Belfast Travel Guide | The Best Beer, Food & Things to Do
Belfast surprised us in every possible way. Rainbow greetings, theater nights, graveyard rituals, hazy IPAs hidden above a sports club, vegetarian tacos with truffle, and probably the most chaotic attempt you’ll ever see at the split the chi challenge. Welcome to our Belfast adventure. A mix of food, craft beer, street art, spooky stories, and a whole lot of character. If you love hidden gems, chaotic travel moments, or you simply want to know where to get the best pastries in the north of Ireland, hit subscribe. This trip is packed. [Music] Hello there, original travelers. Welcome to another video of ours. And in this one, we’re going to show you the best things to do, food, and drinks in Belfast in Ireland. Don’t forget to stay until the end to see what the city has to offer. Like a big fish. Cheers, everyone. [Music] We landed in Dublin, not Belfast. As the coffee lovers that we’ve become lately, our eyes immediately locked onto Cloudpicker Coffee at Dublin airport. Looked fantastic, but we didn’t have time to check it out. Next time to get to Belfast, we booked the air coach online, which takes a little over 2 hours, rolling through classic Irish scenery. Green fields, sheep, sheep, and more sheep. You get the idea. When we finally hit Belfast, the city literally welcomed us with a full rainbow. And if there was a pot of gold somewhere, we were too tired to find it. All we found was our good hotel, which was close by. We checked into the Fitz William. Really stylish, central, and very comfortable. Solid start. [Music] In the evening, we followed a local tip. Thanks to William, the owner of Bull House Brewing, who told us to explore the restaurants around Ormo Road. We went to the Shed Bro. This place hits the sweet spot between cozy neighborhood vibe and seriously good cooking. They also have a small but quality craft beer list including kindergart. We started with breaded shrimp, crunchy and juicy with a nice seasoning that made you want another plate straight away. I took a pen fried venison with crispy palenta, parsnips and peanut butter puree and spiced plum jew savory everything working together. And I ordered braced beef cheeks with whole grain mustard mash, honey glazed carrots, parsnips, kale, and jew. Proper slow-cooked comfort food. After dinner, we walked past Northern Lights Pup, owned by Gway Bay Brewery. If you’ve seen our Dublin video, yes, that Gway Bay. This spot always has a great tap list, but we had tickets, so we behaved and kept walking to the theater. Lyric Theater sits right by the river in a modern warm building. Super welcoming with a full bar open before the show, pouring local beers from Boundary and Heene. They are from Derry, which we’ll visit in the next episode. Actually, the bar area was so cool and the drink selection so great that we would even recommend it for people as a place to work from. After enjoying some great beers that we could take with us to watch the play, we actually enjoyed The Nment, a dark comedy about a couple confronting the end of the world. Or maybe just the end of their patience with each other and with humanity. Funny, sharp, and a bit weird in the best way. Stylish theater, great energy. All right, now beer time. The Ster Sports Club looks like a normal pup from the outside, maybe even slightly too normal. The only clue that something unusual is happening inside is a neon sign of a paper plane glowing in the top window. The paper plane is the logo of Out of Office Brewing. Follow it upstairs and suddenly you’re in a tap room and the brewery itself. You see some bright tanks, casual seating, people chatting like they all accidentally joined the same secret club. We tried beer names are hard. A sour that was bright, fruity, and nicely balanced. Not safe for work, their juicy IPA went down way too easily. Soft body, tropical notes, just enough bitterness to keep it interesting. And then there was dark mode, their dry style. It made us whisper to each other, “This seriously is better than several big Irish stout brands.” You know which one. Dark chocolate, roast, clean finish. It was really impressive. A young brewery making generally great beer. Belfast craft beer scene is alive. You just need to climb the right staircase. [Music] No Belfast beer trip is complete without John Huitt, a bar connected to Boundary Brewing. This place is packed with live music, locals, and a tab list that doesn’t miss. We also found some very cool magazines. They’re called Noble Rot, and they’re mostly about wine. However, one very cool article was about how to judge your date by their wine choice. And we created our own version on our website. Of course, it’s about beer. Talking about beer, we had It’s My Weakest Sense Boundaries West Coast IPA. Resinous and piny with a clean citrus edge. Are you