Location: Ballymena
Top Restaurants in Ballymena
Top Things to do in Ballymena
Northern Ireland, United Kingdom Food Guide: 10 European food Must-Eat Restaurants & Street Food Stalls in Ballymena
Best European restaurants nearby. Discover the best European food in Ballymena. View Menus, Photos and Reviews for European restaurants near you.. 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 Maine Cafe
A family run, Christian Cafe. Serving breakfast, lunch, home baked cakes and scones with a wide range of Mullins Ice Cream, including Cones, Tubs, sundaes etc
Reviewed By Ulsterman
Had breakfast before a meeting in the same building. The pancakes, bacon and syrup were tasty and a good coffee to go with it.
9. The Fern Room
Overall Ratings
3 based on 14 reviews
Reviewed By Lyle M
I had always held the Fern Room in high esteem with prices very reasonable and comfortable surroundings to enjoy a relaxing chat.However, on my last visit the atmosphere changed dramatically. A family member and I ordered a tea and a coffee and the only food to eat was a pancake and a Paris bun. We bought both. The first issue I had was when I got my tea the assistant insisted on putting the milk in beforehand. Why she did this I don't know. Does she not realise that adding milk to tea is something that should be left to the customer? I asked for a separate container and with the greatest reluctance she agreed. What an attitude! I then questioned the price of the Paris bun because it appeared on the receipt (which we had to ask for) as a Cappuccino costing £2.25p. She couldn't even look me straight in the eye when I questioned her; just snapping back that she had no other choice on the till as a Paris bun was not listed. I have always found the owner to be a pleasant, helpful and cheery person who never fails to bid you the time of day. How a business with such a fine reputation in Ballymena tolerates a cheeky, unhelpful and unfriendly member of staff is beyond me. Thank goodness there are plenty of other eating spots in the town!
8. The Old Mill Bakery
Small family bakery with over 20 years experience and traditional recipes from 1959 Leiths bakery .
Reviewed By Alex K
Went into this bakery on sat picked up some cookies they were delicious this bakery is worth a visit.
7. The Carrie Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4 based on 71 reviews
Family Run Restaurant Ample Parking Facilities Varied Menu to Suit all Requirements Family Friendly Vegetarian & Dietary Requests Catered For All Food Locally Sourced and Prepared Fresh Daily to Order
Reviewed By davidharcourt
I took my elderly mother for lunch on Saturday. My sat-nav didn't recognise the street address, or postcode, but I cannot blame the Carrie for that. The weather was horrible with driving rain. There was some creative freestyle parking outside which hindered access a little, but again, not a criticism of the Carrie. When we got inside, it was clean and welcoming. There was plenty of space between tables for access with a walking aid - many other places operate probably 50% greater table density. The staff were very pleasant - attentive but not intrusive. Great menu, and great food. My mum declared this the best cod & chips she's had in a very long time. The cod was cooked perfectly, the batter was dry and crispy, the chips were fresh and scorchingly hot. My chicken and bacon wrap was excellent, well filled with just the right amount of relish distributed properly throughout the wrap. And it will be a great tragedy if we lose parmesan fries after Brexit.
6. Thyme Grill
Overall Ratings
4 based on 168 reviews
High Street 51 is a fully licensed Restaurant.We allow our customers to bring their own WINE.There is a full selection of beers,wines and spirits available in house.At High Street 51 we have an all day menu and a night time a la carte menu.At night time w
Reviewed By Michael M
Mostly visited for breakfast.Very friendly staff. Seem to know their regular customers.Tables well placed, allowing you to have a quiet meal without being surrounded by other diners.Good value and haven't been disappointed with a meal yet. Pancakes are a particular favorite for the family.
5. 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.
4. 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
3. 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!!!
What to do and see in Ballymena, United Kingdom (UK): The Best Places and Tips
2. 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.
Most Popular British food in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
1. 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
Where to eat Asian food in Ballymena: The Best Restaurants and Bars
