Morning Star in Belfast

What a place!!! The perfect location to start our weekend trip to Belfast. Located in a narrow little alley makes you feel like being in the 19th century. Awesome food, fast beer and great service. We loved it!!!

Lovely fish chowder, chicken parmesan and roast beef!

Great pub nice and friendly young staff and absolutely the best Sunday roast I’ve ever had. Highly recommended this place. The beef was of superb quality and absolutely delicious. Thank you

The food was very good, we ordered the crispy pork belly, chicken parmigiana, roast beef and the Apple crumble. Large and very good dishes!! Half price

Went with 10, half ordered steaks and half ordered Sunday dinners, they bought all the steaks out however forgot about our Sunday dinners somehow, came and took our orders again after most of the food had arrived. Asked if we would like courtesy drinks due to the wait and then only offered to individuals not the whole party, even tho everybody was effected, was actually quite rude. On arrival to the restaurant waited 20 mins before our drinks came. Steaks came, then 10 minutes later the chips for the steak came ? People finished their steak before the chips for it even arrived. The Sunday dinners were cold and hastily put together, clearly weren’t prepared for Sunday dinners in the evening however instead of communicating this they mashed quick dinners up which weren’t good. For the price the meal was not worth it at all, staff should have communicated the situation with us and everything could have been sorted. Was not what I was expecting at all, the starters were nice.

Very nice and bequtiful place....the staff was super helpful and kind and with a smile..! The food was excellent and tge music as well!

Would normally go for the carvery which is well priced and the food is lovely. I do have to say that their staff are really lovely, professional and helpful!!!

staff was super kind, mostly speedy service, lovely live music when we first arrived. we tried the soup of the day, it was cream of onion and Delicious, as well as the champ ❤️❤️❤️yummyyyy. delicious guinness and lovely vibes. highly recommend :)

Had to change my review following what can only be described as an awful pair of steaks. When you spend over £110 per couple and the chef serves up 2 well done pieces of meat even though one was ordered rare and one medium rare. 1st server came over and asked were our mains ok before we had actually started. Later, a 2nd server realised there was an issue, asked us to clarify so we did meekly apologised and then left us to our rubbish food. I used to go in here occasionally and liked it, this was the 1st visit in some months, not sure what would make me go back.

Loved the Sunday dinner was great first time here and it was excellant ❤️

Absolutely bogging. Food not cooked properly and over priced. Ladies toilets were filthy n staff were rushed of there feet. Absolute shambles. Deffo would not recommend and will never be back

A very expensive pint of Guinness. It's cheaper in more atmospheric bars.

Loved this bar great atmosphere and drink , Enjoyed watching the match here and food was great also

Called in on a Saturday afternoon with my Son. Got a wee booth upstairs in the restaurant as the downstairs was busy ( great vibe all the same). Pil Pil Prawns,with focaccia for dipping, for a starter hit the spot. For main course we had the Sea Bass and Steak & Guinness Pie from the ‘Specials Menu’. Both were excellent. Good portion sizes, bursting with flavour. The Guinness was 9.5/10 and the glass of Malbec perfect. My Son’s not a big drinker but the owner, James, talked him into a cocktail which he supplied ‘on the House’ ! The Service was top of the class (well worth the charge). I would recommend the Morning Star to anyone visiting or City, or simply whilst in Town.

Had a great fish and chips here for lunch, and some friends had the steak sandwiches, all very happy. Around £22 each with a pint, which is standard for Belfast these days, but was very tasty and the staff were sound.

After having a great meal here on St.Patricks day I was very eager to get back. Took family again for my sons birthday and was very disappointed. Food took too long to arrive and was nowhere near the standard of our first visit. My sons steak was cooked very well done and he ordered medium, my other sons fish and chips wasn't at all enjoyed. The batter was so thick and crispy with very little fish inside. My lamb dish was disgusting 🫣. No meat, just completely fatty. Got the lamb taken off the bill.

Wonderful atmosphere of a typical Irish pub. They offer several options of good food on the menu but the best thing about this place is that they offer a plate for £6.99 that can fill you up, if you want, with several options to choose between meats, vegetables ,pasta, meatloaf and side dishes from a small buffet. But be careful!! only once!! hehe so don't be shy, the food is delicious, order the amount that you would really eat, whether it's a lot or a little.

We were here on Easter Monday and got a place without a reservation. The service was great and quick. We all had a steak and everyone had it on point. Price-performance top

The steaks were out of this world, love how everything is sourced locally. My Dad was pleased to meet James again, after knowing his father well and James made sure to visit the table and make us feel welcome.

