Second time here and still just as nice! Came in to try the other Sunday roast option, the beef. My partner had fish and chips and I had the roast beef. We both enjoyed our meals! I liked this better than the chicken. The service is how it is in Northern Ireland. Not the most attentive but if you wave them down you wil eventually be served. Had a nice and yummy evening read more

The Morning Star - Pubs Near Me - Belfast, BFS

So while in Belfast, Ireland, I took a food tour of the city. Our guide took us to The Morning Star for our mains. It is a nice pub. We dined upstairs near the bar. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of the menus and inside. Our group was about 10 people and there was plenty of seating. I ordered the fish and chips. It was delicious and the portions were huge. I recommend. read more

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We had a quick in and out of this bar, where we witnessed a shocking item for us - a buffet on a bar! This pub seemed to be a legit locals pub, full of somewhat grumpy old men watching horse racing and multiple spots that as an American woman, I don't understand. Staff was some of the friendliest we encountered in Belfast, but we chose to move on to other pubs due to seating. read more

The Morning Star - Pubs Near Me - Belfast, BFS

The veggie Wellington was okay but didn't have a ton of seasoning. The steak was cooked poorly and was flavorless. We ordered a side of gravy with the meal and it took 45 minutes to get. The server made us pay before we got our food and forgot to charge us for it, and then charged us even though they forgot. It was a long wait and the food was tasteless. Overall weren't impressed and would not go back. read more

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Cool place we tried on our only night in Belfast. Cool looking pub/restaurant right in the heart of things. Had to start with a Guinness, because it's a Guinness. Got the Salt and Pepper Calamari for my started. Big chunks of Calamari with deep fried zucchini mixed in. Kinda small, but since it was only for one person it worked out fine. My wife got the Fish and Chips. She said the batter was great and the flavor of the fish was good. The fries were solid! Loved the extra cook they added to them. I got the surf and turf. Steak was very thin, but well seasoned and cooked correctly. I was a bit thrown off the they were tiny shrimp, but I convinced myself that I just got a lot more surf. The sautéed onions were a great addition as was the herbed butter. read more

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The Morning Star is an atmospheric pub located on Pottinger's Entry, a pedestrian alley, and they offer what must be one of the best "Pub Lunch" deals in Belfast. A plate from the buffet line of cooked meat and vegetable dishes cost just £6,95, and our server was generous with piling on as many items as we wanted! The selection included roast pork loin, steak pie topped with puff pastry, beef lasagne, homemade beef & black pepper sausages, roast chicken wings, meatballs stroganoff (peppercorn and mushroom cream sauce), Madras beef and stirfry vegetable curry, two cooked vegetable dishes, and champ (mashed potatoes). Everything we had was tasty though a bit greasy--but you really can't beat the value of this pub lunch! read more

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Very Very old pub/ restaurant . Had the Guinness steak stew with lovely drinks. Service was very friendly and the ambiance was hard to match. read more

The Morning Star - Last dinner and drinks after a 12 day bonanza trip - Pubs Near Me - Belfast, BFS

Great atmosphere! This restaurant has been around since 1810. I think the building at least. The food was amazing. I had the Beef and Guinness pie and Guinness beer too. That was the best dish in Ireland and of course the Guinness beer too! Loved it! read more

Great place to drop for a casual meal and a Guinness in Belfast. We had the beef pies which were excellent. Great service as well.

