If your looking somewhere a little different with excellent views and a gin this is the place on a sunny day. The balcony at Robinson & Cleaver overlooks Belfast City Hall and has a lovely peaceful atmosphere above the buzz of the city. It would be excellent for a date/ special occasion. The balcony/ terrace has a Bombay Sapphire bar and a European/ irish style menu. I've eaten here twice and food has been average and didn't really stand out for me. On my first visit I had a meat sharing platter with my partner. The platter was somewhat disappointing as the only meat on it was some boiled ham and a duck pate which isn't overly a meat in my eyes. The ham was quite tough and had a plastic type texture instead of being dry and tender. We shared one slice between us and left the rest. This was served with melba toasts which were delicious but a few more wouldn't have been nice. Also on the board was a smoked apple wood cheese which was nice on the toasts. The pate I really did not enjoy and the majority of it was left. I definitely wouldn't order this again as I left feeling quite hungry. I decided to return a second time, mostly because of the view so that I could watch the Pride parade and also to try the hot food as I really wanted this restaurant to impress due to its location. I ordered the steak sandwich with a side of French fries. The steak was tender and served on ciabatta with crispy tobacco onions. It was however a very small portion and flavours weren't outstanding. My partner had the chicken burger topped with chorizo and was hugely disappointed at the quality of chorizo. Just looking at it you could see it was mostly fat and she had to leave it to the side. Unfortunately I won't be in a rush back which is frustrating as the restaurant is in such a great location. It just doesn't have much ambience and staff aren't the most pleasant and seemed very starey and appeared as though they were discussing our table as they pointed in our direction. This made me feel very uncomfortable. They also only have one toilet which had a queue on both days I visited. When there's a queue this then blocks staff coming out from the kitchen to serve food and also the elevators so you are made to feel quite awkward. read more

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If you like the minimalist vibe then Robinson & Cleaver is the lunch destination for you. Located opposite the City Hall Robinson & Cleaver is the café of choice for many local office workers - thus it can get busy at peak times. Robinson & Cleaver is a bit of a sun trap - the huge glass front of the building creates a green house feel - if you're a sun worshiper head here and grab a window seat - you'll be slathering on the factor 50 in no time. In terms of lunchtime grub Robinson & Cleaver offers sandwiches and snacks. You can opt to have your sandwich heated if you like, although the sun might cook it if you set it near the window. They have a great meal deal, which includes a sandwich, soft drink and a snack (apple, banana or tray bake) for a fiver. You'll be hard pushed to find a better deal than this in the City centre. I'm a fan of Robinson & Cleaver - I like the layout and the minimalist feel to the place - it's open and airy and the glass front makes it feel as if you're sitting outside. It's the perfect escape from a stuffy office. read more

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Unexpected nice lunch on The Terrace at Robinson & Cleaver on a lovely Saturday afternoon. He had a seat on the actual terrace overlooking the historic Belfast City Hall, and had really pleasant afternoon. Bit of wine and nice, tasty food, and very reasonably priced - a good bit cheaper than what we usually pay for lunch on a Saturday. Definitely the spot to be on a warm Saturday afternoon. Can't wait to go back! read more

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Myself and 3 fiends came here for a Sunday afternoon lunch date. The restaurant is perfectly located beside city hall and the terrace provides seating with perfect views of the bustling Xmas Market. As we were seating the server told us the restaurant had a limited menu and began to reel off all the items on the menu they couldn't serve today. Items such as wraps & pizza were not available, which was pretty disappointing. It's a rather odd situation to be in, when a restaurant has a menu and only 50% of the items are available. I tried order a Gin Elderflower cocktail and was told they had no elderflower for the drink. Overall the food was good, and the service equally good. It was just a shame on this visit the restaurant was short on the menu. read more

Spent a lovely evening with a few friends enjoying gin on the newly branded Bombay Sapphire Gin Terrace. There had been some rain earlier in the evening and was still looking a little gloomy so the terrace was empty when we arrived. Undeterred we took solace in the large parasols and chanced the rain to enjoy the views over city hall. Staff were friendly and keen to impart their opinion on the special gins on offer. Initially all 4 of us chose a different flavour of gin, trying a sip of each others. To be honest I didn't notice much difference between most of them until we gave the added ingredients a little bit of a muddle at which point the flavours enhanced the large gins. Our 2nd round of gins we all chose the special star gin with grapefruit it was refreshing and you could certainly taste the hint of additional spices used in that particular gin. For food we got a meat sharing platter and a veggie one, both were generous and full of flavour. The wheaten bread served along with the platters was still warm...yummy. My only criticism would be there wasn't enough butter and a few more crackers would have been appreciated. Hopefully next time I visit the weather will be a little better although I suspect if it's a particularly nice day space on the terrace will be hard to find! read more

