My favourite coffee shop by far. Lurgan has little to offer in terms of coffee shops in comparison…read moreto neighbouring Portadown. While it is in an unusual location down an alleyway - it is a very vibrant coffee shop and many regular customers. Food and drink is reasonably priced. Much cheaper than Starbucks and far nicer. £5 for a panini and coffee of your choice? Bargain I say! I also know the staff well, so there is good craic and banter to be had. Free wi-fi, great service, wide range of food, daily offers, a loyalty card, and an exceptional cup of coffee. So bring your friends, family and relax and enjoy the coffee!

If you visiting Lurgan it's definitely the place to go for awesome coffee and a bite to eatread more

A friendly place with the usual selection of draught and bottled beers available. I was there on a…read moreFriday night around 9pm and was pleasantly surprised to get some free sandwiches and cocktail sausages that were being distributed around the bar. A welcome surprise that went well with my beer.

Terry's is great! I go there every time I visit Ireland. Terry is a gentleman and so is his son…read more The live music is fun, too.

Cosy and somehow classy (in the best way!) wee pub full of music lovers. Top Notch pint of Guinness…read moreand served by those rarity of barmen who go the extra mile for ambiance and always remember your order, no matter how bizarre. Seriously, dare you to try, 9 weird ass drinks and he'll know the order exact. You wouldnt guess it but they squish a band in there every Friday and Saturday - every Weekend, perched up at the end of the bar and the crowd love it. When I first happened upon the place I pulled up a stool and sat next to the bass player. There may or may not have been footsies. Genuinely fun atmosphere in the weekend, give it a go!

On Friday 23rd December 2016 I spent most of the day in Hillsborough Castle for musical rehearsals…read morei.e. the "Come And Sing" chorus who were to perform Handel's Messiah that night in Belfast along with a professional group of early music specialists called Sestina. The rehearsals were held in Hillsborough Castle as part of the "Georgian Family Christmas" tours, held from Wednesday 21st to Friday 23rd December. There were therefore many tourists in the castle in addition to the considerably increased number of musicians on the Friday. We had 90 minutes for lunch and as we could not bring food into Hillsborough Castle, there was a massive influx of people from the castle to the surrounding restaurants at lunchtime. The Plough (directly opposite the castle) was already full when I arrived as one of a group of five people but they directed us to their neighbouring restaurant - The Vintage Rooms (soon to be full also). The food was excellent, in my case a mini baked Camembert followed by a Stilton and broccoli tart, as was my bottled craft beer, McGrath's Stout. There was, unfortunately, the stress of seeing the clock hands turn and turn, knowing that we had to be back in rehearsal at the castle at 2pm but at least we weren't the last to get back. I would certainly like to revisit The Vintage Rooms when not under pressure of time to be somewhere else.

This is an amazing addition to Hillsborough. From the outside it just looks like a tiny little…read morerestaurant but once you step inside you'll find its way more than just that. On entrance you'll spot the Smeg fridge door which leads to the toilets and if you follow this hallway there's some really cool art murals by Visual Waste advertising some of drinks available such as Tanqueray, Absolut & Hop House 13. After the cool door is the deli, with their glossy glass displays filled with mouthwatering cakes, sausage rolls, an array of freshly baked scones, a fridge filled with individually wrapped cheese to buy and traybakes galore you can't miss it and will find it difficult to peel your eyes away from. You can takeaway or dine in. We chose to dine in and as it was sunny picked one of their outdoor tables. The interior design in this place is epic. Our table was made from a huge old barrell and the stool legs from wood used in barells also. Alot of thought has been put into the decor, especially the two bar areas. The lunch menu consists of a selection of small plates, salads and light options. I had the sweet potato fries topped with pulled beef brisket, chili and a fried egg. They were amazing, the egg was perfectly cooked, the fries crispy and the brisket tender with just the right amount of chili. Portion size was perfect. I also had satay chicken wings, these weren't the best I've ever had as the wings had very little meat on them. The satay sauce really worked though with whatever meat there was. I'd definitely recommend this place. It was quite busy when i visited on a weekday so it might be best to book ahead if going at the weekend or busier times. It's connected to the Plough Inn which is also a bar and restaurant and they have another restaurant attached called Simply Seafood. They're located in the main street of Hillsborough close to the entrance to the Fort, so once you've had lots of tasty food you can go walk it off in Hillsborough Forest Park and go visit the swans and ducks.

Great beer garden on the rooftop. The floor of the main saloon was quite sticky from spilled drinks…read moreand the acoustics were just OK for the live band that was playing. I'd like to go back and check it out on another night where there is no live music, just to get a better feel for the vibe without the noise.

Great bands on weekend nights .. We saw a cover band called…read moreOff The Record .. Electric energy performance from a group of 50 odd year olds .. Slamming out Pistols , Thin Lizzy , Killers U2 , Stereophonics , T Rex etc .. with great accuracy and a few twists .. Food simple , yet delicious , well priced and served .. Great funky decor .. Love the JamJars cocktails .. Great night out .. Would recommend

If it is a trsditional Irish pub you are looking for look no further. WIth lots of different little…read morerooms, blazing fires and local musicians arriving with their instruments for a sing-song, you can be guaranteed a good GUinness and reat craic. Very friendly. Restaurant is above the pub. Food is pretty good although the night I was there they didn't have my 1st 2 choices of main course available (although we were about the only peoplein there) so I had to pick something that I propbably wouldn't normally go for - it was very nice all the same.

