Academy Restaurant in Belfast

First visit to Academy with a few friends after hearing good reports through word of mouth. We really enjoyed our evening. The restaurant itself is slick and chic, service was excellent and the food was absolutely great. I had the mushroom arancini, steak and eton mess. Loved all of it. Would highly recommend.

Had a super lunch with another couple - great food and great value. It’s great to see our hospitality industry is gaining such experienced staff after their training at The Academy

On Friday past we took 22 colleagues for dinner. Without exception the response from all to the tasting menu produced by the Head Chef Wendy was a resounding fantastic ! Some who had travelled from around the UK commented it was the best food they had eaten and I wouldnt disagree. The steaks were exceptional. From the quality of the food to the surroundings through to the service it made it a memorable night. Often when going out good food can be let down down by poor service . But not here led I believe by Laszlo and Pamela the staff on the floor, Reuben Jodie Shaz and Tooba made sure it was a great experience. We wanted to thank the whole team for their efforts and if you havent been yet to this place you are missing a real treat.

Had the pleasure of having lunch for the first time today at The Academy Restaurant. Everything thing about the experience was five Star. The surroundings, staff and of course the food.

I'll let you into a little secret. The Academy restaurant is the best restaurant in Belfast. If you want to spend a fortune for an amazing dinner somewhere else, you either: (a) have a lot more momey than me, or (b) a lot less sense. Do yourself a favour.

I recently dined here with my husband the night of the Ifex exhibition the place was buzzing the staff couldn’t do enough for you and the food was excellent. The run a tasting menu which changes on a regular basis I cannot wait to return!

We had an excellent evening last night The ambiance and quality of the food were superb A special shout out for our waiter, Reuben, who looked after us very professionally as well as the Tutor, Lisa. who is doing excellent work training these young people.

Love these ventures. Sinead (apologies if incorrect spelling) was fabulous really engaging and full of enthusiasm, food was great and setting better than most restaurants visited. Value for quality could not be faulted, would recommend and if we are back in Belfast will be the first place we book. Just love the concept!

Usual excellent food and service. The restaurant has been upgraded over the summer and looks fantastic. The tasting menu was fantastic, local produce served in a modern style and the flavours were amazing. Lovely touch meeting the chef after the meal.

Went here during a student tasting menu, the head chef was Katie McMahon. The dinner and service was amazing, for me specifically the duck and sorbet stood out. Presentation was great also! The items on the menu really complimented each other so well, the sorbet flavor was a great choice. The table setting and just overall layout of the restaurant really added to the evening, truly great experience!!

I was thoroughly impressed by The Academy. It's an elegant and inviting space. The waiters were helpful and friendly and took great care of us. What really stood out was the menu as clearly much thought, care and expertise went into crafting each dish. The food was perfect, utterly delicious, especially the duck breast. I'll certainly be back.

Myself and 4 friends visited the Academy Restaurant for the first time on the 2/11/23 and I must say I was not disappointed.The 6course Tasting Menu by Katie was fabulous from start to finish. The presentation of each course was perfect, the flavours exceptional in particular the sauce Foyot & jus lie served with the duck, the "trifle" was Devine as were the lemon macarons and salted Carmel & coconut boules. Everyone of us we blown away by the whole experience and will definitely be eating here again especially if Katie is in the kitchen!!! Definitely a 5* experience not to be forgotten👏👏

Such a lovely venue now it's been renovated, the atmosphere and staff were lovey. The food was another level, flavours and combinations like no other, the presentation was impeccable, each course just got better & better - exquisite fine dining (well done Katie).

Beautiful restaurant and excellent front of house staff, Sophie was a joy and so helpful. The food was so beautiful to look at and the flavours were amazing. Meeting the supervisory chef Katie was a lovely treat after the meal, she shared her ideas behind the menu. Thursday evenings are generally for tasting menus of the students, these are an excellent way to have a night out and enjoy excellent food and service. We had such a fantastic evening!

The Academy in Belfast is a culinary masterpiece that seamlessly combines exceptional dining with a nurturing environment as the training ground for Ulster University’s Catering and Hospitality Faculty. My visit was a delightful journey through flavors, from the perfectly crafted halloumi, ricotta, and kohlrabi starter to the nostalgic joy sparked by the Black Forest gateau dessert, invoking special memories. What sets The Academy apart is not only its exquisite dishes but also the impeccable service. The attentive yet unobtrusive staff, equipped with an in-depth knowledge of the menu, guided the experience with warmth and expertise. Their affiliation with the university added an element of pride and dedication, evident in the seamless execution and passion behind every dish. The restaurant’s role in shaping the next generation of culinary talents infused the entire visit with an air of innovation and promise. Dining at The Academy isn’t just about enjoying remarkable food; it’s about supporting and experiencing the growth of future culinary stars. This unique blend of outstanding cuisine, attentive service, and its role in fostering new talent undoubtedly earns The Academy a well-deserved five-star rating and a place in the hearts of those seeking not just a meal, but a truly meaningful dining experience.

