The Courtyard Restaurant at Antrim Castle Gardens
Housed within the restored stable courtyard adjacent to Clotworthy House, this café-restaurant serves honest, locally sourced lunches and all-day breakfasts in one of the most characterful settings in town. It is the natural reward after a walk through the formal gardens.
What to Order
The Ulster fry here is the real deal — soda bread and potato bread baked in-house, proper back bacon, and a fried egg with a yolk the colour of marigolds. It arrives on a warm plate and is worth every calorie after a brisk morning walk around the canal.
The lunch menu leans into Northern Irish produce: soups made from local vegetables, open sandwiches on thick-cut wheaten bread, and seasonal specials that change with what's available from nearby suppliers. The coffee is strong and the portions are generous.
The Setting
The courtyard itself — cobbled, sheltered and prettily planted in summer — is the real selling point. On a warm afternoon, an outdoor table here with a pot of tea and a slice of traybake feels like a minor luxury.
It is popular with locals for weekend brunch, so arrive before 11 am or after 1:30 pm to avoid the busiest period. The staff are reliably friendly and the whole experience is unpretentious and good value by any standard.
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