A group of 8 of us went to the Morningstar on boxing night for a meal before the giants game. Took us 15 minutes to be offered a drink when we sat down. When one of us ordered the hot honey chicken as a main, it arrived with the starters and then when it came out as a main which it was meant to be, it had clearly been sitting as everyone ate their starters as it was cold. Four of our party ordered steaks and not one was cooked correctly, one was requested to be well done and was cooked rare so it had to be sent back twice as my mum doesn't eat pink meat. The other 3 were all cooked rarer than they were asked and one of our party is pregnant and asked for their steak medium well and it was rare. The service left much to be desired, seemed like we were just abandoned and had to get our own cutlery after the starters. Given the price of the food and drink you'd think it would be better. We'll certainly never be back. read more

If I could give negative stars I would. The service was abhorrent. The atmosphere was terrible and they overcharged us for over 100 pounds of food charging us for a bottles of wine drinks we didn't have and then lied about an "optional "service charge and said it was required. This place should be taken off of anybody's list when visiting this wonderful city. read more

This was recommended to us by one person and had good reviews, but it was absolutely horrible. This may be the first time online reviews have led me so wrong. The server was rude from the second she approached the table, and was annoyed with questions about the menu. When the drinks did make it to the table eventually, one of them was on ice when we ordered a shot of Jameson. I asked the server to fix the error when it was delivered. It took about 10 mins to get back to me and when it did, it was clear that the shot had sat in ice for several minutes and turned into a watered down ice cold Jameson. I thought for sure it was a mistake but the server was not returning any time soon so I brought it to the bartender to ask for him to switch it out for what I had actually ordered, a straight up shot, and he said "yeah if you pay for it." Ok, I've worked in the industry for a lot of my life, I get it people are jerks, but this was me asking him to fix his mistake. I told him I am paying for it, the thing that I ordered and he said, "you ordered a shot, I put it on ice, then I took it off the ice and sent it back to you, so there's your shot." Asked for the manager who very reluctantly fixed the issue...what?? They were not serving the steak pie, the item we specifically came to try, which was disappointing but it happens. The roasts and fish and chips were pretty bad though. So ok, horrible service, bad food.. the bill comes and there's a service charge. I ALWAYS tip, I think even on an off day, people in restaurants deserve the support, but this was an exception. The people I dined with said they were going to ask for it to be taken off the bill because of how horrible every second of our experience was. One went the manager and asked for it to be removed because of how rude the staff had been (different manager than earlier who had not been present for any of the earlier rudeness of bartender, server and lack of care from earlier manager), he asked if everything was ok and the instances of rudeness and were explained, and he agreed. Less than 10 seconds later he approached us and said that "no one was rude, no one was rude." Ok, again, whatttt is happening here? We reassured him that they were awful to us, and he reluctantly agreed to remove the service charge... toilet overflowed and bathroom was disgusting. Other tables were having to get up/ shout to server to ask her for her attention, which she ignored. Probably the worst customer experience I've ever had. read more

absolutely horrible service. Wait staff was horrif and actually was angry when they were asked to take an order. Apparently nobody in the bar knows what a martini is. Here's a hint, it's not a margarita. It's also not a shot of vodka.. The food was fantastic, so there's that. That's why they get one star. female waitress was physically upset and called us very crude names to her partner when we asked her to correct an order. we were then overcharged, they added extra drinks and an extra bottle of wine onto the bill. How does that happen? read more

Feeling rather sick after ordering the pie of the day, not sure if the quality of the food is the best. Staff were nice enough though despite the service being slow read more

The Morning Star - Pubs Near Me - Belfast, BFS

Accidentally happened upon this our on our 1st night in Belfast. The food was absolutely amazing, the staff was extremely friendly, and the beer was plentiful! The Guinness Beef pie was delicious and so was the crispy pork belly! Both highly recommend! read more

I regret coming to The Morning Star. Sincerely I do because it is over 6k km away from me at this moment and the taste of that seafood chowder still sits on my mind. I went here as part of a food tour and the whole food tour had been absolutely delightful. We enter The Morning Star and my friend and I sit at a small table while the rest of the tour crowd around. It is a great place with a great atmosphere - just friendly and bright and relaxing. They bring out cider and stout for the group and it is a good old time because life is just great with cider and stout. We had a choice between the Guinness beef stew or the seafood chowder. Being that my friend can't digest milk I opted for the chowder while my friend got the stew. Now I can't attest to his stew as I lost instant interest when I took a bite of the chowder. One those little black clams were amazingly good. They popped right out of their shells without a fight. They were amazing. I am drooling thinking of those clams. The potato also was amazing. Too often I find the potato undercooked in chowder. I often can use these undercooked potatoes as a small weapon it is so dense and firm. This chowder has the perfect potato. It was firm without being undercooked. It was soft enough to cut through with a fork. It was flavored perfectly. It was glorious. The broth also was delightful - thick and flavorful. I was so happy. Now I just feel sad that even tho I live by the water I have not found a comparable chowder to the one here. But at least I have the memories. read more

