Well, Toasted turned out to be quite the little treat! With about a half hour to kill between the…read morepoint we had to drop our daughter off for school and then be back in time to see her play, we didn't have too many options, and as a result called in here. I've seen the sign out on the main road (which would be easy to miss) every day as it's on my commute to work and yet I've never been in. So this worked out well. What a great hidden gem, loved this place. If you're looking for it, it is opposite the attendant-less Maxol garage, down the side of the used car place. The décor has all the hallmarks of a trendy contemporary coffee shop/deli, nothing too original, but to their credit they have distilled the design to the best elements of it and then executed the layout very well, so it's a nice place to be. The staff were great too which I love as there is little to endear a place to me more quickly than nice people working there who are nice, not through customer training but because they are just good folks!! The food when was great, a wide range of mouth-watering choices are clearly displayed across the huge menu..... which is the entire back wall of the place. It has been painted in blackboard paint and the menu chalked up in big clear writing. The prices although on the higher end of average aren't extortionate by any means so I wouldn't call it cheap eats but you get top quality food and service for just north of average price. The coffee was great, which is an essential element for me and the last thing I ate was a scone..... as we were there so early, it was freshly backed and still warm from the oven......................... so so good!

Nice little find 5 mins from our vacation home. amazing baked goods, solid breakfast and proper…read morecoffee.

Nice place. Parked around the back where there are about 3 spaces…read more Strange location. Down a wee side street. Bright,clean and fresh inside. There is a take away downstairs and a gift shop. Upstairs there is two rooms to sit in. One is brighter decorated the other is darker like a study. Staff are helpful,chatty and friendly. Service was a tad slow. You can help yourself to water from glass containers. The food had a lovely taste and came with a wee bowl of crisps. Sandwiches where £6.50. I thought a tad on the expensive side compared to other hipster paces such as this and also the amount of food you got for the price. Though as I said taste was on point.

Whose is a nice independent coffee shop & art gallery in Whiteabbey village. We are regulars there…read morewith my boyfriend. They serve the best coffee in the area, proper Italian Illy coffee, great aroma and proper sizes. We have tried their homemade scones and bunns the last time, also have amazing paninis and sandwiches to offer, not to mention the Morelli icecream. The view from the back of the coffee shop is spectacular, great big glass windows, often the sun is shining in, you feel like being on a summer holiday location The staff is always friendly and helpful, never seen a dirty table or unbrushed floor, tidy clean atmosphere. The pictures are great, some very cool modern art for sale. Worth to stop by if you are passing through Whiteabbey.

It's a relatively new place in the Whiteabbey village. It's spacious and very well designed, the…read morefurniture is quite post-modern style I would say. The walls are covered by paintings and drawings (for sale) - these have been made by students of a nearby art school. The coffee shop has a full size wall to wall window at the back which gives a nice view to the sea, but thankfully it keeps the noise of the busy shore road traffic out! They started at the end of the summer '15 with mainly coffees, teas and pastries, and they promised soya milk and gluten free products which they introduced lately! Their sandwiches and paninis look so delicious through the counter that good luck not having anything but a drink! My favourite is the duck and mango ciabatta with some kind of chutney and nice decorative lettuce and coleslaw on the side. It is absolutely amazing! The only reason they're not getting 5 star is because of the noise coming from the gym next door. When classes are on, you can clearly hear around 15 people jumping in the same time and this kept giving me the impression (and fear) that the ceiling won't last much longer! But it did so far! and you can sit in the back where the noise isn't disturbing. It's honestly wort it:)

Main street in Ballyclares is where you can find Falstaffs cafe. If im not in the mood for a chip…read moreshop takeaway this would be my choice of place for a bite to eat. I'm never in it much to be honest but when I am I always order a fry up which I'd highly recommend. The fry menu is strange there's a Falstaffs fry, an Ulster fry or ofcourse the mini fry. Between the two main all day fry's there isn't much of a difference in what you get on your plate although price wise there IS. Staff are friendly and although I've never been one for handing out tips (I think unlike in America or the continent we are odd about tipping in this country) but they have a "hard to miss" tips box at the checkout and my last visit when I treated a few family members to lunch we were quite impressed with food and service so we duly tipped! One thing about the cafe and it can be quite frustrating is the lack of room at the sit down area's. It can be quite cramped and when diners come into the place you usually find yourself having to adjust your seat or even table to let them squeeze through. However it's when people with buggys come in, parents with kids in toe that's when the real claustrophobia hits you. Overall a nice cafe and popular with locals let down by a lack of space which on a busy day can spoil your dining quite considerably.

