Where to find the best breakfasts in Belfast

For a truly memorable breakfast experience, we highly recommend checking out the fantastic Grand Cafe on the ground floor of the opulent Grand Central Hotel. Located in the heart of the city centre, close to the main shopping street and City Hall, you’ll be perfectly located to begin your day of exploration in the city. When it comes to the food, you’ll have plenty to choose from, including smashed avocado with eggs on sourdough, a bowl of fruit and nut granola with local yoghurt, and, of course, a big Irish breakfast. If you’ve woken up hungry, the ‘House Breakfast’ is the perfect option to set you up for your day, complete with Lisdergan pork sausages, Grant’s dry-cured back bacon, tomato, Gracehill black pudding, mushrooms, poached eggs, soda bread, and potato bread. What’s more, there’s even a vegan alternative, which comes with a hash brown, sourdough bread, crushed avocado, a vegan sausage, tomato, and mushrooms.

Located slightly outside of the city centre in the Ivanhoe Hotel, the Ivanhoe Bistro serves up a hearty breakfast you won’t want to miss. You can choose from omelettes complete with fillings of your choice, French toast with maple syrup and bacon, warm hearty porridge with fresh berries, and more. However, the main attraction is, of course, the Full Irish Breakfast. Complete with bacon, sausage, tomato, mushrooms, potato bread, soda bread, and eggs as you like them, you sure won’t go hungry if you start your day with this. Coming in at £12.50, this hearty breakfast is also great value, filling you up for your day of adventures in Belfast.

Another popular hotel located just outside the city centre, Belfast’s Balmoral Hotel is the perfect place to start your day. Enjoy a slow morning indulging in a delicious breakfast amidst the beautiful surroundings of the stunning Lady Anne Brasserie, where you can enjoy everything from freshly prepared croissants and scones with jam and cream to cereals, omelettes, American-style pancakes, and more. The Full Irish Breakfast is a popular choice among guests featuring local sausage, thick cut bacon, black pudding, roasted tomato, pan-fried buttered mushrooms, soda bread, potato farls, and eggs cooked to your liking. If meat isn’t on the menu for you, you can also indulge in the hearty Vegetarian Breakfast, which comes with roasted tomato, pan-fried buttered mushrooms, soda bread, potato farl, baked beans, and eggs cooked to your liking. Absolutely delightful!

Fancy enjoying your breakfast in the most famous hotel in Belfast? If so, you need to head to the fantastic Europa Hotel on Great Victoria Street. Located in the heart of the city, you can enjoy your breakfast in stunning surroundings while being treated to the world-class hospitality that our wee island is so famous for. Serving up a traditional Irish breakfast menu that showcases an array of the very best of Northern Ireland’s seasonal larder and heritage, using where possible, locally sourced fresh produce, you can expect nothing short of excellence in every single dish. From a fresh Continental Platter complete with a fresh fruit salad, natural Clandeboye probiotic vanilla yoghurt with mixed berries and granola, and a freshly baked breakfast muffin to various cereals, juices and baked goods, you’ll really be spoilt for choice by what’s on offer here. When it comes to the traditional Irish Breakfast, we have to say it’s really one of the best you’ll find in the city. Complete with an array of locally sourced goods, including Grant’s dry cured bacon, Carnbrooke honeybee sausages, Clements Farm free range poached eggs, grilled tomato, McKenna mushrooms, Irwin’s potato bread and soda bread, Gracehill white pudding, and baked beans, you certainly won’t go hungry!

Another fantastic spot in the heart of the city, Parisien is perfectly situated overlooking the City Hall. So, you can enjoy a morning of people watching as you enjoy your French-inspired breakfast with a Belfast twist. The signature ‘Parisien Breakfast’ invites a classy French-style twist on the traditional Irish breakfast. This delicious dish is complete with pork and leek sausages, back bacon, tomato, mushrooms, toasted sourdough, and a fried egg. Veggies, you also don’t need to worry about missing out – the popular Vegetarian Breakfast is just as delicious and comes with spinach, mushroom, tomato, vegan sausages, spiced baked beans, and sourdough toast. Besides that, the menu also offers a delightful array of treats, including Eggs Benedict and Eggs Florentine, French Toast, an Open Prawn Sandwich, and much more.

