General Merchants — Restaurant in Belfast

NOT DOG FRIENDLY

This place advertises itself as dog friendly but when we arrived we were told dogs weren’t permitted inside, so instead we must sit on the street at the outdoor tables. But with sitting outside, we were informed we couldn’t have table service for some bizarre reason and so would need to place our orders inside. And then when the coffees came, they were in takeaway cups because they ‘aren’t allowed mugs outside,’ yet the food arrived on actual plates because actual plates are allowed outside, just not mugs for some bizarre reason - make it make sense. It was actually such a disastrous experience that we had to laugh. So really, it’s dog friendly if you get a take away. Everywhere is dog friendly if you wait outside with your dog, even the bloody hospital is dog friendly by their reasoning. I totally appreciate that some places don’t allow dogs and that is of course fine, but we were visiting Ireland for a week with our dog so we had actually travelled across Belfast as it is advertised as dog friendly. Had it not been that we had arranged to meet people there we would have left and went elsewhere. I certainly won’t ever be back. Food and coffee was okay but the service was atrocious. I am a fan of the Newtownards Road branch and I think they do at least allow dogs in the conservatory part, just for any other dog owners needing dog friendly places. But stay clear...

Visited here last Sunday for a brunch meal with a few friends. This is the second time I have visited but never left a review the last time (2 years ago). I had the GM breakfast which was very tasty with high quality ingredients. Very good portion size. I also had a flat white. Coffee was ok. Nothing exceptional and I actually found it very bitter leaving an unpleasant aftertaste.

The restaurant itself can get very busy and we were waiting for around 20 minutes waiting on a table. When you are seated, it really is luck of the draw. We were seated very close to the front and it felt very crammed in. This made it slightly unpleasant as all the other people waiting for tables were basically on top of us.

The restaurant is also very dark and quite loud when it gets very busy making it difficult to have a conversation. I understand that this can't be helped as it is a very popular spot and rightly so but just want to make others aware.

Overall, very tasty food. Ok coffee. Can get extremely busy at peak times affecting your overall...

The shady bistro interior was very inviting on a hot afternoon. I was tempted in for a late and unplanned lunch. Service is brisk and efficient. Lucky enough to have the day to myself, I opted for an icy glass of the recommended Rosè. There were three lunch options available, as well as the all day breakfast/brunch staples. I bypassed the Soma chicken burger eaturing soy glazed chicken, and the Porchetta Focaccia, and opted for the Romesco Al Fresco, a grilled chicken and cauliflower salad, served with nutty millet, leaves, almonds and a hibiscus ricotta. The ricotta was delicious, an unusual and flavourful pairing with the chargrilled chicken strips and generous portions of millet, almonds and charred cauliflower. Water was kept topped up. Without room for afters, I made a mental note of the fresh banana scones to try on a future occasion. I spent £16.00. General Merchants is an old favourite which I hadn't visited since Lockdown. Judged by today, it deserves its position as one of the most reliable eateries on the...