Slide is a newly opened gay friendly bar/club bang in the centre of Belfast. It is situated on the…read moretop floor of an old Victorian building and in order to get up there you enter by a little door next to the pizza parlour and you have to climb a lot of steep narrow stairs - I'm not grumbling but it was kind of hard in heels. The bar itself is situated on two levels. In the lower bar there is a massive bed which patrons can feel free to lounge on while they drink - the first night I saw it there were about 8 people on it - cosy! The music was so good - from Florence and the Machine to Stevie Wonder, our group danced the night away without being squashed as the dance floor was only comfortably crowded and the bar was easy to get too, which for me makes the night. I do remember dancing on top of a speaker and theoretically playing a full sized piano placed near the dance floor - thankfully it doesn't make any sound. As far as I'm concerned there were only two drawbacks to slide: the smoking area is tiny and not sheltered and the toilets are one floor down - narrow, steep stairs and booze isn't a great combination. All in all a fun-filled night - I'll be sliding again soon.

In my quest to seek out new venues i've come across a nice new gay/lesbian bar which seems to be…read moretucked away out of site, the bar? Well its called 'Slide' and is based on Ann's Street, Belfast. Its a persian styled venue with table service on one floor and on another a small but comfortably sized dance floor, considering this is like a well kept secret size here really isnt important. The staff were extremly friendly and welcoming which is a plus point considering some of the other LGB venues in belfast tend to employ staff who dont exactly know how to smile. For those who cant find it, its above Little Wings Pizzeria, on Anns Street Belfast.

We went to enjoy an Eagles tribute band. They were very good, and despite being one band member…read moredown through injury, they performed just over 2 hours but we thought Talon (another Eagles tribute) were better. There's very little car parking nearby and the area around the hall has become overrun with hotels. The hall was quaint, airy, with good acoustics, but I found the seating cheap and terribly uncomfortable - if I were 7 stone and ultra thin it might have been ok but alas no. Worst of all, my view, from my ground floor seat, was spoiled as I was sat right beside an ugly 6 inch steel pillar (no centimetres here so I'm ready for Brexit - which is more than the government can say). I felt quite cheated on being charged full ticket price for an obstructed view. The hall sells alcohol, but we didn't bother as it's just not comfortable enough to relax enough to enjoy a drink. Now this will sound a bit daft but I'd struggle to name more than two members of the original Eagles band. I like their music but I've no real interest in knowing anything about them. Spookily enough it's been 25 years to the day since we were in this beautiful hall. Sadly we can't change the past as on that magical night we saw John Denver live for the last time. As I sat there last night, I recalled John telling the story of how he came to write Shanghai Breezes out of a phone conversation to his former wife when he was in Shanghai. He linked his tale to suggest something we already know and often ignore here, that in this throwback place we should be able to live together harmoniously. Plainly we still choose not to put ourselves out too much.

Ahhhhh...Ulster Hall...the memories! During my misspent youth I saw quite a few great (and…read morequestionable) bands here including Aerosmith, Poison, Bon Jovi, Motley Crue and Def Leppard - well it was the early 1990s hahahahaha! In more recent years I've seen The Cult in concert (it always annoyed me that I didn't get to see them play years ago), numerous art exhibitions and the Belfast Beer and Cider Festival. Conveniently and centrally located on Bedford Street, Ulster Hall's easy to reach by foot or bus. I love the small, intimate environment of this understated, beautiful, Victorian building which is great for smaller events. The interior is refined elegance with the world-famous Mulholland Grand Organ prominently displayed and an art gallery space too. However, it can feel a bit overpopulated at times, as was the case with the 2015 Belfast Beer and Cider Festival and I find the temperature is often uncomfortably warm, especially when packed for a concert or event. Much to my embarrassment I've never actually seen the Ulster Orchestra live, whose home is in the Ulster Hall, but I'm planning on seeing them soon and am keeping an eye on Belfast City Councils website for more Ulster Hall events.

This is quite an interesting venue. It has so many applications... rehearsal space, offices, cafe,…read moremusic venue, gallery and music museum. It is great that it exists and that Belfast has stuck its neck out and is trying to make the music center work. Its not really a place that you can just go into and hang out, unlike the Black Box where you can just go into anytime and it not be unusual.... It is now looking the part after having a couple of years of being renovated in stages. I think it serves its purpose pretty well as it is just a new venture and is making baby steps to have more of a presence in the local scene.

The Oh Yeah Centre is the brain child/labour of love of Stuart Bailie, former editor of the NME…read more Based in the former home of Oh Yeah Records, a punk label from the 1980s, the centre provides a home for local music. Their main aim is to help support and promote the local music industry and they do that pretty well. The range of activities and events it stages is vast. There are gigs, obviously, some of which are aimed at under 18s (something Belfast sorely needed), rehearsal rooms for hire for bands who need space and equipment, a cafe and space for kids to come in, listen to music and hang out, and their crown jewel - the music exhibition. The exhibition basically charts Northern Ireland music from its traditional roots, to modern heroes like Snow Patrol (say what you like about them, at least they're flying the flag!). Recently, the whole thing was expanded and now features video confessionals from civilians like you and me, recounting their favourite gigs, lyrics, Northern Irish bands and so on. The building is also home to small businesses as well, such as Start Together Studios and Small Town America Records - both of which are success stories in their own right and would find it difficult to get city centre premises otherwise. The exhibition is free and open to the public every day except Sunday, so if you have even a passing interest in anything musical, I'd give it a whirl.

Best pub I've ever been to. Excellent food and hospitality is out of this world. Came from L.A…read more just to go here and i'm glad i did!

Charming, old, friendly staff, great drinks, even better food. Ordered a bottle of Pinot noir that…read morewas delicious, and was less pricey than in the US. For dinner, I had the roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes and veggies. My hubby had the fish and chips. Outstanding.