101 Great Irish Restaurants: The Ulster eateries that made the cut this year

The 2025 edition of 101 Great Irish Restaurants, produced in partnership with Nespresso Professional, showcases the depth and breadth of Ireland's food scene, from casual bistros to Michelin-starred fine dining restaurants. Here are the venues in Ulster that feature in this year's guide.
The Buck's Head, Dundrum, Co Down, bucksheaddundrum.co.uk
The Buck's Head was always good - a proper inn on the road to Ulster's answer to the Cote d'Azur, the only south-facing bit of coastline in the north. It's now in the firm and confident hands of chef Alex Greene and manager Bronagh McCormick, both formerly of Eipic in Belfast, and oversee both the bar and the spacious and bright, garden-facing dining room.
Expect the likes of beef bitterballen, those charming little crisped meatballs found in bars and cafes throughout the Netherlands, as well as deeply flavoured pork, crab and langoustine ravioli, and the most beautifully composed lettuce salad.
Ox, Belfast, oxbelfast.com
The cool, calm charm of Ox remains as fresh and exhilarating now as it did ten years ago when it opened. Staff are drilled to be confident, smiling and helpful while keeping their personalities, the secret to real hospitality.
Instilled by the most charming of all managers, Alain Kerloc'h, the front of house mood is always gently humming with positivity. Beyond the pass, chef Stevie Toman orchestrates his team with quiet authority, producing memorable dishes made from very local ingredients. Look out for anything featuring Ballywalter figtree leaves, cocktails in Ox Cave and cheeses.
The Muddlers Club, Belfast, themuddlersclubbelfast.com
There's a rebellious rock'n'roll mood and attitude about the dining room in the Muddler's Club, and it has the effect of relaxing any first time visitors who might be nervous about entering a Michelin-starred institution like this. Soon, Mourne lamb carpaccio, monkfish and sauce americaine, and whatever else chef patron Gareth McCaughey will think is a great idea will have you reaching for the wine list which usually features newbies from Greece and around eastern Europe.
Roam, Belfast, roambelfast.com
For a man who roamed the streets of Belfast for some years with his pop-up concept, Ryan Jenkins has created one of the most solidly established and loved restaurants in the city. His dedication to detail and commitment to consistency result in an experience which is knocking on the door of much more expensive and vaunted restaurants.
Langoustine and green chilli, gougeres of Mount Leinster cheddar with spalla (pork shoulder), roast quail and coley dishes provide the excitement, and the now famous crushed potatoes bring the comfort.
MrDeanes, Belfast, michaeldeane.co.uk
At the corner of Howard Street, where where once stood Meat Locker, Love Fish and Eipic, Michael Deane has been doing some remodelling. Meat Locker still stands, but now instead of the other two eateries we have MrDeanes, a more buzzy brasserie-like joint which has great lighting, comfortable banquettes and good character.
And it's super democratic: burgers, crab mayonnaise, crafted pork sausage, monkfish scampi, red curry and cordon blue chicken (breaded with ham and cheese) mean three generations of the same family will find something they love.
Wine & Brine, Moira, Co Armagh, wineandbrine.co.uk
Much loved by a wide hinterland community of food lovers, Wine & Brine has been bullet proof since it opened ten years ago. Having left London's glamour for Moira's rural bliss, Chris and Davina McGowan run an establishment that is unfailingly exciting.
Sunday lunch or business dinners sparkle and fizz thanks to imaginative dishes executed with supreme confidence. Legendary crispy olives, crubeens, pan roasted stone bass or glazed short rib - all Chris McGowan's classics reappear among frequent specials. Things never go wrong here.
Noble, Holywood, nobleholywood.com
Noble always reminds me of the olden days when you went round to your friend's house with a stack of albums under your arm to play on the record player. It's at the top of the stairs, has creaky floors, feels like a converted attic and is exactly the kind of place your parents would never find you.
