Location: Ballymena
Top Restaurants in Ballymena
Top Things to do in Ballymena
Most Popular British food in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Discover Restaurants offering the best British food in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. Ballymena /ˌbæliˈmiːnə/ (from Irish: an Baile Meánach, meaning "the middle townland", Irish pronunciation: [ən̪ˠ ˈbˠalʲə ˈmˠaːn̪ˠəx]) is a large town in County Antrim, and the eighth largest in Northern Ireland. It is part of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council. It had a population of 29,467 people in the 2011 Census.
Things to do in Ballymena
10. The Misty Burn
Overall Ratings
4 based on 121 reviews
Reviewed By robertandsimone
Not quite getting the rave reviews...the positives:Cool location, nice decor, frys not greasy, prices not over the top...The negatives:5 mushrooms isn't a portion, disappointing that price of fry increases significantly after 11.30, sausages not great quality, bacon salty, weren't asked until we were paying if everything was ok.If passing and hungry would call in but wouldn't go out of my way...
9. Castle Kitchen + Bar
Overall Ratings
4 based on 93 reviews
The distinct flavour, warmth, and ambience of authentic BBQ smokehouse await you at Castle Kitchen + Bar. A space for all occasions and tastes, make yourself feel truly at home in The Kitchen restaurant with views across the busy open servery, kept under
Reviewed By Irene M
Went here for a romantic meal for 2 a week ago and it didnât let me down. The decor is something else, and thereâs s lovely buzz and atmosphere to the place. The staff are very friendly and attentive. The food was really great although Iâve heard mixed reviews, so maybe these were only teething problems as we couldnât complain. We were sitting at a table for 2 , which I think are all a little too close together as you can very clearly hear what the couple next to you are talking about.... so close that we actually ended up staying all night with the couple beside us!!One thing which I have knocked one point off for are the prices.... it is very expensive!! Iâd love to make it my local and come every week, but it works out even more expensive than Gillies!! So alas itâs only for special occasions!Ps thanks to Jamie who made this place absolutely brilliant!!!Dear Irene M,Thank you for taking the time to post a review on TripAdvisor following your recent visit to Castle Kitchen & Bar.I am delighted that you enjoyed your visit to the restaurant and appreciated the decor and ambiance of the restaurant as well as the friendly and attentive staff.I am however disappointed that you do not feel that the offering was good value for money. We strive to provide the highest quality of products and service at market value. I will be sure to pass on your kind comments to Jamie who I am sure will be pleased to hear your feedback.I look forward to welcoming you back to the restaurant again in the near future.Kind Regards,Aaron LoganFood & Beverage Manager
8. Rococo
Overall Ratings
4 based on 250 reviews
Reviewed By Arlene S
The website of this bar/restaurant looks very good with a nice menu stating they only use the finest local ingredients and offer a cosy and casual setting. Not so on entering the overwhelming feature is dark and dingy with gold coloured vinyl seating in the booths. We made a reservation proved not to be needed as only two other tables had diners. Our waitress was very pleasant and showed us to our table , I ask for cocktail menu which when handed to me was sticky and marked with numerous fingerprints, and the seating on said gold vinyl looked like someone had slashed it or maybe it just so old and worn it had split. Strike one!We placed our order doing to share a starter to leave room for a dessert. I ordered Chicken Maryland my all time favourite, hubby ordered a pan fried chicken fillet with creamy leek, bacon sauce and colcannan. Starter was brie with raspberry coulis and garnish. Sounds good doesn't it alas delivery did not live up to the description a good size portion but lukewarm and someone with an artistic bent had spread the coulis on the plate meaning there wasn't enough to eat with the cheese. Strike 2!Now we come to the highlight my Chicken Maryland mouth drooling at the thought my heart sank when it was put in front of me bacon was black looking like it had been cooked on a dirty hot plate a dried up sausage and what should have been lovely crisp battered chicken was a soggy mess. Hoping it tasted better than it looked I cut into the chicken and the fat/grease just oozed onto the plate. My hubby fared a bit better his was piping hot with enough colcannan on the plate to satisfy a rugby team alas his chicken was tough and stringy and again not enough sauce. He thought it had been microwaved rather than freshly cooked as it was so hot. Strike 3! I decided enough was enough and called the waitress over and explained my problem. Her manner saved the day she didn't try to make excuses was very professional and offered to replace it and speak to the chef??? so she gets a ten out of ten more than can be said of the food. She said she would take mine of the bill as my hubby said his was passable. All fair enough me I would promote the waitress and sack whoever's is destroying the food. Feedback from kitchen was that is because everything is deep fried that is what you get, all I can say is if you use clean oil at correct temperature you should not have soggy mess end off!!!!!!!!My night out was ruined so still hungry went to Mc Donald's for a burger.