also seeing these monsters or are they just a result of the beers? [Music] You can see that Ireland takes Halloween really seriously. [Music] The next morning, we wandered through Belfast checking out murals. The city is full of them. We spotted one from Kitsune, whose work we also saw in Cork. If you watched our Cork video, you’ll recognize the style immediately. If you’re into street art, Belfast really delivers. Entire walls turned into colorful stories. [Music] We were actually on the way hunting for breakfast and specialty coffee, but several of the top cafes had cues stretching out of the door. [Music] So, while we kept walking around the area, we realized that the city changed a lot since our last visit a couple of years ago. But we were really happy to be back. [Music] So, we went to Trade and Jackpot. Trade is a specialty coffee and artisan bakery brand with several locations around Belfast. They roast and brew seriously good coffee and run their own craft bakery, supplying their shops with handmade pastries and bakes. [Music] The idea is simple. Superb coffee and everything baked with the same level of care. They have many cool things at the counter. cheese pastries and my favorite sausage rolls and also some flaky danishes and homemade cookies. The kind of display that makes you reconsider any breakfast plants you thought you’ve had. I especially enjoyed the sausage roll that was both buttery, flaky, and properly seasoned. And especially the sauce they gave with it was amazing. I highly recommend the everything roll, which was kind of sweet, kind of savory and it really had everything. super recommendable. It was easily some of the best pastry we’ve had on the island. Great vibe, friendly stuff, and that mix of locals and visitors that tells you that this isn’t just a tourist stop. It’s a real morning hub. [Music] Even the coffee itself was happy that it was in this coffee shop. [Music] After breakfast, we explored some local shops. Born and Bread sells Irishmade products. Not the usual souvenir stuff, but proper local makers. We spotted Harry’s nut butter. She make hot sauces, nice ceramics, prints, the kind of things you actually want to pack home. Even a Sister Michael Christmas card. You guys know Sister Michael, right? From Dairy Girls. You will learn a lot more about those ladies in our next video in Dair. And don’t forget to sign up to our Taste and Travel newsletter for weekly recommendations for food, drinks, and experiences around the world. [Music] And then came the moment where I decided to try the legendary Gre sausage roll. Travel research, of course. It was good, flaky, nostalgic, but honestly, the sausage roll at trade wins by miles. Sorry, Grex fans. Don’t come for us. [Music] East Belfast was calling. Home to markets, artist and great breweries. Our first stop before going to the East Block Bazar was Story Box, a tiny local shop full of Irish arts and crafts, prints, candles, gifts, all with focus on local and sustainable makers. Simona bought soap, a lot of soap. I’m pretty sure we could open a mini spa by now. [Music] I also found a great bamboo thermos flask for tea. And that would be a nice segue to the fact that we actually offer a great tea tour in Zurich. So don’t forget to visit it. [Music] After that, we walk to Banana Block for the East Block Bazar. Banana Block is a living museum and an event space inside a historic linen mill inspired by the quirky connections between Belfast and Bananas. On market days, it turns into this East London meets Belfast mashup. Vintage clothes, local food stalls, artisan producers, music, kids running around, banana plants in the middle of it all. Even though there were really cool sneakers and other cool vintage clothes, we decided to go to check out the food stands, of course. We grabbed some Jamaican patties and some really tasty Korean inspired food and soaked in the vibe. And then came my favorite part of this market. It’s built straight into Boundary Brewing’s tap room. Zero resistance from us. While Simona was wandering around, I grabbed the hazy IPA for hydration strategy. And then I found a really excited Simona who found a small stand called Little Crow Coffee where they sold hot chocolate made with barebones chocolate from Glasgow, which we featured in our Glasgow video. For us, they’re one of the best craft chocolate makers in the UK. So, if you’re into good beer and good chocolate, check out our beer and chocolate tours in Zurich. The links are in the description box. We do also combine them. A short walk away is the next brewery tap room, Bull House East, the tap room of Bull House Brewing, one of Belfast’s biggest craft beer success stories. Bull House started as a garage project and grew into an award-winning independent brewery with a big focus on hop forward beers. hazy IPAs, modern paleels, and bold