Tiny tiny bar, if you can find it you deserve a drink!…read moreReally only frequented by locals, it's probably one to avoid. It's dark, dingy and the toilets are not too clean.

The Marine Bar is well hidden and like others have said tends to be inhabited by locals. That said…read moreit is a friendly bar and in my opinion the best of the two pubs in whitehead. An open fire welcomes you into the place and now that we have a smoking ban in place you can gram a pint make yourself comfortable and just sit back and watch the locals.

Great beer garden on the rooftop. The floor of the main saloon was quite sticky from spilled drinks…read moreand the acoustics were just OK for the live band that was playing. I'd like to go back and check it out on another night where there is no live music, just to get a better feel for the vibe without the noise.

Great bands on weekend nights .. We saw a cover band called…read moreOff The Record .. Electric energy performance from a group of 50 odd year olds .. Slamming out Pistols , Thin Lizzy , Killers U2 , Stereophonics , T Rex etc .. with great accuracy and a few twists .. Food simple , yet delicious , well priced and served .. Great funky decor .. Love the JamJars cocktails .. Great night out .. Would recommend

Situated in the small village of Ballycarry, Millar's is a bar, restaurant & off-sales all in one…read more The bar area is typical of a village pub with limited seating, open fire and the stereotypical older clients sitting about, enjoying their beverage. There is a restaurant out the back that can cater for large groups. The food menu is decent enough. The quality of the food is also great considering the very reasonable price. The staff here are local and friendly and always keen to chat, despite us not being regulars. There are themed nights / live music nights on throughout the week, so heck the screens or the bars website for details. There is also an upstairs games room that has a pool table, so it can help keep the kids entertained. Millar's is a great spot in the heart of the village, even if you're passing through you should check this place out.

Lovely we local country bar. A few entrances to this place, either the front door which will take…read moreyou by the off licence part as well or the side door which is also the entrance to the restaurant out the back. Once inside they have a fire burning in winter and sometimes summer as well( we do live in Northern Ireland) The staff are friendly and it's usually easy to find a seat. It is the style of bar with a few twists and turns and plenty of different place to sit. Beer isn't to dear, banter is plenty and they have a cheap bar snack menu serving burgers and pizzas. All in all we love it.

Popular spot for lunch or evening meal, got decent selection on the menu and food is ok. Probably…read morethe best descriptionfor the food is home cooked rather than haute cuisine. Prices are ok too. The place has got a nice homely old world type of ambience. Locally this place is known as Ownies and I have heard stories of a bad crowd at night ,especially the weekends! It is fine at lunch time and, as far as my experience goes, in the early evening.

I'm extremely surprised at the less than stellar reviews this bar has received so far…read more I have been coming here ever since I was old enough, and absolutely love it. Contrary to what has been said, I feel 100% safe in this bar, and unlike a lot of other places that can get a bit rowdy, I have never seen anything untoward in this bar whatsoever. Anyway, the Joymount Arms, or Ownies, as it is locally known, is pretty much one of the liveliest most popular bars in the town. They have had a refurb quite recently, and there is loads of space for everyone (my only complaint previously was that, owing to its popularity, it got so packed and it was hard to move!) They have two bars downstairs, and a further bar upstairs with a function room and balcony. They have a huge, covered smoking area with widescreen TV's outside, and lots of heaters, so even in the middle of the winter, you won't get cold! They have lots of live music, promotion nights, quiz nights, you name it. You will definitely have a great time here. Anyone who does not like this place must have a screw loose!

Long Before my National Insurance card came off the press I was thrust into employment at Jenny…read moreWatts. My Mum convinced me that working at one of Bangor's busiest bars would help round my character. To this day I am not sure if it did, but one thing is for sure the labour I undertook will help me give you the inside track on Bangor's oldest licensed premises. Jenny Watts is the Grandfather of pubs, it is quirky, full of character and can be quite entertaining if you ignore the tobacco stains. But much like an elderly relative it has one or two very interesting stories to tell. Legend has it Jenny herself was a famous 18th Century smuggler, regulars in the bar will tell of long winding caves that run from under the pubs deep cellar all the way to Bangor Bay. Having worked in Jenny Watts I can unfortunately confirm that this story is just a myth. But it is stories like this that help to mould an establishment. Tourists and Locals intermingle in Jenny Watts creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere. If you are looking for a traditional Irish pub atmosphere then look no further. In the winter locals huddle round the open fire sipping Guinness and swirling sixteen year old whiskey. In the summer the enclosed Beer Garden is full to the brim with holiday makers drinking cider and sparkling rose. All this accompanied by live music all year round makes Jenny's perfect for any occasion. Jenny Watts also offers a full Bistro menu making it a very difficult place to leave. One tip from me, if you are going to Jenny Watts make sure you ask the friendly staff or locals if they have experienced any spooky happenings, I am sure they will not disappoint.

It took me to be a little bit older and to have a summer of drinking quite often to really get into…read morethis place and now I really, really like it. Its an old style pub with a lovely homely feeling and really is a cracking place to go and have a few pints or some red wine. It has a lovely wee beer garden/smoking area out the back that is brilliant craic on a summers evening and really adds to the ambience and atmosphere of Bangor's oldest pub. The decor is oldy worldy and the pictures on the wall must've started a million conversations. There is a club upstairs on a Saturday night but its for the older divorceé crowd so I've never been. There is usually some nice acoustic pub singers downstairs so thats enough for me.

