Saving the best, or at least our friends' favorite for last, we went to Shu on Lisburn road, the coolest, trendiest neighborhood in Belfast, right before heading out for our flight. Again our friends knew everyone there, so we had the best seat in the house, though we may have ended up with the same anyway as it was fairly empty on a Tuesday for lunch. Shu has won a huge number of awards and focuses on simple, fresh, seafood and steak. The previous chefs left some time ago, and the new chefs set out to redefine the menu and put their own touch on it. They removed everything, but due to so many customer requests, had to add back this salted chili squid starter to the menu. Again all four of us got it. The squid itself was something akin to the best fried calamari ever, but very chewy and crispy without being rubbery. The sauces added nice spice to it and the creamy one helped put out the fire. This is the must try dish of the restaurant, if not all of Belfast. The steak and frites, which looks much smaller in the picture than real life, perhaps due to the immensity of the fries, was good enough to restore our friend's faith in steak after a few rough meals. It was the first piece of perfectly cooked pink, or medium rare steak we found in the city. The secret according to the waitress was that they, unlike most other restaurants around, slow cook the meat so that the fat melts, rather than burning off or searing. Regardless, it was equal to the steak we had on our visit three years ago which I fondly remember as one of the best steaks I've had. The salad was even delicious with flakes of parmesan cheese. The chips were good but a bit boring and a bit too thick for my taste, but the green monster foam went well with them. It must have been intended for the fries because the steak had no need for it. The extremely photogenic dessert, if I do say so myself, was a banana and dark chocolate brownie with yogurt cream. We had to get this as it was made with Valrhona chocolate which we always get ourselves for Christmas each year. The quality has declined in my opinion in the last two years, but it didn't seem to effect the brownie. The yogurt was so good it got us thinking about how we could get an ice cream machine to make something similar. Apparently whoever supplies honeycomb for Belfast has worked out a great deal with every restaurant in town because each menu featured an ice cream with honeycomb item. Still, the texture and flavor differences make for a great pairing. read more

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Fine bar and food Burratta and tomatoes Lamb main course service very good brassy attractive interior good to eat at

Great dinner for 6 of us. Everyone enjoyed their meals and the wheaten bread was great- highly recommend. Waitstaff we're attentive and made good suggestions. Several vegetarian options and full bar. read more

WOW! I just wrote a review on this fine evening, stating that I can get my weeks shopping for around £20 in Tesco's. But after my visit to shu, taking my lovely girlfriend out for dinner, I'll not see £20 until my next pay day! Whilst this place was really quite expensive, it was a flipping fantastic experience. Everything was cooked to perfection. I had the slow roasted Pork (one of the favs) and it was amazing! The service was 2nd to none and lord knows I'm tempted to waste my next pay packet and go back! read more

Shu - Modern European Near Me - Belfast, BFS

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Really delicious meals. Can't really tell you what the menu revealed but alas the wait staff was brilliant in revealing the menu items so one could decide to eat. A bit slow initial service to get the meals but with great company it was pleasant enough. read more

The other reviews aren't wrong, this really is one of the best restaurants in Belfast. If you have a special occasion, or just fancy a splurge, there are few better places to do it in than Shu. They also have a private dining room with a set menu. From first glance, it totally looks the part, contemporary and prefectly blending into it's surroundings in the terrace it is located in. Usually in a restaurant like this I would be going for Steak or Fish dishes, but on this particular occasion for some reason I decided to go for the chicken and creamed potato, which was a terrible mistake, because it tasted so good, no chicken dish I will ever have again will ever compare (and chicken is one of my staples!) I wish I could eat here every night! As suggested already, they also offer a two course "early bird" deal for only £12.00 which is a fantastic deal. read more

I had been passed Shu a handful of times but it was never the sort of restaurant that made me go "wow I have to go there". Instead, it always looked like the sort of place to go if you were old and had two surnames rather than one. I went here with my parents and I got all dressed up to try and fit in. And it was lucky I did because it's quite the fancy little place. There was a loud gaggle of women upstairs who made noise going there and coming down from it which was not in keeping with the rest of the people in the restaurant thankfully. I got the crispy pork belly which was nice more so because I don't tend to eat pork that much so it is a nice treat to get it cooked so well. It came with a cauliflower sauce which was way too over-powering and didn't really help the meal that much. The meal was good but was very expensive. I was looking at the "supper" early bird menu and the same meals on the menu were much cheaper. Raging. It's a fancy wee spot and nice if you want to treat yourself. But realistically I've been there once and chances are that I won't be back. Impressive, but I've been to better restaurants. read more

