Went in here on Saturday morning just after 11 and got a table as ones were leaving. Small spot and…read morebustling on a Saturday which is a good sign. Simple brunch menu and have to say was really tasty and efficient and all home cooked. I had wheaten bread with poached egg and Ballymaloe relish, the bread was from French Village and lovely and the eggs had runny yolks which I love. They do fresh smoothies and don't appear to fry anything as there was a choice of poached or scrambled on the menu. They also have soya and almond milk, (unsweetened almond milk) I was delighted as not many do this. The other half had a grill and nothing was greasy or left a grease mark on the plate and nothing was left on the plate. This consisted of toast, poached eggs (runny yolks) large mushroom and bacon. Was simple and effective although the table was very small for everything.  Nice and friendly place with friendly efficient service and also reasonable compared to other places.

Oh what to do when you've got a day all on your own and all to yourself? Arrange a lazy, self…read moreindulgent, cafe surfing, kindle reading, treat day - that's what! Hence I ended up in Soul Food Cafe. It's extra busy, extra noisy and filled with all sorts of people and chattering kids. Cosy, warm, welcoming with table service and free wifi. Soul Food Cafe is homely and lovely with quaint art hanging on the walls. On my visit today I had broccoli soup and a ciabatta roll filled with hummus, onion marmalade, roast peppers and salad leaves. It was heavenly, proper warming comfort food on a miserable, rainy November day. The Americano coffee is pretty good and there are quite a few vegetarian options on the menu too. Thank you Colin W and Brian H for the excellent recommendation! I noticed they had a chalkboard sign up declaring their first floor BYO bistro is open Fridays and Saturdays and you can phone 028 9064 6464 to book. I'm returning - and very, very soon. Soul food indeed.

Stopped by about 9:20 pm on a Friday and it was very chill - only a few people here, but I…read moreunderstand that it picks up. We enjoyed some C & C (Cider and Cher) in the light of the CCCP sign. Great ambiance and service. Really cool and unique vibe. Props for the trans pride flag flying outside.

International visitor here. I am visiting Belfast for a few days on a multi-city trip from…read moreoverseas. First thing, the side of the building says "Kremlin" and on the other block there's a sign for "Shoe Factory," both of which show up when you search for gay bars in Belfast. I walked up on the Shoe Factory side and there was no signage explaining where the entry is. Thus, I headed over the Maverick, where I had a pleasant cocktail and drag show. From there, I went onto the sidewalk and saw the sign for Kremlin and walked up the steps. Two gentleman explained to me that's not where the entry is, it's around the corner. So for those out of towners like me, in the center of the alley street there is a group of bouncers and a line - that's how you get both into Kremlin AND Shoe Factory (in case you stumble across this review while googling, now you know). Security checks IDs so be sure you're carrying something valid. I had a EU and US passport - showed the bouncer my EU passport and he gave me an odd look, which made me wonder - maybe they don't get many tourists? There was a £6 cover charge, which you can pay by card. I went inside and on the Kremlin side, they had good drink specials. Ordered one cocktail but the dance floor and bar were dead, so I headed to Shoe Factory, which was more my vibe. While I was there, I was taking some videos of the atmosphere and people dancing and sending it in a group chat to my friends in the US to show them how Belfast gets down. When I went to get another drink at Kremlin - since that side of the bar is dead, I started to video the dance floor and then decided not to because it was dead. The bartender at Kremlin (a she) asked me if I knew the girls on the stage / she had to ask me like 3 times cause I couldn't hear her, and I told her no, and she walked away to grab security. They escorted me out and when they brought me outside, the security guard told me I was taking inappropriate videos of girls and being a creep, and needed to leave. lol. For one, I'm not into girls...and second...I was taking video of multiple spots to share on my blogs, with my friends, and in reviews. I wasn't gonna argue so I just left. Needless to say, here is what I have to say in a nutshell: *Belfast does not have a "gay" scene. It is very small, so if you're looking for a gay bar on a visit, I recommend you skip that part of your trip and find something else to do. *I am not sure if this place is a "locals" only place and if maybe I looked out of my place with my foreign IDs, non-Irish accent, and cultural difference. For example, in Amsterdam and in the US, clubs would *want* you to take video and post them in reviews so they can attract more visitors. *in future bar/club visits, I'll ask the bartenders/staff when and if it's appropriate to take pix and videos - which of course, they are going to take as "weird" but apparently that's what you need to do. Don't assume. At the same time, they could've handled it better and told me not to record and/or ask more questions than assume I'm some kind of pervert. *I would not recommend this place to anyone. As I said above, have a nice cocktail somewhere else and don't expect to find a thriving gay scene in Belfast. *I am not sure this business really wants people other than locals because there was no "clear" signage or direction on how to enter. If it wasn't for the dudes on the steps of Kremlin, I would've never made it inside. Also, the way the security guard looked at me after checking my ID, suggested some kind of prejudice. It would not surprise me if maybe to the staff inside I wasn't welcome (again, a very "local" crowd).

