A few years back we got to to here as the Belfast telegraph had a promotion on and even though its…read morea fair distance from Belfast we thought we'd take a gamble on it, definitely worth the drive as the food and atmosphere were above expectations with being in the winter and the open fire lit, really nice and cosy. The tables by the entrance are the best but don't be fooled by the small appearance its like Dr who's tardis as the space through the next set of doors there's a massive room for dining or dancing. You have to park in a car park on the opposite side of the road which is a bit inconvenient but its just added character and the food was nice too. We'd love to go back sometime soon .

Found Saltwater Brig by pure chance on a filthy dark winter night while on holiday from Scotland…read more But what a welcome inside! The staff were so friendly and helpful with my disabled Wife. As for the food, we have eaten in a lot of places in a number of countries but this was as good as anything we have come acrooss. And the finishing touch was dining beside the huge log fire on a freezing winter night. It was so good that we went back another couple of times during our week's stay. We are going ti Ireland again shortly on holiday and Saltwater Brig will be our number one priority for another visit. We were back in Ireland for another holiday in November. The Saltwater Brig was top of our agenda for a return visit.......and we weren't disappointed. Once again everything about it was superb - the beautiful location beside Strangford Lough, the cosy surroundings and the welcoming staff (especially Olive who is the friendliest waitress you could meet). Then there is the food. The extensive menu is fantastic and we cannot speak highly enough of its quality, and all very reasonably priced. If you enjoy "a taste of Ulster" put The Saltwater Brig on your MUST VISIT list. We guarantee you will love it.

Tried to go last night 14 Mar 2026. Walked around the entire building and into a few wrong places…read more Finally spoke to someone at restaurant next door. This place is permanently closed. Don't waste your time.

Great concept, helpful and friendly staff. Love the products! Best place to get quality souvenirsread more

The Old Schoolhouse is situated out in the country, down a windy lane, and you would never find it…read moreby accident, which is why you need to make the effort- it is wonderful! Every meal we have had here is an utter treat. The simple, modern presentation and flavour combinations are fantastic, but at the same time feel of the restaurant is more relaxed than you would usually find with such fine dining. I started with the fois gras and chicken liver, which was like velvet, following with the beef which was melt in your mouth. The highlight was the pudding which was textures of chocolate, worth the drive alone! Places like this don't tend to be cheap, and dinner for two could set you back £100 easily (but well worth it for special occasions). You still get to enjoy the amazing dishes on offer at a much lower price with a 3 course set menu for only £24! Make sure you book though, especially for Sunday lunch, as you don't want to get all the way out there to be told they're full, which has happened to us before. Just go, you won't be disappointed, and I'm already trying to work out when I can go back.

Food here was very good. Nice modern dishes, with greens plucked from their own garden out back…read more The duck dish i got needed a little more work i felt, it was a little unblanced, the richness of the duck left me feeling a little heavy! However my starter and the little piece of everyone elses that i tried was yummy. Was nice to see the chef having fun with some local, fresh ingredients.

Tried this last Sunday for a treat and was not disappointed. The exterior alone is worth a visit…read morewith its cute old fashioned shop positioned on the main road. The Sunday menu had a great selection with 2 courses £18.99 which was worth it. I had the fresh cod with crab risotto and the desert of sticky toffee pudding with their homemade ice cream and left very satisfied. Staff were prompt, food was well presented and tasted good and overall the venue was nicely decorated with live music being played. Would recommend if you fancy an escape from Belfast!