1. Stingy with the Gravy A single dribble comes with your roast. We had to ask more gravy and they charged us £3.75 per scoop of gravy. Needed 4 between the 5 of us at least. 2. Service was just absent The restaurant was nearly empty and yet Only half the table had drinks for 20 mins It was a long time before anyone took our food order The roast took over an hour and we gave up waiting for the bill and paid at the counter on our way out. We were served by 3 different people sparingly over the evening.

Very good place to eat, at lunch you have, in addition to the classics on the menu, a buffet that for 7 pounds per plate is very good and the food is delicious. And if not, the dishes on the menu are very good and rich. The people are very friendly and cordial.

Everyone was so friendly and informative. Cannot wait to visit again.

Had a cracking Sunday roast and amazing stout sticky toffee pudding.Really good value and really good service. Highly recommend

I was disappointed with the service. It was absolutely unacceptable. The Free Walking Tour guide recommended the morning star, so I ignored all other restaurants and decided to try out the restaurant and the food and then hit other pubs later. I came in, took a seat, and looked at the bartender and waitress for over a long time. and was totally ignored until finally one of the waitresses said from a distance if I have been helped. Is that how they serve their customers? I ordered a slow roast beef dinner, and they plunked on the table with no utensils. The food was cold to my disappointment. Someone else came in and ordered the same at the bar, and he was served right away, and the utensils were set before the food came. Service like this would not survive in the big city or Europe or North America. I guess this is Belfast. It is unfortunate. For tourists, you might want to try some place else.

Excellent service, Guinness good...

Great spot for a pint of the black stuff.

Very tasty food at reasonable prices - and a hot buffet (chicken wings, sausages, lasagne etc + vegetables) for £6.50 per plate

Called in for lunch and got a table easily. Staff were very attentive and the food was lovely. We will be back!

One-dish buffet at a very good price. Food and beer £14

There is a good quality price relation.

Really smashing Sunday roast dinner. Service was exemplary from the first minute of arrival to the last. Lovely pork belly bites to start Roast beef and all the trimmings excellent. Sticky toffee pudding to finish. Outstanding and very good value for money. Young girl serving us was excellent

Great pub, enjoyed it. Restaurant is upstairs. Big enough they can accommodate walk ins, was advised this when called, but they did take a booking via the contact form and got back to us within a few hours. Was fine with two kids, decent kids menu.

The Morning Star is an amazing pub with good Guinness and food. Came here exactly 10 years ago for the first time and it hasn’t changed!

Cute spot, but very disappointing experience. Website advertised an express lunch option and the staff acted like we were crazy when we asked about it and then said it had been suspended. When I asked the server for a dry cider he brought out something that had fruit on the bottle and it tasted like soda. Then when I ordered a burger and asked for it medium rare the waitress said nothing, but when someone else brought out the burger they said that they always cook their burgers through because they don’t make the patties in house. The waitress could have said something when I asked for the burger medium rare that they don’t do that so I could have made a different choice — the burger was cooked well done and day and tough. My daughter’s fish and chips was greasy and tough. My husband enjoyed his steak sandwich.

Enjoyed the food. Service was also very good

Very disappointing both drink and food. They had no fanta only a sparkling orange drink that came out warm and out of date. Food was horrible the beef was tough couldn't cut it or chew it. The roast potatoes were so hard they couldn't be eating. The gravy was like water. We were up stairs over head the pub. There was no hand dryer working. In bathrooms. I will not be back here again. I have been ill all day since I ate here. Myself and partner and child were looking for some where nice to eat. And this place was freezing cold and just music pumping out of the speaker. No atmosphere at all.

We ate downstairs as the restaurant was closed when we visited. Food was fine standard pub grub, though fish was quite dry. It was very quiet so not really any atmosphere to comment on, but the staff and service were prompt and friendly

Love this place for food, the staff are great, the food is amazing, do yourself a favour and call in

Really nice pub with friendly staff.

We were here for St. Patrick’s Day 2024. It was packed with a great crowd. How the staff managed to be so attentive, efficient, and kind is beyond my explanation! ❤️🙏🏼 (in true Irish fashion) We had the rib eye, pork belly, and onion rings - everything was delicious!!!!

Best place for Cheltenham Food great, atmosphere great and service impeccable

Fantastic news upstairs restraunt

I was looking for a place to eat while I was walking, I wanted food different than burguers and fries, but not a restaurant vibe only. I found this is a gastrobar, with tv’s to watch sports, but also full restaurant atmosphere as well. Nice decor, and the staff was extraordinary! I had a onion soup ( I had never had one) it was delicious and perfect for the cold, also a small pulled belly pork bites that were yummi! Loved the place..

