A lovely old pub in a sweet beach town just down the street from Carrickfergus Castle. The staff is…read morewonderful and if you get a chance, stay the night at Walter's Place next door. The inside of Ownies is beautiful dark wood, tapestries and local artwork. There is also an upstairs and a back patio for dining. The food is amazingly big and very well priced. I can't say enough about the seafood chowder! Thick, creamy and loaded with seafood and bits of potatoes. Best I've ever had. Highly recommend Ownies but it can get busy in the weekends when the tourists roll in.

Always ask the locals... I stayed in Carrickfergus about a month recently with my sister helping…read moreout with her new baby. Throughout my stay, many locals asked me if I'd been to Ownies yet. Just working on a schedule with a wee one, we hadn't made it there. So for my last dinner in town, my sister asked where did I want to go. Ownies, of course! I needed to see what the fuss was about! We went on a Wednesday night and they were able to seat us without a booking. The service was very friendly and helpful, especially with the baby who seemed particularly charmed by our server. We started with the assorted breads and spreads. They arrived still warm and soft and everything you want from bread. The olive tapanade was also delicious. Then I ordered what I'd been craving the entire trip... seafood chowder. It was a crock steaming full of salmon, cod, mussels, shrimp and potatoes. FULL of it. The base was a warm, creamy, indulgent soup that blended everything together perfectly. It's the kind of food that you almost want to eat in silence to fully let your senses enjoy the experience. My sister also raved about her cajun salmon and my brother-in-law devoured his half rack of ribs. I did not share my chowder. Sadly, I had not a bit of room left to order dessert. I can understand how this place is a local favorite. It will be on my must visit list on every return. I can't wait!

The Bureau in Whiteabbey provides locals and visitors alike with a classy, yet chilled atmospheric…read morebar by day, and a hip, trendy place to be for a night out. Having visited myself on a number of occasions (all at different times) the bar hardly ever fails to let me down. Any time I've visited, the staff are always more than pleasant, the waiter service very efficient, management are fine with children and are always accommodating to your needs. The bar has a good range of beers and wines, mostly sold at reasonable prices, though these can be a tad expensive... saying that though , one of the male bar staff makes the best cocktails I've ever tasted (and for a pretty good price)! I would recommend coming during the afternoon / early evening for a quiet, relaxed drink (or meal) with friends, in this modern, dynamic bar with stunning views overlooking Belfast Lough ... or come on a Saturday night for the younger, noisier crowd to enjoy the night until the small hours (on occasion the bar provides special guest DJs / live sets ... see bureau bar updates for info) The beer garden provides simply stunning views of Belfast Lough and of the Holywood/Bangor area. The bar makes great use of the retractable canvas coverings in the smoking area during the ever so temper-mental Irish weather. Come rain or shine though, the beer garden is gorgeous, if a little noisy during busy traffic, but the views more than make up for it. If you're coming for a meal, I've found it particularly lovely if you get window seat in the restaurant upstairs where you can watch the boats sail up and down Belfast Lough and generally find yourself jealous of the sun shining its last, lovely, dying rays over those lucky folks in Hollywood. The food here is generally pretty top notch, I've tried a variety of dishes on their menu, and I've never been let down by the food they've produced. However, I've found that at times the bar can be busy and the service will be slow ...but this is a most definitely a rarity. I've also heard a few stories about the management (who also owns The Lighthouse bar a few doors down, where you'll find cheaper drink, but in much less fashionable surroundings) ...apparently the turn around for waiting staff (at least in The Bureau) is quite high. Having met the man though I can't say much bad about him. He's only trying to ensure his business survives (many companies haven't in Whiteabbey ... See Rory's / Auntie Socials / etc....) So in summary I would say it's definitely worth a try. I've heard some people haven't had the best of experiences here, I honestly, don't know what to put that down to, (being very busy/no staff/ ...) but, as they say, everyone deserves a second chance. So I really would give it a go and see what you think. I'd absolutely recommend this bar to anyone visiting the country or someone stuck for somewhere to go within the area.