A beloved neighbourhood restaurant in the heart of Ballyhackamore, Cyprus Avenue is a must-visit for all occasions. Whether it’s a weekend brunch with the gals, a slow Sunday breakfast with the family, or a breakfast date with your partner, you won’t regret starting your day off here. During the summer months, you can lounge on the beautiful outdoor terrace, which is set amongst leafy green trees, as you people watch the sleepy Belfast suburb begin to wake up for the day. Otherwise, you can dine indoors in the cosy dining area, which is the perfect place to relax as you slowly begin your day. Now, let’s talk about the food. The menu is simple yet creative and inspired by the best available local produce. The delicious Cyprus Avenue Cooked Breakfast is a highlight not to be missed. With bacon, sausage, black pudding, fried eggs, and a delicious selection of home-baked breads, including potato oaten, soda, and treacle wheaten, as well as mushrooms, tomato, and beans, you will be full for the entire morning – if not the whole day!

Another popular Ballyhackamore eatery, Neill’s Hill is a must-visit for a delicious weekend brunch. The brunch menu is probably one of the biggest we’ve seen, with a delicious array of dishes to suit all tastes and dietary requirements. The classic Irish Breakfast is a popular choice, featuring all the usual suspects. Meanwhile, the Hot Vegan Breakfast with a freshly prepared potato rosti, vegan sausage, tomato, mushrooms, beans, spinach, and grilled sourdough is ideal for those following a plant-based diet. Besides those, you can also opt for eggs in various forms, including Eggs Benedict, Eggs Florentine or Eggs Royale, as well as scrambled eggs served with smoked salmon and an English muffin. For those with a sweet tooth, there’s also a delightful selection of waffles and fruit options that are sure to satisfy.

If you want to escape the city centre for a morning to somewhere a little more relaxed and peaceful, we highly recommend booking into the fantastic Cultra Inn on the road between Belfast and Bangor. Part of the opulent Culloden Estate and Spa, this spot is open for all-day dining and prides itself on top-quality Irish hospitality, fantastic local food, and a relaxed dining atmosphere. In the morning, you’ll be greeted by a delightful breakfast menu featuring everything from Eggs Benedict, Eggs Royale, and even a veggie twist on this morning favourite to wholesome Porridge Oats with toppings of your choice. Not for you? Well, maybe the American-style Buttermilk Pancakes topped with Nutella, chocolate crumb, and whipped cream will entice – or perhaps the tasty Shakshuka with baked Clements’ eggs and roasted peppers in a North African spiced tomato sauce, all served with toasted sourdough bread will do the trick. Bringing a twist on the classic Irish breakfast, we highly recommend the Breakfast Brioche, which comes with a Lisdergan pork and Armagh apple burger, Grant’s dry cured bacon, Clements’ fried egg, and finished off with Erin Grove tomato and red pepper chutney.

A beloved Italian restaurant with two locations in the city, the Chubby Cherub proves hugely popular at lunch and dinner time – but many may not even be aware that they’re also open for breakfast. Personally, we can think of no better way to start your morning in the city than sitting amidst the breathtaking Italian-inspired decor enjoying fresh coffee and delicious food that brings together the very best of Irish and Italian cuisines. From Banana Pistachio Toast to Parmesan Scrambled Eggs, there’s something to suit all tastes. The delicious Breakfast Bruschetta with a poached egg, bacon, mushrooms, tomato, black pudding, and parmesan, complete with pesto and rocket offers a delicious twist on an Irish breakfast bap. Meanwhile, the Salmone Affumicato with smoked salmon, a chive boxty pancake with ricotta, a poached egg, and lemon dressed rocket offers the perfect blend of Irish and Italian flavours.

Now with three locations across Northern Ireland, Joxer is a brilliant brunch spot that has gone from strength to strength since it first opened in Holywood. Really, it comes as no surprise that this spot has proven so popular, with its stylish decor, creative dishes, and friendly hospitality. The Holywood cafe is the perfect place to start your day. Make sure to book ahead because otherwise you’ll be joining a pretty long queue! From smoothie bowls to Turkish Eggs, Chicken and Waffles to Smashed Avo, the flavours here are delicious and varied with something to suit all tastes. If you’re in the mood for a traditional Irish breakfast, you’ll have a few options to choose from, including The Joxer, which comes with a spiced pork pattie, cured pork belly, a fried egg, hash brown, whipped sea salt butter, cheddar, and Joxer ketchup all served inside a Belfast Bap. Vegetarians can indulge in the flavourful Veggie Joxer with halloumi, smashed avocado, hash brown, folded egg, and tomato relish, inside a Belfast Bap. However, if you’re hungry, we recommend the Full Holywood complete with Butcher’s sausage, Irish bacon rashers, Clonakilty Black Pudding, a fried egg, a portobello mushroom, a grilled tomato, and potato bread, soda bread, and a hash brown. Absolutely delicious!