A newly opened Algerian food store and Halal butcher where lots of good things - baklava, jars of…read morehoney with honeycomb, foule medame, halloumi cheese - of a Middle Eastern culinary type line the shelves. Maybe I'm a bit unusual in liking that sort of food but whatever one's tastes it's good to see a good selection of fresh looking, interesting food items on display. Another bonus is that the shop is light and pleasant - sometimes I find ethnic foodstores are a little on the gloomy side and the staff were friendly and pleasant.

Love Olive has been around in the market for as long as I remember, and it's not hard to see why…read more This huge stall has one of the largest ranges of cheese, cured meats, condiments and of course olives. The range is superb. I've sampled some local cashel blue type cheese which was superb. Creamy and sour, stinky and sweet at the same time. Spooned through the tail end of a simple ristotto bianco it completely brought it to life. When you do speak to the staff they are overwhelming helpful to your every whim. The last time I bought stuff from them I was deciding whether to go for some prosciutto or serrano ham. The staff member helped me along by giving me a more than generous meaty chunk from both cuts to aid my decision. In the end the cheaper serrano was the winner, much greater depth of flavour, rich and dusty, like a Belgian gueuze beer or an old blanket. The stalls anchovies are superb. Not the typical dark salty cured fish you're used to seeing in tins but pale with the skins on soaking in a zesty vinaigrette. Fantastic tossed through a salad or just eaten with a chunk of hard cheese. There is also a superb range of pestos, sauces, tapenades and other foodie delights. The green pesto is fantastically fresh, light and creamy it goes exceptionally well with anything. The prices of course all vary accordingly but in general nothing is overly expensive. You might pay a little more than you should for say 100g of Roquefort cheese and the fake prawn/shrimp thing they sell is bordering on the revolting, but on the whole this is a one-stop-shop delicatessens which urges you to stop by.

I love love olive. It offers a choice of the most delicious pestos, cheeses, olives, breads,…read morechorizo sausage and tapenades you could imagine. I bought some stuff from a stall they had out at Holywood a few months back and the staff were so friendly. They offered me loads of free tastes of anything I was interested in buying and told me about their stall down at Georges Street Market. I'm getting hungry just thinking about their food as it was just mouthwateringly delicious. Nom! One of the great things about Love Olive too was the great heavy duty flax bag that they put my purchases in, it's been used to carry everything from laptops to clothes and shoes on the bus to Belfast! You simply must sample Love Olive.

"People who love to eat are always the best people." -Julia Child (1912-2004)…read more One of the stops on our Belfast food tour, Sawers was a tremendous hit. Crowded at lunchtime on a weekday, we managed to nab a table when another couple finished their meal. It's super busy and inside, it's full of gourmet delights. Anyone who thinks Northern Ireland doesn't have good good needs to come here. Smoked salmon on toasted bread, hard Irish cheese, crunchy baguette, sliced turkey, even chilli sauce and something called "black butter." Oh, and wine. You can't have a midday snack without wine, right? Much/most of the food here is quite local (the wine is Spanish) and the staff are helpful. Check the "sandwich board" out front for specials. The Spanish Board for £25 would be my choice! [Review 1893 of 2024 - 871 in United Kingdom - 22915 overall]

Found this gem while strolling the streets of downtown Belfast. This place has it all! A great…read moreselection of various packaged food, a deli that makes fresh sandwiches, pastries, fresh cheeses to cut and an olive bar. Browsing the store, I saw that it's separated into sections. An Italian section with lots of varieties of pastas and sauces. Cookies from Italy and limoncello! There is a very small Mexican section, which in my opinion was pretty darn good for being in Ireland! They had tortillas, various dry chilies and hot sauces. Lots of cookies, candies, jams and jelly's and a very large tea selection. The cheese case and deli were loaded with so many choices, it was hard to choose! You can order food and eat at tables that are just outside the front of the store. A definite recommend but if you're a foodie, be prepared to be dazzled!

