Would give zero stars if possible. This review is for the coffee bar, The Tavern. Hot drinks were…read morelow quality, watery instant mix served in mugs with spills down the sides. At least 3 tables were covered with dirty dishes, cups and rubbish. The waitress just ignored it even though there were customers (tourists) trying to find a clean table. Just embarrassingly bad. Welcome to Belfast, this is what passes for "premium" here.

So so glad that I was able to visit the castle. The views and the garden stole the show. It's a 4…read morestory castle but only the second and third floors are accessible to the public. This castle also doubles as a venue for various events. The cafe which is located on the ground level has light options such as coffees/teas and sandwiches. The coffee smelled as good as it tasted. Now the garden is breathtaking with a fountain in the center. Along the garden paths are seating areas. You can view the mountains and all of Belfast from the garden. I wasn't impressed with the inside of the castle. It was very empty and not a single sign of any historical information. I saw some staff around the grounds, but tours were not offered. I would have loved to learn more about this castle but was grateful for the views.

I did not expect to be charged £20 for two just to drive in here. Clearly the owners don't miss an…read moreopportunity to fleece folks. In our case it won't happen twice. It was £20 for two tickets but we didn't get tickets. So we only pulled in here to try Melissa McCabe's food. She is the owner of the Feast food truck and the Northern Ireland winner of the Northern Ireland heat of the Great British Menu. Hers was one of a few food trucks set up at the front of the house - there was a pizza food van but the options were all meat; no fish and a garlic bread option. The pizzas averaged £10 with most served with hot honey. The garlic bread was £7. There was a superb coffee truck: Arcade. I had a cortado (£2.9) and it was so good I got another one 20 minutes later. My wife said her cappuccino was delicious. There was a large food truck offering fish tacos but didn't list the type of fish; brisket was on the menu with pepper sauce. I looked at a sauce being poured over food and it looked to me like curry sauce but I couldn't see curry on the menu so I assumed rightly or wrongly it was the pepper sauce and avoided it. So Ms Mc Cabe had three offerings including her fish course from the competition - river trout two ways - barbecued with a crispy charcoal skin and cured in herbs and poitín. Today she served the trout on her stout - flavoured soda bread brushed with apple treacle, then topped with crème fraiche and salmon eggs. It was superb. She told us where she would be cooking on Easter Monday and it won't cost us £20. Having paid £20 we took a look around the house. I can assure anyone wishing to visit its not worth £10 a head. There's a few photos attached here and these are the best of it. When I was ordering food my wife took our dogs for a walk and as she walked them she was approached for £10. If I was one of the food truck owners I wouldn't be pleased as I've no doubt the £10 a head charge was a deterrent - no doubt the food truckers had to pay to be there too.

As the backdrop to my recent wedding I cannot compliment this venue enough. A hidden gem on the…read moreoutskirts of Holywood, this venue provides the perfect ambience for the fairy tale day imagined by most young girls growing up. The manor house is set on the grounds of the Ulster folk park, however it is not open to the public as part of the tourist attraction. The stunning venue is set up high, with magnificent views over Belfast Lough from the grounds behind the house where guests enjoyed a glass or two of pimms and an ice cream served from a vintage bicycle cart, complete with vintage server. Michael was the perfect host, ensuring our day passed without hiccup and gently guiding the day along. He even gave us a lift to the Culloden afterwards (which sounded great till I tried to get in a regular car with my dress!) The food was amazing, with the venue going over and above to create a bespoke menu for all food loving couples. Not a scrap remained uneaten! We had free rein of the full house for our whole day and were given the day before to decorate to our hearts content - only if no wedding the day before I imagine! Could not have found a venue more suited to me. It was everything I wanted and more. I cannot emphasize enough that it is a must see for all newly engaged couples. You won't look back!!

House of Elliot is a beautiful formal shop with clothes to die for! It's pricey but it's only to be…read moreexpected as you undoubtedly get what you pay for. Head this direction if you're after that unique wedding dress or something special for a black tie occasion. I got a beautiful dress here a few years ago for my school formal, ah the memories! The staff were more than welcoming and helped me choose my perfect selection and handily they had all the accessories to match, saved me trooping all over the place looking for them, this would have been a nightmare! I would recommend House of Elliot more so for special occasions as it is at the higher end of most peoples price range. You do find exquisite tailoring and quality. It's not to miss for that special event you might have coming up.