Good food and friendly efficient staff, cost effective to say least. Ok this is not one of the…read morepretentious hoity toity gaffs but then thankfully neither is the price list. Will visit again.

Stax is a cute neighborhood sandwich and coffee shop! There is a small indoor seating area with…read morethree tables, as well as an outdoor seating area. Much of the food is deli-style where you choose your own ingredients for toasties or sandwiches. A cute quirk is that the menu posted on the wall is written backwards: so you have to look in the mirror to read it properly. We came for a (second) breakfast, so Mom wanted more of a lunch. She ordered a turkey and cheese toastie with sauce on the side. It was much larger than she thought it would be! I had an egg and bacon sandwich​ with poached eggs. It was simple and delicious, with two perfectly poached eggs and nice thick bacon! I also had a tea which was good! The food was piping hot. Service was good, and the staff was very nice! Stax is my kind of sandwich shop, and definitely somewhere I'd eat again!

We happened across this place by accident when looking for a place for lunch and finding an open…read moreparking spot right in front of Pots of Pleasure. What a happy accident! This is a very cute cafe, much larger than it looks, and we really enjoyed our meal here. I had the jacketed potato with prawns while my husband opted for a soup and sandwich. The soup of the day was an apple and parsnip soup, and it was quite good. My potato was loaded with the prawn salad...a much larger portion than I was expecting...and it was absolutely delicious. We had an excellent meal for a very reasonable price, and I would highly recommend Pots of Pleasure!

I do quite like surprises, and Pots of Pleasure was an inadvertent one. I wish, for reasons I will…read morelater explain, I had been a tad more prepared on this occasion though... Lunch time + hungry Lynne + ravenous sister = huge requirement for food. On our dash around Ballyclare, which moments later resulted in our feasting at Deb's Diner (there's a review for that...), we hastened past Pots of Pleasure, I made a mental note to later check out the gift shop, unintentionally omitting the fact that it was actually a coffee shop too. Darn it. When we did eventually check this wonderful little gift shop, I was completely awestruck that there was indeed a little tea room snuggled away at the back, but also incredibly disheartened that I had missed a tremendous opportunity to join the numerous customers who were sipping, eating and chatting away. As soon as you step through the door, the buzz is overwhelming, and you notice that the place is astonishingly busy. Not wanting to part with the pleasure just quite yet, I decided to have a nosey around the gift section. The most exquisite scarves from Spain at thirty-something quid lay neatly folded on the table, beside a whole lot more luxurious outdoor accessories. My eye was also caught by the shelves of musician gifts - little ornaments and figurines with musical notes, and lots of other associated gifts. A whole repository of colourful Bridgewater candles, cabinets filled with beautiful jewellery and 'Enhance' accessories, shelves stacked with Emma Bridgewater home ware, cute arrangements of Crabtree and Evelyn toiletries...such wonderful choice. I would love to pop back one day and check out the actual pots of pleasure (in coffee terms), but I have to say, that gift shop was something else...

Ok I am updating my review. I have always rated this place as nice but my experience was very…read moredifferent this time. I ordered a Cesar salad. OK a salad! How can you get it wrong. Well I thought that until today. I was given a plate with practically no lettuce. Soggy, greasy, battered chicken. It did not state that the chicken was battered! The bacon was full of fat. Crispy fat wouldn't have been so bad bit this wasn't the case. Two large portions of cheddar cheese placed at either side and onions placed in a pile. Now if you look at my reviews I very rarely complain. I do love food! After the second mouthful I had to return it as it was really not nice. The waitress said that the kitchen was closed and thay there was nothing else. She also tod ne that this was the way they serve the cesar salad. Nowhere on the menu stated that this was different from a traditional cesar. Even if it had said a Stacks Cesar I would have questioned it. I was not charged for it as I had not eaten it but was left sitting hungry while my two children finished there meals. Even if the kitchen was closed I an sure they could have found some unbattered chicken to throw into another salad. Not a happy customer!