With family for first time on Thursday 27th April for tasting menu with wine pairing. Excellent food, service and value for money. Sean, Ingrid and all the students were lovely and the craic was good.

A hidden gem. I cannot recommend the Academy high enough. Food is superlative, staff attentive and excellent value for money to boot. Had a fantastic lunch totally free from gluten. Best I've ever tasted. Our non-coeliac friends couldn't tell the difference and some even preferred the gf meal! Many an establishment could do worse than learn from the Academy, nothing is any bother and everyone is comprehensively catered for. Honestly the pictures don't do the food justice. You must go or you'll miss an experience of a lifetime.

Had the fantastic tasting menu at this restaurant on Tuesday 14 March 2023. Every course was so well presented and the quality was excellent. The young student chef should be congratulated and can definitely hold his own with some of the country's top chefs. He is going places. The service was also excellent and the staff very friendly and informative. This was my first visit and am already planning my second. Would highly recommend.

What a fantastic experience. The venue was amazing just facing St Anne’s Cathedral. The food & wine were excellent and served by very attentive staff. We got talking to the enthusiastic & knowledgeable chef. The restaurant is open for lunch most days and serves a tasting menu a couple of times a week.,

Amazing food, great staff and service. Everything about it is top class. A wonderful place with top food and service yet at a great price.

If you go here for one reason, make it the heirloom tomatoes! Michelin star standard! Lovely setting, sustainable local menu, beautiful crockery and relaxing music. And the price is so cheap, sides for £3 and £16 is the highest price. Amazing

Had a lovely lunch at The Academy today with my husband. Food and service were excellent. I had tandoori chicken to start, salmon for mains and I dont normally have dessert but couldn't not order given the 2 courses that came before! Flavours delicious, presentation...

4 course gourmet dinner plus coffee and Petit fours for only £25. Great to be back , all covid restrictions being observed with screens, spaced out tables and intense cleaning. Food better than ever. I love this restaurant.

The Academy is the training restaurant of the University of Ulster's BSc course in Culinary Arts management, where the students get first-hand knowledge of catering management and restaurant training. We joined a group of friends for an early Christmas lunch, and the whole experience was...

Lovely choice of food for Christmas lunch. Everything tasted fantastic as well as presented well. Staff friendly and professional with great service provided. A fabulous place to have food.

Enjoyed the 'Kentucky' night dinner, 6 courses for £25 in a very pleasant setting. The students/staff were excellent, friendly and very attentive. Everyone enjoyed their dinner and were very full by the end of the night. Lovely night!

This is a wonderful food experience location in Belfast which is almost a secret... it’s a must do place to eat... The young trainee waiters and waitresses are only too keen to please under the keen eye of a master front of house. The food...

Went for lunch and as with previous visits The Academy does not disappoint. Service and food are to an excellent standard with friendly yet professional staff. Place is very clean with everything gleaming and whiter than white. Only small suggestion is that the atmosphere could...

We really enjoyed the visit to the 'Academy.' Gleaming white tablecloths, for those that like a bit of class, excellent service, and food first rate.

This was my third visit and chosen for a special lunch and it did not disappoint. The food was excellent, service warm, friendly and efficient and it is fabulous value. The Tirimasui was the best I have ever tasted. Salmon was cooked to perfection and...

My husband has recently been diagnosed coeliac and a friend of his invited us to this restaurant for a dinner with the coeliac society. The restaurant is completely manned by students - chefs and hospitality students. When you step in you forget you're inside a...

We had Christmas Lunch a few weeks ago (group of 7) and we all thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience, right from the very professional welcome to the quality of the food and the very attentive and enthusiastic staff. Well done to all concerned and it...

Best place ever - staff amazing and food fabulous. A great meal with wonderful service providing a good experience. Definitely would recommend.

Called in for the lunchtime menu having pre booked and found the staff very attentive from when we arrived until we left about an hour and a half later. The menu was succinct, but in a good way, clear and precise. The food looked very...

Having just returned from a lovely gourmet experience at The Academy Restaurant I felt compelled to record how well we were looked after. The attention to detail of the Farm to Fork evening was noticed from the table decor to the culinary delights. Special mention...

Have been lots of times and each time is excellent. Went in Dec for Christmas lunch - there was a large group of us and from the moment we entered until we left service/drinks/food was excellent. Christmas food was gorgeous and so well presented and...

we went for a six course Christmas set menu meal.