Really good atmosphere, Andy and Gary behind the bar were great, staff and guests all very friendly, would highly recommend 👍🏻

Brilliant bar staff and great pint of Guinness. Gary and Andrew were fantastic. Would highly recommend.

Went in for a pint and seen they do a bar buffet at lunch time which was a buffet with a selection of lasagne, moussaka, curry rice, beef pie, Irish stew and other items for £6.95 per person, food was lovely and definitely worth the money, would go again for the food.

Came for a Sunday lunch last week. It took a good while to be served at our table, the member of staff apologised and we were understanding as they were so clearly understaffed. Food arrived fairly quickly, however the meat and veg were cold, clearly being heated by the gravy. I addressed this with a member of staff and asked for more gravy, as we were absolutely starving so just wanted to eat and were happy with gravy to warm it. The food was delicious, fairly disappointed there was only one roast potato on the plate for the price (£16.95) but we happily ate it all. Ordered a dessert which again was lovely but I was quite surprised by the dollop of garlic butter on the plate but again, we were understanding as we assumed it just landed there by accident. It got very rowdy and loud and so we decided to pop to the loo and leave, as we came out of the toilet a staff member was waiting at the bar with the bill, frantically looking for us so we headed to pay. We instantly noticed a £4.95 charge for gravy (extortionate at any rate) so we explained that we'd spoken to someone and only had the gravy because the food was cold. In response to this the waitress became aggressive and said in a mocking and aggressive tone, and I quote, "why are you lying? I see you, you LICKED YOUR PLATES CLEAN" with actions to boot. I'm annoyed at myself for just paying and leaving (after the gravy being removed) without addressing this absolutely appalling manner in which we were spoken to. We were understanding and polite the whole meal, this was completely uncalled for and insulting. Appalling to believe it is okay to speak to a customer this way.

Good food, good beer selection, really liked the sustainable/humane approach to the menu

Good service with friendly staff and locals.

I went to Morning Star on my 40th Birthday while in Belfast. I wanted a traditional Northern Irish pub dinner and they delivered that exceptionally well. I had the steak and Guinness pie and it was exactly what I needed after a heavy night on the town the night before. A must visit for authenticity, superb atmosphere, great service and great food.

Heard great things about the Morning Star, but that must have been some time ago. Went in today looking forward to a Sunday roast. My wife ordered a chicken burger, I ordered the roast. Took 35 minutes to reach our table. When it did, the portion size was terrible. The food was tasty but there were hardly any vegetables or potatoes but they tried to make it look big by sticking a large Yorkshire pudding on top. It was served surrounded by gravy but the plate wasn’t very warm and so the gravy went cold quickly. Food wasn’t even that warm to begin with. Not what the photo on their website would have you believe. They kept us waiting that long we didn’t even have time to finish it before we had to leave. Not cheap and not value for money. I will not be back. When the waitress enquired as to whether everything was alright, we told her. ‘I will tell my manager’ and ‘I’m sorry about that’. No manager arrived to hear for himself, so what was the point in that. Steer clear folks, plenty of better, more efficient eating houses in the city centre!

My mum and stepdad came here to eat a meal out. This evening. Absolutely horrible my mum said. Fish burner and cold. They came out tonight due to my mum going in for major surgery on Tuesday for colon cancer. They regulary go here and said after tonight they won't be back. They traveled from Co. Down to have a horrible meal. Not impressed by this at especially working in the restaurant business.

Excellent service the team made us feel very welcome. The food was from the Carvery. We were in Belfast for the Rugby International.

Great food, service and atmosphere. We went for Sunday lunch and wasn't disappointed! Will definitely return next time we're in Belfast!

We decided we wanted a Sunday dinner so a quick Google search of the local pubs brought up this place. Mixed reviews really, we both decided on the roast beef dinner which states on the menu is served with seasonal vegetables, we both got 1 carrot each and a table spoon of what looked like cabbage, and 1 roast potato that wouldn’t of looked out of place on a golf tea( harder than a golf ball too). The 1 yorkshire pudding was nice and so was the meat but for £16.95 each and then a 10% service charge on top it wasn’t really good value at all. We wouldn’t recommend unfortunately.

Had a very pleasant visit here, the food and service were great, will definitely be back

Very bad service! I am sitting in the Morning Star as I am typing up this review. Not only did we have to wait forever for our drinks, but when the food was served to us the staff member spilled sauce over my new Uggs. I then went up to the staff at the bar to complain and they said the office staff would get back to me. I am so annoyed by the way that the situation was handled.

