Decorated like a beach cottage but filled with delicious fresh baked goods this cafe/bakery will…read morenot disappoint. It is surrounded by the close confines of Ashlea Cottages in a coastal village that seems like a throwback to a bygone era in a very good way. We sampled the scones and the shortbread along with various coffees on couple of visits and found everything delightful. It is a family run business that sometimes finds all hands on deck running freshly baked items from the family kitchen next door straight to the display case. The cottages make for a perfect vacation hub for families visiting the Antrim coast and this little cafe allows for the perfect start to each day of exploration.

My wife and I eat here most Sundays and can't fault one thing about the place. Always great food…read moreand great service. If you haven't tried here I'd put it on your list of things to do.

Mickey Joe's Country Store is so cute and 'country' it warrants a visit just to see it. Small, with…read morenarrow aisles, bustling with customers and so packed with groceries it's quite difficult to walk around. Seems to cater mainly for the local holiday maker from Northern/ Southern Ireland. Has quite a few car parking spaces. Literally stocks a bit of everything i.e. wine, confectionary, fruit, Veg, frozen goods, a Deli counter, household cleaning products and pet supplies. Plus delicious Tayto crisps and Irish chocolate. When there I was served by a guy who I thought might have been Mickey Joe himself!

This is my first time here, my wife recommended Take&Thyme so i decided to try it. It is set in a…read morelovely courtyard and so quiet. I ordered the lovely smoked chicken salad sandwich on brown bread with ceasar dressing. The sandwich was accompanied with a healthy portion of doritos and to sum it up,the sandwich was delicious. 5 stars from me, I can safely say that this is the place I will be making my first port of call when going for lunch.

Located in The Courtyard, a quaint little (yep, you guessed it) courtyard, Take Thyme is a fine…read morefood / delicatessen, selling everything from posh chocs to chutneys to Ben and Jerry's ice cream. Yes, you heard right. Well, it is a 'fine food' of sorts... Basically that was the only reason myself and my two siblings wandered into this cute deli - the ice cream. We had spotted a display just under the archway for Take Thyme, and a small sign had caught my brother's eye in the process. "Ohhh, Ben and Jerry's!" No questions asked...the three of us practically sprinted over to the right and corner to further investigate. Take Thyme does have a really good range of food stuffs for such a small shop, and apparently these small tubs of the delectable Ben and Jerry's for £1.99 are the latest edition. Despite the protests of "Oh my word, I'm stuffed!" and "I'm not eating any more" a mere hour before, both siblings were super eager to purchase their own little pot of Caramel Choo Choo (my sis) and Chocolate Fudge Brownie (the bro). I was happy enough to remain ice creamless. For the finer foods in life, Take Thyme is a fab little find. That apparently includes Ben and Jerry's. I happen to agree...

What is it with these shop names in Donaghadee? I nearly didn't add the category choices for this…read moreplace as I didn't want to insult your intelligence, but yes, just to verify...it is a deli / greengrocers. Most of the fruit and veg sits outside, which on this particularly wet and miserable day meant that my nectarines were ever so slightly wet (mmm, rain water) and miserable looking. Plus, the plastic bags, which already take an absolute age to open, took even longer due to their sogginess. Nice. The inside of The Deli and Greengrocer was much more sunshiny, least of all because the shop dude was super smiley and cheery. "Horrible say out there, isn't it?", says he, grinning like a Cheshire cat that quite possibly also just got that delicious bowlful of cream. "Awful, I replied", smiling purely because his geniality was *that* contagious. He didn't even mind when I handed him what seemed like an absolute ton of change. Lovely man. The layout of the shop meant that I wasn't fully able to explore the rest of it. The deli section is situated just in from the door, then there's a little slope to your right with a till, and the fruit and veg beyond that. Due to there being quite a long queue (ie. three people in front of me), I couldn't edge round them, so I just made do with my watery nectarines (don't worry, once cleaned up they tasted pretty good actually). Cheers to Mr Cheery greengrocer for making my afternoon much more exuberant.

I have recently had to do more local shopping which has opened my eyes to just what is on our own…read moredoorstep. I have walked passed this Deli and Greengrocer so many times without giving it a second glance , but as they say every cloud has a silver lining and due to being out of action for a while the local stores have come into their own. This is exactly what it's name implies - a deli and a greengrocer. The Deli counter has all kinds of cooked meat and delicious types of coleslaw and the greengrocer has all fruit and vegetables which where possible is locally sourced . Their prices are very competitive and home delivery is available. I certainly will be visiting this shop on a more regular basis as I was delighted with the cost and freshness of the initial delivery.

I called in to get something for brain health today. The gentleman behind the counter known as…read more"Bestie" certainly didn't disappoint he offered the best advice and clearly knew his stuff. Very helpful and knowledgable. Really grateful for this chat. thank you. Vicki

The Eatwell Food store is quite possibly the best health food supplier in Belfast. Located midway…read morealong the Lisburn Road, it has a quaint, blue, traditional façade and stocks a vast range of whole/health foods including grains, nuts, seeds, vitamins, oils, chocolates, nut roasts and cooking sauces. I particularly like their range of environmentally friendly Ecover household cleaning products and vast selection of vegan and vegetarian foods. Plus Eatwell's stock chilled goods including tofu, Violife dairy free cheeses, Swedish Glaze ice cream and vegetarian haggis etc. They also have a full section filled with cosmetics, creams and shampoos; in conclusion Eatwell's have it all! You'll get items here you just won't find in standard supermarkets and shops. An excellent store.