Despite living withing spitting distance of Jordanstown, I have to admit that this place never…read morereally occurs to me. I always tend to head to Belfast, whether I want a drink or just a coffee. It's actually really annoying that I can't train myself to think of The Bureau more often, because it's actually really nice. I've only ever been in teh early evening for tea and buns and I was quite impressed with it. Now, they had run out of rice krispie buns (very bad in my book), but the service was good, the atmostphere was chilled and the decor of the place was modern and relaxed. Jordanstown itself is on the shore, so you're never far from the water if you fancy a walk after you've had a big feed (or too much cake...). Since you're out of Belfast, parking is also slightly easier and there's a car park directly across from it. I really must try to get to The Bureau more often, but I suppose I'll have to just retrain my brain so it doesn't think the world begins and ends in Belfast City Centre!

Do yourself a favor and make reservations on a Saturday night. It's out in the countryside but…read moreit's lively because they have live traditional music. If you enter through the red door you can go either of two ways but you will want the restaurant in the back. Very open architectural feel to it. And very young appearing wait staff of local lasses under the watchful eye of John from Ballygally. Our dinner started with an appetizer--homemade quick bread which fabulous because it was made with Guinness! The two mains were the seafood special and then the venison. Perfectly prepared and well presented. Best meal in Ireland! Four stars, but.... Ok, we went back a week later. Not the same....the guys in the bar were telling mostly offensive, sexist, off-color, and crude jokes. The food was still good--had the house specials of steak and the breen--but our desert was a total disappointment; where was the lemon crud int? Totally missing, and the manager totally agreed. Then, he gave us another one and didn't charge us for it. But at the end, our waitress literally disappeared for 20 minutes only to reappear to wish us good night never acknowledging the dessert fiasco and her disappearance. Three stars...

We were having a lot of trouble finding somewhere open for lunch on a Sunday, but we were fortunate…read moreenough to come across Billy Andy's, which was both open and able to squeeze us in even though we didn't have a reservation. Behind the bar, there is a restaurant that is quite large and very popular. The Sunday menu is a two course set price menu, and there were so many excellent sounding options. I ended up choosing the prawns for the appetizer and the Larne salmon as my entree, and my husband had the lamb. The entrees were also accompanied by potatoes and vegetables. Everything was delicious and perfectly cooked, and the staff were so friendly! We're very thankful that we stumbled across this gem during our trip, and we would highly recommend it.

One of Bangor's finest, frequented by Hollywood A-listers and North Down A-listers alike. The Salty…read moreDog has an unmatched ambience, certainly unmatched in Bangor, and the cuisine is as good as you get any where in NI. They pride themselves on local fresh produce and this translates to their menu which is full of seafood (it's on the coast). The staff in the Salty Dog are exceptional, they have excellent knowledge of the menu and the wine lists. Don't make the mistake of asking for a white wine because they have loads and it will only expose your lack of wine knowledge as it did on my case. It seems that other reviewers have had mixed experiences of The Salty Dog but every time I've been in I have throughly enjoyed myself and my grub. I am heading back again soon - so it's 4 stars for now and they might get the coveted fifth if the latest experience matches the previous ones.

For some reason I forget this restaurant exists, however, we received vouchers for our anniversary…read moreso headed down on a Friday night to sample the delights. The restaurant itself is very well decorated, very glamorous and luxurious. Not what you would expect from the bar area. A new menu had commenced that day , so the waitress seemed a little unsure on some of the dishes but I think it slightly harsh to critique on that. The new menu had a great selection - I opted for the salt and pepper burger. Great portion sizes, really well presented and most importantly tasted great. 5* so far! My only let down was the dessert. I prefer a more indulgent selection, but that's personal choice. I settled on the lemon posset with mango and passionfruit sorbet. The sorbet was good but the posset was a lot more runny that I would have liked and my husband agreed. It had popping candy on top, which I thought might be nice but it felt like they just threw it on trying to be different. Didn't really work for me. Overall though I would give this place a 4*, being the first night perhaps the posset has since been perfected. I wouldn't say no for a rejudge.

