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Cafés & Bistros<br />
shore up hungry shoppers. Tea, coffee and traybakes<br />
keep the munchies at bay, and the kids menu keeps<br />
juniors happy. News junkies can keep an eye on the<br />
plasma TV or choice of daily reads. A great value treat in<br />
the heart of the city.QB-2, Spires Mall, Great Victoria<br />
St, tel. (+44) (0)28 9031 2881, www.spiresrestaurant.<br />
co.uk. Mon-Sat 08:00 - 17:00. ££.<br />
Storm in a Teacup<br />
This cleverly named bistro is perfectly poised in the upper<br />
gate house of Stormont Estate, home of NI’s iconic<br />
Stormont Parliament Building. Its equally elegant, albeit<br />
smaller scale façade gives way to a glam interior boasting<br />
glistening chandeliers and quirky cafe twists on<br />
art classics - think George Washington gazing through<br />
a glazed doughnut or Constable’s The Haywain hauling<br />
a French Fancy... Food runs from stylish breakfasts<br />
to hot and cold lunches and a BYOB bistro on Fri and<br />
Sat. All this, and coffee and pastries keep sightseers and<br />
civil servants satisfied throughout the day.Q33 Massey<br />
Ave, Belfast, M20, tel. (+44) (0)28 9076 0067. Mon -<br />
Fri 08:00 - 17:00, Sat 09:00 - 17:00, Sun 10:00 - 17:00.<br />
Storm Bistro open Fri & Sat - check ahead for details.<br />
££-£££.<br />
Coffee & Snacks<br />
Established Coffee<br />
Grey and white is the dominant palette in this minimal-<br />
Dundonald Old Mill Coffee House &<br />
Gift Shop Heading east out of Belfast, past Stormont<br />
and before Newtownards, you’ll see a sign<br />
for this unique cafe and gift shop. What makes it so<br />
special is the large wooden water wheel which, at<br />
32ft in diameter, is said to be one of Ireland’s largest,<br />
and certainly the largest in Northern Ireland.<br />
Originally built in 1752, the Old Mill once powered<br />
a linen bleaching mill before conversion in 1850 to<br />
a corn mill powered by the wheel you see today. After<br />
closure in 1920, the mill fell into decline but was<br />
restored to its former glory in 1987. Today’s wheel<br />
turns with electricity but still makes a magnificent<br />
first impression before you head into the cute gift<br />
shop and equally cottage-like upstairs cafe. Grab<br />
a home-cooked lunch or coffee and scone before<br />
purchasing a posh pressie or two and heading onwards<br />
for a daytrip down the picturesque Ards Peninsula...<br />
nothing could be quainter.QL-3, 231 Belfast<br />
Rd, Dundonald, tel. (+44) (0)28 9048 5030, www.<br />
dundonaldoldmill.co.uk. Open 7 days 10:00 -<br />
16:30. ££. L<br />
ist concrete space where superlative coffee is de rigueur.<br />
Exquisite cookies and mini loaf-style cakes keep sweetteeth<br />
smiling. While creatively composed breakfasts<br />
and lunches include the likes of pastrami and dill on rye<br />
and chorizo stew with herb loaf. But it’s the global trek<br />
through coffee manna that keeps beanoraks coming<br />
back for another shot (or two). Curated with love and<br />
wisdom by owner and barista par excellence Mark Ashbridge,<br />
this is one cool coffee-loving crib.QC-1, 54 Hill<br />
St, tel. (+44) (0)28 9031 9416. ££.<br />
The Dock Cafe<br />
Between the Odyssey and SS Nomadic, in a shop unit<br />
at this new apartment complex, is a pop-up cafe with a<br />
difference. Run by Titanic Quarter chaplain, and Titanic<br />
Walking Tour guide, Chris Bennett and like-minded clergy,<br />
the cafe has an honesty box instead of a till. Which<br />
means you can choose how much you want to pay for<br />
your coffee, tea and biscuit. Books, big sofas and beautiful<br />
NI travel prints from Holywood’s Yard Gallery make<br />
for tranquil escape from your sightseeing sojourn.QG-<br />
2, Arc Apartments, Queens Rd, Titanic Quarter, www.<br />
the-dock.org. Tue-Sat 11:00 - 19:00. £.<br />
