Where to spend the May Day Bank Holiday in Belfast

The May Bank Holiday, for many, signifies the beginning of summer and, if searching for a venue sparks that same excitement, Buba is sure to deliver. A unique Mediterranean restaurant, perfectly positioned in St Annes Square, Buba offers guests the opportunity to enjoy the wonderful tastes from this part of the world, sampling a wide variety of hot and cold small plates as well as the authentic main courses. Each dish is expertly crafted incorporating exotic produce, flavoursome spices, and rich culinary cooking traditions making every visit a unique experience. Delightfully decorated with jewel tones, plush banquet seating, neon lights topped off with an atmospheric playlist, this city centre spot creates a thrilling and exotic escape – the perfect backdrop for your bank holiday. Although inside is full of atmosphere, on a sunny bank holiday weekend in the city, you can relax on Buba’s heated terrace, sharing a variety of tapas plates with friends and enjoying one of the restaurant’s mouthwatering cocktails.

This bank holiday weekend is the perfect opportunity to try out the newest addition to Belfast’s hospitality scene – Lottie. Described as a “Neighbourhood deli brasserie winebar”, Lottie offers a minimalist and classy space, filled with art and greenery. The venue has shaken up the already burgeoning East Belfast food scene with an extensive menu filled with small plates, charcuterie boards, items from the grill and pasta. Although the evening menu is a must try, if in the area at lunch, guests can try out the restaurant’s popular lunch menu which incorporates the same level of quality and care. Between 12pm and 4pm visitors can sample a selection of Lottie’s deli dishes such as bagels and focaccia or sit down for a more filling main course dish. It’s the bank holiday weekend so the perfect excuse to enjoy your lunch with one of Lottie’s classic cocktails or a tipple from the extensive wine menu.

There’s no better way to celebrate the three-day weekend than with great food and even better drinks, in one of Belfst’s contemporary brunch spots – Freight. An iconic eatery, based out of shipping containers overlooking the famous C.S lewis, Freight offers some of the most unique brunch and supper menus the city has to offer, serving both quality interpretations of classic dishes and daring new ventures into the uncharted territories of food. Known to keep things exciting, the team at Freight are known to change up their menu regularly, experimenting with seasonal produce and unique flavours to create a culinary experience like no other. Not one to disappoint, this East Belfast go-to puts as much attention and effort into its vegan and vegetarian offering making it ideal for groups, ensuring no one has to miss out. Whether organising a lively boozy brunch with friends or a romantic date night with your one and only, Freight delivers a delicious culinary experience, the ultimate way to celebrate the kick-off your bank holiday weekend with a bang.

If you’re planning on spending the bank holiday weekend in the city, Sweet Afton is the perfect spot for food, drinks and live entertainment. Perfectly positioned in Belfast’s historic Linen Quarter, directly in the city centre, Sweet Afton is a lively bar with a unique decor themed after Robert Burn’s, with rich colours, dark wood and prose and poetry littered throughout. Although a popular bar, offering a Happy Hour Sunday through Thursday, Sweet Afton is a local favourite for its appetising food menu, which includes comforting delights such as steak and Guinness pie, a selection of steaks, beer battered haddock and more. Even better, everyone can enjoy what’s on offer at this city centre spot with a variety of options for vegetarians and vegans. This bank holiday, why not stop in to Sweet Afton for a number of its signature cocktails, light bites and live musical entertainment sure to make this long weekend one to remember.

A three-day weekend is the perfect excuse to catch-up with friends over a few cocktails, so why not spend the occasion in one of the best drink spots in the city. A new addition to Belfast’s drink scene, Angel and Two Bibles is a hidden speakeasy focused on one thing: making simply amazing cocktails! With two unique menus, The Old Testament filled with beloved classics and The New Testament consisting of the venue’s own exciting concoctions, this new bar has something on offer for everyone whether a fan of a smooth and smokey short or an over the top tropical serve. Even more alluring than the cocktail menus is the speakeasy’s outlandish interior. A seductive rooftop hideaway filled with velvet seating, whimsical art, mood lighting and colourful bouquets makes Angel and Two Bibles ideal for a boozy escape this holiday weekend – catching the ultimate pictures for any Instagram feed. In the chance that the sun is shining this May, Angel and Two Bibles also has an idyllic terrace that provides the perfect backdrop overlooking the rooftops across the city centre and a suntrap to soak up the heat.