Went today for lunch to academy, from the welcome to the farewell service was wonderful! This is a uni training restaurant but you would not know this, I had the fishcakes to start at the table was also the ham hock, the flavours were lovely and the presentation was really good

First ever but shouldn't be last visit on 1st November evening fine dining experience. Halloween themed night and what's better I was treated by my daughter who knows the university idea very well. Multiple course dining out for a very reasonable price it's very well worth a visit. Run by the students it can be hard to fault rather than a profit based restaurant. Arriving at seven we were met pleasantly and seated in the 'bar' area which was very nicely decorated and waited as the students got their final brief of the night. Drinks orders were taken, they did take quite a while and unfortunately other tables who arrived after us were served much more quickly which did get the hairs on back of my neck up, followed by again seating which again seemed to be totally random instead of being seated in order of arrival, more than three tables who arrived substantially after us were seated first and we almost ended up last in waiting area rather than second to arrive, again it's one of the few things that can really irk me, if it was a chip shop it would be unacceptable, for an 'experience' was out of order. Anyway once seated it was near on impossible to fault, beautiful courses, presented impeccably and soooo tasty. Supervisor came to check on everything and staff regularly asked if any issues without being intrusive, but to me last nights topping was our waitress, Cheryl (pardon the spelling if wrong) was a credit, dealed with everything with aplomb and very professionally, apologised if any delay and managed to make it look like it was second nature, well done, customer service doesn't come easy to some but she was excellent. Apart from drinks and seating issue which isn't meant as being over critical but something to improve on how could you go wrong, don't think about it, get yourselves booked in and thoroughly enjoy an evening out slap bang in centre of Belfast for very little. Give yourselves a pat on the back students

Mientras en Belfast en una semana de vacaciones con mi familia en este lugar mientras notamos, y fueron caminando, ya que es curioso situado dentro de un edificio de la universidad. En investigar este nos enteramos, es utilizada como un campo de entrenamiento para los estudiantes de la universidad y culinario campos hospitalidad, lo que les permite cortar sus dientes en un ambiente seguro mientras aspira a proporcionar servicio de primera clase. En el segundo, estábamos muy impresionados de la calidad de la comida no desciende de excelente en el curso de la visita, y fue un tremendo saldo de nuevos sabores y intepretations de viejos favoritos.

Pasamos una noche maravillosa en la Academia restaurante en 19 de abril de 2007. El menú era variado y original, las bolas de risotto de empanadas eran preciosas, el salmón y tiramisú ambos estaban muy bien presentado y sabroso. El limoncello fue un toque elegante. El servicio era el mejor que he tenido en Belfast, que queríamos para nada.

Exceptional 7 course dining experience served with professional friendly service and the value is outstanding. Congratulations to all involved. Highly recommended☆☆☆☆☆

Wonderful lunch for 27 members of our club. Great professional service and wonderful food. 3 course lunch time menu for £12.50 including tea/coffee. Wine very reasonable. Will be returning for evening dining

The clue is in the name...you go here to be a guinea pig, but this was my third visit so I can say that I have yet to be disappointed. The staff really go out of their way to look after you and you will be well fed and watered. The ambience might not be ideal for candlelit romantic dinner.

We visited the restaurant on Thursday 3rd December for a 'Taste of Finland' experience and had a really nice evening. This is the training restaurant for Ulster university students and offers such great value for money. This particular night was professionally managed by Conor and he had a great team of waiting staff to assist. The evening was very relaxing and there was a nice atmosphere. The dishes were delicious. We will definitely return!

What an amazing night! A culinary feat of Finnish food, a six course set meal and wonderful service from both the manager and service staff, a thoroughly enjoyable experience which I would recommend to anyone! Brilliant night! Thank you Conor and the rest of the staff for the great meal and service!

I went to The Academy restaurant on 3rd Dec 2015 with my son for dinner. We were met by the host and organiser Conor and shown to our table. It was a 6 course set meal which was well planned, beautifully presented and tasted delicious. Our waiters were excellent, very friendly and efficient. The atmosphere, service, food and attention to detail right down to the lay out of the table were second to none. It was also very reasonably priced. We had a lovely dining experience . This was my first visit to The Academy and I will certainly be back.

Service amazing by a staff who want to learn everything. Food amazing value and a the experience was made to be totally enjoyed. Flavours and wine choices perfectly matched.Was there on 3rd December 2015 in the evening and was met by the organiser and host Conor Black...... Every detail to perfection was met and he organised an experience that met my very high standard!The waiters who served our table, Shea, Thomas and Hannah made sure that we got served beyond what we needed. Polite, attentive and gracious. Well done guys!Can't fault anything and again great value for an amazing experience.Well done all!

