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    Common Grounds

    4.5 (24 reviews)
    InexpensiveCafes
    Open 8:00 am - 10:00 pm

    Common Grounds Photos

    COMMON GROUNDS ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

    Recommended Reviews - Common Grounds

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    Setting up for my art show opening tonight.
    Tara M.

    Had a nice chai late today. Love the social enterprise ethos of this cafe and the community work they offer to help asylum seekers,those who need food and the friendship group they have. It has a real family kitchen feel about the place. The staff could be a little more conversational. Had nice sandwich. Chicken,almonds,apricot and honey mustard. Would have it again. Quite a lot of the menu seems spicy so would put me off ordering the dishes.

    Qype User (cm…)

    What would Jesus drink? is the question this café asks but don't let that put you off as it turns out that the Lord has decent taste in coffee. Founded by a local church to support charities and the Arts, religion is firmly tongue-in-cheek here, with 'Achocalypse Now' (mocha latte with a heart of darkness)coffees on the menu. The menu includes sandwiches, paninis, bagels, salads, soups and a range of cakes, cookies and cinnamon scones. Drinks include more than tea and coffee with smoothies, juices and soft drinks. The staff are friendly if not the fastest sometimes and the sofas comfy, though most of the seating is hard wooden chairs and wobbly tables. But it is easy to feel charitable because of decent food and the smug-sense that your coffee is making the world a better place.

    Ciara S.

    Lovely coffee and food in Common Grounds. Opted for an Americano and veg, feta and almond panini on this visit - very tasty. Have had the yumm bowl and various sandwiches in the past - food has always been really good and fresh. Good veggie options. Very relaxed feel to the place - it's all comfy sofas, rickety wooden tables and great music playing. Staff are lovely and there's often interesting art hanging on the walls. A place you could easily spend a few hours lounging in. It's also fair trade and not for profit which is wonderful. A coffee shop with real heart and soul - a welcome change to all the bland corporate chains out there.

    Andrew K.

    Community based coffee shop. Friendly staff and chilled atmosphere. Worth checking out!

    Conor K.

    This place is fantastic. It has a very bohemian feel to it and a very relaxed atmosphere. It is situated right in the middle of South Belfasts Holyland's, which is the epicentre for all things student and student related in this part of the city. The cafe sells mainly fair trade and uses its profits for charitable means which makes each drink worth while. There's always random shows and singer song writers performing which adds a little more to the whole experience that you don't get in the regular joe coffee shops.

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    14 years ago

    So so worth a visit - a proper coffee and chill out spot and clean too and charitable? Win win win

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    Review Highlights - Common Grounds

    But I, for one, would rather give my hard earned pennies to charity rather than a big corporation.

    Mentioned in 4 reviews

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    Arthurs Coffee House And Sandwich Bar - Inside

    Arthurs Coffee House And Sandwich Bar

    (5 reviews)

    £

    City Centre

    It's a pain to have to give a crappy review to a place that's always been a favourite. Arthur's has…read morealways delivered a decent lunch at a good price. After years of going in that has changed for the first time. As with everything these days the prices have crept up, especially in terms of the lunch specials. OK, that's to be expected these days. But there a 'meal deal' in there now for £12 or so! Not long ago that was a basic restaurant price, the specials are now around the £5 mark and gone is the awesome £3. I could live with that, but I got the club sandwich. It was tiny and bland.... With a club you expect the double layers... not in this case... just the 2 rounds of bread, and they were very poorly filled at that. I'll definitely be back... I won't give up on a stalwart like this after 1 bad experience... but with the hike in prices there needs to be an understanding there be a hike... and certainly not a drop, in delivery!

    Not bad, not bad at all. I was about 10 minutes early for a meeting in the city centre today so I…read moredecided to pop in to Arthurs to kill a bit of time. As eluded to Arthur's is in a really handy location beside Montgomery Street Car park and only a short dander from Victoria Square.s iWith loads of neighboring offices I suspect Arthur's is rammed in the morning and at lunch time but luckily for me I visited around 2:30pm and there were only a few other customers. As soon as I walked in I was asked 'what I would like?' and to be honest I hadn't even worked that out in my head yet so I just blurted out Americanno! I like the prompt sty;e of the staff in here - no messing about - gimmie your order! The coffee was great - very strong which is just what I needed before a meeting. I even got myself a wee pecan slice as there was a lonely one left in a basket just staring at me at the counter. So I had to, you know yourself! Anyway, it's a big old thumbs up from me for Arthur's and who knows it might even get that extra star when I sit in!

