13 Best Shopping in Northern Ireland

From feta cheese to foie gras, there's a dazzling selection of artisanal foods from local and international suppliers at this deli, founded in 1897. Amongst the most popular is Irish Black Butter, which is not actually a dairy product but a delicious spread made from cider, brandy, spices, and treacle for toast or local soda bread. Browse the shelves for a trip through some of the finest Northern Irish produce. Find Robert Ditty's Irish oatcakes rolled with County Armagh oats; Ballylisk, a white mold cream cheese known as the "Triple Rose of Armagh"; and a raft of jams and spiced apple chutney from Erin Grove Preserves in Fermanagh—all set alongside a selection of wheat and focaccia breads. Sawers own acclaimed coffee, roasted on Belfast's Falls Road, comes in four different blends, and don't forget the Suki tea made by the Belfast Brew company, which specializes in loose-leaf teas and old-fashioned teapots. All these treats and drinks can be sampled in a small café at the back of the premises.

For an authentic blast of Belfast life, make your way to the enormous indoor St. George's Market on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. When it opened in the 1890s, this historic market sold butter, eggs, poultry, and fruit. Today it is a vibrant place with as many as 200 traders selling everything from oysters and live lobsters to organically grown produce, antiques, local art, and curios. The Friday Variety Market starts at 6 am and runs until 2 pm; the Saturday City Food and Garden Market, 9–3; and the Sunday Food, Craft, and Antique market, 10–4. There's an international culinary flavor with Cuban sandwiches, savory crepes, paella, tapas, pizzas, and Thai dishes. Foodies love the treats at Aunt Sandra's Candy Factory stall, with its fudge and flavored sweets, terrific breads from Riley's Home Bakery, and Tom and Ollie's for mouthwatering cheeses, pickles, and charcuterie. An excellent place to pick up picnic ingredients or stock your kitchen if you're using self-catering accommodations.

Occupying an eight-block site in central Belfast, this shopping center dominates the city skyline. The eight-story, 800,000-square-foot mall, all glittering steel, is topped by a vast geodesic glass dome with a viewing gallery that offers amazing panoramic views of the city. Sadly, that's the only thing that makes Victoria Square worth visiting: the on-site retail and fast-food and beverage outlets are the same run-of-the-mill brands found in similar malls all over the United Kingdom, so there are many better places in which to spend your time in Belfast.

Make your way up to the viewing gallery for great views of Belfast; admission is free and a guide can show you the sights.

Artcetera displays painting and photography by local artists and hosts occasional lunchtime or evening music events. The gallery also presents art by students from the nearby Ulster University.

A photography gallery, Belfast Exposed also has a large digital archive of images. Book launches and talks by local artists and exhibitions are held regularly. There's an excellent range of large-format photographic books for sale, including many featuring the Troubles.

The city's second-largest shopping mall is euro-friendly, with most shops accepting it alongside the pound sterling. Many international stores, gift shops, and cafés can be found under Castle Court's glass roof, next to British clothing chains such as Miss Selfridge and Dorothy Perkins. For one-stop shopping, head for Debenham's department store, which has everything from cosmetics to kitchenware.

Unique gifts are for sale in this shop that is the retail branch of Craft Northern Ireland, a collective of local artists and designers. Here you will find traditional-frame-weaving baskets made from willow, terra-cotta plates, ceramic figurines, pewter jewelry, hand-carved papier mâché dolls, machine-stitched maps, bespoke furniture, and much more. The shop hosts exhibitions as well as the Arts Council craft collection each year and in August holds a craft month encouraging people to make, see, learn about, and buy craft products.

One of Belfast's best arts venues, the Golden Thread has exhibited at the internationally acclaimed Venice Biennale. The gallery presents visual art from paintings on canvas to the latest digital arts. Their two key objectives are to increase public access to the contemporary visual arts and generate support for Northern Irish art and artists.

For more than 20 years, No Alibis has been specializing in Irish, British, and American crime thrillers, as well as general fiction and nonfiction, plus a smattering of the work by local novelists and poets. All in all, it's a bibliophile's delight with knowledgeable staff and regular book launches and literary readings, some of which are held in the nearby Ulster Museum.

Running between Donegall Place and Fountain Street, this historic mall is home to upscale brands such as Gucci, TAG Heuer, Rolex, and Mont Blanc, and to the cozy Queen's Café Bar (closed Sunday and Monday), which serves massive cooked breakfasts, sandwiches, and burgers from 11:30 am--5 pm.

A major draw of the superb handcrafted and locally designed jewelry in this goldsmiths is a new range of products inspired by the Game of Thrones TV series. Display cabinets showcase sterling silver cuff links, necklaces, earrings, and a range of pins and pendants connected to the series costing between £95 and £145. Pieces include crowns, Margaery's "Purple Wedding," Cersei's lion pendant, and Littlefinger's mockingbird pin. The shop also stocks the work of more than 50 European and local designers.

It's worth calling in here to smell the earthy and floral scents of the candles produced by the Bearded Candle Makers. They are made from soy wax which comes from sustainable soy farms in America, and the collection includes The Real Turf Fire, Wild Achill Island, or Burren Susurrus. Utopia also stocks everything from toys to costume jewelry and many other inspiring gifts.