Wowser, what a restaurant! The Water Margin is right up there on my list of favourite places to…read moreeat, having been there for romantic dinners with the husband before he became the husband and for a very raucous birthday party at which the husband insisted on singing. Before the karoke machine was turned on. The setting is spectacular - this is a large building right on the edge of the River Bann, so ask when you are booking for a window table and you'll have a stunning view as you eat and drink. The interior of the restaurant is just as impressive - a large, high ceiling room with a giant chandelier in the centre. So, what about the food? It certainly lives up to the setting. I would describe this as upmarket Chinese food rather than the kind of place to grab your Friday night sweet and sour. The prices reflect the setting and the quality and for special occasions I am more than happy to pay them. On our last visit I had satay chicken skewers and seaweed, both of which were top notch. I than had shredded chilli beef which I also loved, and the husband had king prawns in yellow bean sauce which I felt obliged to try and also really liked. We had side orders of special fried rice and noodles and I could have eaten either of these on their own. I was pleased to see that there is a tea time special menu at £9.95 for 3 courses which is outstanding value given the quality of food and the lovely service you get. Can't wait until the next time we go back.

Eat here quite a bit and can't complain about anything. The food and service is excellent. I'd…read morerecommend anyone passing through to call in and try it. They do a shoppers special which is great value too

What an amazing and welcoming little pub! We were there during the off season for this seaside…read moretown but the bartender Alex was so wonderfully welcoming, telling us stories about his childhood and giving us excellent recommendations for our upcoming trip to Derry. They didn't have cream for Irish coffee so he very nicely made my mom a sweet whiskey hot toddy that she loved just as much! Cozy, atmosphere, great people, only regret is we were only in town for an hour! Spend your time here

Very noisy spot! Neither of us loved our food. Good but not great. I had the salmon w/ garlic…read morebutter sauce. A bit dry. My husband had the chicken goujons which were like chicken fingers. Not remarkable. All sides cost extra. Service was good. Almost too much! Atmosphere is lovely,a bit too loud for conversations. Lots of very young looking teens.

The sandwich outlet Subway is a fairly recent addition to Ards Shopping Centre. Situated in one of…read moreNorthern Ireland's busiest malls, this branch is no different to any other- selling cookies, soup, drinks and a variety of subs. Although this particular branch is placed in a fairly busy area of the shopping centre (as large stores such Next and River Island are nearby) there is a complete shortage of seats. This means that it is only really useful as a carryout, unless you are willing to wait for a place to sit. On the plus side, the service is extremely quick and efficient when compared to other branches and I have always found the salad to be really fresh. The staff members are also polite and took the time to inform me of the latest offers. On a slightly more negative note, there is a lack of cleanliness around the seating area, which is more than likely a result of the low numbers of staff. The seating area feels quite exposed (in comparison to other food outlets within the centre) as there is no real sense of enclosure. At times I was worried that passer-bys would crash into me given their close proximity! Nevertheless if you're looking for a quick bite to eat or a coffee whilst shopping, this is the place to go.

Inside ards shopping centre, usual subway menu. Sell tea, coffee, soup and of course filled subs…read more Also sell delicious cookies and crisps. Have £3 lunch deal where you get a sub and a drink for £3 can choose from ham, turkey and ham, veggie and more. Also sell salad bowls. Can now choose from flatbreads and a range of sub breads including hearty Italian which is my favourite, Italian, herbs and cheese, cheese, brown wholemeal subs. If you have a subway reward card you can collect points and receive free food.

Great pub! Traditional, loud, fun. The bartender was helpful and the Guinness and cider was…read moredelicious oldest bar in Belfast 1711.

Just popped in for a pint and a snack after visiting W5. Had a great time…read more Classic pub atmosphere. Excellent service. Really enjoyed the tomato soup.ot was extra thick and served with some local Irish bread for dipping. We ordered a second side of bread. If I didn't have my kids with me on this trip, I could have easily spent a few hours hanging out in this very comfortable pub chatting up the locals and other tourists.

Absolutely love this place, always my go too! Staff are amazing and food is delicious, the food…read morecomes relatively quick and everything is completely up to standard

Delicious burgers. Loved the freshness and flavors. Loved how the burgers came with large portions…read moreof gravy/cheese sauce on the side. Had the gooey Louis and the Santa burgers. Both were amazing.

I have a nostalgic soft spot for this pub since it's where my partner and I had our first date. If…read morewe ever break up I might feel differently, so check back for updates. I also love the comedy night, which always delivers great laughs.

