Chef and Manager in Ards

Amazing food, great service. The 10yr old even ate the salad before the chips!

The number one restaurant in Northern Ireland! very tasty! very friendly staff! I recommend it to everyone! extremely satisfied!!

Because my flight to Amsterdam from Belfast City Airport was cancelled, I was forced to stay an extra night in Belfast. So we spontaneously entered this restaurant in the evening, attracted by a billboard advertising the Wednesday menu: Fillet-Steak. From the very first moment I was amazed by the hospitality and professionalism of this team. A glass of water was immediately presented. The advice to precede the Steak with a Portavogie Prawns and Mushrooms was a good choice! The File Steak was also of high quality. And the glass of excellent Malbec wine made it complete. The service was great, people regularly came to ask if I was still okay. All in all, highly recommended! If I am ever in the Belfast area again, I will return here.

Went there on Saturday with my elderly mother. The staff were very helpful, the food was excellent and the price was reasonable. I would strongly recommend it for lunch if you are in town.

Nice restaurant. Good service and great food. Went for the spaghetti with prawns this time and it was delicious. Others went for the lamb and steaks. Everyone enjoyed their meals.

Very delicious food and beautifully presented. The chef went above and beyond to accommodate special food restrictions due to allergies and created a delicious adaptation of meals on the fly. Very tasty and of high quality. Excellent restaurant!

Excellent service and great food. I highly recommend this place. All the staff are very efficient and friendly. Lovely ombience. Compliments to the chef.

Excellent meal. Happy, attentive staff who put up graciously with a bunch of veteran sports men.

Food has always been amazing here. Steak is cooked to perfection and the staff are extremely friendly.

Really good quality food. Lovely personal service from Veronica

I have never been disappointed in this lovely restaurant. A little gem in Newtownards. The food is gorgeous.. had the special tonight.. cod with a roasted red pepper sauce. Flaking cod, perfectly cooked veg. Delicious. Such good value. Friendly service, attentive. Thank you!

A few of us booked a table to have a little get together. Lots of different dishes were tried by members of our party. The overriding concensus was that the restaurant is massively overpriced for what you get. £20 for a plate of very ordinary spaghetti with a few prawns and an extremely indifferent sauce alongside the most over priced goats cheese starter in the county.

Lovely meal ,had the pork loin and it just fell apart, highly reccommend

Excellent food, service and cocktails! Just be careful of the stairs to the toilets!

We decided to have Christmas dinner this year with friends at The Chef and Manager. A wonderful experience with food a 10, staff 10 and will repeat. A big thank you to all for making this a a memorable day Sasha & Will

Family meal. Service was excellent, friendly & efficient service from all staff. Several menu items were unavailable, but this didn't detract from the quality of the food available, well prepared and good, sensible portion sizes. Well worth a visit.

We had our 2023 Christmas Dinner - it was absolutely gorgeous - food and service all top notch - can highly recommend - thank you for a great Christmas meal 👍😀

First time I have been here. Absolutely brilliant and good value. Hope to be back soon.

Met up with some friends here on a recent Saturday night for our annual pre-Christmas get-together, our go-to spot really if you want great food & fantastic service, I can guarantee you will not be disappointed. Had the tastiest Vegetable Soup ever (apart from my Mum's of course), then Sirloin Steak & Chips with Pepper Sauce - the best you will get anywhere hands down. Service as usual was top-notch so we just stayed until going home time. BYO is a bonus treat. Will have to go again... Oh, I'm already booked!!

Good good and attentive but unobtrusive service.

What a hidden gem!! From starters to desert the food was amazing! This was matched with superior customer service being made to ‘feel at home’. Can’t recommend enough. Just go, you won’t be disappointed.

Have been twice and can't fault the service or food. Will definitely be back 👌🏻

The only detail here is why are you not dinning here? Chief really knows what he is doing, basic ingredients eg onions.. so well cooked and prepared. Hot plates! Seafood starters fab. Steak? We were a table of 8 and everyone was as ordered, and my mine was frankly the best in a long while xx

Service is second to none. Lovely place to go for a meal. If highly recommend the tiramisu!

Lovely meal with my fiancé. I had the chicken patê for a starter and my fiancée had the garlic bread with cheese, both beautiful. Then for main I had the prawn in garlic and spaghetti and my fiancée had the lasagna. We got some chips and garlic chips on the side. We had appletizers for refreshments and there was a bottle of chilled water on arrival and through the meal. Service was prefect and attentive.

Really lovely. Will definitely return

Very nice meal, pleasantly surprised, will be back...

We were staying for a week in the area and ate out quite a bit... and this restaurant was far and away the best! We were visiting nearby Mount Stewart and the lady in the gift shop recommended Chef & Manager and she was SO right! Food, service, surroundings... all excellent... especially the duck which was delicious! Highly recommend!

