This is the more laid back brother of James Street South. It’s literally two doors away in the same building. It’s just been awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand.
It draws its inspiration from the great steak houses of New York and from French inspired brasseries. The charcoal Josper grill is the Ferrari of the grill world. It gives an unbelievable taste and texture to steaks that is just addictive.
The menu changes according to what’s local and seasonal. Apart from the grill, they do wonderful pasta and risotto dishes, salads, and how about the Pappardelle with duck ragu?
In tune with the dirty food trend, there’s a beef burger on the list and the cocktail list is amazing! Try the Lemon drop Martini! Truly, there is something for everyone here, right down to the Sticky toffee sundae or famous Baked Alaska for dessert.
This started life as a pop-up down a fairly dark side street in Belfast City Centre. It was the brainchild of Mourne Seafood Bar chef Andy Rea, manager Stevie Hallier and head chef Ben Arnold. People loved the New York loft style and nourishing, yummy food so much that they decided to opt for a more permanent Home on Wellington Place.
Actually, eating here feels like being at home, but you’re out and you don’t have to do the washing up. We adore the upcycled vibe, the relaxed atmosphere and most of all the truly scrumptious food. The Super Salad is a regular on our lunch breaks, but when we’re chilling in the evening, we tend to go for the spicy fried hake with Kimchi (Korean pickled cabbage) slaw or the roast lamb with caponata and polenta fries.
They have extensive veggie, vegan and gluten free menus.
Veggies and non-veggies alike think the whipped goats cheese with balsamic beetroot, candied walnuts, chicory and apple dressing is a complete delight. Come to think of it, home was never as good as this. We want to move in!
Head Chef, David Gillmore has a wealth of experience, offering a classical range of dishes that will make your mouth water.
The style of the food is local seasonal produce cooked with French flair. The chefs are all classically trained. One of the few places to change its set lunch and their a lá carte menus monthly, you can expect to find dishes like County Down Loin of Venison, Beetroot & ‘Cottage Pie’ and White Chocolate Cheesecake, Mango and Honeycomb. They are also hiring 16 apprentice chefs who have had no previous kitchen experience. They want to create a supply chain of chef’s not only for James Street South, but for the catering industry here in Northern Ireland.
Just because it’s fine dining, don’t think it’s out of your league. They have fantastic meal deals. Three courses lunch and pre theatre are just £18.50.
The tasting menu is not to be missed, 4 Course £45 (Wine Pairing £65)or 5 Courses £50 (Wine Pairing £70)
Simple, rustic, tasty Italian food is the order of the day at this East Belfast eatery. Inspired by the Italian restaurants on Manhattan’s Lower East side and named after veteran cyclist Marco Pantani (‘the pirate’), Il Pirata’s menu ranges from Venetian style cichette to share, to hearty plates of Parma ham and braised beef brisket to devour.
The homemade gnocchi is served with a deep, rich duck ragu, while the Portavogie prawn pizzette is a perfect fusion of Ireland and Italy. Offering up fresh pasta made in house daily and an amazing ‘Porchette’ (pork) sharing roast on a Sunday, trust us, your tastebuds will thank you for visiting.
Bring along your old mismatched china plates they might use them for serving food and reward you with a little complimentary something…upcycling chic!
House of Zen is the latest build in what’s fast becoming a Zen village. Owner Eddie Fung is well-known for his modern Asian restaurants. This one marries the traditional cobbles of the Cathedral quarter with cutting edge Chinese dark and moody décor.
We must mention the cocktails and mocktails. They simply sing with flavour and are the perfect antidote to delicious morsels of duck with grapefruit and pine nuts and touch-your-heart dim sum.
The Suckling Lamb Shank Claypot is one of our favourite main courses, but some days we crave the retro but oh-so-good traditional Peking Duck.
Lots of Asian places aren’t great on desserts but here they have Armagh Bramley apple sponge pudding and a wonderful profiterole dish stuffed with bananas and topped with caramel sauce, Yum yum.
This East Belfast bar and restaurant is a local with a difference. It’s a classy joint. It looks good and the food is even better. They now make all their bread fresh every morning, they use Walter Ewing’s salmon, local beef and Comber potatoes. You get the picture. We also applaud them for creative veggie choices and extensive gluten free options.Why not try their two course offer with wine for £14.95.
Just because it’s a bar doesn’t mean it isn’t family-friendly, though. They care about what your kids eat, so the choices are healthy, low-in salt and freshly cooked.
Naturally, the drinks menu is top notch. You can try some of our home-grown microbrews as well as a selection of beers and wines from across the world. Great cocktails too with a cocktail happy hour from 5pm on a Sunday and Thursday.