Yummy Sandwiches<br />
This bijou food kiosk offers a bit more than the average<br />
city centre sandwich bar. Burgers, hot dogs, homemade<br />
soup, toasties and daily specials sit alongside salads,<br />
snacks and those all-important sandwiches. There’s a<br />
couple of stools and tables on which to perch as you<br />
eat before you hit the shops inside the stylish Spires<br />
Mall.QB-2, Spires Mall, Upper Queen St. entrance,<br />
tel. (+44) (0)28 9031 2881, www.yummysandwiches.<br />
co.uk. Mon-Fri 08:30 - 14:30.. £.<br />
22 Belfast In Your Pocket <strong>belfast</strong>.inyourpocket.com<br />
Contemporary bars<br />
21 Social<br />
This Cathedral Quarter day-to-night venue is a favourite with<br />
sparkly young locals and fun-loving tourists (yes that’s you).<br />
The modernist exterior swathes three floors of food, drink<br />
and music served in super sleek surroundings. Weekends<br />
bring out the cocktail loving party posse and position 21<br />
Social dead centre of the city’s coolest night-time hub.QC-<br />
1, 1 Hill St, tel. (+44) (0)28 9024 1415, www.21social.co.uk.<br />
Daily 12:00 - late. K<br />
AM:PM and CABARET SUPPER CLUB<br />
Tucked down a city centre side-street is this unique chandelier-strewn<br />
venue encompassing a ground floor bar<br />
restaurant and upstairs Cabaret Supper Club where big<br />
name tribute acts and sassy vaudeville and burlesque performers<br />
regale mid-late weekenders in a luxe supper club<br />
reminiscent of ‘20s Hollywood. The top floor Tree House<br />
Grill serves a stylised al fresco eating, drinking and theatre<br />
experience complete with retractable roof and outdoor<br />
heaters - smokers rejoice. The owners also run The<br />
Chubby Cherub, a rather cute little Italian restaurant across<br />
the road.QC-2, 38 Upper Arthur St, tel. (+44) (0)28 9024<br />
9009, www.ampm<strong>belfast</strong>.com. Mon-Thur 10:00 - 23:00,<br />
Fri & Sat 10:00 - 01:00, Sun 12:00 - 22:00. For Cabaret<br />
Supper Club check www.cabaret<strong>belfast</strong>.com for the<br />
latest shows. K<br />
Café Vaudeville<br />
A riot of ritzy glamour and rich hues, the only things missing<br />
from this downtown watering hole are a girl on a<br />
swing and a bird in a gilded cage... but we’re sure they’re<br />
working on it. Beneath the stained-glass dome of this neoclassical<br />
former bank building is an upstairs Champagne<br />
Bar and ground floor flirting zone favoured by the ‘second<br />
chance at romance’ brigade (you get the picture). Cabaretstyle<br />
shows, live music acts and DJ tunes further enliven<br />
the sumptuously ornate, chandelier-strewn wonderland.<br />
Food is served late morning to evening.QC-2, 25 Arthur<br />
St, tel. (+44) (0)28 9043 9160, www.cafevaudeville.com.<br />
Mon 11:30 - 18:00, Tue 11:30 - 23:00, Wed 11:30 - 00:00,<br />
Thu - Sat 11:30 - 01:00. K<br />
Cutters Wharf<br />
When the sun slips from behind its cloudy cover, grab a<br />
bus or taxi and join the throngs of revellers at this great<br />
riverside bar. Grab a seat at the heated River Terrace and<br />
enjoy the stunning waterfront location as rugby boys,<br />
rowers and other assorted sporty types compare muscles<br />
and swill back the beer. Indoor and outdoor TV screens<br />
further enhance your recreational enjoyment. Upstairs, the<br />
refurbished Cutters Restaurant provides top notch informal<br />
dining with wide open windows to make the most of<br />
those Lagan views and leafy Stranmillis setting. There really<br />
is nowhere quite like this in Belfast.QE-2, 4 Lockview<br />
Rd, Stranmillis, M8, tel. (+44) (0)28 9080 5100, www.<br />
cutterswharf.co.uk. Mon & Tue 11:30 - 23:00, Wed 11:30<br />
- 00:00, Thu - Sat 11:30 - 01:00, Sun 12:00 - 23:00. K<br />
facebook.com/BELFASTIYP<br />
Nightlife<br />
August - September 2014 23
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