For very special occasions in my family, only the Mitre at the Culloden will do. As soon as you…read moreenter the hotel, you are treated as a VIP, which always works for me! Doors are opened, coats magically whisked away, chairs pulled out and crystal bowls of fabulous nibbles appear. The highly professional waiters and sommeliers are friendly and at the absolute top of their game; knowledgeable about the food and wine without being intimidating know it alls. They wouldn't dream of telling madam that a merlot does not go with fish in this place - what madam wants, madam gets! This really is fine dining for a special treat, I wouldn't bring my little darlings although I would imagine they would be made most welcome. The bill for two with a bottle of wine will be well over £100 but boy is it worth it! My favourite starter to date is crab tian with water melon (who knew they go together like a dream?) and all starters come with a choice from the bread basket of home baked guinness, olive, cheese or wheaten bread. The last time we visited we were also served an incredibly intricate little complimentary starter of salmon which was a single mouthful of heaven. Main courses are fab too. I have had salmon, chicken, sea bass and Irish venison, all of which have been presented like works of art and which tasted amazing. My good manners have also driven me to order dessert - it would be rude not to try the pecan tart or banana pudding and homemade ice-cream. What I love about the Mitre is that you get all the elegance and ceremony of a traditional fine dining restaurant but with modern twists and menu choices like curried butter and smoked paprika oil for your bread. If you are going for a romantic dinner, ask for a table overlooking the restaurant. Mind you wherever you sit you're in for a treat, especially at weekends when they have a live pianist and jazz singer. Dress up and let the good times roll.

A small apparently family type place, the K invites relaxation in a calm atmosphere after a day…read morehard on the head and the feet. The service is attentive and friendly, and the food is quite good and varied. We partook in the 6 oz burger, veggie orzo and halibut which all well prepared and went down easily with the pint (from bottles, not on tap) of Guinness that was found around the table. The price was quite reasonable particularly with the sizes of the offerings and all comments positive on the meal. And by the way there is a fully vegetarian menu behind the regular daily one in front, the latter which does mention the potential for some of the items prepared veggie style.

We came across this cute and high quality restaurant as we were walking down the street and we were…read morevery quickly satisfied. The customer service is exceptional. I love how they take the time to explain the menu and also advise you that it's made to order so it's fresh quality. I ordered the daily special with is the pasta and meat balls. It was amazing. My boyfriend ordered the lamb shank Shepard's pie. So delicious and flavorful. The portions are great. You will defiantly be full. I love everything about the Restaurant. Highly recommend it.

I went here at lunch time on a Saturday and it was very busy, but still the staff managed to put on…read morea really good show. They were very attentive and fast even with the full house. The interior is classy and the soup I ordered was very nice. On the down side my Philly sandwich was just OK and, although tasty, the small portion of chips did not seem worthy of the €3 fee. Other meals I spied did look good so I still suggest you check it out. Some nice seating, both indoor and outdoor, could make it the ideal spot for a coffee also. It's a really nice place with great service and a good menu. My only concern would be price.

Had dinner with 3 friends while in Dundalk overnight. We fell across Riva based on a recommendation…read morefor good fish and chips. Sadly, my order was a disaster. But it's partly my fault for ordering 2 starters when the main dishes are their better plates. Lesson learned. The pan-fried risotto cake was a bland mix of tomato and rice, topped with a sad portion of aubergine. The Cesar salad was bitter and poorly dressed with an un-bendable Parmesan crisp and a stale, giant crouton. Really bad. I asked for the salad without chicken but the waiter nor the menu mentioned that the greens were covered in bacon bits. From the time the dishes were first served to the time we could flag down service, my companions were 3/4 of the way through their meal. The waiter also made a stink when I sent it back. In contrast, my friends liked their meals. The "deconstructed" fish and chips aren't deconstructed in any way. The chips are oven-baked so they aren't crisp - ask for them well done. Bacon was snuck into the peas too. The salmon was fresh and rich. It came on top of some sort of potatoes which were pretty much ignored, as the fish was far better. The best dish (and what I really wish I had ordered!) was the "special" chicken in a tarragon cream sauce. The mashed potatoes were divine. And that sauce... To salvage my meal, we tried the "real" death by chocolate dessert. For €7 it was just an undercooked piece of cake with some watery fudge sauce on the plate. There was no trace of the chocolate dirt or other fancy decadence the menu promised. Service was polite but slow. The waiter was kind enough to ask if/when we were done with our appetizer so he could bring the entrees. However, he did give me attitude when I sent back a salad - and I didn't even ask for a replacement. Geez.

Lovely place for a nice lunch or a big family dinner. My niece decided on Neil's Hill for her…read morebirthday and I was pleased to get trying an evening meal here, as I had been for lunch previously and that left me wanting more. There were nine of us and 4 of us ordered steak. We had enough time to catch up before our food arrived. They brought us some appetisers and I enjoyed a Mai tai. Everything was delicious. I had blue cheese with my medium steak and it was very tasty. Everyone was happy with their food. I enjoyed an espresso martini after my food and the rest of my family enjoyed trying the many other cocktails. Good selection of Gin cocktails. The restaurant was busy with other birthday parties, so may have been noisy for those not in a group. Enjoy one of Ballyhackamore's nicest eateries, book early too.

