Sponsored by Belfast One
Belfast’s culinary excellence will be celebrated in a week-long event as some of the city’s finest establishments showcase their innovative and creative dishes.
The highly acclaimed Belfast Restaurant Week, led by Belfast city’s three Business Improvement Districts – Belfast One, Cathedral Quarter BID and Linen Quarter BID – is entering its fifth year runs until October 13.
It’s gearing up to be the biggest ever with over 70 offers already including Michelin-starred restaurant Ox Cave, Roam and the five-star Grand Central Hotel among the top venues signed up.
Other city centre venues participating in this year’s celebration include The Academy, Amelia Hall, Flame, Roam, Deanes, La Taqueria, The Cloth Ear, 2Taps, and Home.
Whilst previously the event’s format has focused on value, this year has evolved to allow hospitality venues to host creative experiences from food pairings to tasting menus to demonstrations and masterclasses. Offers and experiences available are listed on the Belfast Restaurant Week website.
This year’s launch event took place this week at Amelia Hall, one of the city’s most anticipated new bars, located in the Belfast One District.
In 2023 Belfast Restaurant Week had remarkable success with 49 restaurants taking part, leading to an estimated £190,00 additional spend across the city centre.
As Damian Corr, manager at Destination CQ BID, explains, this year’s fresh concept hopes to address the challenges faced by the hospitality industry by unlocking more opportunity for venues to get involved.
He said: “Belfast Restaurant Week is a highlight of our food and drink calendar, with thousands of foodies supporting the celebration year-on-year and taking a greater bite out of what they know to be the local food scene.
“The event is a celebration that is all about exploring and discovering Belfast’s rich culinary scene. “This year, we’ve enhanced the programme to ensure participating venues can include unique and experience-driven events. Our hospitality industry has shown incredible resilience over the past few years – signalling the quality of our offering and highlighting how important the culinary experience is to Belfast as a destination.
“We look forward to collaborating with hospitality businesses once again this year to ensure this event continues to be a success.”
Stephen Haller, director and owner of Home Restaurant Belfast, said: “Moving beyond solely an offer-led experience to include unique events and experiences gives businesses the chance to really connect with our customers in new and exciting ways.
“Last year, the set menu we introduced for Restaurant Week was such a hit that we decided to keep it going even after the event had finished, and we’re eager to see what innovations we can bring this time around.
“The restaurant industry can be challenging, with rising costs and staffing shortages, so anything that brings a buzz and gets people excited to dine out is something we wholeheartedly support. “We’re looking forward to contributing to a vibrant atmosphere in Belfast and making this year’s Restaurant Week the best one yet. We can’t wait to see everyone come out and enjoy what we’ve got planned.”
Belfast is home to some of the world’s best talent and Northern Ireland food produce is acclaimed for its quality. Restaurant Week is a platform that makes sense
In June, Belfast’s three city BIDs appointed Michael Stewart as the city centre’s first Night Czar. A crucial element of the role is to support hospitality businesses to enhance the night-time economy.
Damien added: “Belfast is an exceptional performer when it comes to food and drink.
“It’s home to some of the world’s best talent and Northern Ireland food produce is acclaimed for its quality. Restaurant Week is a platform that makes sense – it showcases the flair and creativity of our establishments and offers consumers a compelling reason to get out and enjoy the food scene.
“I commend the BIDs for their continued efforts in creating a landmark event that brings the industry together whilst also opening up opportunity to drive footfall.”
For more information on Belfast Restaurant Week and upcoming offers visit belfastrestaurantweek.org.
