Balloo House Restaurant in Ards

Love it second time we’ve drove over an hour just to come back and we will be back again, food and service excellent!

Had a great meal after a walking day. The dessert was the highlight, definitely try the Belgian pot if you order dessert… it truly was one of the best desserts I have ever eaten… the mix of flavours was just incredible !!! Super service, cosy place. 10/10

This place never fails, amazing food

We have ordered take away meals for 11 people on Saturday and the food was amazing! The restaurant is clearly popular with the locals. We called at 6pm for collection at 8pm but they pushed the collection back to 8.30 and it was ready at 8.45. So make sure you plan your order more in advance. Every person liked their meal choice and it was all also reasonably priced. We would recommend this restaurant 100%

Great food and drink and a very friendly service

Food was very good. Nice setting- very good service

Outstanding food and service cannot wait to go back

Came here with my wife for our fifth anniversary. The staff were very welcoming. The restaurant is well decorated and spacious. The menu was extensive with daily specials. My wife and I were both thoroughly pleased. The triple cooked beef dripping chips might be the best I've ever had. Highly recommend.

My husband and I enjoyed it so much, we went back two more times on our trip. One of the best meals we had in Ireland. Highly recommend the Tikka Masala, the Sea Bass, and the awesome sticky toffee pudding. The presentation was wonderful and everything came out nice and hot.

Had a very positive first experience at Overwood, in Balloo House. A very professional and informative welcome from Ross, who was so accommodating and friendly. Superb service and amazing food. It won't be long until I return! Top notch!

Stopped for late lunch Food spot on and service just as good 👍

Would recommend this place to anyone

Fantastic everything on my most recent visit!!

Very patient servers to our large group; the food was also remarkable. Yorkshire pudding, mango cheesecake, and fish were our favorites.

Nice wee quiet place just in balloo which has something for everyone x wee tad bit more expensive but all n all food was lovely x

Lovely family lunch, good food, good prices, great service, and they are happy to cater for kiddies. My 2 year old grandson e joked it, too. Highly recommended.

Delicious meal in Balloo House on Tuesday 2nd April. Breast of chicken with mushroom risotto was five Star. I can't wait to go back. They also serve the best Parmesan and truffle fries.

We had an excellent meal, will definitely be back.

Although the quality of food has generally not changed, I found the service subpar. Waiting time was long, water wasn’t brought to us timely (we were already half way through our meal and we had to ask for it). Same happened to my second drink that was so late I had to cancel the order. The steak was supposed to be rare and came to us well done. The waitress accidentally dropped part of the food off my plate and she did not take it away nor changed it but only left it there on the table.

No better place to dine, thanks Vanessa and staff

Great food in a lovely up-market venue with friendly and attentive service

Best chicken wings I've had in a long time The sauce was excellent could use it in many different things.Cant say enough about the truffle chips A very plesent experience will be back difenetly.Drinks reasonable priced 2 mains a side 3 drinks coffee £54

Good food. Nice old "pub". Small drinking bar with open fire. Spacious atmospheric restaurant.

Came out hungry and skint not impressed, got better in wether spoons for half the price, not be back for definite

Food consistently excellent. Attentive friendly staff. A bit dark and gloomy in some seats. Could do with candles o the tables on dark days.

Staff friendly ! Very knowledgeable on Balloo. House. History ! Very nice lunch ! Definitely will return !

The food is amazing. Staff are very helpful too

Great place for good food, drink and atmosphere. Staff are very friendly, the food is tasty with a lot of options and the drinks are great. Strongly recommend for nice meal out with family or friends.

Great food great restaurant very enjoyable night out

Only stopped for a quick pint on the way home. Next time will be for food

Great Food.. Service from the Boys was very good... Good atmosphere

Visited Balloo House on Tuesday evening with my wife and daughter. The welcome was very friendly and the restaurant very cosy. I ordered the chicken wings for starter, really nice and tasty, my daughter had squid. For main course I ordered fish and chips, really well cooked nice big chunky chios and mushy peas. My wife had roast beef which was very nice and my daughter a fish dish can't remember the name. Very enjoyable meal indeed.

Went for a family dinner. Food good, not quite great. Prices were reasonable. Parking a little tight, I think we got the last space at 7.

What a fantastic place. Great service, food and atmosphere. First time for me, and it didn't disappoint. Top notch, thank you!

Food was delicious and very promptly served. Service and atmosphere were warm and welcoming.

Delicious food. Gluten free options. Friendly efficient service. Good price. Lovely decor, low lighting, and cosy booth. Nice background Christmas music

Overpriced, overcooked and overthought. May have been good but not on this occasion. 8.50 for the cheapest starter and 6 pounds for a scallop. For that price, I would have expected the manager to have dived for it himself. It was stuffy and maybe a tad pretentious.