stouts. Their tap room has 20 taps pouring their own brews, plus collabs with fridges full of cans to drink in or takeaway. The space is lively and community focused. Quiz nights, markets, live music, events happening all the time. For example, they were actually showing a movie the night we went, but unfortunately, we couldn’t make it. We especially love their sour, bright, fruity, super refreshing. Outside there is a pizza stand from Vitis. Pizza and beer. Truly the most Irish Italian crossover that always works. As we mentioned before, it was Halloween week, so we leaned fully into the season with a tour at Frier’s Bush Graveyard, one of the oldest Christian burial grounds in Belfast. The tour is run by Kerjin Akille and led by the unforgettable Sin Spinster, Dr. Dearra Nick Ashuni, who brings the whole place to life with stories, songs, and rituals. It’s atmospheric, rooted in Celtic ceremony and folklore, Irish incantations, tales of pre-Christian burials, and even a resurrected harpmaster performing between the gravestones for a couple of nights only. This is no jump scare haunted house. It’s cultural, historical, eerie in a beautiful way, and it supports the restoration and preservation of the graveyard. Wear sturdy shoes, dress for the weather, leave the big torches at home, and just lean into the Halloween vibes. This experience has nothing to do with Masterism, so we absolutely recommend you to do it if it’s on while you’re in the city. After the graveyard tour comes comfort. The Woodworkers is one of Belfast’s best beer bars. Originally the city’s first rotating tap room with around 18 taps dedicated to craft beer. They pour a mix of local UK and international breweries from Bull House to Boundary and also guests like Burnt Mill from England and Fierce from Scotland. If you love trying lots of different things, this is your place. You can build flights of different sizes. So, if you want to taste six, eight, or practically the whole tap list in small pores, they’ve got you. And the pores were smaller than the sauces. They do serve solid pup food, perfect for late night snacking. We love the deep fried pickles, salty, crunchy, ideal with a cold IPA. We visited woodworkers years ago on our first Belfast trip and it was still as good as we remembered. The next morning, we needed caffeine and breakfast again. So, we walked past more murals. Belfast really leans into street art identity and made our way to Established Coffee in the Cathedral Quarter. [Music] Established was one of the first specialty coffee shops in Belfast and helped kickstart the city’s modern coffee scene. It’s an airy industrial feeling space on a corner, usually buzzing with locals, freelancers, and people who clearly know their beans. It was crowded, but we managed to get a table. I ordered French toast, thick, fluffy, golden, with the perfect balance of crisp edges and soft center. Sandra went local with the Belfast Bap packed with bacon, salty, smokeoky, absolutely spot on for a late breakfast. The drinks were also exceptional, like my apple crumble latte. It’s the kind of place where you could easily sit for hours, but Belfast still had plans for us. [Music] On our way back to the hotel, we met some skeletons and Simona stopped at trait again for another coffee. In case it wasn’t clear, that place is officially Simona approved. We originally planned a nature trip that day, but Irish weather had other ideas, so we chose something equally cultural. Trying the split the G challenge. If you’ve never heard of it, the idea is to drink a Guinness so precisely that the foam line stops exactly in the middle of the printed G in the logo. To attempt it, we went to Kelly Sellers, one of Belfast’s oldest pubs dating back to 1720. Inside low ceilings, stone walls, cozy corners, and a reputation for one of the best pines of Guinness in the city. We managed to snatch one of these cozy corners, and then we both tried the challenge. I went first and I failed and so did Simona. The hat ended up everywhere except where the cheese sits. Also, if you spot Simona’s glass saying 0.0, don’t panic. It was a full Guinness. Just poured into the wrong glass. But now it’s your turn. Let us know in the comments where is your favorite pint in Belfast. And have you ever actually managed to split the G? I actually have, but this will be in the next video. Subscribe now to see if this is not a lie. In the evening, we went to Jumon, a vegetarian, mostly plant-based restaurant with Asian inspired dishes and punchy flavors right in the city center. And the whole concept is you might be here for vegan or veggie food, but you’re not compromising on flavor. Perfect pairing for us. Beers from Boundary Brewing. A hazy IPA with spice forward dishes. Always a good idea. We shared a table full of plates white misu hummus with papa dumps creamy with that miso