We were here for the walking tour of the city which meets out front, parking was very full and the…read morespaces are made for smaller cars, staff was very friendly and the parking fee was reasonable. Looks to have most of the major shops and was very busy on a Saturday afternoon. Lots of choices in the food court, like most malls Ireland shops start to close up at 6pm Worth a visit if you are in the area.

This shopping centre is similar to every other shopping centre - the usual suspects dominate, but…read moreunwelcome change may be imminent with Brexit, Wu flu and repeated lockdowns (imposed by politicians who don't know much what they are doing) as Debenhams - which is a key anchor in many shopping centres including his place - has hit the wall along with Bonmarchè, Topshop, Topman, Peacocks, Jaeger, Edinburgh Woollen Mills, DW Sports, Peter Jones, Bensons for Beds, Harvey's furniture and sadly many more. Looks like lots of empty spaces ahead, with no clear way of seeing how these empty stores will be filled, even in the longer term. The business model for these centres was to focus on the big chain store operators where rent was easy, and set rents so high that the small independents hadn't a prayer, although this centre has a few smaller players like a barbers, and Paolo Pizza. It is making another blunder in its food court - it has an O' Brien's sandwich bar as well as a Supermacs (both Irish-branded with the latter possibly the only one in Northern Ireland) but it is allowing the Yangtze Chinese food bar to lower its quality while increasing prices. I know once contracts are signed the deal is done but the centre should be concerned about its reputation and should have the ability to intervene when a tenant starts to sell rubbish food. I ended up getting a flat white in their O Brien's, which was poor tasting - only the queue outside Starbucks put me off going there and after tasting the flat white I wish I had queued. I had tried the M&S cafe but it was closed. I wouldn't rush back.

The M&S is ok and it is likely they are their so called flagship anchor but I'm not a fan of having…read moreto pay to car park just to be able to shop. There are the usual suspects in terms of tenants H&M, EE, Boots, etc but what I have come to dislike immensely is that like others places they charge disabled persons to park. It often takes these folks longer to get in/out of their vehicles and slower at shopping so they are being financially penalised because of their disabilities - this ain't my type of society and reflects an insatiable greed I find really distasteful. I won't return to subsidise greedy bastards.

This is the more upmarket shopping centre in Ballymena. It has bigger and more upmarket anchor…read morestores and stores in general eg Marks and Spencer's and Tommy Hilfiger respectively. It's well laid out and has a distinct style and look about it, which I must say I like very much. It's got a food court upstairs and overall is a lovely centre!!

Pretty sparse place in an empty town where it's difficult to find parking. It had a TK Maxx, a…read moreBishop's department store, a ground floor coffee place but I took one look at the pastries that put me off and £3.75 for a cappuccino is taking the proverbial - it was empty of customers so it's not hard to join the dots about why. Signs pointed to an upstairs food court and this was a first as I found a food court with not a single food outlet. Boys oh! Would I return to Coleraine - definitely no. There was a funny episode though; they have a unique accent in the area and my wife was in Boots the chemist buying No 7 and the assistant told her to go on her ape. Your ape go on your ape. It took a minute to realise it was her app that she meant. Children are calked wee'ans! Man Sur, boys oh, boys adear, as they routinely say in this neck of the woods.

This is Coleraine's answer to the Tower Centre! Doesn't quite meet the standard but it is getting…read morebetter. Tempest is probably the best shop in it but only if you are skinny! TK max is not bad if you don't mind rummaging about. I was in last week one day and tried on a lovely pair of black leather Italian boots but my hubbie was with me ( he doesn't appreciate my need for so many shoes and boots) so I hid the boots in amont the big sizes and went back the next day and bought them. Couldn't believe they were still there. Sneaky or what! The new larger New Look has certainly improved things too. They could do with something a little different to entice visitors in though!

Oh dear, not good at all I'm afraid. I'm not a big fan of Burger King and of fast food at the best…read moreof times but this is a particularly bad one if I'm honest. Its not to do with the standard of food, which is pretty much the same as every other Burger King you will ever go to. Which is to say that you will be overcharged for what you get and it will leave you feeling like a thoroughly bad person. The service is nothing to write home about either, the staff are a little bit rushed and never really serve with a smile. But my main problem with this place is its location. Its right in the food court in Castle Court which means that you can never, ever get a seat. Nor will you be able to get a quick bite as there are always massive queues. All in all a pretty terrible experience.

This Pizza Hut is located in the food court of the Castle Court shopping hall, and is of the…read moreExpress variety to fit into the fast food category! The pizzas that you order here aren't quite the same as the ones you would get from the full takeaway outlet, but then again around here you have less time to bleed and need to get your carb fix ASAP! The pizzas are individually portioned and only come in a few different set flavours.The pizzas are fairly good for filling a quick hole when you are starving and need to fill a quick pizza craving, but they aren't anything special. The best part is the refillable drinks and the ability to do the Ice Cream factory here which is also refillable, which is something I was guily of in my younger days! The service is slow though, which is annoying, but the staff are nice and will deliver to you if its going to take too long, so they boomeranged from a two to a three start for me because of that!

Although some of these branches have been dropping like drunk birds out of the sky, this one…read more(somehow) manages to stay open. It's not great. Realistically it is not even good. In fact, it's pretty awful. You get a slice of what tastes like a microwaved pizza and then four chips (if you are lucky), some dreadfully watered down coke and once your finished, you look behind you and they are rubbing their hands with glee having taken your money from you in exchange for one of the worst meals you have ever had. So they weren't rubbing their hands, but the food is chronic and perhaps the reason why these shops are falling apart as a stand alone restaurant is because Pizza Hut just is not healthy or nice. The reason for this staying open is because it is a food court and thus people congregate in order to get some grub, not because they really want a Pizza Hut. I think this chain should cut their losses and get out because just like their number of shops, their queues are also dwindling so perhaps this is the end of Pizza Hut as we know it. And good riddance.

A pleasant alternative to a typical meat-heavy breakfast. Vegetarian breakfast included vegetables…read more Not merely a potato. Spinich, mushrooms, avocado (ok, that's not a vegetable but still....). Menu has a typical Irish breakfast as well so all types of eaters will be satisfied. Coffee was strong. That's a good thing. Atmosphere and staff are welcoming and relaxed. I will come again, should I return after the country is unified. Ut-oh.....did I just start a fight? Sorry.

Walking into a Cafe Unlike no other. The sporadic paintings on the wall reminded me of a Art…read moreGallery. As I approach the counter I was greeted with a warm smile. I ordered the Brioch Breakfast Bap. My first bite, flavour exploded in my mouth I could not contain myself but go for another, mixing the breakfast bap and the tall freezing glass of coke this surely was a outstanding combination. Will this be my last time in The Quirky Raven? Well I'll leave that up to you.

You know how it is when you're out and about in the type of freezing weather we have been…read moreexperiencing recently. I was in the Maiden City one such day when to add to the cold there was a lazy wind blowing, and you know why it's called lazy? Because it blows straight through you!!! Well, I was glad to discover Baguetts and peering through the window it looked inviting. It looked good and man it was good! When you have been getting the proverbials frozen off it's lovely to get into somewhere as welcoming as this. There was warmth and comfort plus a couple of very acceptable cappuccinos' and a ham and tomato bap to share, I definitely recommend it.

The food was absolutely delicious! Patricia and her staff are so welcoming and friendly. Perfect…read moreplace for breakfast!!

Best damn scones ever. So good I showed up with my son Andrew to learn from Patricia! Thanks for…read moresharing your knowledge and letting us help and learn. See you at the Clipper Race.