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This was the third stop on the pub crawl. The name and outside caught our eye. There was a nice area to sit outside and people watch. It is a large well lit place with lots of televisions and tables to relax at. Seemed a popular place. Had a couple of Smithwicks at the bar and watched a few games. The bartenders were quite busy so didn't have a chance to talk to them. We just had a couple of beers and the headed out so didn't spend too much time. Seems like a place the locals would stop. read more

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Had the Morning Star Burger for breakfast, and it was pretty decent. I got to the pub at 11AM and it was quite empty. The fries were average. The burger was scrumptious, and didn't fall apart like fast food burgers. I could easily grab the whole burger and took a bite and everything still stayed together, which was great! The beef was more crunchy rather than tender, but I liked it that way. It also tasted very beefy. I also liked the peppercorn sauce that came with it. read more

Really cool pub in the center of Belfast. Popped in for a quick drink and stated for the buffet lunch which was tasty and great value for money. read more

Loved the food, loved the service and loved the atmosphere. We had a party of 15 and the service couldn't have been better. The food was delivered hot and everyone got their correct order. Best lamb I've had in ages. They even delivered a birthday cake at the end and stayed for the song. My son's 18th birthday lunch couldn't have been better. This Florida girl will definitely be back during our next trip! read more

The Morning Star - Seafood Stew.....absolutely delicious - Pubs Near Me - Belfast, BFS

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Went we a few guys here in Belfast from work and they loved the lamb stew! We also had the chicken liver pate with sweet pickled onions. Really good and Paddy was really cool as well. I had the buffet, and that was good. If I'm ever in town again, definitely coming back. Cheers! read more

Best pint of Guinness in Belfast...... enough said!! The place is friendly and the service is prompt. Declan pours a great pint!! read more

The Morning Star - Pubs Near Me - Belfast, BFS

Morning Star is a lovely, historical pub which provides a sense of stepping back in time when you walk into it. A bar which can be very busy over the weekend, however I've always managed to get a seat any time I have visited. To date I have been in Morning Star a few times over the years for drinks but unfortunately have not yet dined here. They have a reputation for serving great food and also have a daily carvery/ buffet style hot lunch. On my most recent visit (Saturday 16/04/2016) Morning Star was filled with people watching sporting events on the TV screens, eating meals and drinking. Luckily we quickly acquired a table and a waitress kindly brought us our drinks which saved us having to queue up at the bar. Table service for drinks is fantastic and I only wish more bars offered the same high standard of service. Our Gordon's with tonic and Fulcrum beer were good, the atmosphere pleasantly buzzing and the buffet food looked and smelt fantastic. If we hadn't already been booked in for dinner elsewhere we would happily have sat on in Morning Star for hours and ordered some food. Morning Star is a great Belfast bar which I often forget about as it's tucked away out of sight in Pottingers Entry. It's a visually lovely bar with a few outside tables and chairs as well for when the weather's good. I'm looking forward to returning soon and will definitely try the food on my next visit to find out if the meals really are as good as everyone says they are. Plus I was delighted to see they offer a few vegetarian options too... read more

