When people think of Northern Ireland food and drink, their taste buds might tingle at the thought of a distillery tour, but the North’s thriving foodie culture is much broader than that, and well worth investigating. Restaurants old and new are serving up innovative, quality food, with a spate of high-end places pivoting to more accessible price points in recent years.
“There is a real vibrant food and drink scene in Northern Ireland and it’s really striking a chord with foodies from all over the world,” says Sinead McNicholl, director of sales and marketing at Northern Ireland’s newest five-star hotel, Dunluce Lodge.
“We have some truly phenomenal produce both from the land and the sea and we have chefs who excel in making these ingredients really sing on the plate. In years gone by some chefs may have felt they needed to leave these shores but that has changed, with many of our world-class chefs returning home and concentrating their experience on celebrating our amazing seasonal produce.”
Of course, you can’t talk about chefs in Northern Ireland without mentioning Michael Deane, and while his Michelin-starred Eipic may be no more, it almost goes without saying that any restaurant under Deane’s watchful eye is a safe bet for dining in Belfast. Choose from Meatlocker for asador-grilled cuts or a chateaubriand to share (although vegetarian and vegan menus are available), mrDeanes for bistro favourites or Deanes at Queens for a more formal affair.
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The owners of Saga Kitchen and Cellar, Jonny and Christina Taylor, have adopted a new approach since closing their fine dining restaurant Blank last year. The venue, in the same Malone Road location, has a more accessible price point but the same focus on great food and wines. For romantic boost to your city break, book in for Oyster Saturdays – all the oysters you can eat and a glass of house champagne for £40 (Saturdays 12-6pm, reservation required). An excellent children’s menu is also available … for the not-so-romantic breaks.
Belfast’s two Michelin-starred restaurants have some similarities in approach, with open kitchens and unpretentious atmospheres, not a white tablecloth in sight. Instead, the daintiness of the food offerings is offset by sturdy wooden tables and industrial decor. The Muddlers Club changes its tasting menu to showcase the best of seasonal produce, with an excellent vegetarian option, artful presentation and faultless service. The Old Fashioned, served in a mini-decanter topped with smoke, is a must-try for fans of a whiskey cocktail.
Meanwhile, Ox, with its glass front overlooking the river Lagan, is similarly relaxed in atmosphere yet meticulous. Co-owners, French manager Alain Kerloc’h and Belfast chef Stephen Toman, met while working in Paris and the French influence is evident in the menus, and focus on wine pairings, with three different price levels as well as a non-alcoholic option. You can also sample wines by the glass and enjoy cheese, charcuterie and small bites in Ox Cave next door.
Near The Muddlers Club, in Belfast’s buzzing Cathedral Quarter you’ll also find Beau, the exciting new restaurant from chef Lottie Noren, formerly of much-loved Belfast tapas restaurant Edo, and lately of BBC’s Great British Menu fame. Small plates with big flavours are the order of the day, paired with inventive aperitifs – an olive oil martini or a chilli margarita, for example.
If sustainably sourced seafood in a stunning setting floats your boat, chart a course for Lir. In the old boat club building at Coleraine marina, owners Rebekah and Stevie McCarry have battled through the pandemic and flooding, pivoting through fishmongering and street food to keep the business going until they could open the restaurant of their dreams. With a zero-waste policy and whole-fish cooking, they not only serve up the fillets but also innovative fish-based charcuterie.
Bringing ancient processes of pickling, brining and fermenting into play, chef Chris McGowan makes sure only the most succulent cuts of meat and interesting flavours make it to the table at his restaurant Wine & Brine in the picturesque village of Moira, Co Armagh. The ox tongue ‘n’ cheek pie is the stuff of culinary legend, wowing Great British Menu judges Oliver Peyton and Matthew Fort; if ox or beef cheek is on the menu when you visit, make sure to try it.
“When it comes to a Sunday roast, you simply can’t beat The Old Inn – it’s a classic done to perfection,” says Victoria Brown, director of marketing at the Galgorm Collection of hotels. “I also love the north coast and spend a lot of time there with my family – Amici is a firm favourite for its great food and relaxed atmosphere.”
Food experiences
If you want to get hands on with your food, and learn a little something along the way, Northern Ireland has a fantastic array of artisan food producers and experiential offerings.
Brown recommends a trip to St George’s Market in Belfast – “a must for sampling artisan food producers and soaking up the buzz,” she says. “I enjoy discovering places with a real focus on local produce and I’m always keen to try the new kids on the block.” You can book Belfast food tours starting out at the historic market with Taste and Tour.
At Wild and Fired BBQ School, you can enjoy a fun workshop in the outdoors, creating a delicious wood-fired meal, in the picturesque and historic walled garden of the exclusive Brook Hall private estate near Derry.
Dart Mountain Cheese, in the Sperrin Mountains near Derry, make a range of award-winning cheeses in small batches using the finest local milk, and run a variety of tours, some seasonal. Try Derry’s Famous Beer & Cheese Tour which also takes in craft beer at Northwest Brewery or try your hand at a cheese making workshop.
For something a little different, book a bespoke Glide with the Tide tour on Strangford Lough to go foraging for mussels from a kayak. Trained chef turned kayak instructor John Hubbucks will help you cook your haul in a delicious whiskey cream sauce to enjoy with some of the finest offerings from local Strangford food producers.
