Belfast’s best eats on a budget

Possibly the most iconic restaurant in Belfast, Boojum is the ultimate place to grab cheap, cheerful, tasty Mexican food. What’s more, with 5 locations in Belfast alone, it is also extremely accessible.

At Boojum, you can customise your meal to your own liking. You may choose either a classic burrito, or a burrito bowl and fill it with your choice of rice, meat, vegetables, and beans. Then, you can top it all of with some cheese, sour cream, salsa, and, of course, no burrito is complete without a large helping of guacamole. Moreover, if you are vegan or vegetarian, there is a special vegan chilli option available for the filling. The best thing about Boojum is that, however you choose to eat your burrito, you can enjoy it for no more £8!

Yardbird is a stylish, affordable restaurant, located above the Dirty Onion Pub in Belfast’s beautiful Cathedral Quarter. The main cuisine at Yardbird is rotisserie chicken, however, there are other options available. Yardbird has a scrumptious menu for both lunch and dinner, with amazing deals, such a 1/4 of a rotisserie chicken and a side for just £5.

Alternatively, if you are going for a romantic dinner for two, you can enjoy the Beer ‘N’ Bird deal. This includes a whole roast chicken, 2 sides and 2 Yardbird Pale Ales, all for the low price of £22. What’s more, if you are vegetarian, you can still enjoy a cheap, cheerful meal at Yardbird as their Veggie Wrap option is delicious.

Located close to Belfast’s stunning Titanic Quarter, Wolf And Devour is less of a restaurant and more food van. However, don’t let its modest exterior fool you, the food at Wolf And Devour is amazing. Wolf And Devour specialises in a range of burgers, with a wide selection of beef, pork and chicken options available. If you want something smaller, or you want to pre-game before the main meal, you can choose from Wolf And Devour’s mouth-watering starters, such as their ‘Beef Barbecue Rib Fingers’ and ‘Mac’n’ Cheese Balls’.

Whilst this all sounds very meaty, you can also enjoy a meal at Wolf And Devour if you are veggie. Wolf And Devour have 3 yummy vegan and vegetarian burger options: The Chilli Non-Carne, The Hippyster, and The Hallouminati. What makes all of this even better is that the entire menu at Wolf And Devour is super affordable, with the most expensive item costing just £11.

A popular student spot, Ryan’s Bar and Restaurant is located in the city’s University Quarter on the top end of the Lisburn Road. A lively bar and restaurant with classic pub favourites, this is a great place to dine, drink, and catch up with friends without spending a fortune. Open everyday from lunchtime to late, diners will be greeted with a warm welcome and a friendly relaxed atmosphere, as well as excellent food and great craic.

Their special offer of two courses for £14 is perfect for those who want to enjoy an amazing dining experience for a really reasonable price. For starters, they offer everything from loaded potato wedges to succulent pork belly bites and their main menu features an array of tasty pastas, steaks, burgers, and more. If you’re more of a sweet tooth kind of person, you’ll be delighted by their delicious dessert menu that features everything from a warm Belgian waffle to banoffee pie to an indulgent dark chocolate and pecan tart and much more.  

A Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant located at the heart of the city, Home Restaurant is known for offering Michelin-quality dining at a much more affordable price. Starting life as a three-month pop up restaurant back in 2011, Home became an instant hit with the city’s foodies and has grown to become one of Belfast’s most beloved restaurants. Their menu is local, seasonal, and fresh with options to suit all tastes and dietary requirements from meat-eaters to vegans, those following a gluten-free diet, and more. Open for all-day dining, this is the perfect place to enjoy an exquisite meal with friends or family without spending a fortune. And while it’s not exactly a ‘budget’ dining option, we can assure you that you won’t find food of this quality for a better price anywhere else in the city.

Located in the west of the city, The Devenish Complex is a firm favourite among locals looking for delicious food, flowing drinks, live entertainment, and great craic. The perfect spot for all occasions, you can enjoy a lively night out watching the latest sporting fixtures or relax with a delicious afternoon meal from their incredible £9.95 lunch menu served between 12 pm and 4 pm from Monday to Friday. Open seven days a week from noon until late, you have plenty of reasons to dine here. And even if you’re not dining in for lunch, their evening menu is also incredibly reasonable with a great selection of pizzas costing less than £12, burgers with your choice of side for under £13, and a fantastic array of mains for under £15, you’ll be able to really treat yourself without spending a fortune.

Pizza lovers need to book a table at the amazing Pizza Punks pizzeria in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter. A fun and daring restaurant, the pizzas here are bold and full of flavour and like none you’ve ever seen before. Served on a freshly baked sourdough base, you can choose from their delicious range of set menu pizzas or create your own with unlimited toppings of your choice for a fixed price of £12.95. If that wasn’t enough, they also offer ‘Cheap Date Mondays’, during which you can enjoy any two pizzas plus two drinks from their cocktail, beer, or wine menu for just £26. They also offer a brilliant ‘Boozy Brunch’ menu everyday between 12 pm and 3 pm, which includes any pizza plus four (yes, you read that right) drinks for just £36.