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A culinary jewel - the upstairs restaurant of Robinson & Cleaver is currently one of the best places to eat in Belfast. Great gourmet food, they also have a dedicated vegetarian menu for both lunch and dinner. Wine list is delightful. I've been in here a few times and always wanted to get a table on the upstairs terrace overlooking the city hall. Managed to get onto it today for lunch and it did not disappoint. Will be making a beeline for this place all through the summer months. Cannot fault this restaurant at all - it's heavenly. read more

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My friend and I went to R&C on a weekday for some lunch. It was our first time here and we were both impressed. The upstairs restaurant was very busy, but the staff were dealing with the tables quickly and efficiently. The inside of the upstairs restaurant was gorgeous, and I'd love to come back on a nice sunny day and sit out on the terrace. I went for the Lissara Cajun Chicken Pitta Pocket with Chilli chips and it was delicious, fresh, and full of flavour. The rest of the menu looked fantastic and I'll be sure to return to try the 2 for £12! read more

Great views over the City Hall, but average food on my first visit. Having had an awesome burger at The Barking Dog the day before, I was a little disappointed with the one here. The balance of flavours was wrong - too sweet, not salty enough - and the patties were overcooked. I'd probably give it another chance in the summer, as the terrace would be a great place to watch the world go by. read more

Robinson & Cleaver - Burger - Bistros Near Me - Belfast, BFS

Spent a lovely evening here with three friends to celebrate the launch of the Bombay Sapphire terrace. The location is fantastic overlooking city hall and the restaurant has been furnished really stylishly and comfortably. We started with gin and tonic from the Bombay sapphire menu. I had a raspberry and basil one to start which was delicious though I did have to muddle up the raspberry and basil to be able to appreciate its taste in the drink. The measures were really generous and the drinks were presented really well. I had a meat sharing platter which had load of nice ham, cheese, pate with caramelised onions served with salad, crackers, olives and delicious wheaten bread. I finished with one of the special Bombay sapphire gins with grapefruit. It had a really delicious taste and you could really taste the spices in the gin. I'd definitely go back here for a few wee gins and food to start an evening. read more

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The view is excellent and the food is very nice. The food was not outstanding but it was solid and we went away feeling full and happy. The cocktails were great. The wine was also very good. The staff was extremely kind and helpful. I recommend this place for a nice evening out. read more

Nice coffee shop close to the city hall, I attended a memorial event at the city hall and we had coffee here after, nice coffee and a nice coffee shop to sit in, nice decor and the staff were friendly and helpful. Would go back again. read more

Went into here today for lunch and left without ordering. They had a very limited menu with only one type of sandwich to accompany the soup. Menu was over priced for lunch time. I want lunch for £6-7 pounds not £13 for a burger. read more

If you like lunch with a view then you will love the Terrace restaurant at Robinson & Cleaver. The restaurant and urban deli beneath it are situated in Cleaver House which was originally the home of the famous and rather grand Robinson & Cleaver department store. I remember visiting the store as a child and being particularly taken with the impressive sweeping staircase in the centre of the store. I have had coffee and lunch in the Urban deli before but it was the Terrace restaurant where I arranged to meet my regular lunch companion, Kathryn, who works nearby. Its not possible to book for fewer than 6 people so we took our chances and rocked up on the day. Thankfully we were able to get a table on the balcony which boasts amazing views of Belfast City Hall. It was a glorious day and sitting there in the sunshine, we could have been in any major European city. The restaurant is fully licensed and while we could have been tempted, we decided to stick with the soft drink options and save the cocktails for another occasion. Looking at the menu, there were lots of dishes jumping off the page at me but I ended up opting for the meat board. I have to say, the waitress was really lovely and when I mentioned that I didn't really fancy the mackerel pate she offered to swap if for a portion of sun-dried tomatoes. When the platter arrived, I couldn't believe the size of it. Kathryn and I agreed that really we should have shared it. I generous serving of honey roasted ham was accompanied by oakwood cheese, caramelised onions, wheaten bread, crackers and of course, the sun dried tomatoes. Kathryn chose the soup of the day (vegetable) and wheaten bread. She seemed happy with her choice but I did see her casting covetous glances at my platter! I have to say, the platter defeated me despite my best efforts. I thoroughly enjoyed it and particularly liked the fact that the restaurant uses locally sourced ingredients. I urge you to give this place a try- it is a little gem of a restaurant, right in the heart of the city! read more

We had coffee until 12 waiting for food, we went upstairs and the terrace is really nice, the food was great and the staff was friendly. Nice view on the city hall as well! read more

I thought this could have been something special given its great location over looking the city hall. However I found the staff to be not up to scratch. Very slow. Could do with some training. For the price it costs to eat here you expect better. I'd suggest you try the Merchant or Cafe Vaudeville instead. read more

Outstanding service and food. Risotto was Killer. Waiter : over the top! Highly recommend. Fast, great service and food.

OMG, not sure what to say about this place. Very up to date. The restaurant was clean. The food was good and the waitstaff was very friendly. So I had the specials for the day soup was broccoli and cheese and the ribs. The soup was outstanding, truly outstanding, the best I have had out. The ribs were okay. I will be back if I am in Belfast. read more