A lovely experience, delicious menu,lots of fish,the burger looked amazing. I had fish and triple cooked chips,fantastic. Creme brulé, and it was wonderful

Great food, lovely atmosphere. Always had a good time here. Great vegetarian options!

my monkfish was dry and all the rest was just little bit warm . they cook it on indoor BBQ the friends I was with had steak and like it but did say that their s was a bit cold.

Beautiful meal. Service was excellent. Management should be so proud of their young staff, so pleasant and helpful.

Beautiful , tasty home cooked food. Great service, helpful staff. Very clean. Would recommend

Lovely food, atmosphere and good craic.

Great food and service in a nice traditional setting.

Lovely old fashioned country pub restaurant. Cozy surroundings, quality, tastefully decorated. Friendly and attentive staff. Wonderful food and not stingy quantities. I would highly recommend for a great meal.

Really good evening at Balloo, friendly attentive service, good food and great atmosphere. Highly recommended.

Had a wonderful evening meal at Balloo house with my family and was very impressed with the food - my kids ate everything which is amazing. Oh and I had one of the best pints of Guiness there I've ever had. Excellent.

fantastic service and amazing meal with my kids.

Fabulous food, best roast beef I have had. Great service and a good price

We were recommended to eat here during our visit to Ireland. The restaurant is wonderful, with a warm, old worldly atmosphere. Every staff member was warm and friendly, nothing was too much trouble. The food was just delicious and the sticky toffee pudding was just the best we've had, ever!

Beautiful decor and relaxing and warm atmosphere. Service friendly and helpful Food that tastes so good it sends you to the deep place in your memory that makes you all warm and fuzzy and makes you smile at strangers. I can't wait to return and enjoy more culinary treats.

Flawless evening. Sublime food, service and atmosphere.

What a fantastic place!! The food is delightful and a homely feel about the place. The staff very pleasant and knowledgeable about the dishes, keep up the good work!! We will definitely be back

Tried the Sunday veggie roast for a change. Delicious. Sticky toffee pudding also Delicious with loads of toffee sauce. Recommended

Came here for Sunday Lunch a.m.a.z.i.n.g! Staff where brilliant nothing was a bother, food was exceptional. We will definitely be back.

Fantastic staff. Brilliant menu on Sunday's in the bar. Pick the panna cotta. It's divine.

Very nice lunch experience on a bank holiday. Things were done with a touch of class. Food was beautifully presented. I picked the scampi which was one of the less expensive items on the menu so it was within budget.

We came here for dinner and it was honestly the best meal I've had in such a long time. I chose the chicken breast for my main and it was delicious. The staff are incredibly friendly as well. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend this restaurant to anyone who wants good food and great atmosphere.

Just dropped in for a late lunch for grandsons birthday ,we were looked after very well and the food was delicious we had fish and chips ,Waygu burger and Massuman curry a great pub well run.

Stopped off here on a mini road trip and can not rate this place enough ..

Really not worth the travel to get there. Over priced pub grub really does not warrant the hassle or the premium prices.

Had dinner with friends , been here before but was not too impressed this time, staff are great but two of our orders , The risotto dish and my linguine we genuinely thought they where starters expensive for what we got and my dish the linguine was tasteless ,so pretty disappointed.

Great Food. Great flavours and presentation. Service and surroundings were outstanding. A relaxed and enjoyable dining experience.

We went there with two friends and had our meals which were served without undue delay. All of us were happy enough with the food on offer and as it was our turn to pay my wife did so. Only when we got home did we look at the bill and discovered that they had charged for all we ate plus two fairly expensive cups of coffee which nobody had ordered. I phoned the restaurant and they said they would not make a refund but would give credit on a credit card. I said I would prefer a refund so that, rather than wait for the next month's credit card bill and have to go through the process of telephoning again, I would know the next day that the money overcharged had been refunded but this was refused.

As a wedding venue this was excellent, small enough to be intimate and large enough to accommodate the increase in guests for the evening celebrations. I liked the new make-over, but I also liked the old decor. What made is special was the restaurant style approach to the wedding meal, with guest choosing from an extensive menu. This was made even better when guests with vegetarian and vegan tastes were also provided with menus and a range of choices. Even the wine was vegan.

What a lovely, friendly restaurant! Welcome was great even though we made a late booking on bank holiday Monday! Good food. I’m not he biggest lover of fish but even I was tempted to try and I enjoyed my meal. Clean plates all round. Thank you for a lovely meal.

a great atmosphere especially with a few locals playing trad. good menu with a bit of imagination, yet with great local dishes... see Van morrison and his mussels (Coney Island)

We visited the new Over Wood restaurant in Balloo House and really enjoyed the whole experience. The outdoor drinks area with wood-burning stove was so relaxing. We enjoyed our meal... Seabass which was totally delicious... And steak. Pity all the extras cost more. However it does feel like a real treat and we had a super night out. Thank you!