We had a very early dinner there today and it was delightful!

This is one of the best restaurants I've visited. The quality of food is unreal for the price. There's a number of restaurants that could learn from this place. Highly recommended. Staff are fantastic and take pride in their work. Hats off to the chef 👨‍🍳 👏

Steak was all gristle more left than eaten....heard this place was worth the visit

Food delicious. Tasted absolutely exquisite. Service great - food served quickly and at perfect temperature. Staff friendly, efficient and professional.

Und die Engländer können es doch😊KOCHEN😊Exzellentes Essen kombiniert mit sehr zuvorkommendem Service in einem angenehmen Ambiente haben uns einen sehr schönen Abend geschenkt. Vielen Dank! Wir kommen gerne wieder

Ordered a medium fillet steak, it was cooked to perfection, melt in mouth, best most tasty fillet I've had for a long time. Came with mushrooms, also very delicious, & little basket of chips which were so good I finished the lot! Our waitress was super efficient, polite & friendly, a perfect evening rounded off with an Irish Coffee, so exquisite I was tempted to have another! We will definitely be back. Well done Chef & Mngr!

Regularly come here always get a great meal.

Lovely meal and the fillet steak was cooked to perfection.

I've have now dined in the restaurant on several occasions. Food excellent and staff very friendly.

Attended for a work lunch and enjoyed the seabass. Dish was delicious, and service was excellent. Very welcoming and friendly staff

Food outstanding, service top notch. Had the monk fish, wife had the steak and I fully recommend a visit, a hidden gem in Newtownards. Will be back William and Sasha.

What a great place, excellent food, and the service is very good.

The service was very on point, no waiting or asking for anything. The food was something else altogether. We ordered the garlic mushrooms as a starter and they where delicious. We then got the fillet as a main and asked for it med to rare and it just melted in your mouth it was that perfect. The desert was amazing the raspberry and chocolate cake. The atmosphere was so relaxing and enjoyable it was honestly then best Saturday night as a couple. Then again anytime I have been there it has been great.

Lovely and most helpful staff. Great food. Brilliant atmosphere. Highly recommend Chef and Manager.

Good service, food was okay, small portions, my partners meal was good, my meal was okay. Small seating area and very stuffy

Delicious food, good menu choice and great staff. You Can byo wine with a corkage charge. Great evening out.

Food was wonderful and the service was fantastic. Would definitely eat here again. Booked last minute and we were looked after attentively the whole night.

Celebrated a 40th birthday and the staff couldn’t do enough for you! Food was superb as always not one complaint from a party of 28! Highly recommended this place never disappoints. One of ards hidden gems

This restaurant surpassed itself yet again last night...food fabulous..presentation fabulous..service..fabulous...cannot rate it high enough!!!

Had to send my food back twice as I had asked for medium to well done, and it came out rare on both occasions. The staff were lovely and they took the price of my meal off the bill. I came away hungry as I was put off my food. I was so disappointed as my daughter bought me a voucher for Christmas and I might as well threw it in the bin.

Great venue, ambiance and staff. Had the soup, sirloin steak and Vanilla desert. Steak was a bit over cooked and not a great cut (hence 4 and not 5 stars) but the rest were great. Service was brilliant.

Beautiful tasting food at a very reasonable cost.

Lovely meal, professional, helpful and prompt service, will go back 😊

Beautiful meal Great service Will be back

Just love this place, perfect size portions and very tasty. Always made to feel very welcome. Definitely 5star👍

First time visiting - amazing food, service and play-list Would highly recommend this restaurant

We made an impromptu visit to this restaurant. Was pleased to see they have a licence and it’s also BYO wine too. I had the fish special which was the Monk Fish. It was amazing. The food was fresh, tasty and well presented. The staff were very attentive but allowed us space to enjoy our evening. We will definitely be back.

Lovely restaurant with a classy vibe. The staff were so lovely and attentive. We were seated quickly and checked on often. The food was delicious and we'll definitely be returning. Highly recommend for a date night or a family night out.

A lovely restaurant to go to. The food is excellent. The staff are friendly and helpful.

Really tasty food and enjoyed the variety on offer

Went for a Valentine's Night Meal. It was the normal A La Carte Menu, and we loved the food. Salt and Chilli Squid and Meatballs for starters. A Mediterranean salmon fillet and spicey prawn spagetti as mains. All full of flavour. Service was also excellent. Thank you Veronica

We live locally and Chef and Manager is one of our favourites. I have some dietary requirements and it is never too much trouble to check the ingredients with the chefs or make adjustments to a dish. And BYO is a huge bonus! One of our favourites for a night out as a couple or with friends.

