Hope Street Restaurant Belfast — Restaurant in Belfast

"Very rude waiter" Phoned to book a pre-theatre meal on a Saturday for around 4pm lady on phoned said they were extremely busy on Saturday and I could only have our table for 1.5 hours and they needed it back, arrived and me and my friend were the only two customers in the restaurant!!!!!! Amazed at this considering we have a curfew!!!! We were met by a foreign guy who seated us and as it's a bring your own asked us did we need a glass or bottle cooler, wen we showed him what we were drinking he said use the wine glasses on the table!!!! I was drinking tins of magners with a splash of black Currant my friend blue wkd, this waiter hovered around us fixing knifes and forks and chairs moving tables tbh I thought he was trying to listen to our conversation and made me feel uncomfortable, we tired to ignore his odd behaviour and went ahead and ordered our 2 course meal starting £17.95 which is just an ok price for what you get, nothing fancy really caeser salad followed by chicken burger and sweet potato fries!!!! Well when we had finished we asked for our bill not wanting to over stay our curfew and when it arrived our corkage charge was added but it had £4.00 extra charge as well as corkage for soft drinks!!! We didn't order soft drinks we were drinking our byo so I brought this to the attention of the lovely waitress that was on her first shift ever, who went and spoke to the waiter who then came over to us and asked what's the problem I explained we didn't order soft drinks but we have been charged his reply floored me tbh he said very patronisingly now now I watched u add black current to your drink and I saw your friend with a bottle of sprite 500ml(which actually was in her bag from earlier) so I've charged you for the use of soft drinks, I was disgusted and gobsmacked at this, so the hovering was him watching our every move!!!! I do not recommend this restaurant the waiter was extremely rude to us, the food was nice enough but I will never be back, I'm an adult I'd like to be treated like one, and I paid corkage for my cider so why did I have to pay to add a splash of...

Hope St? More Like Hype Street – Overpromised and Underwhelming!”

When my friend and I popped into Hope St for dinner, we hoped for an evening of inspired food and ambience. Instead, we stumbled into what felt like a time warp back to the 1970s, with decor that wouldn’t look out of place in a grainy rerun and background music seemingly lifted from “Classic Rock for Lifts: The Greatest Hits.” With a name like Hope St, they’ve got the gall to lure you in with lofty promises. Sadly, “hype” is all this place has to offer.

We kicked off with a squid starter, only to be served a portion so meagre we wondered if the chef expected us to bring a magnifying glass. For a hefty price, the dish was more of a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appetiser—one of those sad little plates that make you wonder if it was a joke. It might’ve been forgivable if the rest of the meal had any semblance of flavour or finesse, but Hope St proved determined to double down on disappointment.

The wait for our mains felt like it belonged in the realms of fine dining, but the sad reality was anything but. My friend’s seabass arrived as if in some lukewarm limbo, drenched in a bland pasta sauce that might’ve been alright if it hadn’t been sitting there gathering dust. As for vegetables, they seemed to be on some sort of budget-saving operation, with barely a hint of anything green or fresh to be found.

Then came my veggie pasta. What can I say? Pathetic would be putting it mildly. Limp noodles and a half-hearted toss of veg that looked like it had simply given up on life. If you’re after an experience that makes you question your life choices, look no further.

My friend, ever the optimist, tried to raise these issues with the staff, who then spoke to the manager. Or so they claimed. Alas, we never saw this elusive manager ourselves, as waiting for them would’ve added another hour to an evening already overstretched.

On reflection, the empty tables and lacklustre vibe were all the red flags we needed. In the end, we left feeling short-changed and uninspired. Save yourself the trouble and...

Street Restaurant, Belfast — and Wow, Did They Deliver!

From first bite to last, this was a meal to remember. We kicked things off with a trio of standout starters: • Thai Chilli Beef – crispy, spicy perfection that packed a punch • Crispy Fishcakes – golden on the outside, flaky on the inside, paired with a dreamy black pepper mayo • Goat’s Cheese Fritters – rich, creamy, and completely addictive (yes, they’re as good as they sound)

For mains, the Slow-cooked Beef Brisket was an absolute winner. Melt-in-the-mouth tender with deep, rich flavour—an easy 10/10.

And then came the pan-seared salmon. Just wow. Perfectly cooked with a crisp skin and moist, flaky flesh, it was served atop a rich, velvety cream sauce with vibrant greens, smoky chorizo, sun-dried tomatoes and buttery mash. Finished with a fresh lemon wedge and pea shoots, it had that zingy lift that made every bite sing. My wife won’t stop going on about this dish. Her words? “Amazing. Faultless.” (And I have to agree.)

For dessert, we treated ourselves to two indulgent classics: • Sticky Toffee Pudding – rich, sticky, and generously soaked in butterscotch sauce, topped with creamy vanilla ice cream and a fresh strawberry • Lemon Posset – smooth, tangy, and utterly refreshing, finished with berry compote and served alongside a scoop of ice cream in a sweet little ramekin

This meal struck the perfect balance between hearty and fresh, sweet and savoury—a properly satisfying experience worth repeating. Honestly, the salmon alone is reason enough to come back.

Highly recommend Hope Street Restaurant if you’re after proper flavour, warm vibes, and beautifully presented.

This place is a MUST VISIT when...