First things first, we will have to sleep. So we are looking for a hotel. room2 Hometel is a homely hotel in the middle of the center. The looks are colorful, the staff is quick and helpful and the beds sleep wonderfully. There is a cozy bar-restaurant with live music every day. Which you hear nothing of in the room.

room2 Belfast

The cosiest option? The Bullitt Hotel. Really. With a double T at the end. The hotel has copied the dark, industrial-cool of hotel chains like the Hoxton and the Ace hotel, but with a twist. That twist is mainly in the colorful street art. which is reflected everywhere. The rooms are not large but have everything you need. More importantly, the hotel catering is in the category 'you-go-there-even-when-you-are-not-staying': restaurant Taylor & Clay is one of those for the whole day, from breakfast to lunch and dinner.

Bullitt Hotel

After sleeping your next first thing coffee! With the bit of rebelliousness of Belfast (something with heavy political protests from the sixties to the nineties) you understand that (pubs and) coffee bars are fine. Established Coffee has its own roastery and is one of the best coffee houses in town. The café is minimalist in appearance and has a large (work) table, a bar along the windows and window seats outside. The menu includes many sweet pastries, toast en porridges.

Established Coffee

Right on the other corner of EstD Coffee is Neighbourhood Coffee. Also one of the “one of the best” list. In terms of looks, Neighbourhood Café is a combination of Scandinavian minimalism and an American diner. How so? With lots of light oak, cosy diner-like seating areas and white and green. They have an extensive (brunch) menu with (French) toasts, eggs in all preparations (including 'beans on toast'), porridge, bagels and salad. Plus of course very good coffee. Oh yes, in the weekend Neighbourhood Café with a long queue.

A stone's throw from room2 hotel is restaurant Home Belfast. Home started out as a pop-up and became such a hit that they stuck around as a "real restaurant". A real value-for-money restaurant. It's not for nothing that they received a Bib Gourmand from the Michelin Guide, the award for good food for a decent price. Menus from £26.50 and main courses from £18.50 and then a plate of really good food in front of you. The atmosphere is cozy and the interior is clean, modern but not very special. For an evening of good food - both meat and fish and vegetarian - without getting an attack at the bill, you are in the right place at Home Belfast.

If you want to go fancy for a night, Ox is considered by many to be the best option in town. The restaurant has one star and the lunch menu is £60 and dinner £85. As you would expect from a starred restaurant, it tastes divine. Thankfully, there is no fuss: at Ox there are wooden (comfortable) chairs, wooden tables (no starched tablecloths this time), lots of glass and an attractive aqua-green painted 'farmhouse' barn door that takes up half the room. Beautiful. Fresh. Nice. More like being in Copenhagen or Stockholm, really. It should come as no surprise that at Ox You must make a reservation.