The Starfish — Restaurant in Northern Ireland

Had a delicious lunch in the Starfish cafe when we arrived early to checkin to the Cairn Bay Lodge for 3 nights. The menu has so many tempting brunch and lunch options it was difficult to choose, but we plumped for a delicious Japanese-style salad and a BaHo Bay bap along with refreshing soft drinks. We also sampled the best ever vegan sweet-treats which were a fantastic option for my non-vegan but dairy-intolerant companion. Overall, the freshness and quality of the food we had, and the attention to detail in each dish was top notch. That, combined with a nice, friendly, cafe vibe made it feel a very comfortable place to us. The building itself is a clever blend of original Arts & Craft features alongside quirky, eclectic decor... lots of interesting details to catch your eye while you're there, competing with the great view over Ballyhome Bay too, of course. We had a table for lunch inside but there were also outside tables set up on the sunny front terrace. While we were there in April 2024 the cafe was open from 9am to 3pm, Wednesday to Saturday (closed Sun/Mon/Tues) and I'd say it's worth going earlier rather than later because you might well be tempted to have more...

I attempted to go here for the first time with my family as a party of 6 adults and 2 small children. I called in advance to check if they would be able to accommodate such a group in case it is only a very small cafe. I was told just to come and wait for a table, which is fine. In the 10minutes it took us to drive there, my baby son fell asleep in the car. The other 6 members of the party went on in to get a table. I had planned to give them my order and I would give the baby another 20mins to sleep, by which time my food would hopefully have arrived. My family waited and waited and were eventually told they wouldn't be seated until the whole party had arrived. I find this a very frustrating and inflexible policy, it's not as if I wasn't going to arrive, I was literally parked outside just giving my baby an extra few minutes to sleep. My family decided to leave rather than wait on the basis of this ridiculous policy, and we found another eatery which was happy to have our business instead.

*Unclear why the owner's response mentions my mother, as she is not local and had never been there...

Shocked to say that whilst here with a friend last week, they couldn’t cook an egg I minute longer to ensure it wasn’t soft, simple request I thought, as my friend is pregnant and can’t eat soft eggs. The reply was…we are too busy for that. I’m sorry, I don’t care how good you think you are but that was ridiculous. I’m pretty sure vegans and vegetarians are catered for so I couldn’t understand the response. Wont be back…..thank you for you reply. It is as unsatisfactory as your service was on the day. Once informed you were too busy and don’t make boiled eggs, we simply asked for a poached egg to be cooked a minute or so longer to ensure it was safe to eat. Can’t understand why this was so difficult. As you say, my choice whether or not to return. Have been coming here for years, with a large family who also visit . However, your response has made it a very easy decision...