"People who love to eat are always the best people." -Julia Child (1912-2004)…read more One of the stops on our Belfast food tour, Sawers was a tremendous hit. Crowded at lunchtime on a weekday, we managed to nab a table when another couple finished their meal. It's super busy and inside, it's full of gourmet delights. Anyone who thinks Northern Ireland doesn't have good good needs to come here. Smoked salmon on toasted bread, hard Irish cheese, crunchy baguette, sliced turkey, even chilli sauce and something called "black butter." Oh, and wine. You can't have a midday snack without wine, right? Much/most of the food here is quite local (the wine is Spanish) and the staff are helpful. Check the "sandwich board" out front for specials. The Spanish Board for £25 would be my choice! [Review 1893 of 2024 - 871 in United Kingdom - 22915 overall]

Found this gem while strolling the streets of downtown Belfast. This place has it all! A great…read moreselection of various packaged food, a deli that makes fresh sandwiches, pastries, fresh cheeses to cut and an olive bar. Browsing the store, I saw that it's separated into sections. An Italian section with lots of varieties of pastas and sauces. Cookies from Italy and limoncello! There is a very small Mexican section, which in my opinion was pretty darn good for being in Ireland! They had tortillas, various dry chilies and hot sauces. Lots of cookies, candies, jams and jelly's and a very large tea selection. The cheese case and deli were loaded with so many choices, it was hard to choose! You can order food and eat at tables that are just outside the front of the store. A definite recommend but if you're a foodie, be prepared to be dazzled!

Sigh. I am clearly showing my age when I am excited enough by a Super Valu shop to write about it…read moreonline. But I'm OK with that. Trolans is a bit of an institution as it sells so many different bits and pieces, all of them good quality and many of them you didn't even know you needed. It sells groceries, magazines, household stuff, garden benches and Man Utd merchandise. How very eclectic. My favourite parts are the deli counter, the chilled section which has lots of goodies like salads, lasagne and Magee's butchers meat. Oh, and the off licence. How great is it to be able to get your food and wine under one roof without having to go to Tesco? You'll generally find a half decent wine like Lindemans' on offer which is good news for me. The staff are all super helpful and go out of their way to chat and be friendly. That can make the queues a bit longer than they need to be, but you'd have to be really uptight to complain about that. Oh, yes, it's also a petrol station and sells hot food too. What more could you want?

I have a bit of an issue, it would seem, of going into a shop and buying the most unlikely of…read morethings. Take Masseys, for example. A family run butchers, with a huge range of meat and meat dishes, plus a deli...and I buy some Toffee Squares. I think my whole life is generally an oxymoron... To be fair, there is a small bakery section, plus a few shelves full of chutneys, oils and sauces, so it wasn't all that strange. I think. Mr Butcher certainly appreciated this anyway, for the following conversation ensued: Jolly Butcher: Hello there! [Looks at my sister] Are you not buying something too? Me: Nope, I'm the one with the money I'm afraid. Jolly Butcher: Awk ok [Looks at the both us, back and forth, back and forth] Me: Yes, we're sisters! [Laughs and smiles at the realisation dawns on Jolly Butcher's face] Jolly Butcher: Ah yes, I thought so! I can definitely see it. Me: Really? No-one ever thinks we do. [Pays for Toffee Squares] Jolly Butcher: Awk, well you can carry those [looks at my sister, and hands her plastic bag, and then hands me my change and receipt]. Me: I like you! And we bid him farewell. Once we got home, my mum had noticed the receipt lying on the table. As soon as she picked it up, she loudly enquired as to why we had bought £20.83 worth of fillet and sirloin steak, when we had obviously purchased Toffee Squares. Laughter ensued as I guaranteed her we hadn't bought any meat whatsoever, and I had merely been given the wrong receipt. Ah, my life is a barrel of laughs...made all the funnier by certain escapades in Masseys. Excellent in every way.

Massey's for me a a place that has some really good things going for it and some not so good, but…read morethe positives tend to come out on top. Massey's is a very clean and well presented butchers. It has a wider range than most butchers as they have milk, a bread stand and they sell other home sauces and tinned goods, as well as a large stand of their pre prepared meals. That for me is the main excellent and simultaneously bad thing about this place. Their meals were a great idea, as the concept was food to go but of a better quality.Unfortunatel y they has taken things for granted and the quality of these products has slipped, which is hard to accept when they are so expensive. The whole butchers isn't cheap but it is good quality and delicious, with locally sourced meats in all the varieties you could ever want.

Like Meat? Like Freshly made local Produce? Like Bargains? Good! Then You'll like Corrie's Farm…read moreButchers. This company has gone from strength to strength in recent years opening multiple new shops across Northern Ireland and that's testament to their produce. They believe in sourcing locally and selling only the finest cuts of meat. Their new shop in Holywood is a cut above the rest and their deli counter was proving extremely popular with the local office workers when I visited today. This is the place to go if you're preparing a special meal and looking for fine food. They sell. My mouth was watering when I saw the Dry Aged Meat section - it looked truly divine! They sell chicken breast in bulk at a good price, something that might appeal to gym buffs that are looking to put on some mass. There are chalkboards all over the place advertising special deals - if you're looking for some inspiration you should pop in here for a wee look - you'll probably come out wanting to write a cook book. This is real honest local food - forget your chain supermarkets and get down here for your cuts of meat.

Corries has some competition in Holywood with a selection of other butchers on the same street but…read morethere are a few features that help it stand out from the rest. The shop itself is well laid out with plenty of browsing room so you can find what will curb the carnivore in you. A great selection of your regular butcher staples complimented with a great deli counter with salads, cold meats and cheese. Lunch on the go? Corrie's farm butchers has it covered, sausage rolls, pasties, stew, salads, you can even get a warm, freshly made roast beef sandwich for a reasonable price. Highly recommended and a decent price range for top quality products, the friendly staff will definitely help you find what you are looking for.

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.