I have been looking forward to visiting the Poacher's Pocket for some time. I have heard many…read moreglowing reports and was keen to try it out for myself. I have eaten at it's sister restaurants, Balloo House and The Parsons Nose and loved both so I was happy to complete the hat-trick! The opportunity presented itself with a family double celebration, a 30th wedding anniversary and a birthday. Two great reasons to book a table. The restaurant is based in Lisbane in what used to be Lisbarnet House and is really quaint with quirky interiors. The staff are friendly and helpful, quickly offering to stash the surprise cake that I had brought along. We were presented with two menus, one for Sunday lunch and one for the weekend brunch options, both offering plenty of choice. Regular readers will know that I am a big fan of splitting starters when I cant decide so my first mission was to get someone to agree to share. Mission accomplished, we chose to share the Chicken liver parfait with rhubarb chutney & sourdough bread and the Goat's cheese crostini with candied walnuts & honey. The goat's cheese and rhubarb combination worked really well but for me, the winning choice was the smooth, creamy flavoursome pate- delicious. For my main, I played safe and chose the roast beef- always a good choice for Sunday lunch. A huge portion of beef appeared in front of me along with a sizable Yorkshire pudding and plenty of roasties. A variety of vegetables came on the side. While this was delicious, I will admit that the quantity on the plate defeated me. Another popular choice at the table was the shellfish linguine, prawns, crab, cockles and chorizo cream- jam packed with flavours. While I was too full to order a pudding, I managed to procure a spoon to sneak a taste of both the selection of icecreams and the Buttermilk Panna Cotta, strawberries and cookie crumble- delicious! If you are looking for a great quality Sunday lunch with fabulous food and a great location, look no further. Give the Poacher's Pocket a try!

The kingfisher cafe in castle espie offers excellent food and stunning views, a perfect addition to…read morecastle espie . Accessible even if you don't have time to go around the park and ideal to relax in after a walk. Could be a great place to take someone on a date or for a treat.

This place is a lot like a little cafe with a museum and gift shop. They had a few vegetarian…read moreoptions on the menu, I enjoyed the pasta and hot tea. It was lovely eating and enjoying the view from the large windows. The gift shop was also very cute.

I was coming back from the Sunflower festival after having packed all our stuff and just had to pop…read morein for a bite!! My wife and I passed The Pheasant every day as we travelled home from the festival. Today I got my chance to pop in...was I in for a treat. The interior decor is definitely period and works really well....check it out!!It has a great location and there is ample car parking. Absolutely superbly decked out inside and staff excellent. I went for the calamari and Caesar salad. When it arrived it was huge and delicious-the Caesar must have been the best (tastiest and creamiest) I've ever had. Calamari cooked to perfection and in a lightly spiced batter (I was expecting more).As a starter it was excellent value and big portion well presented. Will be back for more!!!!

If I could give this place six stars - I would do it in a heartbeat. The food in this place is…read moreAMAZING, and never fails to disappoint. I was lucky enough to have them cater my wedding and the food was outstanding. Nothing was too much trouble for them. We had a beautiful chicken dish with a sweet potato side, and soup also to start, and a trio of mini-desserts to finish. My husband and I were allowed our own meals, I had sushi followed by duck, and he had steak and chips (he is a straighforward kind of guy!) We had an evening with the two sets of in-laws one night when we got to sample a selection of meals in order to choose our wedding menu. I've never felt so spoiled in all my life. The atmosphere was very special, and we were treated like royalty - the chef came out for a chat with us afterwards which was very thoughtful. Food just kept coming, delicious and beautifully presented, which wasn't a suprise considering the chef had recently left a job in the Ivy to come and work here. For our evening buffet they served us gourmet hot dogs and burgers from an open barbeque outside, with carmelised onions and relish - people went back several times! There was a vegetarian that we forgot was coming to the evening do, and they sent down to the restaurant to get her a selection of cheeses and bread - and they never even billed us for it. Angela who looked after us throughout our wedding was cool, calm and collected and made everything run like clockwork. I would highly recommend The Pheasant if you are looking for caterers for an event, and even for a special night out, the restaurant itself is perfect.

This was our first find during our Belfast travels and quickly taught us to always check what's…read moredown alleyways. It was only about 4:30pm so not too crowded and we sat at the bar. The bartender was incredibly friendly and told us all about the bar, the culture, etc. It's also where I tried Heverlee Beer.

The food was great but we were confused where to go. The Sunday menu did not have all the food…read moreoptions we hoped for. But in the end the stew was great, the ciders were refreshing, and another round of fish of chips never hurt anyone. If you can figure out which door leads you to the correct restaurant to get a seat and order then you should get the stew. It was really good.

