Overwood Restaurant in Ards

This was our third visit to Overwood in recent months, this time for a 30th birthday celebration for our son. Once again we weren’t disappointed and all six of us agreed it was one of the best meals we had enjoyed for a long time. Robbie and the front of house team were friendly and welcoming as well as being extremely knowledgeable and helpful in relation to the menu. The food was outstanding with our party having a range of choices from steak to chicken to Sea Bass along with a variety of sides. However my personal favourite were the beef brisket donut starter! It was simply outstanding. Prices aren’t cheap but for food this good along with excellent service, I feel it’s good value for money. We can’t wait to visit again.

We had a wonderful eating experience at Overwood recently. We were a party of 5. We had a drink on the balcony, warmed by the fires, before sharing some delicious starters (oysters, beef ragu, beef tartar). We then moved on to the most amazing steaks ever, and side dishes to die for. Everything was exceptional and I'm so pleased our visitors from England and Cavan just loved everything about the entire meal. Thank you Eoin and team!

Don’t get me wrong, we had a very pleasant evening, and would probably go back. Steaks were excellent, as you would hope given the high prices, but both sea bream which were ordered were very undercooked, with one virtually raw. Both had to be sent back, but there wasn’t much of an apology. A free drink or dessert would have been a nice gesture. The restaurant is beautiful, and it was very nice to sit outside with our apéros by the log fire. Staff also very helpful and knowledgeable. So I would recommend anyone to give it a try.

A good restaurant but the price is almost at Michelin level. We started with lobster and prawn pil pil which is actually langoustine and prawn . I know this is sometimes referred to as lobster but this should be stated when ordering as £15 a starter is steep. It was a good dish, sweet and flavoursome. To follow we had the long horn aged steak and plaice. The steak was small and lacked flavour. At £30 this wasn’t great. The plaice was lovely if slightly over indulging the dill. The sides were magnificent- go for all the potatoes, the cabbage and stir fried greens likewise excellent. For dessert we had chocolate delice and mango tart both very good indeed . Service was fantastic. Friendly and professional and no long waits as stated in other reviews. A good selection of wine.

When a dining experience is this good you don't say too much...but... The man in the kitchen is a genius; it takes serious skill to make simple stunning produce work in such harmony. The chaps on the floor bring excellent service to a new level. There is an actual team at work here; and boy they are good! If its fiddly foams, colourful gels and a "that'll do" wine you're after; this is not the place for you.

A special occasion warrants pushing the boat out so thought we’d go here as we’d always wanted to try it. I looked at the menu online which differed to the one presented so took us a while to decide. It took ages for the starters to arrive, no check back from staff and waited about 20 minutes more before the dirty dishes were removed. (The malted loaf was really nice.) We then waited another 15/20 minutes before the main courses were brought. The venison Wellington (£24) had a disappointingly small quantity of meat, looked like it had sat on the pass for the 15 minutes we waited for it and lacked flavour. The three fillet steaks (£32 each) also lacked in size and depth of flavour, we had to pay extra for all accompanying sauces (£3 each) And potatoes and vegetables. (£3.50 - £4.50 each). The tastiest item on my plate was the pickled onion / shallot in the salad garnish, the chips were nice and crisp, although more like wedges than chips. Had any of it been worth the expense or if the service had even been at an acceptable level (waiter didn’t have immediate answers to questions about menu items, didn’t clear excess glasses, left unattended for too long, etc) none of us would have minded. The check back came when we had almost finished, we had decided by that time that we’d had enough and were leaving - and when you’re hungry you’ll eat anything, so we did. They missed out on our dessert, cheeseboard, coffees and port orders. I certainly wouldn’t recommend it, I doubt I’ll ever be back there and wasn’t overly impressed by how the matter was resolved after my husband reiterated the above comments. In addition, the restaurant where we were seated was cold and the music loud, above us, and not a particularly nice selection either. The bill for the 2 courses we had was £214.60, drinks were eventually refunded at £36 and although thankful, it really ruined a very special occasion for us.

Wonderful quality of food- the fish and seafood was especially high standard. Michelin star level. The service was brilliant- attentive but give you time to enjoy your meal. Great wine options

A disappointing dinner last night..I lost count of the number of times different staff asked if we would like to order more drinks while we waited for an hour to get our starters..another hour to get the main courses..so no staffing problems here but definitely something wrong in the kitchen..steak arrived cold.. lamb was red..monkfish tasteless and overcooked. In fairness or first round of drinks was taken off the bill.. Without having dessert this was actually a very expensive night out and not worth it.

We waited over half an hour for food order to be taken, asked twice if we could order. Waited a further 35mins for starter to arrive. Tasted nice. Main eventually arrived after another long wait. Lamb was undercooked and steak was cold by the time it arrived. Outdoor setup is fab but unfortunately overall experience was disappointing.

Amazing food/service (Robbie/Stephen).We were outside, nice & toasty. Logs added to fire regularly, plenty of heaters.