Europa Foods N.I. opened its doors in 25 to meet the needs of the steadily increasing international…read morecommunity who yearned for a range of food stuffs from their home countries. These items are sourced from various countries in Eastern Europe & Italy (Germany, Poland, Romania etc.) They provide people with good quality food at very good competitive price so cooking foods from different homelands can be carried out and people can continue with their local way of cooking and make themselves feel more at home. This provides them with a 'Home away from home' as far as cooking their regional dishes in concerned. It also provides a genuine outlet for people wanting to try out foreign foods or try different ways of cooking. There are a number of branches of this store throughout Northern Ireland (Belfast, Ballymena & Magherafelt)

Europa foods NI have been spreading around Belfast as the European community within the city rises…read more These are fantastic places. Thanks to the communities they serve coming here, my eyes have been opened up to a whole new range of foods from countries I've yet to visit. Walking down their aisles you discover new and interesting foods which I've never had before. I discovered Spatzel noodles in these stores. These are amazing noodles made from potato, that are the tastiest and cheapest snack a student could ever dream of! Great places to get something a little bit out of the norm and enjoy a bit of culture with your thrifty meals!

I'm not Polish but if I were, the Karolina Shop would be the first place I'd head to if I needed a…read morelittle taste of home. They stock all sorts of Polish goodies and delicacies, including a lot of stuff that I probably don't want to even know about. You can also send cheap money orders to Poland and get stocked up on all your favorite Polish magazines. They feature a selection of canned goods, as well as frozen treats. If you're in the need for some extreme fat burning liquids or powders, they've got that for you, too.

I shop at the Albertbridge Road branch at least once a week. Polish ingredients are very similar to…read moreHungarian ones and I can find everything I need for everyday cooking or at least a substitute I couldn't get elsewhere. They have a wide range of cold cuts, salamis, sausages, fresh meat, dairy and bakery products and other cooking ingredients. With their membership card you get 5% off if you spend over £10.

Definitely my idea of a great delicatessen with a fantastic selection of meats, cheeses, jars of…read moredelicacies, fresh olives, fish, pates, salads and everything else that you hope to find to complete a gourmet feast for a special treat. Among other things there is high quality bacon and locally produced smoked salmon. All sortsof specialised ingredients are likely to be here with things you don't find often such as the Canadian Clover Crest honey which I bought. The only trouble for me is that Arcadia is so far away up the traffic laden Lisburn Road though the longish opening hours are helpful. Mind you, perhaps it is just as well as I'd be overspending far too much.

Arcadia is quite possibly one of the best finds I have had the pleasure of discovering while…read morewriting my reviews. I'm not up on my deli / speciality foods, nor do I know my Perches from my Pollocks (apparently types of fish...yeah, I didn't know that either) but even I realised the extent of Arcadia's wonderfulness. Plus they sell American sweets. No longer was I interested in the Snappers or the Sea Breams (yep, more fish), the Gruyere or the Gouda (cheese this time)...I eyes were solely fixed on the sweetie selection. Picking up a packet of peanut butter M&Ms (I don't like peanut butter, nor do I like M&Ms), the feeling of the novelty of purchasing something that is so highly sought after over here overcame me. And so, they were bought for the grand price of £1.49. My sister, on the other hand, eyes popping out of her head, was visibly distressed by the varied and unusual choice of confectionery which lay before her. Well, Willy Wonka was the lucky man this particular day, and she selected a packet of 'Wonka Nerds'. And now I am officially going to immigrate to the USA. Ohhh, these are good. These are really, really good. Tiny drops of wild cherry and watermelon explode with flavour the moment you pop them in your mouth and start chewing. It's been nice knowing you all...I'll see you on the other side. (Of the ocean).