I have heard some doyens of Belfast dining say that pound for pound Shu is the best restaurant in the city. No doubt about it, this is a classy joint. Clean lines, professional service, straight laced, presentable and the food is really good. Price wise it is in the upper echelons. The staff, many of whom are long serving, manage to always be there when you want them but are not overbearing - quite a feat. Businessy people dominate the clientele at lunch. No surprise, the business lunch is impressive. The salt and chilli squid topped my mini poll. There's a bar downstairs where most weekends you'll catch a demonstration of the the plus forty faux tango as the after dinner drinks press the 'must dance' button. You'd be led to believe that even the drunks here are sophisticated. read more

I was quite excited to try the "coolest" restaurant in Belfast but came away really disappointed. We made a reservation on OpenTable. By 7, the restaurant was full so you definitely need a reservation or expect a wait. We came in and were promptly seated and that was the last prompt thing that happened. We waited about 15-20 min before anyone came over and asked if we wanted to order a drink. By the time the server came, we were ready to order. And then, that was the last time that we saw her until we had to flag her down to get the bill. We ordered the salt chili squid, the roast cauliflower salad, the roasted turbot, and the lamb with shiitake. The squid was the best dish. It was perfectly seasoned and fried. I preferred it without the dipping sauces that they gave me. The rest of the dishes were ok. They were well-prepared but didn't really seem to come together to be a cohesive dish. The turbot was good although had some sourness in it that was a bit off-putting to me. It made me think it was just a regular item vs something exquisite. The lamb was a bit bland as well. After eating, the dishes were promptly cleared away but then we had to wait another 20 min before someone came to give us the bill. We then waited another 15 min for someone to pick up the credit card to pay. We thought it was us, that we were giving off a "Don't talk to us" vibe but this wait was a bit ridiculous. Our server did seem to be very attentive to other tables of more regular customers. The other server saw that we were ready to pay and helped us. After that, we had to go up to front to flag down another person to grab our jackets. They had been checked in when we arrived. Even the host was in the kitchen expediting orders. I think the chef was the one who eventually got someone to get us our clothes. The restaurant was quite packed so perhaps the reason for the service was due to that but if a restaurant like this is understaffed, they really need to look to get more help. read more

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By far the best restaurant in Belfast. Fantastic service, knowledgable staff and great food. Never disappointed. First date was here, got engaged here, and keep going back for more. read more

My parents were kind enough to take me here for my Graduation and I have to admit that they made a great choice. The staff were lovely and accommodating taking into consideration the importance of the day for everyone. The food was good too. I had the starter of confit of duck which really was melt in the mouth stuff. For main I had a lovely Mediterranean chicken dish which was light and summery to fit well with the time of year. I would suggest going to this place between 5.30pm and 6.30pm as they often do an early bird special in the evening, which is £12 pounds for two courses. If you are fortunate enough to avail of this offer then be very happy, as £12 for a meal of that calibre is a steal. read more

Shu is one of five, possibly seven restaurants that sets the benchmark for Belfast, and it's not hard to see why. Don't be turning up at this place without a booking, or you'll definitely end up disappointed. It's high-end, top-drawer stuff. I was last there for my sister's graduation a few months ago, and was limited to a special graduation menu. But everything about our experience was faultless, for what must be an extremely trying time for good restaurants anywhere near Queen's University. Wonderfully bright, immaculate restaurant with staff that fit right in to said environment. Should you happen to love wine as much as I do, just wait 'til you clap eyes on their list... 'Kid in a sweetshop' does not do it justice. Their pork belly (served with cauliflower purée) probably now has the status of 'legendary' and deservedly so. Check out their brilliant website, too - you can see the stages of construction of a few of their dishes. It's enough to drive me half-mad with hunger. read more