Newly refurbished upstairs at Balloo, “ Overwood “ is truly outstanding. Chef, Danni Barrie and her team are producing a dining experience to spread the word about. The new decor is comfortable, inviting and tasteful, the service impressive and the food , well, outstanding.

We had an extended family celebration meal on a busy Friday night. Service was great, nothing too much trouble and it's fair to say that we did ask for a few things. Food was excellent, a wide range of meats and fish. The plaice was well cooked, a whole plaice cooked to perfection. Disappointed that there is a 10% discretionary service charge on parties of 5 or more people. Five isn't a large party I would have thought.

Booked a table and arrived early.

A friend and I called here for an evening meal and I found the quality if the food very disappointing and overpriced. I ordered the chicken dish which was served with mash and French style peas ( peas with lettuce, onion and bacon). As I am celiac I opted not to have the chicken croquette. When the meal arrived it did not look very appetising. It was served on a small dish and the food was ‘swimming’ in a very thin jus which made everything very sloppy! The portions were very small and everything tasted very bland.

First time here in years. Out as a family on a Sunday afternoon for a birthday meal.

The food is enticing yet unpretentious. Cosy country setting, though not elegant. I miss the front conservatory with the vine from years gone by! I really like the seasonal touches to the menu with the spring asparagus. Service was perfect- really good advice on which types of gins to have with various tonics.

Stopped in for lunch today. The staff were very friendly and attentive. Great value for lunch. Food was beautiful.

Visited here last night for a wedding anniversary celebration, table had been booked for quite some time, no mention at the time of booking that we only had the table for 90 mins, starters came very quick which was fine, food tasted ok, maybe a bit bland, bread with the mussels was a bit burnt but it was just left, we set our cutlery down and literally the plates were away so 2 of us nipped to the bathroom, while standing in the queue for the bathroom we got a call to say our mains had arrived, when we finally grabbed a member of staff to ask for some ketchup we were shocked to see it was charged at £1.... so 2 got puddings and we asked for the bill, we still had drinks and we were asked to move from the table as it was needed, the bar was really busy so we just left! Have visited here many times during the day and have always found it ok, sadly last night for a massive let down, we arrived at 7 and were back in our own home after a 3 course meal for 9pm.

We've been here many times and always enjoyed what we've ordered. The staff are lovely and we enjoyed the chill atmosphere

Second time to this restaurant as we had been given a voucher..but will not be back..highly overrated establishment and overpriced food .

Booked a table for 12 o’clock Waiting staff were very attentive and service was a bit slow, but worth it when the food arrived. The food was very fresh and well presented. The portions were small, but exquisite. Burger was unremarkable. Highly recommend the black pudding scotch eggs and the sticky toffee pudding was to die for.

Balloo house has a great reputation as one of the hidden gems of gastronomy in Northern Ireland. It mostly deserves this reputation. My girlfriend booked the “Luxury Overnight Stay” package deal for my birthday, which included one night’s accommodation at a local bed and breakfast and a four course course meal in the fine dining upstairs restaurant. However, when we arrived, we were informed that they had arranged a theme night in the upstairs restaurant with an Argentinian menu. They said that if we wanted the menu we booked, we had to eat downstairs in the bar. If we wanted to eat in the fine dining restaurant, we had to stick to the Argentinian menu. No apologies. No seeming awareness that this was poor hospitality from the front of house staff. After complaining strenuously, the staff eventually gave us some free wine. But it wasn’t an automatic gesture.

We were gifted a meal out to Balloo House by some friends. Staff were very helpful and settle us next to an old stove. The main menu has a great selection of local produce, but I opted for some of the local seafood specials. Food was delicious and perfectly cooked. Wines and local beer selection is also very good. We look forward to another meal here in the near future.

Second disappointing visit to this highly rated establishment. Slow service, very average food and not worth the cost

Touring NI and were recommended Balloo. We were not disappointed, lovely premises, friendly staff and a varied menu including local mussels, pigeon, gammon. All well cooked well, slight details missing but overall a very enjoyable evening.

Balloo House has a lovely feel to it especially when it's full and bustling with customers.This is especially good in Autumn and Winter and I know this might put some people off but I love the atmosphere and character it has.The food has always been good and satisfying and even though we live in Manchester our visits to family in nearby Crossgar always see us paying a visit to Balloo!!