Food is good but one thing that’s a big no no in my books is that every time you drive back near the rear door staff are smoking, it makes it a very dirty looking restaurant unfortunately, as they are standing right in the doorway so I’m guessing the smoke goes directly into the kitchen. A real put off!

Visited the restaurant today with my partner, I have special dietary requirements and have a serious stomach condition which I know can be a handful for restaurants. The options for vegan were extremely limited and the salad was covered in a sea of balsamic vinegar with 4 falafel. One of which tasted like chicken. This was earlier today and since I have been violently sick. Even puked up in the restaurant. The staff assured us this was all prepped correctly, however I beg to differ If you are vegan or have dietary requirements please be careful in the place . I didn't want to cause a scene in the restaurant as I was nervous and in a state of shock I wanted out of there without causing a scene as there were only 2 elderly couples in the restaurant. This was a lunch time that was a nightmare and I don't think I will be going back. On the positive side my partner said her food was good. Which is why it gets 1 star from me.

We came for lunch on Father’s Day, two adults and two children. As before we received an excellent welcome by the hostess and shown to a table downstairs. The menu is lovely, A La Carte and also a separate one for the little people. Specials were explained and we ordered starters of prawns and my favourite salt and chilli squid. Mains were rib eye steak and a special of mixed grill. The children ordered chicken strips. Food was excellent, fresh, great quality and very well presented, this restaurant doesn’t falter and food is consistently good. There’s a reason it’s no. 1 in Ards. Rib eye steak was really big and cooked to perfection, mixed grill was very nice, lots of meat and perfectly cooked chips. Childrens chicken strips were home made and throughly enjoyed. The bill was fairly reasonable considering currant rises, BYO helps however the wine list was also good value. Would have loved a few cocktails, definitely next time. Finally the serving staff were very friendly and courteous, they made the children welcome and that means a lot to us. Looking forward to returning. Thank you.

I have found myself in Chef and Manager a few times and each time I wonder why I cannot say I eat here all the time. It's easy to be seduced by the bigger restaurants in the locale that shout for your attention but I find this eatery to have a warmth and ambiance most lack and this is certainly created by Veronika and the staff and their calm, welcoming disposition. The ever amiable chef almost always pops his head out with genuine smiles and nods and you simply do not get that very often. Relaxing and simply a pleasure to sit in, the food is always flavourful, the menus well thought out and creative and the presentation delectably inviting. Ideal for business, family or intimate meals, I recommend that you make the effort or journey and sink into a lovely dining experience.

Thought would try here based on Tripadvisor reviews and wasn’t disappointed! Nice ambience, very pleasant staff, not silly prices, nicely presented food. But most important of all, really good, tasty meals, we both thoroughly enjoyed our dinner. Would definitely recommend!

When we arrived at this restaurant it looked closed,we were early.However we were made very welcome on entering.Our order was taken giving us time to look at the menu and the food and drinks arrived in a timely manner.The food was very good,I had seafood...

Yet again an unbelievable meal. Excellent service, delightful staff , service with a smile. Thankyou for an excellent dining experience

While out cycling I called in on spec to get a takeaway sandwich. I had not been in this restaurant before and it appeared very busy. Rebecca sorted me with a huge tuna salad sandwich and some crisps on the side- all was delicious. Very...

Fantastic meal. Both the starter and main course were 5*. Service was great. No one rushed us. Will definitely be back

First time here for myself, but wasn't disappointed. Ordered the expensive fillet steak, but the chef clearly knows his stuff as it arrived perfect medium rare as I ordered. Pepper sauce accompaniment was superb. Staff were friendly and professional and deserve a generous tip. Cant...

Was here last night with my mum, what an amazing dining experience. The food was absolutely delicious we both had the fillet steak, both cooked to perfection and the flavour in the sauté mushrooms and onions was unbelievable. My mum who is in her 70s...

Loved it. Went for the steak meal night where a sirloin is £15.95. The food was great. Starter and desert were delicious also. Halloumi cheese was top tier. Great atmosphere too with very friendly staff. A great experience and will be back!

Ate a birthday meal with my parents here last night and I have to say it was as good as ever! We all had the fillet steak which was delicious, cooked to perfection and just so tasty. I had the chicken liver and brandy pate...

Super meal in the Chef and Manager. The menu options were varied with a very wide range of choice. Prices were very reasonable. Staff exceptionally friendly. Nice for a family meal for 10 people. Really would recommend.

I have eaten in this restaurant many times and never been disappointed. Our most recent visit was along with another couple for an early Saturday dinner. We were greeted and seated immediately and the pleasant waitress took our byo wine and straight away supplied us...