Our generous boss treated us to Xmas lunch at Shu yesterday and I came away impressed but not blown away. Set on the swanky Lisburn Road this place is probably for special occasions only unless you are minted as I daresay it is a bit pricey. Happily the boss was rewarding us for our hardwork throughout the year so it was a free one for us! We were ordering off the 3 course Xmas menu and the consensus at the table was that there was a bit of a lack of variety and no seafood option in the starters disappointed some. The food that we did have though was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Really nicely prepared and presented, a step above your usual fare. Cocktails and wine were going down a treat and the waiting staff were really on the ball despite it being busy. Only a couple of quibbles, the place when full gets noisy,as in you are obliged to shout at the person beside you to be heard! It was also very warm and we could have done with more lighting. Overall impression was definitely good though and I would be interested to sample their regular menu in future. read more

I've been here a few times and haven't been disappointed yet. The food is beautiful and well thought out, as well as the staff being very accommodating. The added bonus is the champagne bar downstairs which means you don't have to go far to extend your night out. Bit pricey but good for a treat read more

Great food - really good quality night out- worth the extra pennies

This is one of my favourite spots in Belfast. I have ate here about 5 times now and it is consistently amazing. We had dinner here last week to celebrate my boyfriend's birthday and from start to finish the food, service and whole ambience of the restaurant was fab. We booked the table for 6pm to avail of the fabulous 'supper' menu which boasts 2 tasty courses for only £12.50!! (Which is amazing value considering the standard of food - They have a similar one for lunch too). We sipped a chilled glass of prosecco while skimming over both the supper and dinner menu. My boyfriend opted for two courses off the supper menu, beginning with some serrano ham, with toasted walnut and raisin bread which he absolutely loved. I went for the summer vegetable risotto which wasn't on the cheaper supper menu, but was absolutely worth the £6.50 I paid for it. It was deliciously creamy and perfectly cooked. For mains, my boyfriend chose the aged minute steak which was served with (amazing) chips, watercress and Madagascan green peppercorn sauce - his fav! He cleared the plate. Having craved pasta all that day I decided to go for the fresh fettuccine with Drumbeg tomatoes, spinach, parmesan and Ligurian olive oil - and fresh it was! It was one of the tastiest pasta dishes I have had in a long time and left me feeling really satisfied (and quite healthy considering I normally opt for the creamiest pasta on the menu). The healthy feeling however soon disappeared as I enjoyed a big bowl of vanilla ice-cream and crushed honeycomb which was absolutely delicious - simple, yes but the ice cream was oh so creamy and teamed with the honeycomb it was just perfect. I also tried some of my boyfriends Amedei chocolate brownie which was delish! The staff in Shu are brilliant, really attentive and so professional. The wine list, while not particularly cheap is extensive. Also, they do fab cocktails for about £6.50. There is a bar downstairs which is supposed to be very nice and chilled out but I havent been myself - might try it next time for some pre-dinner drinks. So full marks all round for Shu - the perfect place for a special lunch or dinner. read more

I was disappointed to have to give three stars to this restaurant. Nothing in particular was bad, however, nothing was perfect either. Service was mediocre. Vegetables were on the cool side. They didn't have sweetener rather than sugar. We had to ask for most everything we needed. That said, everything was pretty good...not great...just pretty good. read more

The best restaurant in Belfast. Consistently of the highest standard. We simply have yet to find a restaurant in Belfast that can rival Shu.

1st time to Belfast in over 10 years. Stayed at The Gregory just off the Lisburn Road. Asked a local where is good to eat and she recommended Shu. Lovely evening. Pate and salted squid for starters - lovely flavours. The hake main course was very tasty. Pats steak was fine - very edible. Very friendly staff, nice ambience. The Lisburn road hasn't got a lot of pubs for a pre dinner drink, the manager recommended Albany - about a 10 minute walk but really nice bar akin to cool pubs in Dublin so we felt right at home. People extremely friendly. Really enjoyed our brief visit to Belfast. Definitely will go again. Eileen and Pat Brogan, Dublin read more

Without doubt, one of Belfast's best restaurants, fantastic food, excellent service and a wonderful ambience. Make sure to book advance, as it is always very busy. read more

The food here is excellent as is the service! Our waiter was very good at recommending the right wine to accomplement the meal, which was a nice touch. Well worth paying a little extra for a great night out! read more

Love this little place on the Lisburn Road. Its been a favourite of mine for many years now. The menu is always imaginative, the portions are perfect and the flavours always fantastic. read more