I was introduced to Thornbury's a week or so ago. Lisburn isn't really a place I find myself in too…read moreoften, being a north Belfast girl, but the new boyfriend is from there, and so I found myself in Lisburn town centre with a hangover on a rainy Thursday morning. The only thing (and I mean the ONLY thing) that was going to fix my life at that point was a good fry-up. Thornbury's did not disappoint. Well, that's a lie. I'm pretty sure the mushrooms were past their best, and the service wasn't exactly the fastest (although that may have had more to do with the customer in front of me who took what felt like an eternity to order her coffee and pay) but everything else was done to perfection, so I was willing to overlook these small mistakes. It was nice and cosy to sit in, chilled atmosphere, plenty of seating. Thumbs up all round I think!

Thornbury's is a great restaurant in the middle of Lisburn city. They offer a self service, or…read morecarvery, option for food where you can go and have your pick of hot yummy home made foods, including gorgeous dinners, healthy salads, sandwiches and huge slices of cakes! The best thing is they're not afraid to give you a good portion that's a good effort to eat and will keep you going all day! I've been in several times and always for a nice hot dinner. Today I went for the steak and mushroom pie with loadsa champ and cabbage! It was fab! The steak pieces just broke apart in my mouth! I've also had the pleasure of sampling their apple pie and it really is divine! With a drink you can expect to pay around £7 for lunch which I think is a great bargain! They also boast an impressive roof terrace which is really beautiful and a favourite for smokers. This is certainly one place I intend to come back to again and again!

An excellent place for lunch. I live near by and eat breakfast and lunch there whenever I can,…read moreparticularly with friends. The food is very good and the staff are attentive and friendly.

Coopers has been around for as long as I Can remember, and hasn't changed much I decor and in food…read morewhich has always been excellent, I visit as often as I can!!! Def worth a visit if in Lisburn, oh and the staff are really nice and accommodating!!

Really informative tour with one of the owners and lots of jugs of beer for tasting afterwards…read more We had a meal in the restaurant/tap room bar afterwards which was fantastic! They have a 5-10-5 menu so £5 for starter £10 for Main and £5 for dessert. I had pork belly with mash and broccoli and then sticky toffee pudding ... Amazing !!

This is the most up to date review on the Hilden Brewery Tour as is was yesterday, Friday 17 Feb…read more This tour should be cancelled until they literally clean up their act; the building was stinking, strewn with rubbish and broken glass. The tour guide was stinking too; trousers splattered with muck and finger nails to match! They really did themselves no favours yesterday in terms of PR, and the tour was half an hour late starting. We went from there to Hinch Distillery; sparkling clean, staff in branded clothing, glorious experience in comparison. I like and drink Hilden products but that tour was shameful, no pride in the business or themselves. Also, they don't brew every day so on our visit it was just a big, untidy barn.

Brilliant place - food and service are excellent. Recommend the fry and the scampi. Also enjoyed…read morethe curry sauce with the chips.

This is hands down my favourite place to eat!! I have travelled all over the world and my husband…read moreand I love to eat the local food wherever we go. This place is a hidden gem and absolutely fabulous. The portions are huge, the food is fresh and delicious and served piping hot. I am a big fan of the Ulster Fry and this is the best in the world. The staff are lovely and the owners are always there, making sure everyone is looked after with plenty of time for a hello and and a chat The staff are so pleasant and the service was first class. The best part is they do not hassle you to leave the table once you finish, they let you enjoy finishing up your tea and coffee without feeling pressed to leave. This is a place we will fly to Belfast just to go here! Don't miss it!!! I wish I had photos to post, but we were too busy having a great time to think about photos!

As a huge fan of the Plough, I naturally had to visit their sister establishment, handily just next…read moredoor. Bar Retro, while being super stylish, does it in a way that it still fits in with the picture perfect traditional surroundings in Hillsborough. Aside from the Bistro, Bar Retro also comprises a modern cocktail lounge, club, and café. I had a two course lunch (unplanned) because upon viewing their menu, I was delighted to see that they did flatbreads with hummus as a starter. If you know me, you will know that I could absolutely live on the stuff, and it's not often you see it on a menu, so it would be a shame not to seize the opportunity when it presents itself! For my 'main' dish, I had the chicken with feta and olive salad, which was absolute perfection. There are so many other things I am dying to try here, and with the prices so reasonable, I will definitely be back!

Went here for my birthday and made a reservation for the bar retro bistro. We arrived and were…read moredirected to bar retro cafe where they had mistakenly booked us in for. We were not escorted to our table and it was sticky and untidy on arrival. We complained that we had not booked in for the cafe and so they eventually found us a table half an hour after we had arrived. There were very long waits for the main course and the dessert. The food was nice enough but to be honest you can get similar meals elsewhere plus better service. We ordered an Americano at the end and were given a filter coffee - we asked whether it was an Americano and the waitress said it was an "Americano Filter"... enough said. We were charged full price for the whole meal without anything taken off for the hassle and all the waiting. To conclude, do not bother going here. I'd recommend one of the other restaurants in Hillsborough if you are trying to decide where to eat because there's no way that their service could be any worse than this place! For the price you are paying I expect high service and good food!!!