7. Gillies Bar & Grill
Overall Ratings
4 based on 960 reviews
Reviewed By C290LUkathym
Went I to this restaurant as we stayed up there in the Galgorm. The staff were so efficient and friendly. Nothing was of any trouble for them. They were extremely busy but had great manners and personalities that they just carried on regardless. Excellent service and food. Dear C290LUkathym,Thank you for taking the time to post a review on TripAdvisor following your recent visit to the Bar + Grill at Gillies.I am pleased to read that the staff provided an efficient and friendly service throughout your visit. It is truly our team that make the difference to the guest experience at the Resort. I am also delighted that you found the food to be of a high quality.I look forward to the opportunity of welcoming you back to the restaurant again in the near future.Kind Regards,Aaron LoganFood & Beverage Manager
6. Nobel Cafe
Overall Ratings
4 based on 196 reviews
Reviewed By Irene M
Its always busy here and I have to say the food is always good. Its relatively cheap, and even though there's a queue, you never have to wait that long. The breakfasts are super value, although I normally just opt for the soup. The girls are always friendly and nice and overall its very good.
5. The Countryman
Overall Ratings
4 based on 466 reviews
Reviewed By Mervyn C
My wife and I are just home from having our 1st afternoon tea in Countryman. On arrival warmly welcomed by Helen who looked after us extremely well for rest of service. Table beautifully laid. Excellent sandwiches which had great fillings. Scones with Jam Cream, cake, shortbread and to round of a beautiful trifle. Tea regularly topped up. All this for £10 per head is a must. Coming shortly will be the winter afternoon tea and if this is anything to go by it is a must. I for one will be trying it.
4. The Grouse
Overall Ratings
4 based on 485 reviews
Here at the Grouse we pride ourselves on our first class customer service & food. All of our food is locally sourced and cooked fresh. We are located in the centre of Ballymena right beside the tower centre car park. We hope to see you soon!
Reviewed By Jacqui D
2 regular customers for years. Menu changed to very limited /poor and over priced. £12.50 at lunch time for 6oz burger. Microwaved lasagna and frozen chips and bland red cabbage slaw. Complained at time and offered drink or dessert but why accept when food so poor. Why risk more disappointment!Excuse was "new chef?".Had to pay full bill even though they knew food was not to an acceptable standard. A mere "sorry" from mananger.Wont be back!Avoid if wanting a decent meal!!!
3. Millside Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4 based on 508 reviews
Reviewed By sean f
Good variety on the lunch menu. Starters were good and quite big. I had liver for my main and it was very overcooked and inedible. The sides were very big and nice fresh produce. I had a fruit cocktail for dessert but it was very crudely cut up in a dish that wasnt suitable for the serving . It was definitely quantity over quality and was disappointing. Overall the food was wholesome but could have been better . My friend had a starter and burger which looked very good and he had a fudge cake dessert which he said was delicious.
2. The River Room & Conservatory
Overall Ratings
4 based on 171 reviews
The River Room embodies the ethos of Galgorm in its menu and dishes offering a unique and memorable dining experience. It is one of four restuarants in Northern Ireland to be awarded 3 AA Rosettes for culinary excellence. Chef Israel Robb creates dishes t
Reviewed By emmajayne14
I really enjoyed the food served for afternoon tea, the selection was fantastic, from fresh sandwiches and the pork pie was something different to try, the scones were warm and delicious and the range of sweets were amazing. The river room was a lovely place to sit and have afternoon tea with views all around(just not on a hot day) Some points that I didn't like.We went to the conservatory to stand and wait 10mins as waitresses were serving food, I asked one polity where the river room was to be greeted with "just stand at the till" It was very warm in the room-we asked if the air con was on to be told its very warm outside but it is on.The waitress was trying her best but the food was extremely slow, prior to food we were served tea and coffee and it had gone cold, having to ask for a top up seemed to be alot of effort for the waitress. having to wait almost 40mins after plates were lifted for our scones and sweets to arrive we wanted water (tea was making the heat of the room even worse) we were asked did anyone else want some as it's quite a walk to get the water (from the waitress with a slight attitude) to not be too much bother we opted for a jug of water and glasses in the end up. When the scones etc arrived some wanted more tea and finally another member of staff arrived to help.We were told there was a person going to play piano while we were there, there was no one and I can't even remember any music playing When we went to pay they added a gratitude fee into the bill. To pay nearly £29pp for this and then added fee on top I thought was quite expensive! I don't think it's worth paying that much for afternoon tea, yes it is nice but I've been to many places with fantastic atmosphere and Alot cheaper. I think if we had booked for 10 people at 2pm you would have it all sitting waiting for us and have an appropriate number of staff to serve this without people having cold tea before food was even on the tableOver all the food was nice but disappointing! Again not worth the price Dear Emmajayne14,Thank you for taking the time to post a review on TripAdvisor following your recent visit to the Conservatory.I am disappointed to read of your dining experience and that you felt the offering was not value for money. I am however pleased that you enjoyed our food and found the selection fantastic.Please accept my apologies for the delay you experienced on the food being served to your party normally it should not take so long so I will investigate this matter immediately with the waiting team and head chef to make sure this will not happen in the future.I hope this experience does not deter you from returning to the restaurant as this is far from the level of service we strive to provide.Kind regards,Gabriela DiaconescuConservatory Manager
1. ORANMORE
Overall Ratings
4 based on 190 reviews
Reviewed By Mark T
So pleased we found this gem! Gorgeous setting and decor, delicious food, and impeccable service. If youâre in the area itâs well worth a visit.
What to do and see in Ballymena, United Kingdom (UK): The Best Places and Tips