Steamers is one of my favourite places for a Sunday morning fry up (whilst the blur of the night…read morebefore slowly begins to return and I hang my head in shame) at least in here I can do it in peace and oh so glorious quiet. Not only is it great for this purpose, but for those with more will power than yours truly, who can say no to that last glass (yes the one that pushes you right over the precarious edge) they also offer brilliant food. As you push open the door you're greeted by the welcoming smell of freshly brewed coffee and homemade cooking. Pull up a chair, plonk your weary feet, pick up one of the complimentary newspapers and ... relax. Bliss. Look at the pictures on the walls, they never fail to make me smile. As you decide on your choice, the waitresses are attentive and cheery (they usually laugh at me, can't blame them looking at me first thing on a Sunday morning!) They're always full of the beans, a stark contrast to myself and actually have their heads screwed on. At least someone does. But enough of hangover land. At Steamers they serve a beautiful pot of tea. Their coffee isn't a highlight, much too strong for my liking. The food is beautiful. 9 times out of 10 I'll have a small fry, you can choose your own which is a perfect option (no tomato, extra black pudding and mushrooms please) Another highlight is that you can relax and take your time. It's by no means a big shop but you're made to feel completely welcome and never rushed out as often happens if other places. They also offer a take away service where you can phone and order or call in, decide what you want and then collect it when it's ready, Ah, the joys of having their delightful cooking in the comfortable confines of your own home.

So, after having reviewed and waxed lyrical about La Cuisine on the Antrim Road, I discovered it…read morehad closed down without my knowledge. Panic ensued as I worried if my local branch of this deli had met the same fate, but I'm pleased to report that it hasn't as yet - phew! La Cuisine have been in Glengormley since I was really young, and I always loved their food. It used to be a real treat to go there for lunch, and in truth, it still is! The food is all cooked on-site that day, so it's beautifully fresh and properly tasty. Highlights are definitely the pies and the vol-au-vents (very 80s, but who cares when they're so yummy??) The cafe is really tiny, so there are only a few tables. This can cause a bit of traffic at lunchtime as people wait for tables, but don't think this means you'll be rushed through your meal. The staff are always patient (I know this because I've gone on several occasions with my 18 month old nephew - patience is definitely required!) and willing to accommodate whatever request you may make of them.

La Cuisine is a lovely place to go for lunch.. and I would visit quite often - although word of…read morewarning - it may be easier to carry out than to sit in, as the cafe itself is very small. I'll start with the bad points, to get them out of the way. Firstly, the cafe is a little hidden and may be hard to find for someone who is not used to the area. The car parking around it isn't adequate and you can never get a parking space. The cafe itself is also very small.. you may be waiting for a table for a very long time, so it is better to take away. Even if you do sit in, you will notice you are sitting very close to people who are taking away, so it doesn't feel very private. Anyway, good points. Food is absolutely fantastic. I'm a huge fan of the large hot cajun baguettes.. they are like heaven in your mouth. Their food always looks nice and fresh in the counter and they offer a wide range of lunch time dishes that caters for everybody. It's always very good value for money compared to some cafes and sandwich bars that will charge a fortune for a baguette - especially for how much you get. They are very generous with their portions, which is a factor that I love to see in a food place. Also, staff are very friendly, always smiling no matter how busy the cafe is. Overall, with the number of bad points you'd expect a 3 star rating, but this climbs up to a 4 star, simply because their food is amazing and you can't get much better.

It's called the Cafe Aroma. Does fantastic coffee and tea, as well as soft drinks-but as a sports…read morecentre should really have much less unhealthy food!? There are also delicious hot foods and sweet dishes on offer.