Good enough to eat: influential blog heaps praise on 12 ‘must-visit’ local restaurants

eateries across Northern Ireland have been earmarked as “must-visits” in a blog on a leading travel website.

Ranging from beachside locations to breweries and markets, the restaurants have been handpicked by a blogger on Expedia.

The north coast appears to have made the biggest impact, boasting no fewer than four of the recommended 12 venues.

They include Tartine at the Distillers Arms in Bushmills for its award-winning dishes and impressive wine list. It is set to take part in the Causeway Coast and Glens Restaurant Week from November 11 to

19, which will feature theme nights, food tours and the very best of local produce.

Portstewart gets two picks — Amici in the town centre, for its Italian offering including a delicious seafood lin-

From left: Holohan’s at the Barge, Harry’s Shack and St George’s Market. Below left, the Moody Boar and, bottom left, Tartine

guine and a selection of fresh homemade woodfired pizzas, as well as the picturesquely set Harry’s Shack on Portstewart Strand, which boasts fresh fish caught by local fishermen on a daily basis.

In nearby Portrush, Neptune & Prawn in the Ramore restauTWELVE

rant complex also gets a shoutout for its views across the sea as well and its fantastic tapas.

Belfast is ably represented, with Holohan’s at the Barge recommended for its home-grown produce and recipes including ‘Boxty. St George’s Market also gets a noteworthy mention for its stunning old exterior as well as the variety of food stalls that it offers.

In Londonderry, the Walled City Brewery was singled out as a “perfect place to lay low after a fun-filled day with its comfort food and vast array of beers”.

South Down also caught the

eye of the blog, with the Maghera Inn nestled among the Mourne Mountains described as an “ideal location to refuel after an autumn or winter walk”, with the premises including a cosy pub and a restaurant with an a la carte menu.

In nearby Warrenpoint, Restaurant 23 was recommended for its views across Carlingford Lough and “eclectic food menu, which includes a slowcooked (24 hour-long) Dry Age Beef from Dromara (with all the trimmings) and coastal seafood chowder”.

And moving around the famous

Co Down mountain range, Vanilla in Newcastle gets a mention for its new tapas bar upstairs.

Elsewhere, the recommendations included the “tasty and diverse menu” at the Moody Boar at Palace Stables in Armagh and, moving west, Catalina at the Lough Erne Resort, Co Fermanagh — Northern Ireland’s first three AA Rosette hotel restaurant overlooking Castle Hume Lough — is also mentioned.

Visit blog.expedia.ie for more information on foodie locations to visit across Ireland