Ben Madigan's Bar and Kitchen in Belfast

Great food and 1st class service

Absolutely Horrendous Experience at Ben Madigan’s – Avoid at All Costs Where to even begin? Our family dinner at Ben Madigan’s was a disaster from start to finish. We booked a table for seven, only to be ignored and left standing around for 30 minutes after arriving. So much for a reservation. When we finally sat down, things somehow got even worse. Service was non-existent. After some mediocre starters, we waited an unbelievable 1 hour and 35 minutes for our main courses. When they finally appeared, they managed to add insult to injury. My fiancé and I had ordered turkey and ham, and were promised the “last two servings.” So imagine our shock when, after waiting nearly two hours, we were served two dried-out chicken breasts with no explanation. Apparently, they hoped we wouldn’t notice? As for my parents’ meals? They ordered burgers, which had all the flavor and texture of a cardboard box. Tasteless, dry, and thrown together with zero care – it honestly looked and tasted like something you'd regret buying at a gas station. If I could give zero stars, I would. But since I can’t, here’s a 3.5/10. Save yourself the money, time, and frustration – go anywhere else.

Excellent first time experience.booked again for next week

Food is excellent as always. I cannot find any fault in their featherblade of beef. They were happy to change the pepper sauce to gravy for me. We did order an extra potion of veg but outstanding quality of food. A little slow on service; we were seated near 20 mins before any took food orders and then the food itself took a further 30-40 mins to arrive. All in all, a great meal. A bit loud but usual for a Saturday night anywhere in Belfast.

Excellent food & friendly staff. Slightly odd looks from locals who seem perturbed by locals!

Great value, great food. Definitely be back!

Amazing food friendly staff. 10/10

Was there lastnight with my sister Staff lovely Doorman was lovely too But my only complaint would have to be the ladies toilets. They have a very bad smell puts you off going in . And there not really clean toilets would flush either .

Delicious food & friendly service & atmosphere but noisy due to loud music which sometimes made it difficult to hear the friend I was trying to catch up with over dinner.

Was back at Ben madigans last night for a few pints and a meal with friends who were celebrating a 60th birthday food good as usual service as good as before it was just absolutely great night

We had a lovely meal & drinks in Ben's outdoor terrace in the sunshine. We had burger,chicken & chorizo and the famous beef cheek along with tasty cocktails, cold beer, wine & gin. We spent a relaxing few hours watching the world go by. Called in today to try the lunch menu. Very tasty, good portions & well priced. We had the steak sandwich, club sandwich & wings. Apologies for the pics but we'd already started eating.

Lovely place. Meal wasn't very warm but was dealt with quickly.

eaten here 4 times, first time was amazing but other 3 times we were disappointed in the food. We will look for somewhere else close to home to get lunch in.

Had a very nice lunch for a work function and was very pleasantly surprised by the value for money offered. A set menu was offered differing from the usual lunch menu, understandable considering a group of 30 or more had to be served at once. But i must say, it was well presented and cooked to order, empty plates all round. Would highly recommend should you have the need for a corporate work lunch.

Five quid for a tin of blue wkd a joke

Had Sunday Roast absolutely gorgeous. Great service and atmosphere.

Great food, relaxing atmosphere

Fantastic place for good food and service, a little noisy some nights but, overall excellent.

Lovely wee spot for some really tasty pub grub. Me and my family had the lamb shank and it was very tasty indeed. The only gripe I would have is there never is enough gravy and definitely could do with more vegetables which means you have to order extra gravy and vegetables ( not ideal) . Apart from this the place has a nice atmosphere and the service is always very good. Will be back again!

Fabulous food at a very reasonable price

Food was great. Service was excellent.

I have been coming to Ben Madigan’s religiously since it opens it doors but I’ve decided to leave this review in hope it is seen. The staff and atmosphere is always incredible but the food has taken a massive downfall it has saddened me. On 3 occasions in the month of July I visited and was left disappointed, the mash potato tasted just like lumpy school mash and 3 different proteins were extremely bland. I am not writing this reviews out of spite but in hope that the restaurant I never shut up about to everyone gets their standards back that I’m sure everyone worked extremely hard for

Some of the best food and service I've ever had

First time. Beautifully decorated. Attentive staff.. Food fantastic and great size portions. Will. Definitely be back.