We have been at this restaurant to celebrate our anniversary and we weren’t disappointed, it was amazing from start to finish both the food and the service. Thank you guys.

This restaurant is absolutely top class, The service is excellent The food is excellent The people who work there are friendly and informative. And ......the price is right.

Very impromptu visit, we arrived at 5 o'clock, had no booking, but luckily there were not busy, we had fillet steak and chips, oh my word, best ever, a little more expensive than your normal restaurant, but it is true what they say, you only...

Has a meal here with my wife, food was delicious and service friendly and helpful. Menu had great choices and was also good value

Came in at 6.00pm on 20/12/2020 and were shown to table right away. The server was very helpful and had a good knowledge of the menu. Great atmosphere and the food was outstanding. The service was prompt. Best meal I have eaten in ages. The...

Wonderful food, efficient attentive staff, an overall treat! Even though socially distanced and feeling safe, there is a good atmosphere. Have been eating here since it opened and am delighted to see the business growing. Well deserved. The food is ALWAYS excellent and the menu...

Dined here on Friday night, as a group of 4, starters, T-bone, and dessert were all amazing, as were the 2 female staff who diligently and courteously attended to us.Highly recommended.

We've been here several times, which in itself is a good recommendation. After the recent relaxation of some of covid-19 lockdown restrictions it is great to be able to go out for an evening meal with friends. As always, staff are friendly and attentive. The...

My family and I are regular visitors to the Chef & Manager, which also happens to be our favourite restaurant. Due to Covid 19 restrictions the restaurant has been closed for usual business but aren’t we lucky they have decided to operate a delivery service....

Can I just say the chef & manager have a take away menu at the moment due to covid restrictions you can either collect or get it deliverd. We had one last week and it was as good as ever. The only thing we missed...

The best food we have ever had in a restaurant ever. It was so good, the staff were lovely and so friendly and management went above and beyond, it was my birthday and they made it so special. The food is on a different level...

I had resolved to not write any more reviews about the Chef and Manager because it is so consistently excellent. Called with my wife today and ate from the early bird menu. Soup for me and pate for my wife for starters and then both...

My wife and I visited the Chef and Manager restaurant on Saturday 3rd October. I can confirm that social distancing and mask wearing by staff was observed throughout our visit. In relation to the service the staff were able to balance between being attentive, but...

I’ve only been here twice but was very impressed on both occasions. This time I was upstairs which was nice as it seems a bit more spacious. The fillet steak deal on a Wednesday evening is very good value and was nicely cooked. I loved...

We had an evening meal here on a busy Saturday evening. despite "social distancing" there was a good and friendly atmosphere. The staff and diners were glad to be back after a covid19 lockdown for weeks. Like the service, the food was excellent and the...

I felt at ease from the outset, with excellent service throughout. The chef's special was cooked to perfection - Salmon Piri-Piri. Staff were attentive but not overbearing. The atmosphere was relaxed. Great evening out mid-week, and we didn't have to book ahead. Reasonably priced to...

I visited this restaurant for the first time recently with my family. Food was good and service was excellent. Will definitely visit again.

What a lovely surprise, a very nice restaurant providing a good vibe and well cooked food!!could be anew favourite

Had a delicious fillet steak in this restaurant. Staff friendly and kept in line with Covid guidelines, wearing masks and cleaning tables between customers. Will be back again.

Decided to try the Chef & Manager and was not disappointed from the moment we entered the restaurant we were made to feel extremely comfortable, the staff explained social distance measures that were in place, which we observed being carried out thoroughly during our visit....

Went for dinner for my husbands birthday ans i can honestly say i cant wait to go back .....everything about it was perfect ,the service was first class ,norhing to much trouble ! And the food was so good ,everyone enjoyed their meal and they even played happy birthday for my hubby with his birthday cake ,.....we wil most definitely return with the family ...thankyou to all staff at chef & manager .

Overall fantastic meal. Would be even better if they had beer on draft and WC / upstairs could do with up dating a bit glum but food brilliant. Thank you

This was my fourth time to Chef and Manager, as other reviews mention it is consistently good, that’s what makes it great and now my go to place for excellent food and service.

This was my third visit since re-opening and probably my last review. My problem is finding something new to say. There were 5 in our party for Sunday lunch but we were delayed by about an hour because one of the party was committed to an on-line interview. We kept the restaurant informed and they couldn't have been more empathetic. Warm welcome as ever and delicious food for all. Most took the two course special but one opted for the a la carte. I made the mistake of being unable to resist the baklava so waddled very contentedly from the restaurant. Great food, great staff and very pleasant ambiance plus staff diligent in Covid-19 protection measures.

Very friendly from start to finish, food very good and prices reasonable fresh produce which was obvious by the presentation. Would recommend the rack of lamb