Belfast’s most Instagrammable places to eat

When you’re looking for the perfect night out with the girls, we highly recommend checking out The Perch. Tucked away on Franklin Street and finding its home on the top floor of a converted warehouse, this stunning rooftop cocktail bar will offer some great vibes and plenty of opportunity to capture the perfect Instagram picture. With cosy tables creating an intimate vibe and the sun shining in from above, you are guaranteed great lighting and stunning surroundings for that perfect shot holding your just-as-Instagram-worthy cocktail in hand. With a creative cocktail menu that features all the classics and an ever-changing array of exciting drinks that are based on the seasons, you can always expect something new and delicious here.

A relatively new addition to Belfast’s growing dining scene, Roam is another one of our top picks when it comes to Insta-worthy venues in the city. Hidden away down Callendar Street in the city centre, it would be easy to miss this intimate little restaurant when you’re just passing by. However, it’s well worth booking in to discover all the magic that awaits when you venture inside. Offering a refined yet casual dining experience with menus that focus on the very finest locally sourced ingredients, you can expect a truly unique and memorable dining experience. Dishes are well-presented to whet your appetite and make your senses tingle before you even take your first bite. So, make sure you’ve got your camera at the ready to snap a photo of the artwork that will arrive on your plate. After all, the camera eats first!

Sushi presented in a little wooden boat? It really doesn’t get much more Instagrammable than that! Not only does the sushi and ramen here offer a delicious and authentic taste of Japan, dining here also makes for the perfect Instagram photo to wow your followers. With various locations around the city, including one on Donegall Pass, one in East Belfast, and one in Carrick, you’re never too far from some of the most delicious and well-presented Japanese food that Northern Ireland has to offer. So, grab your pals, your chopsticks and your camera, and get ready for one of the best Asian dining experiences in the city. Besides the plates themselves being picture-perfect, the restaurant’s interior is also decorated with unique and colourful Japanese-inspired artwork, taking you on a complete sensory journey that you won’t soon forget.

For fans of tapas, we highly recommend booking a table at EDŌ on Upper Queen Street. Offering contemporary European dishes that are designed to be shared at the heart of Belfast City Centre, there’s lots to love about this popular, award-winning restaurant. With rustic interiors and a relaxed vibe, this is the perfect place to snap a photo for the gram, looking classy with a glass of wine in hand. Plus, the dishes here are so beautifully presented that we won’t blame you for wanting to immortalise them in picture form before enjoying the vibrant and complex flavours that are packed into each and every dish. Taking inspiration from the Mediterranean, you can expect everything from scallop ceviche to wild Irish venison, truffle and potato croquettes, and spiced cauliflower with romesco. 

With huge floor-to-ceiling windows and a stunning view out over the River Lagan, OX is one of the most beautiful places to dine in Belfast. This Michelin star restaurant offers up a unique and creative menu of delicious dishes based around the very best local and seasonally available produce sourced from all across the Emerald Isle. With a dedicated team ensuring diners enjoy the very best quality food, a great selection of wines, and top-class Irish hospitality, this is undoubtedly one of the very best dining experiences the city has to offer. A light and airy space with minimalist decor, including white brick walls, simple wood tables, and an impressive wine display, photos here will take your Instagram’s classiness to the next level. The food is just as Insta-worthy as the decor, with perfectly prepared small plates being as much a feast for the eyes as they are for the taste buds.

Perhaps one of the most Instagrammed restaurants in Belfast, Zen on Adelaide Street is known for its low lighting, cosy booth seating, and lit-up walkway that’s draped with silk curtains and cherry blossoms. Have you even been to this restaurant if you didn’t snap an outfit picture on this iconic walkway? Besides the beautifully decorated and intimate interiors, the food and drink here are also something to be admired. With a Japanese and Asian fusion influence combined with a unique Belfast twist, you can expect a fantastic array of delicious dishes, such as fresh sushi and sashimi, spicy noodle dishes, flavourful teppanyaki, and much more. The cocktails are also pretty special, boasting a unique and exciting Asian twist that’s fresh, fragrant and full of flavour, offering the perfect accompaniment to the spicy and delicious dishes that are sure to leave you feeling more than satisfied.

Situated above Belfast’s historic indoor market, Stock Kitchen and Bar is one of the most unique dining experiences you can get in Belfast. Headed by renowned chef Danny Millar, Stock utilises the local produce of the market below, passionate about delivering quality dishes using the finest Irish produce, seven days a week. If the food isn’t tempting enough, the location is unparalleled. If choosing to visit the Kitchen and Bar, weekend brunch on the balcony is a prime opportunity for your local snap; a traditional Irish breakfast washed down with a mimosa, surrounded by the lively sounds of the speciality market below.

Overlooking Belfast City Hall, there’s no denying that Cafe Parisien in the city centre offers one of the very best restaurant views you’ll find anywhere in Northern Ireland. A French-style eatery that’s open for breakfast, brunch, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, and late-night drinks, it’s always the perfect time to dine here. When the sun is shining, you can head out on the spacious terrace and snap a photo in front of the City Hall. Otherwise, you can sit in the cosy booth seating surrounded by exposed brick and large windows that allow the daylight to flood in and indulge in a rich and delicious afternoon tea, complete with an array of finger sandwiches, rich and delicious scones, and French-inspired patisseries, all washed down with tea or coffee of your choice – or a cheeky glass of bubbles. The menu is creative and delicious, with something to suit everyone. From a classic French Onion Soup to Steak Frites, diners will certainly be spoilt for choice.

Set on the Lisburn Road, Chubby Cherub is a beloved and unique Italian ristorante and deli serving up a delicious range of classic Italian-inspired delights for breakfast, lunch and dinner. With stunning interiors reminiscent of a bygone romantic era and a beautiful outdoor seating area that offers you the perfect vantage point from which to people-watch the hustle and bustle of life on the Lisburn Road, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to capture the perfect Instagram photo here. From hanging chandeliers to elegant white walls, from marble tables to artificial lemon trees, your Instagram followers would be easily fooled into believing you’d actually just booked an impromptu trip to the south of Italy. When it comes to food and drinks, you’ll also be more than impressed, with classic Italian dishes made with love and a great selection of cocktails and wines that make for the perfect pairing for each and every dish.

When it comes to epic dining views, there’s no better option than the incredible Observatory on the top floor of The Grand Central Hotel in Belfast City Centre. Overlooking the inner city in the foreground and the surrounding mountains and sea stretching out into the horizon, you can sit here and enjoy an indulgent afternoon tea or a few cheeky cocktails while taking in the view; a great shot for the ‘gram and a perfect way to remember your time in Belfast. Believe it or not, this is actually the highest bar in all of Ireland, making for one of the best views you can enjoy with a cocktail in hand across the entire island. For an extra special memory, we recommend booking the unique Bollinger Experience. For £120, you and three friends can enjoy a true five star experience with a reserved window seat and a bottle of chilled Bollinger Champagne with a selection of divine handcrafted nibbles made for sharing.