Our food was very nice, unfortunately they had run out our first meal choices. The staff was very friendly and helpful. We had to move tables because it was too loud to have a conversation but it was a Saturday night. It might not be like that at other times.

What a jewel this place turned out to be.Only chose it because it was closest to my bnb.Right choice ! An independent business avoiding the ubiquitous chain hostelries of central Belfast ,this place only a 13 min bus ride from Donegal Place was perfect for a quiet Sunday roast.Top rate food at an excellent price,all served with the famous friendly warmth of the Irish.If you are visiting Belfast and seek great food,get yourselves out of the centre and visit this place.

Nice food, extensive menu choices, friendly staff. Reasonable prices.

Super tasty food and well taken care of by David

Here on holiday, stumbled across this pub (which by the way is a quality pub). One of the members of staff (Trisha) was very helpful in recommending a variety of things to do around the area, choice of drinks was essentially limitless and all our choices were delightful. We didn’t eat however the food smelt incredible, they also have live music on Fridays! Double win! Great beer! Great music! YAMAS X

Went lastnight dinner, home from Sydney visiting my family. Walked in without a booking, place was busy but they happily fitted us in .. service and food was exceptional.. lovely vibe . Highly recommend, will try getting another trip back before I head off! Thanks for a lovely evening

Food was lovely very expensive though.

Brilliant experience. 15 of us out for dinner . Amazing service and food

Waited an hour and never got our food! I think they forgot about us and they were not busy at all. We got our appetizer and waters and after 15 minutes had to remind server to get my father-in-law's beer. Then after about 50 mins of waiting, my husband asked the server about the food and she said it should be ready in a few minutes. We only ordered 2 dishes! We waited a few more minutes but couldn't wait any longer. Left enough euros on table to cover the appetizer and beer and we left. Went down the street to Chill to get some delicious ice cream to curb our hunger.

Thoroughly enjoyed Our Sunday Roast Today on Our First Visit!! Many thanks to The Manager Costa for squeezing us in👍 Our Server Bernadette, gave us great professional and friendly service👍✊ We will be more regular customers from now on…. Excellent food!!

We loved this spot for a bite to eat and a few drinks on our vacation to Ireland! Trisha was SO helpful recommending places around Belfast and giving us directions to various places. I would give this place 5 stars just off the quality of her service but the food and drink was all splendid as well! Definitely would recommend.

Can't fault this place one bit. Service, great. Food, amazing. Drinks, good. Atmosphere, fantastic.

We had the Bottomless Brunch today. Great craic and the food was delicious. Our glasses were never empty. Great to have such friendly, helpful staff.

I have been here couple of times and usually enjoyed the vibe and drinks except for this time. I ordered a strawberry daiquiri and clearly they ran out of strawberries and the syrup to make the drink and offered me a horrible pale pink (almost white) concoction for £9.95. I was disappointed because I have had the same drink last year and it was perfect - in colour and taste. And they unapologetically slipped that drink in my hand and charged me the full rate despite the missing ingredients. If you do not have certain ingredients, cant you simply say not available instead of ripping someone off. Highly disappointed!

Lovely food, friendly staff. Would definitely recommend 👌

Did hear so many good things about this place but noway I'd go again. The burgers were dry and the kids chicken was dry, well over cooked for sure and the service to be honest was really bad, slow to take orders, slow to lift empty plates from the table. Just in general easy things were bad at. Worse part is they way over charge u. Like near 20 quid for a burger and no joke a McDonald's burger is nicer from that experience I had. Sadly wouldn't even give it a 2nd chance after this experience

We stopped off here for lunch before I was headed to the airport, the food was really nice and reasonably priced, my friend couldn't eat all her meal so she took a box home for later that evening.