Add to this the youthful energy of manager Saul McConnell, all twinkle-eyes and gentle banter, and the bistro chairs and poppy art, and you're ready to escape reality for a couple of hours. Then there's the salted cod croquettes, the confit of duck, that barbecued hispi cabbage and fish dishes from the firm hand of chef Pearson Morris. Always a memorable and joyful place to visit.
MacNean House, Blacklion, Co Cavan nevenmaguire.com
Neven Maguire and his team practice their unrehearsed hospitality in the hushed but happy and relaxed confines of the glorious MacNean House. If you're lucky enough to be able to book dinner, bed and breakfast, you're in for 18 hours of pure joy. Seared scallops with crab ravioli and Thai velouté, barbecue quail breasts with balsamic Beluga lentils and braised lamb shoulder with pearl barley, red pepper and rosemary jus are among the joy bringers, as are the staff.
Olde Glen Bar, Carrickart, Co Donegal, oldeglen.ie
You have to go to the Olde Glen when you're in Donegal, just as you have to do the Devonshire when in London, or Doheny & Nesbitts in Dublin. A visit to the county is incomplete if you miss Ciaran Sweeney's dishes in the fabulous big dining room at the back of the tiny pub, which has the buzz of a Parisian bouillon and the class of a very fine brasserie.
Fermented potato bread with bacon and Gortahurk cabbage, baked Atlantic Cod with smoked Mulroy Bay mussels, black forest tartlette and more populate the menu is this off the beaten track spot that is worth the journey.
Stock, Belfast, stockbelfast.com
There's something very Belfast about Danny Miller's Stock Kitchen in St George's Market. It's friendly and charming with no flimflam. Miller is from the New Lodge, which is Belfast's Bronx, and he's very proud of it. but behind the hard man exterior lies an artist of great delicacy.
He reaches downstairs to the market for his oysters, prawns, crab and fish (you should see him handling those big halibuts and turbots on his Instagram) to create classic French cooking where the fish is perfectly pearly and slippery white.
The signature courgette fries are beautifully crispy, and the roast rump of venison with slow cooked venison shepherds pie, spring cabbage and porcini sauce could be the most satisfying dish in the city.
Stove, Belfast, stovebelfast.com
Simon Toye's Stove dominates the Ormeau Road, one of the smartest boho districts in Belfast, the place where everyone wants to live. Invisible to the walkers-by because it's upstairs above a charity shop, it has become very cultish, one for those in the know.
And there's good reason: Toye's twice-baked cheese soufflé made with Comté and backed by creamed leeks and watercress gives you an idea of what is to come. Do not go past the rare breed pork belly served with garlic and olive oil mash, black pudding and onion gravy.
Umi, Derry, umiderry.co.uk
Chefs Sean Lafferty and Gary Moran have made Umi a Derry city institution. There are good restaurants in the city, including Artis and Brown's, but Umi has captured the moment with its Asian fusion/street food/bearded chic thing where you will find remarkably well constructed and fresh sushi not far from the pan-fried cod and duck confit.
Dumplings are made with pork and the accompanying chilli rayu and soy add zing and bring a little tear to the eye, in a pleasant way. Being Derry, you can bring your parents and teenagers who will enjoy the sirloin with duck fat potato gratin, Thai green curry (chicken or prawn) or a vegan Korean kimchi bao bun. The bitter sweet salad is a stand-out.
Home, Belfast, homebelfast.co.uk
Easily overlooked despite its repeated appearance in Michelin with a Bib Gourmand, Home has everything: excellent cocktails and an irresistible prix fixe menu (two courses for £24.50 or three for £28.50).
The prix fixe features prawn and nduja arancini with saffron mayo and rocket, slow cooked brisket with soft polenta and wild garlic pesto, or smoked salmon and cod cannelloni with creamed celeriac spinach and herb butter sauce and cheese or dessert. And just in case the first bit drew you in: the cocktail special right now for only £8.50 is a Finlandia vodka, green apple and grapefruit spritz. Slainte.