Had a meal there today, chips must have been heated up 4 times, over all meal wasn’t great. Not be back.

Excellent pint of Guinness and the Morningstar burger was amazing! Well worth a stop.

Excellent beef Sunday roast and sticky toffee pudding to die for

I remember “back in the day”, visiting the Morning Star and the Guinness being the best in Belfast. Unfortunately it’s lost that crown along with now being the most expensive Guinness in Belfast. This was the first pub I always headed to when visiting Belfast, not anymore. Sorry but at almost £6 a pint, I’ll not be rushing back.

Enjoyable craft beet and gastropub. Recommended

Great food and service, and well worth a visit.

Stopped in after struggling to find a spot for a late lunch. Was very pleasantly surprised by how tasty the food was, along with wonderful service! Absolutely would recommend stopping in for lunch and a pint.

Gorgeous pub, gorgeous food, gorgeous service. Didn’t catch the name of our lovely server but he was an absolute star! ⭐️ Thank you so much for having us!

Group of 6, come here quite often as normally excellent. Large steak ordered medium rare came medium well. Different waiter comes back with the same steak, declares it is medium rare and gives it back, refuses to discuss. Later did the same thing to the table next to us.

Went to the.Morning Star for lunch Had the buffey..Good value for the money. Enjoyed the food, the Guinness and the atmosphere.

Went back home to Belfast from Australia Popped in to the star Great to see nothing has changed in this beautiful Bar. Brought back memories. Great value lunch to, fresh & friendly staff. Highly recommended for anyone from around the world visiting Belfast.

This has been the first visit to The Morning Star Bar in Belfast. The food was only what I could describe as at a 5 Star Restaurant rating. The staff were all really lovely and from a diversity of cultures when my husband and I embrace so much. Their mannerisms were so warm and welcoming. I would recommend this beautiful Bar to anyone to eat in. You will be pleasantly surprised when you wall in from the street to the amazing food served and lovely staff

We enjoyed a lovely meal and the staff were really friendly. Lots of food and drinks choices too. If you want a decent pub meal, definitely try it out.

Best even chowder and a beef rib!! Service great ( but gave us wrong food, so we had to wait a bit extra to get what we ordered) otherwise no fault. Plus, life music! What else could you ask for :)

Was looking for a decent brunch and stumbled upon this place on a small walkway. Old traditioned atmosphere, polite staff and especially great food. Not very expensive. Would definitely fly back again for those 'Belfast Fries'. Place offers buffet too (I haven't tried though)

Family run iconic pub that specialises in top feeds, highly recommend their lunchtime buffet. Super service and one of the great city centre pubs of Belfast 🥃

Fabulous visit.....Great Guinness... awesome steaks....very friendly staff... with 2 English visitors who are already planning a return visit!!

One of Belfasts oldest pubs, busy little spot at lunchtime but food and service where excellent

Terrific food even better staff

Found by accident. Best accident ever! Tired, weary and needing to find some supper. The burger was a taste sensation and the service from all staff was lovely, very welcoming. Thank you Terry, nod to the chef. Well done 👏

We went for a end of year family meal that we were all really looking forward to. The staff were very friendly and took our orders promptly. The disappointment came with the food. My son and I ordered a turkey & ham dinner. This is possibly the worst turkey & ham dinner I've ever had!!! It was served warmish, no brussel sprouts that had been replaced with celery!!! No cranberry sauce and very minimal roast potatoes and carrots! The ham tasted like it had just come out of a tin! The turkey itself was pathetic served with brown cuts of meat and no stuffing. Not once were we ask if everything was ok with our food. I felt complaining about our food would only fall on deaf ears and I didn't want to go off on one in front of the family. We didn't want anything else after our meal and asked for the bill. When checking the bill we saw that there was a 10% service charge added to the bill. We would of though this would of applied to a table of 10+ but certainly not for a table of three adults and one child. When I asked the waitress why was a service charge added she said "it was a Christmas thing they do"....unbelievable!!! Looking back I should of refused to pay the service charge but again I didn't want to make a scene in front of the family. I would of left a tip but it certainly it would not been 10% of the bill!!! The whole experience put a bad taste in my mouth for the rest of the evening (no pun intended) I work hard for my money and wished I had of spent it elsewhere and had a meal that I was satisfied paying for!! I will not be calling again to The Morning Star and I would not recommend it to anyone looking to go there for a meal!!

Called in on New Year's Eve around 5 o'clock for a few drinks. Hadn't been in 'The Star' for ages. There was a good crowd in & quite a few people having food which looked lush. We sat at the bar & the banter with the barmen was great 10/10👍😃

A really nice pub with some great classic pub food. There is a great selection of food and drinks to choose from and food was delicious. A nice spot to have a classic lunch while exploring Belfast.