The perfect spot for a tasty lunch while on the go in the city, City Picnic is a quirky eatery serving delicious food for a very reasonable price. Offering a great selection of breakfast, lunch and dinner alongside a fantastic range of beers, wines, and cocktails, City Picnic is all about the food, the provenance of the food, and the taste. From Sunday to Thursday, they offer a brilliant Pizza and Daiquiri deal, whereby diners can enjoy any two classic pizzas and two frozen strawberry daiquiris for just £35. Aside from that, they run frequent limited time offers, so keep an eye on their socials and website to see what’s going on. Even without the offers, the menu here is incredibly reasonable with pizzas costing a maximum of £15, burgers maximum £12, and cocktails coming in at just £8 or £15 for two. 

A fantastic bar and street food eatery located in Belfast City Centre, Haymarket is the perfect place to enjoy a good time on a budget. With a lively atmosphere and a brilliant menu of food and drinks, this is the perfect spot to catch up with friends, enjoy some live music, and let go of the week you’ve just had. Their amazing bottomless brunch offer is among the best in the city. For just £35 per person, guests can enjoy bottomless cocktails, beer, or prosecco plus tasty street food bites for a period of 90 minutes every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Aside from that, they also offer a great student deal like their Student Brunch, which comes in at £25 per person, and two for one cocktails every Wednesday to Friday.

A student favourite and a great place for generous portions at a reasonable price, Maggie Mays offers a delicious menu of traditional homemade Irish food that will warm you from the inside out. With three locations, one on Botanic Avenue, one on the Malone Road, and one in Belfast City Centre, you’ll never be too far from a hearty breakfast, lunch, or dinner at Maggie Mays. A family run cafe first opened in 1995, the legacy of this place proves they must be doing something right.

So, whether you go all out and order their £10 Bumper Fry, which features two fried eggs, two bacon rashers, two sausages, potato bread, soda bread, hash brown, mushrooms, beans, tomatoes, and chips, or you opt for something lighter like their tasty soups and sandwiches, you’re sure to find something that tickles your fancy here. They even have an incredible vegan and vegetarian menu that means even those with specific dietary requirements don’t have to worry about missing out on the incredible food available here.

A friendly local cafe hidden away on the Donegall Road, Alan’s Causeway Cafe is known to offer some of the best value food you’ll find in the city. Open everyday from 7:55 am to 2 pm, this is a great place to relax and enjoy a delicious breakfast, brunch, or lunch. If you’re a fan of an Ulster Fry, then this is the spot for you as you can choose from the ‘Samson Fry’, the ‘Goliath Fry’, the ‘Finn McCool Fry’, the ‘Belly Buster Soda’, or the meat-free Veggie Fry, all of which come in at under £10.

They also serve a delicious range of pancakes, waffles, bagels, filled baps, burgers, tacos, sandwiches, and more. Plus, they have a full vegan menu with a vast array of delicious options including various vegan fries, vegan pancakes, sandwiches, porridge, waffles, and more. So, if you’re looking for the perfect place to indulge without breaking the bank, then Alan’s Causeway Cafe is the spot for you.

Located in the very heart of the city, The Northern Whig is a popular Belfast bar and restaurant known for its amazing food, flowing drinks, and warm and welcoming atmosphere. An ultra-stylish neoclassical bar, the interiors of this place truly add to the experience and the food is just as amazing to match.

Open seven days a week, The Northern Whig blends luxury, comfort, and glamour to bring you the best that Belfast has to offer in all aspects of hospitality with the best in local cuisine and specialist cocktails. If you want to save some money, their Beat the Clock deal is an offer you simply can’t miss. Available every Monday to Wednesday from 5 pm to 7 pm, you can enjoy up to 50% off your food bill depending on the time of dining, with the percentage dropping by 10% for every half an hour that passes.

For delicious, authentic, and affordable Thai food, you simply must pay a visit to the incredible Bo Tree Kitchen located in the city’s Queen’s Quarter. This spot is incredibly popular so we highly recommend booking in advance to avoid disappointment. Their menu is incredibly varied and full of flavour with a great range of classic Thai dishes including a creamy Gaeng Massaman, a spicy Pad Phet Pak, and a fresh and fragrant Som Tam papaya salad.

The team here goes out of their way to ensure they cater for all tastes and dietary requirements with a vast array of vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options, so even those with specific dietary requirements don’t have to worry about missing out on the delicious food available here. To make it even better, Bo Tree Kitchen operates solely on a Bring Your Own basis so you can save some money on drinks to be spent on more of their delicious Thai dishes. What more could you ask for?