Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [523]
Shu (Map; 9038 1655; 253 Lisburn Rd; mains £14-17; noon-2.30pm & 6-9pm Mon-Fri, 7-9.30pm Sat) If you want to know who to blame for all those copycat designer restaurants with the dark-wood-and-chocolate-brown-leather decor, then look no further. Lording it over the hipper-than-than-thou Lisburn Rd since 2000, Shu is the granddaddy of Belfast chic, a stylish restaurant that is still winning awards for its food. The French-influenced menu includes smoked Lough Neagh eel with horseradish cream and beetroot purée, and crispy pork belly with cauliflower purée, potato gratin and cider soaked raisins.
Beatrice Kennedy’s (Map; 9020 2290; 44 University Rd; mains £16-19; 5-10.15pm Tue-Sat, 12.30-2.30pm & 5-8.15pm Sun) This is where Queen’s students take their parents for a smart dinner. It offers a candle-lit Edwardian drawing-room decor of burgundy, bottle green and bare red brick, with polished floorboards, starched white linen and brown leather chairs, and a simple menu of superb cuisine, including homemade bread and ice cream. Enjoy dishes such as smoked haddock and prawn chowder, or pan-fried salmon with basil mash and roast red pepper sauce. There’s even a separate vegetarian menu, with dishes such as crispy potato rösti with fine beans, poached egg and truffle hollandaise. From 5pm to 7pm you can get a two-course dinner for £14.
Outside the Centre
An Caife Glas (Map; 9096 4184; Cultúrlann MacAdam Ó Fiaich, 216 Falls Rd, West Belfast; mains £5-7; 9am-9pm Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm Sun) If you’re exploring West Belfast, drop in to the cafe in this Irish language and arts centre (Click here) for some good home-cooked food – the menu includes stews, soups, pizzas, cakes, scones and fresh pastries.
Cutters Wharf (Map; 9080 5100; 4 Lockview Rd, Stranmillis; bar meals £6-11, dinner mains £9-16; food served noon-10pm) One of the few bar-restaurants in Belfast with a waterside setting, Cutters Wharf has a terrace overlooking the River Lagan where you can enjoy a bar meal – try wild boar sausage with champ and gravy, or chicken caesar salad – while watching sculls and eights from the nearby rowing club messing about on the river.
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DRINKING
Belfast’s pub scene is lively and friendly, with the older traditional pubs complemented – and increasingly threatened – by a rising tide of stylish designer bars.
Standard opening hours are 11am or 11.30am to midnight or 1am, and 12.30pm to 11pm or midnight Sunday; some pubs remain closed all day Sunday, or don’t open till 4pm or 6pm.
The worst thing about drinking in Belfast is getting past the bouncers on the door – the huge number of security staff employed in the city means that polite, well-trained doormen are a rarity. Some of the flashier bars have a dress code – usually no sneakers, no jeans, no baseball caps (so that the security cameras can get a clear shot of your face) and definitely no football colours. A few even specify ‘No political tattoos’.
City Centre
Crown Liquor Saloon (Map; 9024 9476; 46 Great Victoria St) Belfast’s most famous bar has a wonderfully ornate Victorian interior. Despite being a tourist attraction (Click here), it still fills up with crowds of locals at lunchtime and in the early evening.
Garrick Bar (Map; 9032 1984; 29 Chichester St) Established in 1870 but recently refurbished, the Garrick hangs on to a traditional atmosphere with acres of dark wood panelling, tiled floors, a pillared bar and old brass oil lamps. There are snug booths with buttoned leather benches, and a real coal fire in each room. There are traditional music sessions in the front bar from 9.30pm on Wednesday, 5pm to 9pm Friday and 3pm Sunday.
Irene & Nan’s (Map; 9023 9123; 12 Brunswick St) Named after two pensioners from a nearby pub who fancied themselves as glamour queens, Irene & Nan’s typifies the new breed of Belfast bar, dripping with designer chic and tempting your taste buds with an in-bar bistro. It’s a laid-back place with a 1950s retro theme (check out the cool clocks behind the bar), good tunes and good cocktails.
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TOP FIVE TRADITIONAL