A Gourmet Guide Belfast

And some fantastic producers from Northern Ireland to try

Belfast City Hall

Belfast is such a special city for a break and if you haven’t considered it before, I can’t recommend it more highly. There are so many interesting things to do in this diverse and vibrant city, whatever your interests, but I think it’s especially exciting in terms of food and drink.

The hospitality in Northern Ireland is second to none, and the endless creativity and innovation in food and drink make it such an exciting place to visit. Whether you’re staying for a few days or just passing through, I wanted to share some of my top recommendations. As ever, feel free to save or share this for a future visit.

Where to eat

• Marcel on the Lisburn Road is a fantastic new-ish bistro. The food is fantastic, service is great and I think it represents excellent value for money. An absolute delight.

• Waterman House in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter is absolutely fantastic. Great quality Irish ingredients cooked skilfully with an amazing wine list. Niall and Joanne McKenna run this top-notch establishment in tandem with a great cookery school. A class run by Claire McCann at the cookery school is really with your time.

• I love Muddler’s Club. This is a great place for a fun and totally delicious dinner. A great choice for dinner à deux, or to meet with friends. I adore the food here.

• Yugo is an absolutely gorgeous small independent restaurant in the city centre. The menu features a range of pan-Asian delights including bao, sushi, dumplings and plenty of fresh fish. It’s brilliant, great value and service is charming and efficient.

• Michael Deane has run restaurants in Belfast for decades. Mr Deanes is his latest and is a smart, central dining room with good, appealing dishes and a nice wine list.

• Flout pizza is totally exceptional. The delightful team sell pizza by the slice from their premises on the Newtownards Road. They’re not open every day and run lunchtime and evening sessions. Check the opening hours and try and get there early, as they can sell out, sometimes very quickly. It’s that good, in fact word has spread cross the world and they’ve even run a pop-up in New York.

Where to drink

• Established Coffee in the Cathedral Quarter is absolutely superb. Without question one of the best coffees I’ve had in a while. There is plenty of seating, but be prepared to queue.

• The new Titanic Distillers offers a truly amazing whiskey tour and tasting. Book a tour ahead and be ready for a fascinating experience, covering distilling, an innovative whiskey tasting and an awe-inspiring tour of the dry dock.

• McConnells distillery in the Crumlin Road offers a different, but equally excellent tour and tasting. Read more here.

• OX Cave is a brilliant place for some lovely glasses of good wine.

• The Crown is such a Belfast icon, it’s an essential stop if you haven’t been before.

• If you’re after something special, the Observatory at Grand Central is really unparalleled for it’s panoramic views across the city. The cocktails are fantastic. Book a table ahead. And The Merchant Hotel offers imposing, glamorous surroundings for a special cocktail.

Where to stay

• Grand Central is hard to beat. The rooms are spacious, extremely comfortable and very good value in such a central location, too. As previously mentioned, the bar on the top floor is really special. For those who have visited before, I think the breakfast has been improved of late.

• The Titanic Hotel is new and well-situated within the Titanic Quarter. It’s a beautiful building, the service is lovely and there are smart but relaxed places (such as Drawing Room Two) to eat and drink within (worth a visit on their own if you’re not staying). It’s handily opposite the excellent Titanic Museum, which is also well worth a visit and has recently been refurbished and updated, if you’ve been before. I’d personally choose to eat out if staying here.

• The Bullitt is very reliable for quality accommodation and a relaxed, informal experience. Rooms are small but nicely furnished and it’s good value. The coffee downstairs, whether you’re a guest or not, is also very good.

Fantastic places to shop for food and drink and products to try

• Mike’s Fancy Cheese is a brilliant independent cheesemonger in Belfast.

• Arcadia Deli is a treasure trove as is Indie Füde (based in Belfast (Ormeau Road) and Comber).

• Bakari bakery makes fantastic baked goods and has a small selection of excellent quality artisanal products.

• The Friend at Hand is an extraordinary whiskey shop in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter

  • Cheese and dairy products

    • Dart Mountain Cheeses

    • Ballyrashane butter and buttermilk

    • Abernethy rolled butter pats

  • Meat and charcuterie

    • Hannan Meats

    • Kennedy Bacon

    • Ispini charcuterie

    • Corndale Farm charcuterie

    • Broughgammon meat and charcuterie

  • Ingredients and condiments

    • Burren Balsamics

    • Irish Black Butter

    • Clare’s biscuits

    • Broighter Gold rapeseed oil

    • Capparelli pasta

    • Thompson’s teas

    • Suki teas

    • Devil’s Churn sauces

    • Morelli’s gelato

    • Forest Feast snacks

    • Taste Joy peanut butter

  • Drinks

    • Moocha Kombucha

    • Long Meadow cider and apple cider vinegar

    • Mourne Dew spirits

    • Papas Cordials

    • Dunluce Distillery liqueurs

If time permits, there are so many wonderful things to see and do beyond Belfast, so do make time to travel further if you can such as the Causeway Coast. You may find my distillery tour recommendations offers some inspiration.