    Robinson & Cleaver - City hall across the road

    Robinson & Cleaver

    (17 reviews)

    ££

    City Centre

    If your looking somewhere a little different with excellent views and a gin this is the place on a…read moresunny day. The balcony at Robinson & Cleaver overlooks Belfast City Hall and has a lovely peaceful atmosphere above the buzz of the city. It would be excellent for a date/ special occasion. The balcony/ terrace has a Bombay Sapphire bar and a European/ irish style menu. I've eaten here twice and food has been average and didn't really stand out for me. On my first visit I had a meat sharing platter with my partner. The platter was somewhat disappointing as the only meat on it was some boiled ham and a duck pate which isn't overly a meat in my eyes. The ham was quite tough and had a plastic type texture instead of being dry and tender. We shared one slice between us and left the rest. This was served with melba toasts which were delicious but a few more wouldn't have been nice. Also on the board was a smoked apple wood cheese which was nice on the toasts. The pate I really did not enjoy and the majority of it was left. I definitely wouldn't order this again as I left feeling quite hungry. I decided to return a second time, mostly because of the view so that I could watch the Pride parade and also to try the hot food as I really wanted this restaurant to impress due to its location. I ordered the steak sandwich with a side of French fries. The steak was tender and served on ciabatta with crispy tobacco onions. It was however a very small portion and flavours weren't outstanding. My partner had the chicken burger topped with chorizo and was hugely disappointed at the quality of chorizo. Just looking at it you could see it was mostly fat and she had to leave it to the side. Unfortunately I won't be in a rush back which is frustrating as the restaurant is in such a great location. It just doesn't have much ambience and staff aren't the most pleasant and seemed very starey and appeared as though they were discussing our table as they pointed in our direction. This made me feel very uncomfortable. They also only have one toilet which had a queue on both days I visited. When there's a queue this then blocks staff coming out from the kitchen to serve food and also the elevators so you are made to feel quite awkward.

    If you like the minimalist vibe then Robinson & Cleaver is the lunch destination for you. Located…read moreopposite the City Hall Robinson & Cleaver is the café of choice for many local office workers - thus it can get busy at peak times. Robinson & Cleaver is a bit of a sun trap - the huge glass front of the building creates a green house feel - if you're a sun worshiper head here and grab a window seat - you'll be slathering on the factor 50 in no time. In terms of lunchtime grub Robinson & Cleaver offers sandwiches and snacks. You can opt to have your sandwich heated if you like, although the sun might cook it if you set it near the window. They have a great meal deal, which includes a sandwich, soft drink and a snack (apple, banana or tray bake) for a fiver. You'll be hard pushed to find a better deal than this in the City centre. I'm a fan of Robinson & Cleaver - I like the layout and the minimalist feel to the place - it's open and airy and the glass front makes it feel as if you're sitting outside. It's the perfect escape from a stuffy office.

    Oh! Donuts & Coffee

    Oh! Donuts & Coffee

    (6 reviews)

    City Centre

    As someone that normally is not crazy about donuts, Oh! Donuts & Coffee has made me a convert! They…read morehave a wonderful selection of both vegan and non-vegan donuts that are so delicious and fluffy. We got a 6-pack selection and everyone got something they loved. We were over visiting family in Belfast for Christmas, but will definitely be back - specifically for these donuts!!

    TRIGGER WARNING: this review contains "minimally invasive creme hole" and "generously sized nuts"…read more First of - an absolute hipster dream when it comes to decor. Whoever their graphic designer is, id hire him to...idk. Design my. Life. The donuts were the centre of attention - are my photo of the window display, which was eye catching and immediately had me salivating. They've managed well with COVID, but only one person in the store at a time (a wee cramped space honestly). Might be a long wait at a peak time. We had the place to ourselves however. Ok, donuts; we had A vanilla glazed - just a "control" for the taste science experiment. I have to say it was delicious and fresh, weighty and "doughy". A Boston Creme - the creme was SO GOOD. As a former donut baker, I was impressed with the minimally invasive "creme hole". Nothing was leaky, and the creme itself had a great consistency. The chocolate on top was dark, textured, and great accent visually and for the palate. A chocolate noh-tella: which for a vegan donut tasted surprisingly "unvegan". The donut was dense and full flavoured regardless of the filling; the filling was more viscous than Nutella and had generous sized nuts. A apple chai : yet to eat but apple filled, infused with chai. Looks delicious. Unlikely to be a gimmick. Donuts are so often gimmicks; a crappy donut with some bright colour slapped on it to give it appeal. But a real donut is good regardless of how dressed up it may be; and for that, the vanilla glazed takes the cake. Or yeast. Or dough. Do have a pop in. Looks like their coffee was pretty good as well, although didn't partake this time. The worker was kind and put up with my extensive donut chat, even my creme hole chat. Poor woman. Give it a shot!

    Common Grounds - cafes - Updated May 2026

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