dead that makes you keep dipping or chhat me up masala potatoes loaded with herbs cigar rolls with chilies crunchy slightly smoky and just enough heat to make Simona struggle. We also had pickled chilies and kimchi because of course we needed even more acidity and spice on the table. I still remember that night and so do some other parts of you. The grand finale was the mandu tacos with eggplant, salsa, verde, truffle, and smoked cheese. This crazy but brilliant mix of flavors was fresh and earthy all at once. Juman is one of those places that proves you don’t need meat to have big and bold flavors. If you like playful food and sharing plates, put it on your Belfast list. After dinner, we headed to the Reporter Pub for one of the most original events of the trip, arts and craft cans. Every week, they run a different arts and craft session where you sit in the bar, order a few Irish craft beers, and get handed materials to make something creative. On our visit, it was Halloween lanterns. Simona’s lantern looked like it belonged in a design shop. Mine looked enthusiastic. Let’s just say my art skills are more craft beer than crafts. Olivia behind the bar was incredibly friendly and guided us through the top list. The rolling papers hazy IPA from Bull House was especially good on top. This bar feels like a local living room just with more glitter and glue sticks. We also think of organizing our own arts and craft beer evenings. Would you be interested in doing that? Tell us in the comments. The next morning before leaving Belfast, we had to check out two more things. We have walked by the Second Royal Avenue Community and Cultural Hub many times, so now we had to check it out. The architecture of the building was amazing. Can you believe this used to be a supermarket? And then we had to visit the most famous local icon, the Salmon of Wisdom, also known as the Big Fish. It’s a public sculpture by John Kindness covered in ceramic tiles that show images and text from Belfast’s history. Newspapers, maps, artifacts, little pieces of city frozen on a giant blue fish. Legend says if you kiss the fish, you gain its wisdom. We didn’t quite go that far, but after all the craft beer on this trip, maybe we already absorbed enough liquid wisdom. From there, we walked to the train station, picked up our tickets, and made our way to Derry for Halloween. Belfast, we loved every minute. We’ll definitely be back. Thank you so much for watching. We hope you enjoy this video from Belfast. And now, as usual, guys, don’t forget to like and subscribe and find our newsletter subscription in the description box below. Cheers, everyone. In the next episode, we’re heading to Derry for Halloween. Expect spooky events, incredible food, local legends, Northern Irish hospitality, and yes, this is where I accidentally became a vampire hunting coffee lover. Hit subscribe, check out our Ireland playlist, and we’ll see you in the next adventure. [Music]
Belfast greeted us with a rainbow – and things only got better from there. In this episode we fly into Dublin, bus up to Belfast, and spend a couple of days chasing food, coffee, craft beer and Halloween stories around Northern Ireland’s capital.
Expect neighbourhood bistros on Ormeau Road, West Coast IPAs and export stouts at John Hewitt, a tiny brewery hidden above Ulster Sports Club, and hazy IPAs at Bullhouse and Boundary. We eat our way through bakeries like Trait, brunch spots like ESTD, vegetarian flavour bombs at Jumon – and yes, we absolutely fail the “Split the G” Guinness challenge at Kelly’s Cellars.
We also explore Belfast’s street art, visit Banana Block and the East Block Bazaar, sip sours in some of the city’s best beer bars, and spend a spooky evening on a Halloween graveyard tour at Friar’s Bush. At the end, we check in with the Salmon of Wisdom before catching our train to Derry for Halloween.
🇮🇪 This video is part of our Ireland series – food, coffee, craft beer and local stories, Original Travelz style.
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Chapters:
00:01 – Belfast Begins
00:59 – Dublin Arrival
01:48 – Shed Bistro Dinner
02:55 – Lyric Theatre
03:46 – Out of Office Brewing
04:54 – John Hewitt Bar
05:53 – Street Art Walk
06:45 – Trait Coffee & Pastries
08:18 – Local Shops
09:18 – Greggs Roll Test
09:41 – Story Box
10:29 – Banana Block Market
11:33 – Boundary Taproom
12:10 – Bullhouse East
13:07 – Graveyard Tour
14:27 – Woodworkers Bar
15:24 – ESTD Coffee
16:29 – Split the G Fail
17:55 – Jumon Dinner
19:13 – Reporter Craft Bar
20:05 – Salmon of Wisdom
20:47 – Train to Derry
21:34 – Outro
Thank you for watching, and see you soon!
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🎤 Microphone: DJI MIC 2
🎬 Edited with DaVinci Resolve by https://instagram.com/wesleybeerzh
🎵 Music by CreatorMix.com
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