Service was not friendly or personable. At one point they told us they stopped serving mixed drinks…read more(at 8pm with no explanation and mixed drinks being made for a private party in an adjoining room). The food was mid and the atmosphere was less than desirable. I hate to give poor reviews and yet it's necessary for this one. We actually left disappointed overall. The fish and chips were just ok as was the sausage and mash. The frickles were unimpressive and most of our group didn't care for the hummus (plus the bread was just 2 thin tortillas that had been toasted and cut). The chili chicken was decent but nothing to rave about and the calamari type dish was just bland. Maybe we caught them on an off night but if that's the case I would think the servers could step up and at least be friendly. Most staffers looked the other way or were just not accommodating.

Came by myself on a Wednesday night without a reservation. I had to wait a little bit but was able…read moreto get seated. It is very loud, both from people talking and then with music once that started. This is more of a vibe place than a good food place. Misoshiru has too much miso. The mackerel was a bit disappointing, the vinegar flavoring is light and it has that thawed from frozen texture. The rice is good, much better than I typically see stateside. The tuna was oddly sweet and didn't have firmness. The hamachi was spot on though, not sure why the other two were misses. The signature dish is fried monkfish in something similar to sweet and sour sauce, honestly not that impressed. Cheesecake is not as dense as American cheesecake and not fluffy like a soufflé, I think it was a good middle ground. Not too sweet.

Very different (in a good way) dining experience. Dimmed lights, extravagant Japanese-style design…read moreand glorious decor on your way to the toilet upstairs are definitely memorable! The food was simply amazing and arranged like a work of art! We were quite a big group and the food arrived at the same time. The menu is quite varied - from more traditional Japanese style dishes to quite modern cuisine - I for one had a meal called 'Mad crab' which was a selection of seafood with a delicious cheese sauce and poached oak Choi with oyster sauce. The service was very attentive.

After a little tour and whiskey tasting at Bushmills Distillery, we walked through the town around…read more3pm looking for our first taste of real Fish and Chips. We were sad to see so many vacant buildings and like many of the other tourists, actually went up to several pub doors just to walk away realizing it'd gone out of business some time ago. We walked past a few "take-away" only places and at first dismissed it, but then upon not finding any other options, settled on The Hip Chip. We ordered two Cod and one Chip. Everything was cooked to order right in front of us and took about 15 minutes. The service was very friendly. When we received our fish we suddenly realized we got quite an amazing deal for our money; each of us got about 1lb of fish in addition to a good helping of chips. The fish was enormous and very good. The batter was flaky and seasoned well, much more than the standard salted seasoning. The fish tasted very fresh and wasn't overpowered by the batter, although it did start feeling a bit heavy after about 1/3 of the fish, but that's also because it was extremely filling. Definitely set the bar high for our first European fish and chips experience!

Came in from a driving tour of the giants causeway. Everyone was very hungry…read more Ordered a fish & chips supper and a side of fish. Not sure what we got but it was a lot of fish, and an abundance of fries. We've been in Scotland and Ireland for about 8 days or so, and have eaten fish and chips about 6 times. This had to be our least favorite. Batter / crust too thick, flavor of coating was that if a deep fryer seeming to need a refresh of oil. The service was decent, however all of our entrees were delivered to another table who ordered well after us, with one of the people hand delivering our food across the aisle to us. TWICE! Minimal tartar sauce provided, after asking for it... could've gotten more I suspect, but wonder who would've received it (humor intended). Place was empty when we arrived very quiet, either a lingering grease smoke in the room. Way too warm inside, with little to no ventilation. Stuffy is a good description. Last note.... The two orders rang up at over $38 / £29. Too expensive for a small town joint, with not the best flavor. IMO. I took no photos, not worth it.

Good stuff. Wish they had Kong zero sugar chilled. However, they had a good supply and inventory of…read morea lot of other things. Great prices, especially for the area. If you're staying in a hotel nearby, you can get anything you need for your stay. In fact, we did find some hiking and outdoor equipment that was good for exploring the northern Ireland.

Usually we went to Tesco for our groceries on this Road Trip. But in Portrush this Lidl was just…read morenext door to our rental apartment. So why go far, right? It's a good-sized Lidl that has everything you might need. Veggies, meat, fruit, all kinds of other food to stock up and household items. It's all fine and we found pretty much everything we looked for. But the quality is a step or two behind what we got used to. Especially the meat (Steaks) did not really thrill me. At Tesco you can get lots of different steaks (from the cheap to the top cuts). We also went for a bit pricier ones here....but it just didn't really do it for me. There's nothing really wrong, but it's not our choice to shop usually. Maybe old habits die hard....but we will go to Tesco again next time....or M&S.