This place is ridiculous to find. No sign on building and…read moreit's a wee stone cottage. Not what I was expecting to be looking out for. Had to look up pictures of it on google to try to find what I should be looking for. There was only one picture way down the page. That I zoomed in and could see the door number. The guy on the till had zero personality. When we came in it felt like we had walked in on something and we should not have been there. There was no welcome at all. He also was very dry with conversation taut we tried to start to cut the tension. The tea my friend got was basically white and she wasn't impressed. The building is small and cosy inside with a wool shop in it. Although the saying that it was hard to feel homely after the abrupt welcome. There are old pews that have been refurbished into seating with lots of padding on them. Interior and cleanliness is the only reason this place gets 2 stars.

A cosy little cafe, tucked away in the heart of Ballyclare…read more It's tiny with a mixture of sofas, chairs and benches to enjoy a good coffee of coffee and a slice of cake. Yes i said CAKE!!!!!!!! I do love cake. Ahem.

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...

Hard to get to because of the steep stairs but once inside it is quite nice…read more A little truckers caff in terms of the food on offer, but I had the fish (cod) and it was quite good. The coffee was revolting however and the table was dirty although the cafe was relatively empty at lunchtime when I was in, and no one came to clean it even after I asked. Nice view out over the bottom of Ballyclare square. Might go again ...not sure. There are nicer places to eat in the town and it is certainly not the place to go for a NICE coffee. Staff were a bit off- hand, especially the man who I think is the owner..I think some of the other staff must have been school dinner ladies in a previous life.

Continuing my round up of Ballyclare eateries after my relatively recent move to the town. This is…read morea coffee shop within a grocery store but its not to bad for that type of place. The female staff are very pleasant and attentive but the overall layout of the cafe is well.....basic. A bit like eating in Tesco or Sainsbury really. You are in the middle of a shopping area and you do get the feeling everyone is watching you as you sip you tea. The seats are hard wooden seats and the few other people who were in the shop with me at lunchtime were all a lot older than me let us say. Food is basic but my soup was hot and quite flavoursome. It was a cold day with snow on the ground when I visited and there was a freezing draught blowing around my legs every time the nearby door opened. All in all though it was OK and what I had sort of expected from a low budget supermarket cafe.

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.

I tried the tea rooms for the first time, last week with my treatments at the spa. £30 for…read moreafternoon tea for two. We had vegetable broth and wheaten, sandwiches (3 or 4 fillings), a large warm scone each and a plate of sweet treats. Everything was delicious, the top tier (desserts) were my Least favourite, but I'm a keen baker and fussy about my desserts. They just weren't my fave. Too sweet and not entirely worth the calories. The scones were amazing, the sandwiches were fresh and plenty for two and the soup and wheaten were delish too. The service and the girls here were excellent. Friendly, helpful and never let our teapot go empty!

The recent move of Mauds up to the new ASDA development and addition of a sit-in cafe is a welcome…read morechange for Ballyclare which is lacking in good coffee shops. Unfortunately Mauds has a fair bit to go. The food is good but the service is woefully and sullenly slow. Threes visits have still failed to show any improvement which is a pity. The free car park is a welcome extra as previously you had to fight for space on Main Street. Worth checking out if you have time to wait. And I do mean wait.

Northern Ireland is wll worth a visit and this is the reason why…read more pooh Bear Ice Cream.... ice cream heaven

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.

Great Meat, great service and you know what, nice people. A good range of meat products in fact…read morejust about anything you could possibly think of in the fresh meat line. They also do their own baking and they sell the most amazing scones, in fact they are by far the best in Ballyclare apart from possibly Pots of Coffee . I could eat a dozen of the raspberry and white chocolate scones. Best time to get these is about 10.00am when they appear to be fresh out of the oven. Highly recommend this wee shop.