Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [522]
Hill Street Brasserie (Map; 9058 6868; 38 Hill St; mains lunch £7-9, dinner £13-16; noon-2.30pm Mon-Sat & 5-11pm Tue-Sun) In keeping with the design studios and art galleries that throng the nearby streets, this little brasserie is desperately trendy, from the slate-and-wood floor to the aubergine-and-olive colour scheme. The lunch menu is a bargain, offering a choice of homemade burgers, risotto of the day and a flavoursome and filling seafood chowder.
Nick’s Warehouse (Map; 9043 9690; 35-39 Hill St; mains £11-22; food served noon-3pm Mon-Sat & 6-10pm Tue-Sat) A Cathedral Quarter pioneer (opened in 1989), Nick’s is an enormous red-brick and blond-wood wine bar and restaurant, buzzing with happy drinkers and diners. The menu is strong on inventive seafood and veggie dishes, such as grilled cod fillet on a king prawn, mussel and noodle laksa, and butternut squash, sage and blue cheese risotto.
No 27 (Map; 9031 2884; 27 Talbot St; mains £15-22; noon-3pm Mon-Fri & 6-10pm Tue-Sat) One of the Cathedral Quarter’s most stylish new restaurants, No 27 is a cool confection of red brick and white pillars scattered with locally produced art (most of it for sale). As much thought has gone into the food as the decor, with carefully crafted dishes such as scallop thermidor, and honey-roast duck with stir-fried Asian greens, glass noodles and spicy orange sauce.
South Belfast
BUDGET
Maggie May’s (Map; 9032 2662; 50 Botanic Ave; mains £4-6; 8am-10.30pm Mon-Sat, 10am-10.30pm Sun) This is a classic little cafe with two rows of cosy wooden booths, colourful murals of old Belfast, and a host of hungover students wolfing down huge Ulster fries at lunchtime. The all-day breakfast menu runs from tea and toast to eggy bread and maple syrup, while lunch can be soup and a sarnie or steak-and-Guinness pie; puddings include Dime Bar and sticky toffee. BYOB.
Cargoes (off Map; 9066 5451; 613 Lisburn Rd; mains £7-8; 9am-4.30pm Mon-Fri, to 5pm Sat, 10am-3pm Sun) An award-winning deli and cafe neatly dressed up in nautical blue and white decor, Cargoes prides itself on the freshness of its food. The breakfast menu includes waffles, muesli and freshly baked scones, while lunch runs to leek and cheddar tart, and tagliatelle with meatballs.
Cafe Conor (Map; 9066 3266; 11A Stranmillis Rd; mains £9-11; 9am-11pm) Set in the glass-roofed former studio of William Conor, a Belfast artist, this is a laid-back bistro with a light and airy dining area dominated by a portrait of Conor himself. The menu offers a range of pastas, salads, burgers and stir-fries, along with favourites such as fish and chips with mushy peas. The breakfast menu, which includes waffles with bacon and maple syrup, is served till noon on weekdays, 3pm at weekends.
MIDRANGE
Molly’s Yard (Map; 9032 2600; 1 College Green Mews; bistro mains £7-9; 2-/3-course dinner £22/27; noon-9pm Mon-Thu, to 9.30pm Fri & Sat) A restored Victorian stables courtyard is the setting for this quirky restaurant, with a cosy bar-bistro on the ground floor, outdoor tables in the yard and a rustic dining room in the airy roof space upstairs. The menu is seasonal and sticks to half a dozen each of starters and mains, ranging from gourmet confections such as warm salad of black pudding with roast apple in curry oil, to hearty comfort food such as homemade hamburgers topped with smoked cheddar and onion jam. It also has its own microbrewery; Click here.
Deane’s at Queen’s (Map; 9038 2111; 1 College Gardens; mains £12-15; noon-3pm Mon-Sat, 5.30-9pm Mon & Tue, 5.30-10pm Wed-Sat) A chilled-out bar and grill from Belfast’s top chef, Michael Deane, this place focuses on what could be described as good-value, gourmet pub grub: salt and chilli squid, sirloin steak with blue cheese gratin, green beans and red wine sauce, and smoked haddock and leek fishcake with curried mayonnaise.