The Morning Star - Saturday drinks - Pubs Near Me - Belfast, BFS

Great food, great service (both upstairs and down) and great atmosphere for sports. Being vegetarian was no good here, but I got fantastic garlic cheese bread and sauteed mushrooms while my friend got the morning star burger which he loved. We also got a bottle of house wine for 8pounds which was great for what it was. Service was friendly and it was really clean and kinda fancy upstairs. Downstairs was more crowded as there were more TVs and it was a big day in rugby and football when we were there (and horse-racing I guess because a lot of people were watching that). Bar service were great as well, and quick given that the place was packed. read more

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The Morning Star is a fairly average wee pub, and probably the most 'old men in tweed caps with a folded Racing Post vibe' one in the city centre. It's quite old-blokey because of that, and I always feel a bit disapproved of walking in with the mad red hair and tattoo, particularly by the wives/concubines of the old folk. But where I love it is its food, or more particularly the buffet. 'Pinta Smithwicks and a plate please,' is my usual refrain when I call in here of an afternoon, the latter referring to the fact that you can buy (well, rent) a plate for a fiver, which you can then fill at the buffet with all kinds of delicious local homemade food. It's my favourite pub lunch in all of Belfast. The food is just that type of traditional Mum-type, stomach-lining, hangover-curing, carb-heavy tasty stuff that you just couldn't say a bad word about. Succulent steak and mushroom pie, creamy champ, lasagne, cauliflower cheese, chilli, rice - it's all standard, but it's lovely, and I love being able to just help myself. Be warned though, if you use your fingers, try and sneak back for a second helping, or take the mick and load your plate up more than one layer, the staff will not be happy. It has long been a source of delight to me the sign on the bar behind the buffet, warning that 'Plate pilers will be barred'. Class. read more

The Morning Star - Pubs Near Me - Belfast, BFS

Prior to attending the first leg of Yelp's Around the World in 8 weeks series I always thought of The Morning Star as being an old man's pub, the kind of place my dad would visit during Cheltenham week. Actually I think the only time I had been inside was indeed during Cheltenham to meet my dad! Yes decor is a little old fashioned but the little booths in the upstairs area (another revelation them having an upstairs) were comfortable & cost. We received a warm welcome from staff and the barman was keen to discuss the extensive range of craft beers available. Onto the food...we were treated to a 4 course tasting menu. Prior to service staff checked each table for allergies, vegetarians etc. 1st course was Two Mushroom Veloute which was the best mushroom soup I have ever tasted! Rich earthy mushroom flavour yet rich and creamy with slivers of mushroom through the dish provided some nice texture. On the side was a little mushroom crostini which although tasty seemed a little unnecessary. 2nd course was whiskey cured smoked salmon & crab quenelle, both were tasty and nicely enhanced by the lemony aioli on the plate, the only disappointment with the dish was the wheaten bread which was too dense and rather dry. 3rd course was a grass fed dexter beef & ale pie served with mash & mushy peas. The pie was piping hot, in fact so hot I burnt my tongue on the filling. Although was it cooled down enough to eat I was pleased to find a well filled pie with a crumbly buttery pastry. Mash was smooth and tasty, thankfully the mushy peas were more of a bright fresh tasting pea puree (I hate mushy peas) just not quite enough on the plate. The gravy was delicious but again just nit quite enough of it. For me the dish overall lacked seasoning but a quick sprinkle of salt & pepper greatly improved the dish. 4th course was a peanut butter cheesecake which had just the right balance between a buttery crumbly base and a light yet creamy top. This was served with a delicious vanilla icecream and little nuggets of a slightly bitter honeycomb which balanced out the sweetness of the dish. Overall I was impressed with the quality of food served up, the Morning Star take pride in sourcing local ingredients and even have an in house butcher to prepare the meat they get from their own farm with herbs & salad coming from a kitchen garden. Looking forward to visiting again to see what other delights they have to offer read more

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Hidden down one of the alleys off High Street known as 'The Entries' The Morning Star is a proper pub, an old man's pub if you will. That doesn't mean the crowd is all old, there is a good mix of allsorts. Students and shoppers and hipsters and businessmen all are here, either taking a breather from the shops or concentrating on the latest horse-race. As it is a 'proper pub' it also does top quality proper bar grub. This is not a gastro experience, but they certainly aspire to what locals would describe as a good feed. If you are about, try the pies, as the venison one will bring happy tears to your eyes. Yum! read more