Visited the academy with a few friends for a culinary journey! The service was next to none, and the food was great!!!! Shea our server was just a pleasure! He was very attentive and he made the night enjoyable! Thomas the bar man made great cocktails!! Will definitely be back soon!!

Six of us went for an early Christmas lunch. Can only say it was terrific. From being received to having an aperitif to being escorted to our seats. Then ordering our meals. Receiving our meals and then eating our meals. Food = terrific. Service = terrific. Staff = friendly and efficient. What a great lunch. Can highly recommend. Thanks for making great memories.

We have been here quite a few times and every time was a different culinary experience.Themed menus, 6 courses in the evening amount to a really great meal all for £17.50!The staff although they are training are all very attentive and helpful.We keep on coming back

Called into Academy on thursday the 22nd for food with a friend. We were greeted at the door by a lovely young gent who got us drinks and a seat in the waiting area while we waited on our table as we were early.The five course meal was superb. It was a set menu which offered gluten free and veggie options which suited my friend. The crab cake starter was a good size but not too much. The third course was a champage and raspberry sorbet which was to die for! For main course I had a ribeye steak which was cooked perfectly. The red wine jus which accompanied it was absolutely lovely. My friend had the vegetarian option of Thai butternut and lentil casserole which I assume she loved as she didnt leave me any to try! The restaurant was being managed by Shannon who was very attentive all night but not too intrusive. She managed the staff well as we never ever had to ask for anything, they were always at hand when we needed something.All in all it was a great meal with service and id highly recommend trying this superb restaurant.

I had no idea that this place existed. I was invited by my son who knew someone who had worked there.Turns out this is the training ground for student hospitality staff in NI. Being situated in the University building and limited menu does somewhat give that away however the overall dining experience indicated no such thing. The restaurant itself is pleasant, the food was delicious and the service was excellent. Often serving staff at restaurants introduce themselves by name, rarely do I remember them. On this occasion I remember two names, Jade who was in charge and Shae who served us. It was a family dinner and all of us have agreed that we will go back. Seems we stumbled onto a way to have a good meal out with a hefty price tag. It's not open all the time so calling or checking online is advised for evening dining. Day time during term time you can just dander in.

This is a lovely restaurant producing very good food with exceptional service. Parking can be difficult though after 6pm it should be possible to park in the surrounding streets. Yes the ambience is a little institutional, but then it is an institution. It's a university department which teaches students how to prepare, organise and present a 3/5 course meal to the public. It was all done with efficiency and aplomb! The menu was restricted, but interesting,tasty and very well presented. This is my 4th visit. I intend to return.

The restaurant is fairly small and only open during term time so you need to book your table. The food is good and well presented. The students are attentive and even spread your linen napkin out on your lap. It is quiet enough to have a conversation with your friends which is getting harder to find harder to find now. We found the experience very enjoyable .

This is a little known gem in Belfast being part of the University of Ulster's Hospitality and Management Faculty training provision.Situated in the Art College Building at the edge of the Cathedral Quarter it is only open on Tuesdays and Thursdays in term time and has a set menu with no choices but is well worth a visit for excellent food and service with really good value.

Very limited menu options. Seems chef under trial training, obviously it's run by students. Service is good but quality of food suffers. Fine dining type setup but not the experience.training ground for staff at the cost of customers. Food expensive for the portion and quality served. Delayed food servings

For the first time I was visiting the Academy restaurant in a social capacity – with my wife – her first visit. I hadn't realised how much I had taken the standards for granted. From the outset, the approach is 'silver service' and with a seat looking through full height windows onto a city park space, we both felt immediately relaxed. The menu is appropriately limited and now offers matched wines – a good idea. Each course was very good and well presented. However, an interesting highlight were the accompanying vegetables with the main. So often these can be a low point in restaurants but these were cooked perfectly and had such great flavour we finished them off. Cost subsidy makes this excellent value for very good food, eager service and is giving students professional practice in their coursework – win-win!

Tried this restaurant for a something bit different on Valentine's day. All the food was lovely and the waiting staff delivered an exceptional level of customer service. Due to the restaurant being run by the university and their students you definitely get value for money.

I visited the Academy Restaurant at University of Ulster in Belfast for lunch during Belfast Restaurant week, and was greatly impressed. The service from a young student waiter was very professional , attentive and friendly. The food was exceptional, especially the Buttermilk Panna Cotta.All the waiters were 1st year catering college students, under the watchful eye of their tutor, and from what I saw , the kitchen was similarly staffed, with a tutor chef supervising,and checking every plate going out.They open for lunch Monday to Friday and do 6 course dinners on Tuesdays and Thursdays.We really loved our lunch here and will be back for to try the dinner soon.Best bit was during Restaurant week it was 2 courses for £5.