What a lovely wee shop right in the heart of Queens University! I absolutely loved all the local…read morecrafts on sale. There also seems to be a focus on education with science kits and great literature on offer. I really liked everything they stocked. I was having a nosey for Christmas gifts and I got loads of great ideas. If this is the first port of call for people visiting Belfast it's certainly a good snippet of the City. The staff are great too - I overheard the last working giving out directions to tourists! It warmed my heart! Lovely! You might not have been in here before but I urge you to pay it a visit!

As per the Queen's University Belfast (QUB) website "The Queen's Welcome Centre is a Northern…read moreIreland Tourist Board Local Information Office for South Belfast. It hosts a regular programme of exhibitions and serves as an information point for visitors and tourists, as well as offering a varied selection of souvenirs and gifts." It's a great gift shop full of locally made arts and crafts as well as QUB merchandise. You can arrange a guided tour of the beautiful QUB buildings via the Welcome Centre. Staff are friendly and helpful and you can pick up lots of leaflets and information about what's happening in Belfast. Lovely shop and information point.

If you are into the history of the Titanic Ocean Liner and Belfast, Ireland, then this is your spot…read moreto stay in. Driving in at first doesn't impress and it begs the question, am I in the right place ? The red brick building looks old next to the very modern Titanic Museum. But, once you enter this amazingly beautiful back in time hotel, you know it is really something to write about when visiting Northern Ireland ! The decor is so tastefully done to transport you back to the days of the launching of the Titanic. From the ocean liner lamps to the rivets on the doors. From the grand open air bar to the ocean liner models. All will impress you and bring you back in time. There is also plenty of open space to sit and relax or even play a game of chess ! Our room had a California King size bed with a beautiful art deco black/white tile bathroom. Our room was bright and airy with notably high ceilings. Nice 55" flat screen tv and a nice desk. Good closet space as well a room safe. Note: One thing I didn't like was the standard European low water pressure for the shower ! Plus, be very careful entering and exiting the tub/shower. Slipping is very possible. Staff are very friendly and helpful. The dining area is clean and the food is good. There is even a window to look into the kitchen galley to see the food being prepared ! I would definitely stay here the next time I'm in Belfast !

Bedroom and bathroom were the biggest we've had in our 4 city tour of Ireland. There was also a…read moreseparate bath tub which was a very welcome surprise. The dinner food that was served left a lot to be desired. My main entree was a bit overcooked and therefore was dry. I asked for extra sauce and after an enormous time waiting for it, I finally asked the server what happened and she said they ran out and the the cooked just made enough for the meals that were prepared. So therefore both food and service was a fail.

Portaferry Presbyterian Church, a fine Greek Revival style building, has been refurbished and…read morerebranded as "The Portico of Ards", functioning both as a church and as a major arts venue in the area. I visited it on 13th July and was impressed by the smartness of design and colour, internally and externally. I certainly look forward to attending musical events there in the future, especially organ recitals. I have plenty of photos but don't seem to be able to upload them yet, probably as I've just added this site to Yelp, subject to approval.

Saint Anne's Cathedral is the centerpiece of Belfast's Cathedral Quarter. Construction began in…read more1899 and that initial design was complete and consecrated in 1904. It has undergone a number of extensions and expansions throughout the ages. One of those improvements is the 40 meter tall stainless steel "Spire of Hope" that was installed in 2007. (Derivative of the spire in Dublin, hmmm?) The cathedral is quite active with services held pretty much every day. And if you're not familiar with the story of the Black Santa, it's pretty awesome how they have completely leaned in to it. [Review 1868 of 2024 - 852 in United Kingdom - 22890 overall]

I loved the approach to St Anne / Belfast cathedral as the route we took went thru an area called…read moreWriter's Square and it was a nice reminder that Jonathan Swift had previously worked at the Belfast cathedral The outside is lovely, but unfortunately we couldn't go in as they charge £3 and we decide to miss seeing the grave of Calder as well as the maze near the pulpit (apparently following the white lines leads you to the altar while the black lines leave you go around in circles!) Note: #233 of Yelp 100 challenge for 2016