5 Best Restaurants in Northern Ireland

For 25 years, Michael Deane has been the leader of the Belfast culinary pack, and his flagship operation has three distinct restaurants in one building. The Meat Locker is a beef-driven grill room and steak house; Eipic is an upscale, one–Michelin star restaurant and opulent champagne bar serving a variety of multicourse menus; and Love Fish is a less formal seafood restaurant with a Hamptons vibe. The Meat Locker is inspired by London's Hawksmoor steak-house chain. Menus come on meat hooks, while a "salt wall" is used for dry aging locally sourced beef. In the extension is the Eipic (Wednesday to Saturday evenings, lunch Friday), a classy round-table, 30-seater restaurant and champagne bar serving a variety of multicourse menus featuring venison, quail, or halibut; lunch costs either £30 or £45, and dinner £70. Running beside these two eateries, in an elongated conservatory, is the seafood restaurant Love Fish. A bright atmosphere with Brentwood steel chairs and local artwork dominate here. Lunchtime staples include fish-and-chips, roll-mop herrings on toast with chips, smoked mackerel salad or an open prawn sandwich, with main courses starting from £6.50. The Deanes empire also includes Deanes Deli Vin Café in Bedford Street, Deanes at Queens in the university area, and Deane and Decano on the Lisburn Road (check website for details).

Inside the lavish Merchant Hotel, beneath the grand dome of this former bank's great hall and Ireland's biggest chandelier, find the perfect setting for a memorable dinner of adventurous European fare. Exceptional dishes include wild Irish venison loin, lamb saddle, or, for vegetarians, pappardelle pasta with black truffles and olive oil. First-class service in truly opulent surroundings makes this restaurant worth a detour. The two-course dinner is £25 and three courses are £29.50 and are an exceptional value, considering the surroundings. There's also a nine-course tasting menu at £90 with wine or £70 without. Afternoon tea is also a specialty with vegetarian, gluten-free options. Vegetarian and vegan options such as artichoke royale, wild mushroom ristotto, and roasted cauliflower steaks feature on dedicated plant-based lunch and dinner menus.

A duo of dining experiences is reflected in different rooms at this refashioned old waterfront building which was once Derry's Custom House where taxes were collected from ships arriving at the port. Beef, chicken, and fish dominate the main restaurant, Entrada, where you can also enjoy snacks such as meatballs, salted cod fritters, or cured meats and cheeses. The elegant lounge, with its Spanish Para Picar menu, is a wine and tapas bar and may feature ham hock, spiced beef, or charcuterie.

Named after a long-forgotten railway station in East Belfast, this casual brasserie has established itself as a calming spot in buzzy Ballyhackamore, where lunchtimes can get crowded. Dishes change monthly, but typical main courses for dinner are burgers, steaks, pork fillet, prawns, lemon sole, and sea bass from Walter Ewing, Belfast's top fish supplier. Weekend brunches include a malted waffle with fruit or bacon and maple syrup, scrambled eggs with Irish smoked salmon, granola with fresh fruit and natural yogurt, or a hot vegan breakfast. Small plates such as duck croquettes or potted crab are an excellent value. The drinks menu includes smoothies and cocktails or a fruity craft beer called Jack the Lad, an Irish pale ale made by the Reel Deel brewery in County Mayo.

Housed in an elegant former newspaper building in Belfast's historic Cathedral Quarter, the Northern Whig is spacious and stylish. From Thursday to Sunday evenings, one wall slides away so you can watch a jazz band, or a DJ playing funk and pop. The food is brasserie-style—not astonishing, but good. The environment, wine and gin selection, and cocktails such as Perfect Storm (rum, ginger beer, and Angostura bitters) or French Martini (pineapple juice, vodka, and raspberry liqueur) are the main draws, though.