Do yourself a favor and make reservations on a Saturday night. It's out in the countryside but…read moreit's lively because they have live traditional music. If you enter through the red door you can go either of two ways but you will want the restaurant in the back. Very open architectural feel to it. And very young appearing wait staff of local lasses under the watchful eye of John from Ballygally. Our dinner started with an appetizer--homemade quick bread which fabulous because it was made with Guinness! The two mains were the seafood special and then the venison. Perfectly prepared and well presented. Best meal in Ireland! Four stars, but.... Ok, we went back a week later. Not the same....the guys in the bar were telling mostly offensive, sexist, off-color, and crude jokes. The food was still good--had the house specials of steak and the breen--but our desert was a total disappointment; where was the lemon crud int? Totally missing, and the manager totally agreed. Then, he gave us another one and didn't charge us for it. But at the end, our waitress literally disappeared for 20 minutes only to reappear to wish us good night never acknowledging the dessert fiasco and her disappearance. Three stars...

We were having a lot of trouble finding somewhere open for lunch on a Sunday, but we were fortunate…read moreenough to come across Billy Andy's, which was both open and able to squeeze us in even though we didn't have a reservation. Behind the bar, there is a restaurant that is quite large and very popular. The Sunday menu is a two course set price menu, and there were so many excellent sounding options. I ended up choosing the prawns for the appetizer and the Larne salmon as my entree, and my husband had the lamb. The entrees were also accompanied by potatoes and vegetables. Everything was delicious and perfectly cooked, and the staff were so friendly! We're very thankful that we stumbled across this gem during our trip, and we would highly recommend it.

The Royal Oak, or The Oak, as it is locally known, is a modern and spacious bar over two levels at…read morethe seafront in the town, which has been refurbished in the last few years. It used to be a hugely popular bar around 5 years ago, but interest has waned in recent years since the smoking ban came in (smokers are not catered for as well here as they are in the many other bars in the town) The downstairs bar attracts an older crowd and would be mostly 'locals'. The upstairs bar would be livelier at weekends and attract a younger crowd (18-30 mainly) There are large TV screens in both bars, and also in the galley style smoking area which show regular sports games. The upstairs bar has a jukebox and various gaming machines to entertain patrons. There are also various quiz nights held throughout the year in the bar.

Certainly a popular spot this, generally has a good buzz and friendly atmosphere about the bar or…read morelounge. Gets pretty busy at the peak times but this adds to the atmosphere as a good crowd of regulars frequent this local. The staff are great, friendy and heplful so all roun d agood spot to enjoy a drink.

One thing I had not mentioned in my previous review is that the 'Smugglers Cove' is now open for…read morebusy sporting days. On Sunday afternoon they had the 'cove' open to allow more sports fans to watch the live football. The Cove comes equipped with a fully stocked bar and traditional, cosy (old man bar type) seating. Mind your head if you're over 5ft 9 though as the ceilings aren't very high!

I'm surprised I haven't reviewed The Groomsport Inn before as I have been a regular here since I…read morewas 18! The pub itself has great facilities, including a decked smoking area looking over the harbour and Irish Sea and large screens that have the ability to show the football and rugby simultaneously. Myself and a group of friends visited the G'port Inn on Saturday for a bite to eat and I was surprised about how quiet it was. We were able to get a prime corner booth, as ever we were served promptly by the excellent waiting staff. Strangely we all decided to have the same meal, chicken goujons with peppered sauce although I opted for a side of Chunky chips. The food was cooked to absolute perfection. The thick chunks of chicken were battered beautifully! I can't fault The Groomsport in one bit - the food is to die for!

Relaxed, generally empty, local. Goggins is an exceptionally friendly pub, a family pub even. I…read morewent in the other day to find the barman nursing a baby. His mates had brought it along for a visit, it's that type of place. Gets a posh middle-aged crowd on Fridays and Saturdays. Has an excellent smoking area and a load of fireplaces, great for hot whiskeys around Christmas. The attached offy helps keep the party going, it's a nice pub to drop into for one or two before hitting the offy and the road.

Goggins is a darkish but open pub with a nice atmosphere. There are 2 parts to it, the older…read moretraditional bit to the front and a modern, carpeted groovy bit to the back. There are also a few Tvs scattered around the place which I absolutely hate in a pub but in the case of Goggins I am willing to forgive as it is about the only thing that is wrong with the place.

I rolled into Larne at 3pm on a sunny Sunday. The whole place was asleep - I fully expected…read moretumbleweed in the main street. Wandered around looking for some food. Was attracted by the Illy coffee sign out the front (it's always a good sign). Checkers has an unassuming front entrance that could be missed. Inside, it's half bar and half trendy dining room, doing bistro lux-pub food at ridiculously low prices. Had a great big juicy steak, cooked just as requested, with crunchy string fries and a fresh zingy salad. The coffee was good, and the service was stressed but held together. The worst thing about this place was that it was groaning with people - was either the only place open or the only good place in Larne for food! A bit noisy too with football on the big screen and kids running about, but the food makes up for it.

This is a very good place to eat no matter what the ocassion. The staff are very helpful and…read morefriendly, also the service is very fast! overall this is a very good place to eat!