Anywhere serving drinks for £2 and doubles for £4 gets my vote!…read more Don't come here if you're not a fan of the 'student' scene as that's very much what Scratch is all about! They are located in the centre of the student quarter and hence aim to catch the trade from the students. The music is your usual current chart stuff and the vibe is actually pretty fun and full of energy. I loved going here as a student for obvious reasons (cheap, cheap, cheap!) and still have a guilty trip over every now and then! It's always a good nigh especially if you're with a group...or if you're a student!

Located just off Botanic Avenue, Scratch is the nightclub part of the Tap House. This in itself is…read morethe refurbished version of what was known as the Fly many years ago. It does not take a genius to work out Scratch has been designed for students to get drunk and get with each other. The music is current, with Cool FM (Belfast radio station) often having DJ's playing at it. The door tax plus the clientele do not make this the sort of place that will appeal to everyone but its proximity to the student area known as the Holylands make this an obvious choice for many students and drinkers alike. Offers do apply to Scratch, with £2 a bottle of beer and £4 for double vodka and Red Bull. Doors open at 9pm. The food downstairs is actually very nice, with burgers being my personal choice. As there are offers on during the day, this can make for quite a pleasant experience. Downstairs also comes complete with pool table which is always a good thing. This night club may not and does not necessarily appeal to everyone and bar staff tend to be quite slow to serve. Though if you do just want a club to go to then make your way to Scratch. Do not expect too much.

I really don't like giving places a bad review, but Velvet is a bit of an exception. I have mixed…read morefeelings about this place. The staff can be a bit pushy and rude, especially if you're younger and don't have too much money to spend. Located on North Street, at the end of Swords village, you will find this hip nightclub. The only late nightclub for a few miles! For a 15 euro entry fee, I expected a lot more than this place had to offer. There are hardly any places to sit, the drink selection is limited - that is if you make it to a bartender at all! The smoking area is an underground parking lot, so you're having your smoke and a chat and a drink, but you're surrounded by the hotel crowd's cars - which I thought was pretty strange as I wouldn't really want my car parked at a nightclub's smoking area. And because you're underground there is no way to contact your friends, as your phone signal is lost. This place might be alright for the student nights, with concessions and extremely cheap drinks and having said that, I have had a few great nights here on the student nights last year, but I don't think it's worth a Friday or Saturday night there. Obviously it's worth checking out for yourself, it just wouldn't be my first choice.

I shouldn't really do a review based on a drunken night! But I think I had a good night..we had…read moredrinks in the bar at the top of a very steep staircase & then we ended up in a club like place with a dj booth..dance floor & big cave like bed areas. I don't think I'm explaining this right at all. Off the side of the dance floor they have leather bed like seats..anyway this was great for when the dancing feet got sore. Drinks wise I think all I tried was the tequila shots...gooood & then they do Estrella bottles which are v gooood in my eyes!! I must try this spot again soon..don't even know if it's still on the Belfast hot list as this was back in May this year..hope it is though.. I'd like an Estrella, a dance & a wee lay back on them beds!

Firstly I would have loved to run off with the painting on the stairway. That was the first think…read moreI noticed the painting and furniture were totally my taste. Love that it is situated over three floors. Although not so sure how good that would be if you were drunk. It can get very busy quickly. If personal space is a issue, then this isn't the place for you. I had to grab into my chair for fear of being absorbed into the dancing mass. The music was great, the bars on each floor are tiny. Had a good night. But too truly finish the review I would need to go back when I'm drinking. Purely for a health and safety, stairs to drink risk you understand.

