I shelved my plan to burgle a local supermarket and splurged a dollop on my plate. Another plus was when we ordered diet cokes we got the 330ml tins very well chilled. So many places now just pour from two litre bottles with no fizz left. One possible downside but not for us was that they don't sell desserts. We wouldn't hesitate to return.