Well, Toasted turned out to be quite the little treat! With about a half hour to kill between the…read morepoint we had to drop our daughter off for school and then be back in time to see her play, we didn't have too many options, and as a result called in here. I've seen the sign out on the main road (which would be easy to miss) every day as it's on my commute to work and yet I've never been in. So this worked out well. What a great hidden gem, loved this place. If you're looking for it, it is opposite the attendant-less Maxol garage, down the side of the used car place. The décor has all the hallmarks of a trendy contemporary coffee shop/deli, nothing too original, but to their credit they have distilled the design to the best elements of it and then executed the layout very well, so it's a nice place to be. The staff were great too which I love as there is little to endear a place to me more quickly than nice people working there who are nice, not through customer training but because they are just good folks!! The food when was great, a wide range of mouth-watering choices are clearly displayed across the huge menu..... which is the entire back wall of the place. It has been painted in blackboard paint and the menu chalked up in big clear writing. The prices although on the higher end of average aren't extortionate by any means so I wouldn't call it cheap eats but you get top quality food and service for just north of average price. The coffee was great, which is an essential element for me and the last thing I ate was a scone..... as we were there so early, it was freshly backed and still warm from the oven......................... so so good!

Nice little find 5 mins from our vacation home. amazing baked goods, solid breakfast and proper…read morecoffee.

Was not expecting much from Balloo House, simply because country restaurants don't often have good…read morevegetarian or vegan options, but I was extremely impressed by their dedicated vegan menu. Staff seemed quite knowledgeable in terms of such food too. Interior is drab, dark and dated in the downstairs dining space, but the food more than made up for this as it was delicious. I had a main of Tuscan Potatoes with sautéed green leafy veg and mushrooms. Very good experience overall and great to have a range of vegan dishes to choose from.

This is a lovely gastro pub with fine dining upstairs. It's set in a convenient location for…read morevisiting the Strangford Lough and the sort of place you would bring the in laws out to for Sunday lunch. They are welcoming to children and we were greeted with a high chair equipped with a fun sheet and cup of crayons. The service was friendly and efficient. The food was nice, presented well and in large portions. My only niggle is that we came with far higher expectations than we were offered. The food was fine, but for the price I expected more and it could be tastier. I didn't feel the atmosphere was great, but then again we were seated in an enclosed corner. This was good for a change and everyone had a nice time, but not for you if you're looking for that little bit extra.

Burgers are ubiquitous and far too common in the US, but that doesn't mean it's where you…read morenecessarily come across the best. I've had my fair share of memorable burgers from coast to coast in America, but just glancing at a picture of the beef shin burger transports me back across the pond to the Barking Dog. I remember the few days I spent in Belfast fondly and of the many memories, my meal at the Barking Dog was a definite highlight. In a rather quaint and charming neighborhood, I took a nice short stroll from my Airbnb and came across this gem of an establishment and decided I had to check it out. I had a nice beer to start, and it wasn't a Guinness because stouts aren't my thing, but whatever it was I remember it being excellent and local. Undoubtedly you could make this place a regular haunt and there is no shortage of drinks and food options to make this a go-to for a date, celebration, or a quick meal. The staff are welcoming, kind, and helpful and the general atmosphere is chill. The food for me was ethereal - a burger isn't just a burger here and what you get when you bite into the beef shin burger is a little slice of Heaven. Moist and tender are a given but the taste is just so divine with the caramelized onion, cheddar, and horseradish mayo melding into an union of perfection. It's hard not to describe one of the most memorable meals of my life in such hyperbole but the vivid recall I have of this particular place is uncanny and merits all the praise I can heap upon the fine folks that run the place. If timing had worked out, I would have eaten as meals here as I could have but I'll thank my lucky stars for at least giving me one opportunity to eat such a wonderful burger at such a wonderful eatery. A+ and a definite must when visiting Belfast.

Party of five in Belfast for the Irish world dance competition what a wonderful evening!! On a…read moreSunday for dinner we could not connect on the phone for reservations and the owner was very accommodating and we got a table within 45 minutes!! We started with toppers which were fabulous and moved on to the Schinberger, roasted chicken, and ravioli all absolutely wonderful!! Where is waitresses were very attentive and do not ever skip the espresso crème brûlée it is to die for!!