A great historic place down the historic Pottinger’s Entry (these alleyways date back to the 17th century and the pub to the 19th). The interior is classic Victorian - tiled floors, old gas fittings, lots of dark wood - and the regulars are just as characterful (if you like to watch horse racing with an excellent pint of Guinness you’re in luck). A big selling point is the excellent food, especially the hot plate buffet/carvery, which - at about £7 for a dedent plateful that includes produce from the pub’s own farm - has to be the best value lunch in the city. Not a tourist-orientated place, but there are often tourists in - testament to how authentic and welcoming this pub is.

Bon restaurant...cuisine diversifiée! excellents desserts..!

Great for a wee shopping trip pint. Cabtvrate the food as I didn't get any but the menu looked good. Very busy which is always a good sign.

Flavors and quality absolutely exceeded our expectations!! We came in on a Friday night with no RSVP and was seated immediately. It was quite busy, so service was on the slower side. Honestly would highly recommend all the dishes we ordered but the highlights were definitely the pork belly, roast dinner, and passionfruit martini!

Muy buen lugar para tomar unas pintas de Beamish a la noche, servicio inmejorable.

First time here. We sat outside, under the heaters as it was packed inside. Really enjoyed it. It had a good atmosphere & competitive prices

Popped in here for a bite to eat after some shopping as it was handy. Staff were helpful and accommodating. It has been a while since I've eaten upstairs and it is clear the place needs some serious attention ASAP, it was unhygienic in some places. We literally stuck to the table, the carpets were dirty and falling apart, we went to the toilet and the carpet was actually slidey... How is that even possible? Food was OK but not exactly cheap, our chips looked like they were the dregs of the bottom but a lovely waiter sorted us out with fresh ones, really quickly. Staff were the best thing about the place. It is such a gem of a place it's sad to see it in this condition.

Worst lunch I've had out as far as I can remember. Both my mum and I got slow cooked beef that we could neither cut nor chew. Yorkshire pudding tasted awful. Only thing edible was the mash and one stick of carrot we got. Spent £33 and left hungry.

Called in for the carvery. Brilliant as always. Great staff.

Insomma per noi italiani abituati alla nostra cucina è sempre complicato giudicare un pub, ristorante, all'estero che fa cucina del posto. Ma cerco sempre di essere obbiettivo e immedesimarsi come un del posto. Qua abbiamo trovato una dolce cameriera che parlava italiano e ci ha anche consigliato bene. Ambiente tranquillo la domenica sera, ma ovviamente non sarà così nei fine settimana .. a Belfast ho trovato un pò caro mangiare, meglio invece per il bere, e i trasporti dove si può usufruire anche di uber e non è poco. Questo pub è di buon livello.

4 stars. I love the morning star but 4 stars as last meal we got charged for the table beside us as well. Only noticed on bill when got to car. They refunded the difference and service charge straight away. In the Christmas rush it could easily have been missed.

Still a great lunchtime buffet meal location right in the middle of the City, down Pottinger's Entry off Ann/High Street Undoubtedly best in the City Centre for value👍.An historic traditional Belfast Pub with great staff and smiling/attentive staff 🤔💯

Had dinner in your bar tonight, I had roast beef and my wife had turkey and ham. Firstly the portions were quite small, I got half a carrot and a couple of pieces off another veg I am not sure off , a hard roast potato, which wasn't really roasted the beef itself was very tough and honestly hard to cut through and the less said about the soggy Yorkshire pudding the better. My wife said the turkey was all right. We have eaten in your bar many times before and it is generally been good but not tonight.

Food wasn't the warmest when served

Great pint of Guinness but also one of the dearest in the City centre 😁

Traditional pub with good food and friendly service. Enjoyed the steak so much we bought a load to take home. Cooked some last night that was the the most tender tasty sirloin ever.

Came highly recommended when looking for a Sunday Roast. The flavor was there but the roast was extremely tough. They were extremely busy so service was slow but we received and drank our multiple drinks before our food even arrived. When the food arrived some of it was cold and some of it was warm. My husband enjoyed his fish and chips but said it wasn’t anything special. There is too much good food in this city that I don’t think I’ll be back any time soon.

Went in for a meal and was thoroughly impressed. Under £10 for a plate filled with a variety of delicious traditional Irish food.

Superb service and buffet excellent value. Great pub.

Good food and service - while deserving of a tip, it is automatically added to the bill which I thought was strange for N.I.