Lovely staff and amazing food. Huge portions and very reasonably priced. Loved it. ❤️

Very nice beer garden Great food and great staff 👍

I regularly visit Ben Madigans and have always been highly impressed by the service and the food. The staff can't do enough for you and create a warm and friendly atmosphere. 10/10.

Called in for a spot of lunch with the family. Served pretty quickly. All the food was great (especially the kids meals and they were a bargain) was a wee bit pricey but worth it. Will definitely be back

Was in this bar for first time . Great staff , friendly , good food and great to have on Cavehill . Worth a visit

We had Sunday lunch at Ben Madigans a while ago so decided to try it for lunch. I don't know if it was a bad day in the kitchen or have they changed chef, but it was a disappointment. We ordered pate for starters , was supposed to be on toasted sourdough bread, it came with cold untoasted sourdough, it was cold and not nice. My salmon was about half the portion as I normally receive when I am out for a meal. I came hone hungry which I have not done in any other restaurant. Needless to say I was very disappointed with the lunch.

This place has went from amazing to absolutely terrible. I visited 6 times for dinner. Never ever again.

Great food, friendly staff and a pleasant atmosphere. We will be back

In for a quiet drink with a friend. Love having somewhere local to have a err drink or a coffee after work.

Very good food at good prices. Service excellent. Great veggie menu. Highly recommend.

Lovely little local place where you feel at home. Delicious menu and attentive service. Food was top notch, staff were really nice and welcoming.

Pay more attention to the service and it's accuracy

Food was great, burgers are huge, chips great, other people I was with said their fishbeas great too, desserts nice, they have Estrella on tap, staff really helpful

As 4 Americans in what seemed like a locals restaurant, we felt comfortable and welcome. The food was amazing and the portion sizes were very generous! I brown gravy was “lick your plate” worthy! It was also my first Yorkshire Pudding and it was very delicious.

Upstairs for a birthday party. Great.

Nice bar, comfortable seats, good choice.

It was a busy night so service took a bit longer, but the food was delicious couldn't fault it at all, the entertainment upstairs was so good and love a bit of abba. And the toilets were spotless always a good sign

Called in on Easter Sunday to try there set menu I had seen advertised on Facebook as I had never been before ..Arrived at 6.45pm place was packed with diners and drinkers we where shown to our table quickly and drinks order taken these where brought to the table promptly we then had to wait nearly 30 mins before anyone came back near us to take our food order. I ordered ceaser salad for starter and the silverside off beef and turkey and ham for mains..The starter came out after about 15 mins unfortunately there was no sun blushed tomato, parmasen cheese or smoked bacon as advertised it had a few small bits off chicken few croutons and mostly consisted off ceaser dressing and red onion ...We had to wait a further 50 mins for the mains to arrive ..On arrival at the table both dishes where luke warm my silverside off beef was overdone and chewy it was served on a large dollop off mash with one roast potato the seasonal veg consisted off four pieces off carrot on my plate my partners turkey and ham was fine just a very small portion again served with one dollop off mash one roast potato land four pieces off carrot on the plate the Yorkshire puddings where overdone awell ..The nicest part off the dinner was the white chocolate and mini egg cheesecake we shared for dessert .. A really dissapointing first time experience way overpriced for the standard off food received and service was poor

Nice friendly place... decent food

Another great afternoon with fantastic friends and fun

Great food, nice traditional style bar/restaurant, only downside was we went quite late in the evening so it was a bit busy with people just out for a drink, felt it took away from the atmosphere a bit, I would return though

Great pub. Very dog friendly with nice vegan menu. Good selection of drinks and good value cocktails.

Called in tonight (23/03/24) staff where fantastic, sorted me out with a last minute table, food was absolutely gorgeous! Staff where brilliant even when the place was absolutely packed! Absolute hidden gem! Thanks!

First time here, always heard good things and it did not disappoint. Food was amazing with big portions. Staff were very friendly. Came on a Thursday afternoon and place was quiet but nice atmosphere. Will definitely be back!

Lovely dog friendly spot very nice staff

Fantastic meal party of 8 adults 5 kids 😊

Regularly come here for food and drinks. The staff are brilliant and friendly. Great selection of meals and cocktails.

