My two daughters, wife and I had the pleasure of dining in the biggest restaurant in Glengormley,…read morethat is The Loft. Perched above a row of shops in the busy Industrial area of Mallusk is this fully equipped 120 seater restaurant. When we ascended the stairway and entered the reception area we were amazed at the size!! The kitchen hatch was immediately to our left and at the helm was local chef John Hadden (who has worked in Ballyclare Golf Club, Knags, Sugar Rays and Blue Chicago). John has just introduced a new and very appetising menu......more on that later!! Further along was the fully stocked bar, with a myriad of wines, beers, spirits and soft drinks and I hear they do cocktails!! To the right as we entered was the seated reception area (above), where live bands and entertainers will play on busy weekend nights. We were taken through the dining area and seated in our well accommodating booth, overlooking the car park. The booth was set for four and would have fitted six!! Chef John's passion for good quality wholesome fresh food showed through in the menu. John was saying that there will be an express corporate lunch starting soon at £5.95 to cater for the many corporate clients and office workers in the area, who want good quality food, quickly and at a reasonable price. There were so many dishes that screamed out, "Eat me!!!" So we decided to take the plunge and order. My two girls had the pork sausages (2 pcs) with skinny fries and freshly breaded chicken strips (3). My wife opted for the salmon sizzler and chunky chips,whilst I had the chicken stack. We all loved the presentation of the food John served up. The baskets for the kids meals went down a treat with them, the sizzler really sizzled and my stack was well stacked!! The breaded mushrooms were really crispy and served on a simple dressed salad with garlic mayo. The chicken strips and sausages were piping hot, the salmon and prawns were delicious and not over cooked and the chunky chips worked well with the fish. My stack was the best!!! The champ was perfectly cooked with tasty crunchy scallions, chicken was butterflied and succulent, the pepper sauce was reduced well and spot on and the tobacco onions were juicy and moist and not oily!! The portion sizes were big and we all polished the food off, leaving just enough room for dessert. Kids having mint chocolate ice cream and strawberry ice cream respectively whilst my wife and I shared the banoffee. We were well and truly filled after all this and all for less than £40......because kids eat free on a Monday and Tuesday night!!! There is BYO on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (can only avail of one offer per order) and Steak Night on a Thursday. This restaurant is a truly fantastic family friendly place which offers great quality food at very competitive prices. There is also scope for corporate/business lunches with the advantage of having a section able area to the rear which can be used for presentations, product launches, training, conferences, private parties, communions/christening and the whole venue can be used for large parties and even weddings. As can be seen this is a truly remarkable restaurant and we are so lucky to have it on our doorstep. Do call in and try for yourself......watch out for promotions and the new flyer, it will have a discount on it!!!!

I used to work in one of the industrial areas in Mallusk, and on the odd Friday, our boss would…read moretake us all out and get us our lunch. Due to being in Mallusk, there isn't a great variety of places to go, so the Loft (or the Jolly Beggar, as it was called) was the place we always went. Additonally, if you actually live in Mallusk, this is pretty much the only place to go in the immediate vicinity. It's in a rather large building, so there is plenty of room and you are pretty much always guaranteed to get a table. The service was always good, and the menu had something for everyone, burgers, chips, sandwiches, wraps, paninis etc - in my time I've probably tried them all, although the chicken wraps were a particular favourite. The pricing is reasonable too, not that we paid as we were always treated to it! Although I often travel through Mallusk nowadays, I never stop off, and the Loft isn't great enough to warrant a special trip just for that, but if you are in the area, give it a try.

I am so so disappointed I was looking forward to trying this place as I'd heard so much buzz about…read moreit. The food itself was delicious, service was glacial though - clearly not enough staff to handle the lunchtime rush and with a small child in tow, keeping him entertained for that length of time just wasn't easy. Got the worst food poisoning of my life the following morning. It couldn't have come from anywhere else. As expected, the manager vehemently denied it was his chicken, or the bacon in the veggies. But I won't be back.

Knags continues to do well and on my visit today was busy. I met a friend for lunch. We were served…read morecomplimentary water in customised porcelain/rubber stopped bottle and glasses with the Knags logo. He had lunch-I an Americano coffee. The coffee was fab,had it with cream. My mate had chicken tikka pita pocket with salad and sweet potato fries. The fries and salad were lovely, as was the garlic sauce over the chicken however the chicken was not chicken tikka, more like fried spiced chicken! The place was spotless, great staff and reasonable price with a super menu selection.

O yes this place hits the spot if your looking a good hearty breakfast!…read moreI went on a early weekday, the place was just opened, i had heard it gets very busy so i decided to get there before we had to wait. The atmosphere is very friendly and the staff where delightful. I ordered a large fry and yes it was a good portion, not greasy at all, sign of a good cook! I would differently go back.

