Belfast Restaurants

  1. Altos

    This popular, high-ceilinged bistro is decked out in giant, modern-art canvases and bright ochre and turquoise colours that match the Mediterranean influence on the menu, which includes a good selection of vegetarian dishes.

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  2. Great Room

    Set in the former banking hall of the Ulster Bank head office, the Great Room is a jaw-dropping extravaganza of gilded stucco, red plush, white marble cherubs and a vast crystal chandelier glittering beneath a glass dome. The menu matches the décor, decadent but delicious, a French-influenced catalogue of political incorrectness laced with foie gras, veal, truffles and caviar.

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  3. Hill Street Brasserie

    In keeping with the design studios and art galleries that throng the nearby streets, this little brasserie is desperately trendy, from the slate and wood floor to the aubergine and olive colour scheme. Dinner is a bit overpriced, but the lunch menu is a bargain offering a choice of home-made burgers, risotto of the day, and a flavoursome and filling seafood chowder.

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  4. Shu

    If you want to know who to blame for all those copycat designer restaurants with the dark-wood-and-chocolate-brown-leather look, then look no further. Lording it over the hipper-than-than-thou Lisburn Rd since 2000, Shu is the granddaddy of Belfast chic, a stylish restaurant with a basement bar that is still regularly winning awards for its food.

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  5. Speranza 2

    A local institution - it's been around for more than 20 years - the recently revamped Speranza is a big, buzzing Italian restaurant that complements traditional pizzas and pastas with more sophisticated dishes. It's family friendly, with a kids' menu, high-chairs, colouring books and crayons. They only take reservations for groups of six or more; otherwise, pop in and wait in the bar for a table.

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