Belfast Restaurants

Belfast is literally teeming with places to eat out and the restaurant scene is an impressive one, which offers everything from small, family-run businesses to award-winning eateries where internationally acclaimed chefs work the kitchens. It’s not especially cheap to eat here however, but if you want to splash out and with so many opportunities for enjoying great food, here’s the place to do it.

Local cuisine

Belfast doesn’t have a local cuisine to speak of, so if it’s something traditional you are looking for then you’ll need to seek out those dishes or creations that are considered the staples of the country. Northern Ireland, like its neighbouring republic, is big on potatoes and a hearty meal is not complete without them.

Traditionally, cabbage and bacon is eaten with boiled potatoes, but this is very much a home-cooked meal and not something you’d expect to find in any of Belfast’s fine restaurants. Soda bread is another popular Irish creation and you might find tea shops where you can have elevenses or afternoon tea with a few slices of lightly toasted soda bread along with lashings of Irish butter. However, restaurants here typically opt for more sophisticated creations and you’re more likely to find international food at quality establishments.

Where to eat

Belfast has such an extensive selection of restaurants that it would be almost impossible to sum up what’s hot and what’s not, and where you head depends very much on what you’re in the mood for. You can settle for regular British cuisine or go international with choices including Caribbean, French, Italian, Chinese, Indian and Thai.

Non meat-eaters will find vegetarian options available at most restaurants irrespective of their style and also a number of exclusively vegetarian establishments. The city centre is a good place to head to look for somewhere to eat in an evening, but it’s fair to say that good restaurants can be found throughout Belfast.