Belfast has a new food utopia! Forget Boojum - Mexican burritos are so last year. What if I told…read moreyou that you could eat a curry with your hands? You'd think I was mad, wouldn't you? Well I' not mad because Kurrito has just blown my mind and my taste buds. Sorry if this review seems a little all over the place, I'm still in food delirium. Right, I'm going to try and explain this is a way that everyone will understand - this is A CURRY BURRITO! The format of the place is similar to Boojum actually - you pick your meat and then you pick you additional salads, veg and sauce. I went for chicken of which they had two different types, medium and hot (in terms of spice obviously). The difference (from Boojum) apart from the curry thing I think I mentioned is that there is no queue and the portions are absolutely massive. I pretty much got a whole curry meal in a wrap. The taste was amazing, really flavoursome and authentic - absolutely no hint of processing - this is the real deal. A curry burrito will only set you back £5! This is a huge lunch - I actually ended up asking for some more foil to wrap up my leftovers for later. You can sit in or take away! I love this place and will definitely be back, probably when I'm hungover and in the need of a mega cure!

This was my first time at kurrito and I have to say I am very impressed! I arrived clearly looking…read moreconfused about what to have as the very nice guy behind the counter asked me if it was my first time!! Lol He made everything so easy and talked me through all the choices, and what he would recommend....he couldn't have been more helpful :) I opted for the bowl with the special spicy chicken of the day with salad and mint sauce and WOW it was amazing, so fresh and light while still spicy and filling. I will definitely be back to kurrito to try some of the other options available.

As a fan of Indian food I love to try making my own and I only ever come to one place-Spicy World…read more They are open to both public and trade and they have everything and anything you might want under one roof to create authentic ethnic cuisine! The staff are really helpful too and full of advice and tips on how to use certain things! Its really well priced too and I would definitely recommend a visit to all you budding chefs out there!

This the first ethnic food store - apart from the long established Lee Foods - that I found in…read moreBelfast, with much delight it is a great place for stocking up on beans, lentils, chickpeas and other dried things as well as Indian spices. The dried stuff never seems to have hung around the shelves too long which makes a huge difference when you cook them and the spices are good and fresh too. Futhermore, it's better value than the supermarket. There is also a selection of Asian vegetables such as okra, though not very fresh, as is the wont of small shops like these - getting round that problem would be a question of getting there on the right day I would think. My last visit to Spicy World saw me lugging home a bag of coarse polenta, which is not everywhere, as required by some recipe or other, after my customary time of hovering over the choice of beans, chickpeas, red rice and split peas. No further decision was made - I'll be back again squirrel away a few more provisions.

I've been trying my hand at Indian cookery over the last few months and think I'm starting to get…read morethe hang over spice combinations and cooking methods. That said the food on offer is certainly going to trump anything my skill level can produce. Indian Nights Inn operates as an outside catering company for personal events and large catering functions. Luckily the also grace our presence at the Saturday market and provide a fantastic aroma that wafts around the airy red-bricked building. The staff who run the stall are very help and friendly, offering recommendations and their expertise when it's called on. A few weeks back I was browsing the market looking for some fresh fish for dinner and I thought I might as well line my stomach with something filling and substantial. The menu on offer varies slightly but on this day I noticed they had butter chicken. I've only had this once in a restaurant in Amsterdam years ago but I fondly remember it and thought I'd give it a go. It was superb. Rich, silky buttery sauce, lightly but well spiced, moist well seasoned chicken atop some well cooked saffron tinged basmati. I thoroughly recommend it, it was more than worth the £4 I spent. If you were getting the equivalent from a take-away you'd be looking close to £8. The portion may have been a little smaller but it was more than enough for a grown man like myself.

Indian food is something I just can't seem to get enough of. So even whilst wondering around a…read morebustling market, if I have the chance to chow down on something spicy I will. Indian Nights Inn provides some top notch food for next to nothing. I decided to try thing Lamb Balti, their speciality of the day according to the board and it was fantastically cooked, well seasoned and moist. They also offer freshly prepared meals to take away. This is particularly good if you want to show off at home and don't want people to assume you've just bashed out a ready meal.