Where to find Belfast’s best waffles

Located on the Upper Newtownards Road, Neill’s Hill is a friendly neighbourhood cafe and brasserie that opens six days a week for all day dining. Popular among locals and those visiting the area, Neill’s Hill is a popular brunch spot that gets incredibly busy come Saturday and Sunday. Their brunch menu is large and varied, offering a fantastic range of options that ensures there’s something for everyone to enjoy, regardless of personal taste or dietary requirements.

If you’re in the mood for waffles, you’ll be spoilt for choice with the options they have on offer here. Choose from a sweet and salty delight featuring crispy bacon and lashings of maple syrup or, if you’re a chocolate lover, we highly recommend their delicious dessert-inspired waffle, which comes with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. Alternatively, if you want to opt for the healthy option, their fresh fruit and maple syrup waffle offers a great way to start the day.

Another popular cafe and restaurant on the Upper Newtownards Road, Cyprus Avenue is one spot you won’t want to miss when it comes to dining out in Belfast. From breakfast to dinner, the menu at Cyprus Avenue is dictated by the seasons with each and every dish featuring the very best local, in-season produce.

You can expect a vast array of options to suit all tastes and dietary requirements, whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, or a committed carnivore. When you fancy waffles, this is a great spot to visit. Breakfast is served from 9 am and their menu, which is subject to change to reflect seasonality, always features a tasty waffle dish. Their current menu features a creative savoury liège waffle with ham hock, black butter roast pineapple, and a fried egg. However, you can always expect something new and exciting to suit the current season.

Catering to all dietary requirements and offering a tasty variety of small plates on a regularly changing menu that focuses the best flavours and ingredients of the season and local area, Idyll is one of the best new additions to Belfast’s dining scene. Located on the Ormeau Road just south of the city centre, Idyll is the perfect place to enjoy a filling and delicious brunch before heading for a relaxing stroll around Stormont Estate.

Their menu changes frequently to reflect the seasons but you can always expect a delicious topped waffle in some shape or form. So far they’ve served up some delicious apple and cinnamon waffles with blueberry syrup, some autumnal-inspired apple crumble waffles, and some indulgent chocolate chip waffles with coffee syrup, mascarpone, and cream. Plus, the coffee here is pretty special, too, so don’t miss ordering your favourite brew to start the day.

Those with a sweet tooth will find plenty to shout about at Cafe Mauds on the Lisburn Road. Known for its fresh and delicious locally-made ice cream, this popular ice cream parlour and dessert bar is a firm favourite among people from all across Northern Ireland. From ice cream to cake to crepes, coffee, and more, you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to sweet and delicious delights on offer here.

When it comes to waffles, there are few better spots to be found around the city. All waffles come with a scoop of ice cream of your choice and you can choose from a delicious selection of menu options including a ‘nice and simple’ icing sugar coated waffle, a tasty bacon and maple syrup topped treat, a delightful banoffee-inspired banana and toffee waffle, or even an indulgent Nutella-smothered waffle complete with chocolate buttons and Kinder Bueno.

Located on the Lisburn Road, Sticky Fingers Desserts is a truly unique dessert bar that takes sweet treats to the next level. From milkshakes to ice creams to crepes, cakes, and everything in between, this spot is heaven for dessert lovers and makes for the perfect spot to enjoy a relaxed date night or a chilled out catch up with friends. When it comes to fresh baked waffles, you can expect a vast array of options to suit all tastes, including their fruity Strawberry Robbery waffle, which is complete with chopped strawberries, chocolate chips, milk and white chocolate sauce, and served with an ice cream scoop of your choice. If you fancy something a little different, we recommend trying their incredible ‘Sticky Waffles’, which come served like a lolly pop on a stick. For toppings, you will have a choice of everything from silky caramel fudge to Nutella, fruits, sprinkles and much more.

