19 Coffee House Bistro

Cafe Essence

➤ 17A Hamilton Road, BT20 4LE, North Down, United Kingdom

Piatti • Cafés • Seafood • European • Vegetarian

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"This is definitely Bangor’s best kept secret!! Visited here on a recent Saturday evening, they seem to be operating two sitting so we chose the earlier one at 1745. We were first to arrive and shown straight to our table by an extremely pleasant waitress. We were given breads and she opened our BYO wine. The menu is fantastic, well laid out with an emphasis on fresh fish. Despite this I opted for chicken liver pate followed by a delightful sirloin steak. The food was absolutely faultless, the staff were fantastic and the prices were unbeatable for the quality of food. The set menu offers 2 courses for a mere £25. I have visited other fine dining restaurants in the Bangor area and this one is head and shoulders above them in terms of price and atmosphere. I was on the fence at actually submitting this review as I would like this place to remain a bit of a locals secret but if you are in the area definitely give it a try. You will not be disappointed!"

The Boat House Bangor NI

➤ 1A Seacliff RoadCo Down BT20 5HA, Bangor, United Kingdom

Piatti • Seafood • Asiatic • Mexican • Fast Food

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"Tl;dr this chef and this team are on their way to a Michelin star, so get a reservation while you can. We visited here Saturday 29, where we enjoyed the tasting menu by current chef John Hollywood. Their tasting menu is averagely priced, comparable to Dublin’s Bastible, with 6 courses actual, and plenty of wine. Aside from the setup, nothing else is average. The staff at Boat House are second to none. The atmosphere is similar to Hof van Cleve, with chirpy, witty staff happily serving customers and following the mood of the table. Their sommelier and wine pairing is particularly special, with each bottle subverting the trend, unexpected, but without compromising on quality (see: Bastible cannot figure out wine). Their sommelier is a wine nerd who’s happy to go into as much depth as you want, but you feed off the passion between courses, which is a really great dynamic between the staff and the table this is rare, usually only achieved at top star restaurants. I’ve never found this in the island of Ireland. The food itself is the perfect mix of foraged from land and sea, each dish testing and surprising you, but with some classics mixed in (beef Barolo your reward for trusting the chef). On the whole, the menu seems designed to subvert comfort you in equal measure, and succeeds with every course. You won’t find the same level of experimentation from many of the Italian tasting menus on the circuit, but that comes with the assurances of consistent quality and a journey that’ll never let you down, where subversive wine pairings inject a level of exciting chaos without risking the food. Between the atmosphere, staff, and chemistry at the table in the kitchen, a trip to Boat House can be held in the same regard as some of the world’s top Michelin star restaurants. They’re on the way. They have the ingredients, whether you know it or not. Better start those birthday reservations now."

Donegans

➤ 37-39 High Street, BT20 5BE, North Down, United Kingdom

Piatti • Kebab • Steak • Irish • European

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"Best food and service in Bangor. I’ve been going for years and have never had a bad meal. Fresh ingredients and great portions and the staff are wonderful. Also caters for gluten free and vegetarians. Highly recommend. Vegetarian options: Lovely veg options. Dietary restrictions: A lot of gf options O’Hara’s chicken is gorgeous as is the veg or chicken curry Mention that you are gf for full options. Parking: Car park behind donegans. Pay during the day and free at night. Service: Dine in Meal type: Dinner Price per person: £10–20 Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 5 Recommended dishes: Carabaine Chicken Curry with Rice, O'Hara Chicken, Sunday Roast, Traditional Fish Chips, Pavlova, Roast Beef Dinner, Prime Sirloin Steak, Deep Fried Scampi, Lasagne Recommendation for vegetarians: Highly recommend Parking space: Plenty of parking Parking options: Free parking lot, Paid parking lot, Free street parking"

Blu Bbq

➤ 50-52 High St, BT20 5AZ, North Down, United Kingdom

Piatti • Thai • Steak • Mexican • Vegetarian

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"I highly recommend this restaurant. I had a great experience tonight with an amazing menu offering a lot of choices such as burgers, steak, and Thai dishes. I shared a delicious starter of potato skin gum and pulled pork nachos with two others. The portions were huge! My main course of Thai red curry was delicious, with the perfect balance of spicy chili and creamy coconut. We ended the meal with the fantastic "liquid desserts" tiramisu martini dishes. Overall, a fantastic meal with good service. I will definitely be back."

The Rabbit Rooms

➤ 30/32 Quay Street, BT20 5ED, North Down, United Kingdom

Piatti • Kebab • Pizza • Seafood • European

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"My first time in The Rabbit rooms, I love the light shades! we 'popped ' in for a quick/cheap bite before going to The Courthouse, what a lovely surprise, I actually wish we had just spent a couple of hours there, where the seats were comfortable, the food delicious and the staff treated us old pensioners like we were quests in their own home, the quantity and quality of our meals punched well above 'pub grub ' and that lovely big open fire made it hard to leave. And, it turns out they always have deals on food, making this a really great value place to eat at any time."