I love this place. It's one of two branches of La Cuisine (the other one being in Glengormley) and…read morethe standard of food you get is really high. Personally, I'm a fan of the vol-au-vents and the chicken pies...properly delicious... All the ingredients are fresh as well, which is great. Because it's so good, it tends to get very busy, but don't let that put you off. Just prepare to queue and trust me that it'll be worth it!

I really, really wanted to love Sozo, it's only five minutes walk from our house and I had walked…read morepassed a number of times while it was being refurbished and was really excited to try it, but today I was left feeling disappointed! First there's so much that's right with the place. Their attention to detail is magnificent. The look and feel of the interior is modern industrial, they've really focussed on the decor and it shows. The presentation of the food is another element that they've obviously taken care over. As an example the mushrooms on my large fry were in a separate ramekin to avoid the juice dampening everything. Price wise it's relatively cheap, my large fry was only £6. So here's what's wrong...firstly, I ordered a flat white, it came and tasted like milky water. That put a bad taste in my mouth from the outset, excuse the pun! Next up the food came and although well presented it just wasn't great tasting, the bacon was overcooked and the staff didn't ensure we had sauces etc. In defence of Sozo, it's only been open for a few weeks and it's inevitable that they are going to experience teething problems. I spoke to the staff and they said this was the busiest day since opening so perhaps that explains it. As mentioned there's so much to love about Sozo (Draft Beer, desserts, a great menu) but my experience just wasn't top notch! So I'm giving 3 stars but hopefully when I try dinner in a few weeks we can add a few stars!

Sozo has recently opened on the Antrim Road and is literally a few minutes walk from our house. We…read moreoften complain that there is not enough cafes and restaurants in our area so we were both keen to check this place out. We were surprised at how busy Sozo actually was given that it had just opened. At one point every seat in the restaurant was taken and when people left the seats were taken almost immediately. This may have been the reason for the 3 star review. I ordered a caramel latte which was nice, served in a good sized jug/jar although the flat white that we ordered wasn't great. I ordered pancake stacks, bacon and maple syrup. The top pancake was nicely toasted but the two underneath were cremated, actually uneatable. The bacon was also over cooked. Although, the presentation was great, the syrup was served in the Lyles Golden Syrup tin which was quite cool. Sozo has just recently opened so I understand this may have been just teething problems and I would maybe go back in a few months time and maybe update my review then. At the minute it's 3 stars which isn't bad but isn't great!

Lovely coffee shop, great atmosphere and helpful staff. The coffee is very tasty here, scones are…read morehuge and yummy. They have well presented sandwiches,paninis and homemade soup and salads. Very clean and tidy, great service overall.

Been coming to Synge & Byrne for the last couple of years and my partner and I love the place!…read moreLovely, friendly staff who are always on hand to help. Nice and clean, tables always cleared and a nice atmosphere and ambience that a lot of other chain coffee shops don't have! Food and drinks are always very tasty and their selection of desserts, buns and tray bakes are all locally sourced so its all fresh and well proportioned. Price wise suitable to slightly pricey but you honestly don't mind paying for the delights you get! Overall, this has to be our favourite place to hang out and people watch while enjoying our grub!

After grabbing some printing in Copycats I could smell something cooking in the adjoining cafe so I…read morepopped in to see what it was! Postscript is, excuse the cliché, a bit of a hidden gem. Set back from the Antrim Road and in the same building as a printer and the Post Office I was shocked that it wasn't busier. When I went in at lunchtime today there wasn't anyone else there. The cafe itself is large with plenty of seating. There's a raised level when you walk in on your left and a lower level where they serve the food. Food deals look pretty good with a full fry setting you back just under £4. The cafe is somewhat old fashioned but not dated if that makes sense? It's not trying to be anything it isn't which is the thing i like most about it. If you're up the Antrim Road at breakfast or lunch pop in here for something traditional.

You might miss Postscript Café if you weren't popping into the post office! It seems slightly…read morehidden away on the Antrim Road. My husband used to be a regular here for a Saturday morning fry so I recently went to see what the fuss was about. We both ordered the large fry which came with 2 bits of bacon, 2 sausages, egg, mushrooms, beans, potato bread, soda bread, plus tea/coffee. (Make sure you're hungry!) The fry was grand- just what you expect from a fry, I suppose. Not greasy spoon, but plain and simple! It was good value at £5.