We were looking for a place to eat in this town as we were going to see Irish comedian Tommy…read moreTiernan in a nearby hotel so we chose this town centre pub. It's on Main Street, it is like an old church or castle keep inside with some wonderful wooden floors and on different levels with a few stairs to negotiate as you go in and around. While Its charming I'm not sure it's disabled friendly, particularly with the toilets two floors down. We were welcomed literally as we walked in the front door, given our choice of tables to sit at, we chose near a front window down 2 or 3 stairs and our drinks order taken with menus handed over and explained to us, all with panache. Now we thought that's the way to do it right. We both opted for their buttermilk southern fried chicken supreme, which came with wonderful chunky chips, my favourite tobacco onions and a robust lemon pepper mayonnaise. Essentially we had an upmarket lightly seasoned chicken breast burger & chips with heavily flavoured mayonnaise from a jar, but don't get me wrong, it was beautiful tasty food with every element cooked perfectly, and we enjoyed it very much. If you are going to use mayo from a jar it really needs to be well flavoured as it's only a vehicle for other flavours. Everything on the plate was delicious, and most importantly done with thought and done well - this is a confident cook. I asked for and got Colman's English mustard, the worlds greatest mustard bar none. Service was great, seating cosy, the pub filled up with dinner guests as we sat and my cappuccino was very good too. It was obvious from conversations that some were regulars, which is also a good sign. We wouldn't hesitate to return here. Finally being a bit of a food snob and I self admit to being a general pain in the derrière there's two things I'd add. This chef is so confident (and skilled) why not make mayo in-house; a rapeseed oil mayonnaise would be marvellous, and it may just have been my misfortune but my chicken burger was served with a knife through the top with the tobacco onions held on the top of the bread bun, but this made the handle of my knife oily. I had to wipe oil of the handle and my hands as I started to eat. This is minor and a nuisance but hey-ho first world problems.

Walked into a local pub which did not serve food and they recommended Fiddlers Bistro…read more From the minute we walked in they made us welcome. Our server Barry was excellent. He recommended a few entrees. I ordered the beef medallions with onion strings. Loved it! My wife had the fettuccine with chicken. Both large portions. Don't forget about the FREE wifi.

Useless excuse for a nightclub. Place will be wedged with sweaty, drunk people who will do anything…read moreto get to the bar. Most of the time you can't get to the bar at all

If you live in North County Dublin and you want to go out for the night without spending an arm and…read morea leg on taxi fare, your options are limited to Tamangos in Portmarnock or Velvet in Swords. Tamangos (or "Joes" as the initiated refer to it for some reason) has been famous for generations for its 'Grab a granny night'. Back when my oul lad first moved to Dublin, Grab a granny night happened on the second Tuesday of every month, as this is when the mother's of Dublin got their children's allowance, and the only chance of having a few bob to go for a hooley. These days, what with everyone being more affluent (well, for the time being anyway), Grab a grannny night happens every Tuesday, so if older women are your thing, have a ball. Being the only nightclub for a few miles around, Tamangos can charge what they like: it's usually €15 to get into the place, and standard club prices for drinks. It's kind of worth it the odd time though: the place really looks like a cheezy hotel bar. Which it is, so that makes sense, I guess. And now that the summer is here again, they have their student nights on Wednesdays, so it's €10 in and €3 drinks. Which is grand.

Tomangoes where the gang goes.......... If your 18. Oldest club in North county dublin when I spent…read moreyounger years. Good points, local for our an out of dublin City club night. Bad points, carpet smells of I don't know what. Get drunk and dance, you won't notice as much.

Nice venue. I was satisfied and it's very clean and has different floors and rooms. But felt a bit…read moresanitary, and a little pricey. Would come back but only if I had a reason to.

awesome place. small but cute and cozy. the servers are awesome and friendly, I will definitely go…read moreagain in the future.

Best nightclub fol electronic / disco music in ireland…read more Amazing crazy nights, incredible sound volume and fantastic light show.... Every Saturday is a bit different, never know what to expect.

The bouncer left in, then refused entry, tried to short change by 10euro till confronted.. told i…read morewas in the wrong after 2 drinks and my dad a chairman of VFI.. totally discriminated because i was a straight lady trying to meet up with 2 of my gay pals gor an hour or 2.. while trying to furthermore gain profit