The Morning Star - Lovely lunch in the Morning (Star) - Pubs Near Me - Belfast, BFS

I was about to give it three stars because the dudes behind the bar were bitter af and we didn't get food, but then an angel of a server showed up at our table to take our additional drink orders and the extra star is for her. read more

It was a bit average for a Tuesday night. The Chicken liver terrine and artisan breads were amazing. Unfortunately, the mains weren't. I had the pork belly and it was burnt on top and dry on the bottom with a streak of unrendered fat in the middle. Disappointing considering the rave reviews it got. My wife had the haddock. The chips were good, as was the pea mash... again, with the protein, the fish had pulled away from the breading; I assume because either the oil wasn't hot enough or it had sat up in the window, too long. All in all, it was edible, just an average outing. I'd give them another go on the weekend if we were here. read more

One of the best bangers and mash I've ever had. My partner had roast dinner Ulster beef with Yorkshire pudding. Nice staff and livening atmosphere read more

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Let me start with I am 90% of the time a vegan, and if I ever did eat seafood, I never liked mussels. BUT today I just had an urge to try the special that was on - the seafood boxty, and it has blown me away. The boxty itself (potato pancake) was a nice large brick with creamy sauce on top, with a bit of local fish and a few of the best tasting, softest mussels I have ever tasted in my life. And I'm not so easily impressed :P An absolutely delicious and a cozy dish. read more

Had a lovely time here for the yelp event. The staff were so friendly and knowledgeable about local beers and the craft beers they stocked. The food we had was absolutely delicious and shauna the waitress kept us entertained. I had a look at the regular menu for future reference and can't wait to come back. I certainly won't forget about the morning star in the future. read more

The Morning Star - Now that's an offer you couldn't refuse :) - Pubs Near Me - Belfast, BFS

If there's one reason to visit the Morning Star, I can say it in two words "Lunch Buffet". They serve some of the best pub grub at their "all you can eat in one trip" lunch buffet. I'm a vegetarian, and even I was able to find plenty of things to eat. But don't worry, meat eaters, they have stuff for you too. I love all the signs warning against "food stacking" while you're at the buffet. So, in order not to have your buffet privileges revoked, you have to perform a delicate balancing act of piling your plate with a lot of food, while, at the same time, not making it look like you're trying to stack your plate. If something runs out while you're buffeting, don't worry because they replenish the dishes constantly throughout the lunch hour. I've also eaten dinner there a couple of times and had a great meal every time. They've got the usual beers on tap and a fully stocked bar. The waiters and bartenders all wear bow ties. I mean, come on. That's old timey. read more

It's a very plain traditional Irish bar with very plain traditional Irish staff and a very plain traditional Irish clientele. Although I do like trad Irish bars, this one seems to be almost "too" traditional and lacks any real ambition to be a better bar than the other 5000 in Belfast (that's not a totally accurate number). It strikes me as being too touristy and doesn't strive to be anything other than a place that people go in for a pint of Guiness and then have their picture taken outside, then leave and never return. I've not tried the food, though the people ordering it did seem pleased when it came out so that in itself is worth pointing out. But ff I was in a harsh mood, I'd almost say it is boring plain traditional Irish pub. read more

Only recently did I get the chance to sample some of the fine food The Morning Star has to offer. I've been in here numerous times for a drink and always wanted to try the food as it always looks and smells great. Well, lucky me, my boyfriend took me here last week and we got to try the great value buffet for £5. The food was delicious! On offer there was a choice of lasagne, steak pie, ribs, mince, spaghetti, mash, roasties, carrot and parsnip, and many others. We tried a good selection and all of it tasted great. I'll definitely be back here to take advantage of this brilliant offer in the old man style pub that is the Morning Star. We also had a couple of bottles of Corona which were chilled to perfection with a juicy fresh slice of lime. Love it! Definitely somewhere I'll be back to. read more