Waterman, Belfast, waterman.restaurant
The Waterman complex is an unusual fixture in the Cathedral Quarter of Belfast. The former government building houses a cookery school, a number of small, mid-sized and large function rooms and the restaurant, which is so popular you should book for a later sitting so as to avoid the crowds.
The dining room is high-ceilinged and austere but elegant and comfortable, the rear wall softened by a cluster of canvases by Colin Davidson depicting Belfast as seen from Divis mountain.
The food, produced by chef Aaron McNeice under the watchful eye of chef patron Niall McKenna, is thoughtful, entertaining and generous. Jerusalem artichoke soup, steak tartare, crab and chilli spaghetti, chateaubriand for two with chimichurri and red wine sauce…and then the honey madeleines with chantilly. Don't leave without them.
Lir, Coleraine, Co Derry, lirseafood.com
You'd be forgiven for thinking there's chaos and unpredictable forces at work in Lir because chef Stevie McCarry's tattoos say as much. Yet instead there is calm and the smooth hum of a successful restaurant. Somehow McCarry's energy is pointed in the right direction by partner Rebekah, who exudes saintly serenity. Then there's the deft management hand of Clare Smyth who knows how to inject happiness and a good bit of style into the operation.
Lir is housed in an unlikely home, a former sailing club at the back of the council offices. Its conventional appearance belies the creativity though, because here you will find all sorts of fishy innovations - the monkfish sausage roll with chilli ketchup, the charred cod belly stew, smoked dogfish tortellini. This is super sourced, local, waste-managed, ecologically sound and culinarily fabulous eating. No wonder Lir is winning awards.
28 At The Hollow, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, 28atthehollow.com
One of the most atmospheric destinations in Enniskillen, 28 is the subterranean business of Glen Wheeler and Zara McHugh, who turned the former Café Merlot beneath the historic Blakes of the Hollow bar into their own restaurant. It's at 6 Church Street but don't be confused: the 28 refers to the restaurant's former address in nearby Darling Street.
The seafood ravioli with buttered leeks and lobster sauce, ham hock with crispy egg, port gel and pickles and the seared scallop with Doherty's black pudding and glazed apple are classic starters which open to an evening of reassurance and familiarity. Slow-cooked beef cheek, Manor Farm chicken and other mains are as voluminous as their quality. And night caps in Blakes upstairs? You'll be made up.
Edo, Belfast, edorestaurant.co.uk
Spanish bar food and tapas served in a plush dining room may seem counter intuitive at first but it's funny how quickly you acclimatise when the food is this good. Edo is cosy, posh and a teeny bit louche, especially at lunch time, its darkness prompting all sorts of fancy.
Rustic pan con tomate and Bertha smoked sardines meet refined langoustine ceviche and beef cheek with pressed potato and parmesan. Lovely snacks of nduja chicken wings and calamari and romesco are not to be missed.
Mourne Seafood Bar, Belfast, mourneseafood.com
As buzzy and energetic as it ever was, this is the restaurant that made Belfast fall in love, at last, with les fruits de mer. There is an old, shiver-me-timbers, creaking 19th century schooner feel about the dark and atmospheric interior which once belonged to a bank.
The fish counter at the front is where the action is and where you can see oysters being shucked at record speed. Classics include Kilkeel crab and celeriac remoulade on toasted sourdough, Goan curried prawns, langoustine wonton and the amazing Dundrum (County Down) mussels.
Frae, Holywood, Co Down, fraedining.com
The tiny two up two down in the heart of one of the north's wealthiest towns houses just enough tables to call it a restaurant. But not letting shortage of space stem the ambition, Frae is also a wine bar. Wines are always a discovery here but it's Shaun Tinman's cooking which draws the locals.
There will be fish of the day, Achill Island oyster Kilpatrick, Ozzie style with bacon and Worcestershire sauce, a jambon made with Iberico ham, venison haunch, chicken Marbella, and date pudding with beer caramel and ice cream. Be patient, though - running up and down those stairs can mean service at a stately place. Keep that wine handy.

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