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Other Place
This is another student favourite where you can linger over the Sunday papers amid red brick, orange pine and antique objets, or damp down a rising hangover with big plates of lasagne, cajun pitta or home-made hamburgers. Breakfast served till .
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Oxford Exchange
Smart and stylish with bare pine floors, chocolate brown chairs, white linen napkins and a yellow tulip on each table, the Oxford has breezy charm and a menu of high-end comfort food - try the beer-battered cod with mushy peas, and chunky chips served in a twist of newspaper.
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Roscoff
A muted décor in shades of slate blue, white and dark grey, with polished wood floors and white linen, puts the food squarely centre stage in this sophisticated and smoothly run restaurant. Part of the Paul Rankin stable, Roscoff takes inspiration from Irish produce and French cuisine, with dishes such as carpaccio (very thin slices of raw meat) of venison with celeriac remoulade, and pot roast turbot with mussels and tarragon cream.
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Serai
Crammed with well-heeled students gabbing over glasses of Chilean Sauv Blanc, Serai is a stylish bar-restaurant with an intriguing Asian fusion menu ranging from succulent chicken satay with salad dressed in soy sauce and sesame seeds, to stir-fried squid with lemongrass and chilli, and ikan kukus (fish steamed in banana leaf with hot-and-sour sauce).
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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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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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Water Margin
You can worship at the altar of Cantonese cuisine in this stylishly converted church, a five-minute walk east of Shaftesbury Sq. Expect authentic Chinese food from the Cantonese chefs and friendly, professional service.