Great place - lovely, helpful staff and delicious food!

Booked a table, waited an hour on food & ended up walking out. Had to pay £8.10 for two club orange & a Pepsi. Will definitely NOT be back! Only gave 1 star because there isn't the option to give 0 stars.

Went here for a confirmation dinner,complete let down fo kids,ordered 2 kids meals, chips were not nice, ordered 2 adult steak sandwiches, when they came had to ask waitress could she see any meat in them, she returned them to the kitchen, after 45 minutes we asked to see the manager which she replied she was,became very dry, not a very good host,after a while they still didnt come back, others beside us only came in and were served before us, we ended up getting up and leaving refusing to pay the meals we did not recieve.

Been at least 7 or 8 times and haven't had a bad meal. Very courteous staff and being able to bring our dog is a huge plus. Love the way you can wear relaxed clothing and not feel unwanted (Lansdowne take note) . Can't wait to go back.

really nice atmos, family friendly with lovely bar staff

Attending a private party - great, friendly staff.

Great place excellent service and lovely staff

I'd the chance to grab dinner here with a pal. The food was nice, I'd a burger, side salad and chips. The chicken burger was fantastic, well cooked and dressed. The red onion side salad was great, fresh, tasty, and lots of it. The chips were nice but rationed to 7!! And that included lots of little bits of burnt chips. The service was friendly but very slow, there weren't many customers in. I will go back again. Give it a try.

Really lovely meal - three mains, 6 drinks for less than £70 - lovely atmosphere, very very clean! Staff were lovely and attentive but not hovering, relaxed atmosphere, but not scruffy. Definitely will be back :)

Honestly a very disappointing experience. I have been before and love the roast dinners so decided to go for a birthday meal yesterday.We were told to wait in the bar upstairs as tables were running a bit behind and we would be given a complimentary drink. This was fair enough as it is a busy period of the year. The menu was a set 2 or 3 course boxing day menu which we were not aware of before hand so options for dinner were fairly limited as it is. We chose the jalapeno poppers as starters. After a 20 minute wait the server came to take our orders and informed us there was none left and no lamb left. This meant we had to further reconsider our orders as we should’ve been told before. We asked to just do 1 course due to this so we ordered 3 burgers and 2 roasts. 15 mins later we were told there was no burgers left. It is ridiculous paying for a set menu when half the set menu is unavailable. The manager decided to make sirloin burgers which ended up being tasty. The roasts were lukewarm. Each burger and chips was £23. This is a shocking price to pay and a bit of a take on considering the lack of availability of menu items. The manager told us she would sort us out when the bill came but nothing came of it. The whole atmosphere was disappointing and very disorganized. It was an hour and fifteen minutes before we actually ate. Ultimately a very unpleasant and over priced birthday meal.

Just had a beautiful meal top notch nicest food I’ve had in a long time. Staff very helpful and friendly. Will definitely be back.

Had some nice meals here, however, two significant gripes: 1. ordered the prime rib for main course. This was swapped out for short rib, but still charged at the normal price. Short rib is considerably less expensive than prime rib. Enjoyed the meal, but some warning would have been nice. 2. Ordered sticky toffee pudding. Asked if it could be served with custard instead of ice cream. Server said no problem. It came out without the sauce. The waiter explained it wouldn't taste nice if the sauce mixed with the custard (the whole point of a STP is for the sauce to mix with the custard) and that if I wanted sauce it would have to be served on the side. I did, of course, want the sauce, because otherwise my dessert would just have been a slab of pudding in a mire of creme anglaise (which had separated, slightly, but no big issue there). So, after waiting for the sauce and later getting the bill, I noticed I had been charged an extra quid for the custard. Why, I asked? Because it's home made custard. I wasn't expecting the chef to have opened a packing of Bird's. So, is the custard that comes with the apple crumble bought in? This felt quite petty on the part of the staff to charge extra (however slight the amount, or slighted the chef) for the privilege of being served homemade custard or having a STP served with sticky toffee sauce. If they're going to swap out menu items without informing the diner, they shouldn't charge extra when the diner requests a swap out when a.) it was okayed beforehand and b.) they have the item requested ready to serve in their kitchen.

