2 Best Restaurants in Central District, Northern Ireland

You’d be hard-pressed to eat this well, for so little money, in such relaxed surroundings anywhere else in Northern Ireland or indeed the whole island. Lunches are either two courses (£30) or three (£35) with choices such as smoked Armagh goose, wild wood pigeon with figs and salisfy, or halibut and lemongrass, and to cap it all, views through the large windows stretch over the River Lagan to the glowing 56-foot-tall Ring of Thanksgiving beacon by the Scottish artist Andy Scott. Dinner entrées—unadulterated with butter or cream—could be châteaubriand, wild venison, or cured river trout. The six-course seasonal tasting menu costs £65, or £95 with wine, while the four-course menu is £50, or £85 with wine. They are served for dinner on weekends with European wine pairings to each course, from the amuse-bouche to the white chocolate parfait. In the Ox Cave next door, you can enjoy light bites from a charcuterie, cheeseboard, (try the Boyne Valley Blue or the triple cream Ballylisk) and other nibbles with live music every Saturday from 9 pm.

The mainstay of this classy city-center big hitter with an epic reputation is County Tyrone sirloin, rib eye, or beef fillet steaks as well as prime cuts including enormous Tomahawk steaks (for two) cooked to your liking on a charcoal grill. Based in a former linen mill, exposed brick walls and leather banquettes set the scene for a terrific meal. For an appetizer, try the Kilkeel crab and chili linguine or smoked eel and duck egg. Popular lunch choices may include blue cheese salad with candied walnuts or roast monkfish, while the two-course pre-theater menu (4:30--6:30) is a good value at £19.50. Evening staples of steak, fish, pork, and chicken are served with the Comber potato, characterized by its sweet, buttery flavor and harvested earlier than other potatoes; May and June are peak months to enjoy them. Such is their importance that they have been given a European designation of protection. Wash it all down with a choice of classic dry reds from the vineyards of Burgundy or Loire Valley favorites such as Sancerre or the smoky gunflint-flavored Pouilly-Fumé.