A real mainstay of the Bangor bar/restaurant scene, although all that was in doubt a few months…read moreback when it temporarily closed. I'm glad to report its open again and serving some of the best pints on Guinness in NI! There's a few reasons why the Esplanade is one of my favourite bars. Firstly its in close proximity to where I live, secondly it's one of the most welcoming bars around. Finally it's food and drinks offerings are always great. The views aren't too bad either. Be warned the back bar gets rowdy for sporting events!

I have had to review my review for this place. In the last few months since there has been a…read morerefurbishment, and a lot of changes to the staff and the food they have served. It has gone from great to terrible and then back up to pretty decent (thank goodness!!). The anticipated and exciting refurb turned out to be a fairly big flop. It will remind most of a hotel lobby downstairs, and the 'quirky granny look' upstairs - ya know, with velvet, gold and leopard print everywhere. Ugh. Until tonight (26th Feb 16), I have felt fairly letdown with the place, but we tried yet again and were pleasantly surprised. Food was great, service was great and we had a really nice night here. I am excited to see the place has changed their attitude and getting back to what works well. My old review, just before refurbishment - In my opinion The Esplanade is now one of the nicest places in Bangor to eat. Food is tremendous with large portions and an amazing view to go with it over Ballyholme bay. Even if you aren't having food, it is a great place to hang out with friends and catch up. Highly recommended!

Been here a good few tines over the last couple of months and iras become a favourite. As the…read moreweather has been picking up and especially since the clocks changed the brighter evenings have meant the beer garden at the front is superb to sit by the sea. There are screen about the outside of this area to protect from the wind and electric space heaters that help to take the chill off further. The prices are all in the typical area (a bit too much these days) for a bar/food place, but nothing shocking or out of the ordinary. The staff are always friendly and decently paced if not overly chatty and engaging, to be fair it has always been quite busy when we have been in. There is a good range of beers on tap, normal prices all round, again typical of a contemporary bar in this regard. The food though while again typically priced has been a pleasant surprise on eat visit. While the prices mean the the food would need to be of a decent standard each trip has managed to prove to be over and above expectation, so it is always a pleasure to know we're going here, for a pint or a plate.

This was the perfect place for a family reunion! We enjoyed a delicious meal while visiting from…read morethe US. 14 in all! It was a good time. Friendly service and lively ambiance.

Lovely staff and lovely Wee spot. May be classed as an old mans bar but we where made to feel…read morewelcome and with great prices this was a welcome stop and shelter from a very cold and windy night.

'The Favourite' is a tiny little bar on Irish Quarter West, and is probably one of the only bars in…read morethe town that I had actually never been to. Many people will not know it is there, and even fewer will have been in it. Just out of interest, we decided to try it for one drink to see what it is like. It is very small inside, and quite dark. It is very much a 'regulars bar for regulars only' the regulars, being gentlemen, mostly over the age of 60. The gentleman behind the bar was friendly and served us our drinks, but we could almost feel the raised eyebrows as we sat down, and could almost hear them thinking "who are they? What do they want?" My drink was perfectly nice, but the bar definitely isn't for young twentysomethings. While not a bad place, it certainly won't be on my list of 'favourites'!

One thing I had not mentioned in my previous review is that the 'Smugglers Cove' is now open for…read morebusy sporting days. On Sunday afternoon they had the 'cove' open to allow more sports fans to watch the live football. The Cove comes equipped with a fully stocked bar and traditional, cosy (old man bar type) seating. Mind your head if you're over 5ft 9 though as the ceilings aren't very high!

I'm surprised I haven't reviewed The Groomsport Inn before as I have been a regular here since I…read morewas 18! The pub itself has great facilities, including a decked smoking area looking over the harbour and Irish Sea and large screens that have the ability to show the football and rugby simultaneously. Myself and a group of friends visited the G'port Inn on Saturday for a bite to eat and I was surprised about how quiet it was. We were able to get a prime corner booth, as ever we were served promptly by the excellent waiting staff. Strangely we all decided to have the same meal, chicken goujons with peppered sauce although I opted for a side of Chunky chips. The food was cooked to absolute perfection. The thick chunks of chicken were battered beautifully! I can't fault The Groomsport in one bit - the food is to die for!

