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Belfast · Northern Ireland

Healthy restaurants in Belfast: where to eat well

Written by Gillian McKeith

Northern Ireland grows superb produce and Belfast is finally cooking as though it knows. If you want healthy restaurants in Belfast rather than a fry with the sausage removed, these are the doors I would walk through.

The city centre is the easiest start. Home Restaurant on Wellington Place runs a serious vegetarian and vegan menu right alongside its main one, which is exactly how it should be done, and Ginger Bistro on Hope Street keeps a proper vegetarian section with the vegan dishes marked plainly, so nobody has to interrogate a waiter. Both sit minutes from the City Hall.

For breakfast and lunch, General Merchants brings a separate seasonal vegan menu to its cafes, the Ormeau Road site included. Over in the Botanic quarter, Maggie Mays on Botanic Avenue shows that traditional Irish home cooking can feed you well without meat.

None of these are here because they are meat-free. Two of them are omnivore kitchens which simply treat vegetables as the reason you came in. Bring the friend who orders steak and nobody will sulk.

The standard is unchanged: purity, wholesomeness, organic where the chef can manage it, and plenty of fresh vegetables, pulses, grains and seeds on the plate. I take no money from any restaurant in this guide, in Belfast or anywhere else.

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4 restaurants in Belfast

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Dietary

Showing 4 of 4 restaurants in Belfast

General Merchants
Cafe and brunch

General Merchants

$$

Belfast, Northern Ireland

Antipodean style Belfast cafe group with a separate seasonal vegan menu across its venues.

Best for: Brunch with a separate seasonal vegan menu instead of a fry with bits taken out.

Ginger Bistro
Modern Irish

Ginger Bistro

$$$

Belfast, Northern Ireland

Award winning Belfast bistro with a dedicated vegetarian section clearly marking vegan choices.

Best for: Dinner on Hope Street where the vegan dishes are marked plainly and cooked properly.

Home Restaurant
Modern Northern Irish

Home Restaurant

$$

Belfast, Northern Ireland

Belfast city-centre kitchen with a serious vegetarian and vegan menu running alongside its omnivore one.

Best for: A full vegetarian and vegan menu in the city centre, minutes from the City Hall.

Irish cafe

Maggie Mays

$

Belfast, Northern Ireland

Long standing Belfast cafe serving traditional Irish home cooking with vegetarian options on every menu.

Best for: Traditional Irish home cooking on Botanic Avenue with vegetarian choices on every menu.

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If you have eaten at any of these Belfast kitchens, click through to the restaurant page and leave a review. I read every submission before it goes live.

Eating well in Belfast: your questions

Where can I eat well in Belfast?
Home Restaurant on Wellington Place and Ginger Bistro on Hope Street for dinner, General Merchants for brunch, Maggie Mays on Botanic Avenue for a plate of proper home cooking. All four are in this guide with my notes on each.
Are there gluten-free options in Belfast?
Ginger Bistro and General Merchants both handle gluten-free requests without a fuss, so you are not left picking at a side salad.
Where can I eat vegan in Belfast city centre?
Home Restaurant on Wellington Place keeps a full vegetarian and vegan menu, and Ginger Bistro on Hope Street marks its vegan dishes plainly. Both are minutes from the City Hall.
Is there good vegetarian food in the Botanic area?
Maggie Mays on Botanic Avenue. It is traditional Irish home cooking with vegetarian choices on every menu, and it will fill you up without leaving you sluggish.
Where can I get a healthy breakfast in Belfast?
General Merchants, including the Ormeau Road site. Antipodean style brunch with a separate seasonal vegan menu, which is a good deal more useful than a fry with the sausage removed.
Is this Belfast guide only for vegans?
No. It is plant-forward, not plant-only. Several kitchens here are omnivore restaurants that simply cook vegetables properly, and I am glad to include them.
Do Belfast restaurants pay for a listing?
They do not. I choose every one on sourcing, freshness and how much genuine produce reaches the plate, and no amount of money would change my mind.

Every Belfast restaurant in the Gillian McKeith Restaurant Guide

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Gillian McKeith, author of the Gillian McKeith Restaurant Guide

About the author

Written by Gillian McKeith

I'm Gillian McKeith: television presenter, creator of the global hit show You Are What You Eat, writer, nutritionist, and the editor behind this guide. Every Belfast entry here is chosen and written by me. I judge kitchens on the things that actually matter: real ingredients, honest sourcing, vegetables cooked with care, and food you feel better for eating.

Nothing on this page is a paid placement. Restaurants cannot buy a recommendation, and any listing marked as sponsored is labelled as such. If a kitchen slips, it comes out of the guide.

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