The Morning Star - Pubs Near Me - Belfast, BFS

Clean and off the beaten path (or at least the paths i saw). We were gifted enough to be served some sausages from the kitchen upstairs an they where delicious! I wish I had more time to try more. There's really something about beers in around here...both my Guinness and my bass where significantly more fabulous than their Los Angeles versions. read more

Even though it is situated incredibly centrally in Belfast, amazingly not many people have ever been into The Morning Star and it's a real shame because it really is one of the few proper old-school pubs of any note left in Belfast. At lunch they do an amazing carvery/buffet Monday through Saturday from 12-4pm for a paltry £5.95 and their food really is what bar food should be, hearty dishes served up in big portions! However, in recent time they have become more strict about piling your food too high on your plate and although never caught, I have undoubtedly taken a slice or two more of chicken in my time... Their pies, lasagne and roast dinners have on many occasions lined my stomach before a few pints of Guinness and Smithwicks during a football game or Ireland rugby match on one of the TVs downstairs. The table waiters and barmen are always keen for a chat and if you venture upstairs you'll be more than pleasantly surprised about the surroundings as from the outside I'm aware the bar may not look very appealing to all tucked away in Pottinger's Entry. The a la carte menu is nothing short of extensive and reasonably priced and upstairs' atmosphere in the evenings really is lovely either with friends for a few drinks or a more quiet affair and they've been the recipients of much acclaim for their food from many of Ireland's key award-giving bodies and this should be enough to steer you up one of Belfast's most famous 'Entries' never mind many drinks being only £2.10 on Friday and Saturday evenings from 9pm!!! A great bar, with great food, craic and some real characters... read more

There's nothing my partner loves more than a steak, the bigger the better. I had no idea what to get him for his birthday, so decided we could go for a meal instead, so I asked around as to where you could get the best steak in Belfast, and the Morning Star was the place that seemed to be mentioned the most. I went ahead and booked a table for two, and booked by partner the largest steak on the menu (48 oz, but I later found out they will do bigger if you phone ahead and ask!!) We arrived at the Morning Star, situated down Pottinger's Entry beside the In Shops (or where they used to be!) and got shown to our table in the restaurant upstairs without any fuss. I had a steak too but I have to say the rest of the menu looked fantastic. Our food arrived, and what was brought to us was the nicest steak dinner either of us have ever had. we kept it standard and with our steaks had chips, gravy and onion rings on the side. Absolutely divine! And cooked to perfection too, which is hard to find! Suffice to say we have been back here many times, the best steaks in Belfast for sure, and food is all locally sourced too which means a lot. read more

Got a morning star burger , with smoked cheese which was nice accompanied with 2 onion rings and a pot of coleslaw and a pot of pepper sauce and bowl of chips, the pepper sauce was gorgeous and very spicy which is what you expect with a good pepper sauce, coleslaw was tasty only issue I had with it was that it was very dry and needed some sauce, but the chips were nice. For dessert I chose cranberry and dark chocolate roulade with ice cream, which I was unimpressed with the roulade sponge wasn't moist it was hard which was a shame, like as if it had been sitting a while, the flavour was ok not that flavoursome , ice cream was what I think was shop bought, tasted like shop bought ice cream rather than homemade, wasn't impressed with the dessert at all and wouldn't buy a dessert from here again, but the burger was lovely so I would go back again. read more

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I've reviewed the star before and I'm now giving it two stars instead of one, very disappointed and embarrassed in having to send my burger back because of it being full of gristle with the first quarter after a fantastic starter of breads and oils and a great side of chips, service however is great and nothing is too much bother at all. Its still a great local bar in a great location. It would take very little to make a huge difference. Staff are all friendly and really make the place read more

The Morning Star - Pubs Near Me - Belfast, BFS