"I'm gon' party like its my birthday We gon' party like its…read moremy birthday Its my birthday... Its my birthday..." It was indeed that grand time of year again, when you celebrate the joys of being a year older and mull over what you could have / should have done differently. Last year was a big one for me, so this year, it was undoubtedly going to be a quiet affair. The Stables seemed the perfect choice for such an affair, and so dinner was had here. Arriving at 7:30, the restaurant was hustling and bustling with happy diners. We were shown to a cosy corner and given a couple of very extensive menus. I quietly noted that the prices were a little on the dear side (boyfriend was paying), and scanned the list of dishes. It did take me a while to choose (indecisive being my middle name and all that), but chicken fajitas it was. The other half ordered the soup of the day (potato and leek) for a starter, and the ever-reliable steak for mains. I was informed that the soup was "nice", and the bread roll that accompanied it was freshly baked and very warm. The main courses arrived promptly after the starter, and , by this stage, I was very much looking to tucking into my cajun chicken fajitas. The wraps came lovingly arranged on a plate with a side salad and a small bowl of guacamole, sour cream and salsa, while the sizzling chicken, pepper and onion mix came served on a hot plate. The fajitas were invariably hot, whether it be temperature or the nature of the sauce, and they were pleasant enough. Too much sauce and not enough vegetables, but when I asked for more wraps, the very pleasant waitress happily obliged. The silence from the other side of the table informed me that the steak was at least filling a hole in the other half's tummy. Dessert was ordered - chocolate fudge cake for the boyfriend, and belgian chocolate waffle. It was impressively arranged in the form of a waffle sandwich, and looked particularly mouth-watering with the dollop of ice cream in the middle. Having been to Belgium and tasted *the* finest waffles, I was slightly disappointed by this one. It was far too crunchy in places, and lacked a real taste to it. Not bad though. I was notified that the chocolate cake was decent enough, and the two of us sat there, perpetually full (well, it certainly seemed so), reflecting over the meal. "Stable enough," laughed by boyfriend. Cue eye roll. "Hay, hay...see what I did there?!" giggled he. Funny boy... He was right though. The food was grand, "stable" enough. Nothing wrong with it. But it lacked that certain "je ne sais quoi" that I was expecting from 'The Stables', particularly of a restaurant with its reputation and calibre. Ever so slightly disappointed.

I can't believe I haven't reviewed The Stables before, having grown up in Bangor and spent the…read moremajority of my youth playing football in Groomsport The Stables has been a regular haunt for me for be best part of 15 years. By regular, I mean that at least 3 times a year I would have attended a function, had a team breakfast or evening meal. I've always found The Stables to be perfectly adequate in what it offers, it's never ever going to be fine dining and it's certainly never going to be 'modern'. If you are looking for somewhere with traditional grub in nice surroundings then this is the place for you. If you're looking for a breathtaking meal in quirky surroundings then keep driving! The function room is great, can easily seat 100 (My nieces christening was here) and teh silver service/buffet options are great. The parking is fantastic, you'll definitely nab a space and you won't have to walk to far to the main door. In some ways The Stables is grand and in other ways it's dated but it is what it is. The staff have always been great and I suppose that's why people keep coming back. The sea views are also a big selling point, there's nothing like munching a Sunday lunch in sunny Groomsport looking over the Irish Sea!

Relaxed, generally empty, local. Goggins is an exceptionally friendly pub, a family pub even. I…read morewent in the other day to find the barman nursing a baby. His mates had brought it along for a visit, it's that type of place. Gets a posh middle-aged crowd on Fridays and Saturdays. Has an excellent smoking area and a load of fireplaces, great for hot whiskeys around Christmas. The attached offy helps keep the party going, it's a nice pub to drop into for one or two before hitting the offy and the road.

Goggins is a darkish but open pub with a nice atmosphere. There are 2 parts to it, the older…read moretraditional bit to the front and a modern, carpeted groovy bit to the back. There are also a few Tvs scattered around the place which I absolutely hate in a pub but in the case of Goggins I am willing to forgive as it is about the only thing that is wrong with the place.