My girlfriend says that I can't fend for myself, she says that if she wasn't around I would just…read moreeat out everyday. Today I tried to prove her wrong but the next thing I knew I was in a bakery queue, I think I blacked out, who knows?! The Antrim Road was crying out for a bakery/sit in deli like this and judging by the queues today the locals have already taken this place to their hearts. There's an exceptional take out selection which is clearly displayed on the wall. It can be tricky going to a new place and deciding what to get but I was sold on the Italian Style Panini with Salami, chorizo, pesto and mozzarella. These are pre made and ready to be toasted so you don't even have to wait around for the staff to combine the ingredients. I was really impressed with the quality of the food, fresh, flavoursome and incredibly delicious. Cheap too - at £3.75 I felt like I was robbing them. I'm in love with this new bakery and I can't wait to lazily amble up the Antrim Road on a Sunday morning and chill out in the lovely surroundings. It's a perfect 5 from me! I mean what's not to like? It's convenient, quick, cheap and really well thought out!

Such a lovely little place! We had breakfast and it was delicious and not expensive…read more Friendly, helpful staff adds to the pleasant atmosphere. They have a great selection of buns and tray bakes and Yes, we did have one but shared it as they where quite substantial. They also do a takeaway service as typical home bakery produce. Filled soda's, sandwiches and baps are availible to take out and very reasonable! So around about £2.50 to £3.00 . They where non stop and it was nice that the sit in area was a little bit separate from the take away so it didn't feel overcrowded. With the prices and the quality of food I can see why they are non stop. Always a good sign for any coffee shop.

We were invited here for something to eat on the Sunday of the Belfast Marathon. We had to put it…read moreinto the sat nav as we aren't locals. We arrived about 5:30pm and the place was very busy. I think we got the last parking space and when we left about two hours later our space was taken so fast we had a hard time getting out as the folks were just bad mannered. We sat at a cramped table and the place was full of drinkers enjoying themselves. One waiter passed us several times with two pints on a tray as he couldn't locate the customers. After passing us a few times over several minutes he just gave up. The food menu was ok. I went for beans on toast small plate. This included a poached (fried) egg and this was what intrigued me. My food arrived (like the rest of the food (6 diners)) after far too long a wait and nobody bothered to drop by to say why it was so slow. We didn't see a lot of food going out as we waited. Service was friendly and the singers were terrible at singing and ok at playing instruments. We could hardly talk such was their volume and folks having to shout at each other to be heard. My Heinz baked beans came on toasted bread with no butter which would have helped immensely and not further seasoned and cool on a cold plate. The food was cooked/cold as I began to eat. The egg I really liked and it was poached sadly it too was cold and looked fried. The yolk was a bit runny and I did enjoy it but the meal ain't £8 worth. Absolutely no excuse for the food being cold. Others got chips with their burger mains all from a factory. This place doesn't need chefs just folks who can deep fry and assemble a plate. Teaching the importance of hot plates for hit food would be good. I wouldn't return for free it was pretty lousy. But what made it one star was the £8 dessert of Eton Mess. It had no strawberry or any other fruit like raspberry. It was a small bowl of whipped single cream with a small amount of cheap factory made meringue broken in and a red sugary cheap probably artificially coloured syrup meant to look strawberry. So no real strawberries were hurt in the making of this rubbish. I really loathe being ripped off and this do ye rightly culture which pervaded Northern Ireland for 50 years still persists. Never again. Avoid.

Our stay at the Lansdowne was absolutely excellent. From start to finish, it was fantastic. We…read morestayed for two nights and enjoyed lovely, clean rooms with fabulous showers and an added boost of shampoo and conditioner. The rooms were very soundproof, and we appreciated the complimentary water and Taytos. The staff were incredibly welcoming. We had a great breakfast--my husband enjoyed the Irish breakfast, while I opted for the vegetarian option. The cappuccino was the best I've ever tasted! We also savored delicious cocktails at the bar. Rhonda, our server, was sweet and helpful, as were the two bartenders and the check-in staff. The smoked haddock for dinner was outstanding. I cannot recommend this hotel highly enough; it's definitely a solid choice!

Rumour's Coffee House has recently opened up in what for many years, used to be the old 'Twilight…read moreZone' gaming centre. It has a great position right in the centre of the town, with fantastic views of the castle and Belfast Lough. The inside is bright and has lots of seating. They offer the usual teas and coffees, with an amazing range of milkshakes, soft drinks and hot chocolate. I had a bacon butty when I visited which was delicious, but they also have a good range of sandwiches, sweet treats, and waffles! Limited parking is available on the street outside, and further up Main Street. Failing that there is lots of free parking available in the Castle Car Park, just a short walk away.

Superb coffee and I'm a coffee snob! Moist scones with good jam. A great view to boot.read more