Great place! Trish is amazing and couldn’t do enough to help make us comfortable

Went for granddaughters birthday. Very slow service. Chicken wings extremely hot. My meal was swimming in gravy with a rather over done yorkshire pudding. My husband was asked if he wanted prawns with his steak, even though he just asked for steak. He asked if they came with the steak and was told yes. He said ok but was charged an extra £6. False information. Had asked for birthday cake to be brought out after dinner but it took forever, after several reminders. Kids ordered ice cream to have with the cake. This never came. All in all, quite disappointing.

A fantastic evening at the Ben Madigan on Friday 22nd December food was superb, staff friendly and efficient, lovely atmosphere all topped off with Christmas Carols. Just beautiful

Stopped in for a pint and the staff and Guinness were excellent. I would definitely call again. It was also dog friendly.

First time in Ben Madigans. Was in North Belfast & googled for somewhere to eat with some colleagues. Ben Madigans is a pub in Cavehill Road area and well worth a visit. Food was excellent, portions very generous, special diets catered for and staff checked with chef to make sure. Ben Madigans is friendly & welcoming, staff are excellent & customer focussed, menu is varied, prices are reasonable. Didnt wait too long for meal, prepared fresh. Will go back again .... well worth a visit to North Belfast to find this place... enjoy...

Food was nice and service was friendly

Dogs roaming around freely while your eating and paying for your dinner? Smelly soaking wet dogs, no consideration from the owners. No won't be back after that

Great bar and restaurant...lovely staff

We had a group of seven and the restaurant got us in and were so accommodating. The meals and drinks were all delicious after a long drive in from Galway. Tricia, the manager, was great. Recommend!

Great food and ambience. Beautiful restaurant and great service

Best spot for grub. Sunday dinners are elite🤝

Great place, lovely staff Christmas atmosphere 😀

I've been before and the food/atmosphere was great, so we decided to go today for Sunday lunch...what a letdown it was. We went in and the place was packed, so much so that it almost felt like everyone was sitting on top of each other. My back was rubbing against the guy behind me even though he was sitting at a different table. It was that tight. The 'Classic Ben's Fishcake' was pretty much 90% mashed potato and 10% fish. It was like wet bread with barely any fish/crab in it. There was next to no taste to it, we should've just ordered a bowl of mashed potatoes if that was the case. The Vegan Nut Roast looked amazing on the plate but again, it was like the nut roast itself was held together by plain flour, I can't describe it, it was like eating mushy flour with seeds and onions in it. There was just no taste to it apart from flour. I don't understand how the food quality has got so bad, maybe they got a new chef or something? It got to the point that I was almost gagging with every bite, so I just left most of it on the plate. There were two small pieces of triangle shaped carrots, and two small pieces of Asparagus for the vegetable potion on the plate, it was a joke. We thought the dessert would be better, but the Cheesecake just didn't taste normal either. The biscuit base felt like it was glued together and very doughy and not crumbly, and the actual cheesecake itself was crumbly/crusty? It honestly felt like it had just been left out in the open for a few days, and tasted like it was out of date. I had to leave most of that on my plate too. Another person at our table mentioned the strange taste and texture of their Cheesecake too. I just don't understand how the food has got to the point that 3 people at the table all complained about the same problems with their food. It seriously wasn't worth the money we paid. That'll be the last time we go here. Next time we'll go somewhere else.

Great service and a good atmosphere. Will diffenetly go back

Best place in Ireland for drinks and dessert

Good food, staff, I enjoyed the Guinness here, top quality

We had sirloin stakes and they were probably the nicest stakes we have ever had anywhere.

Lovely and relaxing atmosphere, service was top notch. Very handy for us.thankyou to all the staff this evening.

Good wee pub with a guiz nite every wed great fun and good atmosphere well worth a visit if your passing or staying near by

Nice atmosphere easy parking and good food