Been meaning to call in here for ages. Heard it was good but so much competition around .... Wow superb. From the request for a table to service for outside drinks and at our table. Hot trout starter excellent to a meaty monkfish mains and a sticky toffee dessert with the most sauce I’ve ever seen on a dish to soak up the sponge and melt ice cream. The roasts also were awesome and great value to quality ratio.

So having heard of Balloo house for quite a while, I gave in and finally visited! Was quite a drive and out of the way for me personally but that's no issue at all, good places are hard to find and it's purely also because I'm not from the area!

Not much more to say. We had dinner here recently - pigeon and cod respectively - and everything was just right. Fresh ingredients, well cooked and well served. We were particularly impressed by the selection of different vegetables to complement the protein . And the desserts were good too!

Only my second time in 6 years to this great place. Came back because the first time was so memorable. The second didn’t disappoint! Despite that we were late to eat compared with when locals do, we were welcomed and served promptly. We ate downstairs and it was busy.

Started off with a sharing Seafood Platter, it was more or less faultless. We really enjoyed it.

Mitten im nirgendwo findet man dieses echt tolle Restaurant. Wir waren mittags da und es war kein Problem einen Tisch zu bekommen. Super Mittagstisch-Angebot. Das Servicepersonal war sehr zuvorkommend und das Ambiente super.

Bei unserem Besuch vor zwei Jahren hatten wir das Balloo House kennen gelernt und für dieses Jahr erneut das Meal Deal gebucht. Diesmal saßen wir nicht „upstairs“, sondern „downstairs“, wo es nicht so eltär zuging und wir uns wesentlich wohler gefühlt haben. Das Essen war trotzdem wieder wundervoll. Wir waren hell begeistert und haben alles für die Nachwelt im Bild festgehalten…

Had lunch here this week Hannon beef is spectacular and triple cooked chips fab yum yum and the crunchiest onion rings I have ever eaten

We went for an early dinner at 6:30, for 5 adults and a five year old. First, we liked the welcome and the comfort. Quite traditional in furnishing but pleasantly quiet even though quite busy. For starters we ordered 2 seafood platters to share, at £17 each, and they were excellent value - crispy chilli squid, salmon, fish cakes, crayfish tails, and a range of dips. Tapenade and delicious bread were also served when we arrived. It was all so good we wondered if we would have room for our mains. These were baked hake with guanciale and leek risotto, steaks, plaice, and for our granddaughter a kids size roast chicken and chips which she loved. Desserts were also inspiring. The chocolate orange creme brûlée was popular and sticky toffee pudding (kids size) and pear tart also went down well. With a bottle of good wine and tasty beers for the boys, the six of us went home full of excellent food for a little over £200. Service was knowledgeable and friendly too. Full marks, Balloo!

We reserved an 8pm table on a Saturday evening at the downstairs restaurant and the place was busy when we arrived with ‘early diners’, but soon became quieter. Service was very slow throughout the evening and the standard of food was poor. The Seafood Chowder arrived with a thick skin over the top, as though it had been standing under the heat lamp for the 20 minutes which it took to arrive and didn’t look at all appetising. It was only after I had finished did I realise that they had forgotten the wheaten bread to go with it. The main course sounded appealing “Pork fillet wrapped in prosciutto crispy sage, our own black pudding, burnt apple sauce, polenta & Parmesan fries”, however my fries were actually potato croquettes and not “Parmesan Fries”. The whole plate was plain and seemed to be thrown together (see photo). A sprig of broccoli also seemed oily and withered. My wife was equally disappointed with her “Hannan’s pastrami short rib with sweet mustard crust,” which was dry and probably spent most of the evening under a heat lamp.

Being a regular at another restaurant owned by the same group just down the road we thought we would try Balloo for a change. When we arrived the restaurant wasn’t that busy and we got seated in a nice area ( we had booked a table ). I ordered from the specials menu Roast Beef dinner and my wife got a burger and skinny fries and we both ordered buffalo wings for starters.

I live locally and regularly drop in with friends and or family for dinner. The food, service and staff are excellent and in all the years I've been there I have never had a bad meal. The decor is lovely and perfect for a large family party or a dinner for two. Can't recommend highly enough.

Called in before Christmas for an evening meal. The whole experience was excellent from the service to the food. There is a good selection to choose from so noone will be disappointed. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone.

We called in on spec, Saturday evening approx. 7:00p.m. We had not booked. Shown upstairs to a homely well decorated sitting area and the coal fire was burning brightly. Food order taken promptly and shown to our table. Surprised us with a lovely appetiser of Butternut Squash soup & a small sausage roll made with black pudding (DELICOUS) followed by Steak for me and Fish dish for my Wife. Then apple crumble and coffees.

In the function room with a group of 20 people, effectively the whole menu was available for us. The quality...

We stayed at Hunters Lodge just down the road and we were recommended by our host to dine at Balloo...