Of all the places I have reviewed so far, the Farmers Inn is definitely my favourite. There are so…read moremany reasons why it such an endearing place. First and foremost it's so humble, what do I mean by that? Well the road it's situated on is a tight country road with a generous speed limit, so it's easy to zip by the sign with hardly anytime for a glance. If you do make a conscious effort to stop, you will find the most quintessential Irish country pub / restaurant near Belfast, and it seems to give the impression it's doing this without even trying. It's classically decorated and peppered with pictures of Belfast in a bygone era, so you have plenty to catch your eye. If stopping for food you could be in for a treat as we were offered a table beside a beautiful open fire. (Continually stoked by the staff). This really set a great mood for a cozy and relaxed Sunday lunch, which, by the way, was delicious! Thanks to a bad signal for the card machine, I was asked to go downstairs to the bar and pay. This turned out to be very difficult, as I was so tempted to sit down have a drink, and enjoy the rest of the afternoon! Clearer heads prevailed though and I was soon on my way back to my well fed family. But.... next time I'll be making sure I'm not the one who has to drive home!!

Good wee pub, nice relaxed atmosphere, decent grub and well priced too…read moreHad a few different managements and haven't been in since it's changed hands, but I wouldn't hesitate to go back

Lovely food, lovely staff, lovely decor. Chef's kiss nice area and cool place nice hobbit themeread more

Good size cafe. Clean and well laid out…read more Good parking. Breakfast was good. Well cooked meat and eggs. Tea and coffee came on time and regular warm pots to follow. Scones are lush. I had loads of blueberry and White choc. One of the best scones I have ever had. It was warm with melted choc drizzled on top. Didn't need any butter etc on it. Staff where nice first time. On Friday night for desserts they where not as good. Was disappointed at the desserts on the Friday night especially as it was a dessert specific night. They didn't have much to offer and it was a bit pricey.

Parsons nose. Originally, a few hundred years ago in…read moreEngland, the pygostyle was called the pope's nose; I very much doubt that this gastropub would want to re-name to the original irreverent phrase for the derrière of a bird. Four of us dined here, with a log fire burning. It also is exactly what it claims to be: a gastropub. We've been here a few times and the food is usually memorable for the right reasons so we brought friends along who hadn't been before. On my last visit I'd forgotten my phone so I couldn't photograph the exquisite duck pasta I had (which is still on the menu and one of our guests chose and found it delicious too). This time, with phone available I've provided pictures, or as an American chum calls this practice: food porn. I don't see it that way, but I suppose it takes all sorts. Our servers were very affable and friendly. I started with the chicken liver parfait, which came on sourdough toast with a lip - smacking spiced apple style chutney. The chicken liver was smooth, light, mousse like, and delicious. In fact delicious sums up all the food here. I don't know how it happened, but parfait, which just means perfect, that was normally associated with sweet, cream - based desserts, has come to describe savoury food. My wife had a salmon tart to start and declared her food as lovely. Now I've a confession; I've never before eaten venison, so when I saw a venison ragù main, with favourites like pasta, parmesan, pine nuts and raisins I thought; sold. It was really very tasty indeed, with deep, complex rich flavours and I enjoyed the venison, but this dish would just be as good without it. My only niggle was food temperature: the food should have been much warmer and the bowl too should have been really hot. Parmesan crisps would be an added flavour hit. My wife had the battered fish & chip main. This was delicious fresh haddock, superb chunky chips and mushy peas. These weren't just any old mushy peas they were perfect mushy peas. If the fish was cooked with the option of tempura-style batter it would be truly wonderful. We all settled for coffees at the end then as darkness fell and autumn chill pinched we departed for Belfast to hear Andrea Bocelli. Some days are diamond.

First of we accidentally booked a reservation for two days in advance but when we got there they…read morewere able to seat us even though it was busy. The place itself was very nice and clean. Food was amazing especially the chicken supreme. Would definitely recommend

My local! Back after reopening after being closed for a good few months and on the face of it looks…read morelike business as usual, I made my first visit in my birthday with a few friends and we would normally stay for a while but the place has changed non of the staff are the same, the door staff at all new, the customers have all found new venues to frequent, thus new customers which I feel has ruined the place, the off sales is closed which used to offer a wide range of local craft beers and ciders:( and stupid details like the jukebox have changed and they have removed 90% of the music we would play when visiting mc glones, we went on a Friday at about 8pm and the bar wasn't busy at all and they had fiddly Dee music playing over the jukebox, wasn't impressed with my first visit back since reopening, we had 3 pints and made our exit:(

Brilliant family pub with top quality food and entertainment!! Make sure to try one of their…read moreburgers.

What is it about Bakeries that make it impossible for me to pass them? Perhaps I just enjoy the…read morecomforting smell of warm cooked bread? Yes, as it can't simply be the yummy, chocolaty fattening cakes! Mackey's is no exception to good home cooking! The breads, scones, cakes, pastries and tarts on offer here are vast and delicious! It's hard not to walk out with a box full of stuff. just to try! And everything I have tried had been so great and fresh that I can't help coming back for more! You can also sit in here and try some of their home made delights and sandwiches. I'm afraid to though in case I never leave! Great place! With great staff and a real traditional homely atmosphere.

There are days, especially when it's pouring, when the occasion demands food that's comforting and…read moresimple. On just such a day I decided to get some lunch at Mackeys, which besides a home bakery with lots of delicious cakes and breads has a cosy coffee shop in the back. The fried bacon and sausage looked rather nice so I had that with their fresh soda bread and tea which was served up quickly and was as good as it looked. There were also things chicken and broccoli bake, lasagne and chips along with scones. A great spot for a straightforward refuel with no pretensions to anything other than coming up with the goods.