On first impressions, Neill's Hill ticks all the boxes, soft moody lighting, quirky decorations and…read morecandles sticking out of empty bottles of gin, moody stuff. Busy enough for a Thursday evening, but we got seated no problem and the staff were quick to get our drinks order sorted. The menu had plenty of variety, we opted for some breads and tapenade to start which was lovely however the mains were disappointing, My bf had a pulled pork burger, he said it was bland and a bit over cooked, but the chunky garlic chips were great and a saver! I had chicken and chorizo pan cooked thing, it was far too creamy and made it all a bit rich and bland. Again the chunky garlic chips were a saver though, they tasted great! We didn't stay for dessert, the call of fro yo in Spoon Street down the street was too strong. It's as the sort of relaxed mood and atmosphere I love, and would happily sit there through the night chatting, drinking wine and sampling their extensive cocktail menu, but the food would need to be up to scratch also. Maybe we made poor choices, but the burger was on the specials menu, so you would think it would be good! Not only that it was a little bit pricey. I've had lunch here in the past and been happy enough so marking it on my past experiences also, and I probably will be back at some stage.

The only thing French about this place is the name…read more In the Daly's inn-pub-restaurant complex, this is the sit-down food place; mostly fish and chips, burgers, etc. There's a few attempts at "french" on the menu, but nothing that justifies the name "brasserie." The stuffed peppers include a large amount of goat cheese; the fried fish isn't particularly crisp. The chips are decent, and there's malt vinegar on the tables. This place also serves as the breakfast location for the inn; the food's fine, but service is definitely not caffeinated.

4pm and they refuse to serve any food to a party of 10 until 5…read more And yet, full on pub scene but i can't even get a packet of crisps. On to Drogheda. The taps worked so i suppose they earn the one star for this grand accomplishment...

We went to Novelli ar City Quays on a Saturday night during a weekend trip to Belfast. The…read morerestaurant is located in the AC Hotel and has a lovely atmosphere, great service and excellent food. We enjoyed scallops & arancini for starters, halibut and pork for mains and a crumble for dessert together with a nice bottle of wine. A lovely high quality meal in a very pleasant environment.

Came here with my colleague for dinner since we are staying at the AC hotel where the restaurant is…read morelocated. I will start by saying their menu was very detailed and had lots of different options that I was excited about. Our waitress was pretty good with recommendations and giving us time to order and what not. It took a little bit of time to get her to our table, but she did well serving us. I wanted to start with a side salad and my colleague got the French onion soup. She loved her soup and I loved my salad, but the portion was very small for a £5 side salad. I could've bought a full bag of spinach and vinaigrette for £1. That was my first disappointment. Since the menu had lots to offer I went with the Lamb loin cutlets and my colleague got the pork loin and we asked the potatoes au gratin style. The dishes were not as good as we had hoped for. The prices were steep for the quality of food received. My lamb loin was more fatty than lamby - maybe that's the way they're presented, I just disliked the dish for the portion along with the taste. My colleague didn't appreciate the pork loin much either. The potatoes were flavorless, but they were edible so that was my main course. The two stars are for dessert. Their dessert was dreamy and I highly recommend it! This place seems like the place you can bring a date for a cocktail and dessert.

Metro is a great wee place for good value food. I love the art deco style interior with its Tiffany…read morestyle lighting, polished hard wood and funky wall art, it all adds a sense of classic style. Personally I think if you were ever having a 40's themed party this place would be the way to go for it. They do some really good deals on lunch and dinner options and while the food isn't top class restaurant standard, its good enough to be tasty and fill hole in your stomach. Id recommend the place for a wee lunch visit on the cheap or even a night out if your wallets a bit light toward the end of the month. I think with a wee bit of love and attention to this place and a reclaiming of its older popularity it could be brought back to one of the high points of Botanic. Overall; Nice venue, Ok food and Ok atmosphere. I'd definitely go back but with the choice of venues on Botanic its just missing something I can't put my finger on to bring it up to their standards.

I was in Belfast for a night and needed to get some food in between drinking sessions…read more...... So this place did that, but I wouldn't be running back. We were eating in the bar section, which has a tapas menu. We got five tapas for £15 and the quality of the food was ok (but nicely presented). The cocktails were pretty bad to be honest, considering the poor quality they were overpriced at £6.50.

During my recent visit to Belfast, I found a Josper Grill, so I pretty much ran to this restaurant,…read moreJames St. I was immediately drawn in by the vibrant and buzzing atmosphere. They had an excellent bar set up. I started with the leek soup, which was incredibly flavorful and light. The seafood salad that followed was equally impressive. It was citrusy which I liked. Both dishes were delicious and showcased the restaurant's dedication to creativity. To complement my meal, I tried their Manhattan. While it had a unique twist compared to the classic, I liked it.

Trust me when I say I don't take pleasure in writing bad reviews or thinking negatively of…read morerestaurants - hence why attempting to visit only restaurants recommended in the Michelin Guide has normally proved to be valuable in avoiding having to write bad reviews. That is why we were so shocked when we visited James St. From start to finish, here were all the issues with our meal: 1) First off, after we sat down for our meal it took an eternity for anyone to take our drinks order. 2) Once we ordered our foods and drinks, it (again) took far too long for our drinks to arrive. And better yet, our food arrived before our drinks. Now, you might be thinking, 'perhaps they ordered some elaborate cocktail' - no. We ordered two diet cokes, and our starters still arrived after our drinks came to us. 3) Our side order of fries simply did not arrive. 4) The main dish I had was simply bizarre, and the salmon did not go well with the assortment of vegetables it was placed underneath. 5) The acoustics in this restaurant are awful, so please do not visit if you are even slightly hard of hearing. Frankly, this was the worst experience I have ever had in a Michelin Recommended restaurant and dare I say it, in perhaps any restaurant in recent memory.