Bright’s is a laidback and traditional restaurant located at the heart of Belfast City Centre. Serving a delightful menu of classic Irish favourites, alongside some tasty international dishes, you can expect tasty food and a no-frills atmosphere here. Their award-winning all-day breakfast menu features a great range of classic sweet and salty favourites from their small, medium, or large breakfast fry to their American-inspired ‘Yankee Breakfast’, eggs prepared how you like them, and various topped pancakes and waffles to suit all tastes. If you’re a waffle lover, we highly recommend their breakfast waffle topped with smoked bacon or sausage, your choice of eggs, and complete with maple syrup.

An understated cafe located on the Donegall Road just outside of the city centre, the Causeway Cafe is a great spot for a tasty breakfast or lunch with options to suit all tastes and dietary requirements. From smashed avocado on toast to various sweet and savoury pancake options, a Samson, Goliath, or Finn McCool fry, and plenty of vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free dishes, you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to tasty breakfast options. If waffles are on your mind, we highly recommend trying their freshly cooked to order American-style waffles that come served with toppings of your choice.

If you want something simple you can opt for just syrup from their selection of maple, raspberry, strawberry, chocolate, honey, Biscoff, or Nutella but if you fancy something more, you can opt for their savoury ‘Wake Me Up’ waffles that come with sausage, bacon, egg, and maple syrup. Their waffles are also available vegan and you can select from a wide range of toppings, including raisins, grapefruit, fresh sliced banana, apple and cinnamon, and many more.

A quirky cafe and coffee shop located in the heart of the Cathedral Quarter, you can almost certainly expect to queue for brunch here every weekend. Offering an ever-changing menu inspired by the best local and in-season produce, you can always expect something different every time you visit Established. Open from 7 am to 4:30 pm from Monday to Friday and 8 am to 4:30 pm on the weekend, this is the perfect spot to enjoy a relaxed breakfast or lunch in the city, whether you’re working remotely or catching up with friends.

One thing that’s guaranteed is that they’ll always have an indulgent waffle option on their menu. Recently, they’ve served up delicious options such as their seasonal Toffee Apple Waffle, which was topped with miso caramel, cardamom cream, and finished with an apple crisp and oat crumble, and a summer-inspired lemon meringue waffle with lemon curd, thyme meringue, white chocolate mousse, and raspberry coulis. Our mouths are watering at the thought!

Part of the popular General Merchants cafe group that has various locations around the city, 5A Cafe is a small and understated spot that serves up delicious coffee and plenty of tasty breakfast and lunch options. With sweet and savoury delights to suit all tastes, this is the perfect place to dine with a group of pals on the weekend or head out for a solo brunch during the week.

Their brunch menu features lots of delicious sweet and savoury options from a healthy and wholesome Acai Granola Bowl with homemade granola, açai flavoured natural yogurt, honey, fresh berries, candied walnuts, and seeds to avocado on toast and eggs served your way. When it comes to waffles, they offer a delicious range of options to suit all tastes including simple bacon and maple syrup, berry compote with yogurt, granola, and honey, and southern fried chicken with maple syrup and homemade chive butter.

A popular Belmont Road cafe, No. 36 is the ultimate spot to enjoy a tasty weekend breakfast, brunch, or lunch just east of the city. With a cosy and friendly atmosphere, you can expect plenty of locals dining here every weekend; you can rest-assured this popular spot will always have a warm and buzzing atmosphere. Their menu is huge with plenty of classic dishes alongside more creative offerings that cater to all tastes and dietary requirements. If you’re looking for waffles, you’re in luck.

If you’re a meat-eater, why not treat yourself to some freshly-made Belgian waffles with buttermilk chicken tenders, Frank’s buffalo hot sauce, sour cream, maple syrup, fresh chillis, and spring onions? Alternatively, veggies can enjoy some tasty veggie waffles complete with halloumi fries, a fried egg, Frank’s hot sauce, sour cream, and finished with maple and everything seasoning. If you’re more of a sweet waffle fan, they also serve various sweet options including waffles with maple syrup, whipped orange butter, and fresh berries.