Went to overwood for a special meal……….been many times before but tonight was definitely the worst experience we’ve had at overwood. Starter was thrown down in tiny bowls with no where to put bread or to place mussel shells and the sauce spilt over table.couldn’t decide if prawns were under cooked or overcooked but certainly chewy!! I ordered sea bass and husband ordered monkfish for main, neither were of a high standard! Mushroom side and hispey cabbage were very nice and a must to take away the taste of the bitter sea bass and inedible rubbery monkfish!! Drinks order did not appear and had to re order before it came. Had to ask for saucer to put shells in and spoon to eat with and also had to ask for salt and pepper. Long wait between courses despite not being very busy, not surprised really!! Staff collected plates with no one interested if we enjoyed our meal , no one asked ,except earlier about 30 seconds after meal (cold) was served. At these prices I expected better with better service!! Wish we had gone somewhere else!

Absolutely outstanding meal - scallops to start followed by chateaubriand. French martini was gorgeous too. Cannot wait to return. Absolutely stunning food

We are local and have been to the restaurant downstairs at Balloo many times and it never disappoints however this was our first time dining in Overwood and I'm so glad we did. The outside covered seating area was very special and reminiscent of being on holiday. With the log stove and the canvas covering it was like sitting in a yurt, this proved to be perfect for enjoying pre-dinner drinks. The staff were extremely professional and friendly and within 5 minutes of arrival I was really impressed with the whole set up. The meal was delightful and all 4 of us enjoyed different options. I never indulge in 3 courses but here I did as the presentation and quality of the food on offer was really a cut above. Unlike many restaurants we were not rushed and we had the table for the entire night. After the meal we relaxed with drinks again outside and threw a few more logs onto the stove. If you are looking for a really special night out, this is the place for you. I cannot recommend it highly enough and can't wait to return.

A perfect fine-dining meal in luxurious surroundings. The scallops and smoked eel were excellent starters. (An extra piece of the delicious eel would be lovely) The beef and lamb shared with my wife, were the best I have tasted. Cooked well-done as requested, they could almost have been cut with a spoon. Deserts were well portioned but not too heavy. Despite the virus precautions the staff made us feel very much at home. While costing a bit more than I would usually pay it proves that in the right establishment, the experience is worth every penny.

Well after all the hype about this place about how good it was after Danny Millar left,we decided to give it a try. We arrived on a cold winter night and decended the stairs to a pleasant room with a small bar/sitting area. Nothing exceptional but satisfactory. We were keen to try the steaks cooked over charcoal and these were duly ordered. The starter menu was good and i decided to try the Oysters natural ...... BIG MISTAKE. At two in the morning i woke up with a serious upset stomach and all the associated problems with the gut. As no other person had any problems that evening and as i was the only person to have had the Oysters i put the blame squarely on this . Wrote to the management but all i received was a stock reply saying DONT BLAME US All their Oysters go through such a purification process that this cannot happen. Well as far as i am concerned this is absolute rubbish as it depends on lots of other factors including how they were stored and for how long.. The management did say that they would look into the matter but as i expected nothing has happened. Would i go back to this place .....what do you think?

This is a very stylish restaurant that is overhead a bar and less formal downstairs eating option. There is an emphasis on meat dishes and the unique way the restaurant cooks their food. The beef is absolutely lovely and when we asked for our shared...

The new Overwood is excellent the food has a local perspective and is presented in an imgaginative and flavour complimentary fashion. The wine list although not extensive has something for everyones taste and is well matched to the couses on offer. the service was excllent...

Visited with friends for a Saturday night treat. Beautiful outdoor area with log fire and cosy blankets. Very continental! Waiting staff extremely friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Good wee bit of banter too! Food was delicious and steaks were perfectly cooked as ordered. Pricey though, so...

Superb Sunday lunch. Michael was very knowledgable and explained some of the dishes on the beautiful menu. Great choice of dishes for each course. Steak was cooked to perfection. Great service throughout. Compliments to the chef! We will definitely return and would highly recommend.

This is an excellent place to visit if you want steak cooked to perfection. Danni previously a Michelin star winning chef, cooks the steaks "over wood" which gives them a great flavour. Great choice of steak on the menu, as well as various other dishes,...

A wedding anniversary visit with my wife. The staff were very we,coming and professional. The menu had a wide and interesting choice. It is great when you want to try several different dishes but have to choose. Wine list is very good. The meal was...

First time to Overwood. The decor transformation is exceptional. Lovely atmosphere and the staff attention to us prior to and during the meal very professional. My scallop starter whilst small in size was lovely. My steak was simply delicious. I ordered the 350g sirloin that...

After months waiting for Balloo House to replace their Fine Dining Restaurant we went with great expectations. And they delivered! As ever with this Restaurant Group they provided great service, a fantastic new grill based menu and their usual interesting wine list. This is definitely...