The Cloth Ear in Belfast

I would give seven stars to the service in this place. Great food (best burger I ever had in my life - wagyu burger, by the way), great service, and a nice location. It was really one of the best nights for me and my wife, who were just looking for a last minute place to celebrate our anniversary. "There's a food place down the street" told us one of the receivers in one of the bars, to whom I can't thank enough for the indication.

We were two people who had a drink and then had dinner. Very good service; friendly staff who cared that we had a good time. We ate fish and chips and pie, both super tasty and well prepared. The meal ended with sticky toffee pudding which was absolutely amazing. Very cozy room as well. We sat next to the fireplace, which really gave a nice atmosphere.

My fiancé took me here for my birthday dinner and what a lovely night we had. Great atmosphere and a great location, fantastic service and truly delicious food. We were served by an older gentleman with a beard and he was so lovely. I had the seafood chowder, and as a big chowder fan, this was easily one of the the tastiest and most distinctive chowders I’ve had. It’s served with chorizo and the cream sauce comes on the side in a little jug, so you can pour on as little or as much as you like, which I loved as I can find chowders to be so heavy sometimes. Brilliant experience all round and we will definitely be back to have the lovely chowder again!!

Delicious vittore cocktails and a lovely bar

Great food Lovely pleasant staff Well worth a visit

We received the most elegant service from Richard, he was so attentive, sweet and polite I honestly don't think i've met such a nice person. We didn't have a booking but the staff were still able to fit us in, the place had such a good atmosphere with lovely coffee and soup. From the angle of the photo it's hard to see that it's a toastie with the soup and not just bread, would highly recommend. We were only in for a quick lunch with some coffees but it was the highlight of our day, we'll definitely be back!!

Great atmosphere in (I think) an old bank building. Super friendly staff, good menu. The cocktail desserts are highly recommended, especially the tiramisu!

I’ve just relocated to Belfast from Edinburgh and wanted to treat my Dad whilst he is over here with me to a Sunday roast, we almost went to a local pub but decided to go a bit more upmarket since he heads back to Edinburgh soon. This was below your average Sunday roast - the roast beef was tough, and tasteless. The roast potatoes hard - and for the price I find this so disappointing especially as it’s part of the fabulous Merchant Hotel. The service was polite enough and I really wanted to love this but sadly felt let down.

Atmosphere / food / service top notch!! Richard the server is a character!!

Having booked what was "advertised " as a delicious Sunday roast dinner, my husband and I were deeply disappointed in the quality of the beef, it was very tough!! Vegetables and roast potato were fine but only luke warm and served on a cold plate. Surely a 5* hotel should train their staff on the basics of how a hot meal should be served and to "slow roast" the beef so it falls apart upon cutting!! Given that this was a special meal to mark my retirement my husband and I felt cheated and felt that we certainly DID NOT get value for money .

A nice restaurant with nice food. Only thing was it didn't stand out to me in any way. Still nice enough though

Super fast service. Friendly staff. Tables were available before dinner without reservation (but barely!).

Very good restaurant, the food is very tasty. Good atmosphere.

Just a few drinks, service was just OK but it was busy

Arrived in Belfast on Tuesday. We walked by the Cloth Ear and decided to stop for dinner around 8PM. Were seated promptly was offered water right away. Cocktails came promptly, ordered main coarse and it arrived in about 15 minutes. Food and drink were good. Service was good and staff friendly. We came to the restaurants then read the reviews so we’re not expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised with the service and food.

Extremely classic restaurant with fine cuisine at good prices. Very stylishly decorated and absolutely delicious. Unfortunately, the service took a while to clear up and bring the bill and I felt a bit ignored.

Nice place, food was good, well presented, quite expensive though for what it was.

Love the place! Drink and food is good. Good vegetarian options !! The cauliflower starters is Yummmm!

For lunch, dinner or a drink. They don't let you enter with sports shirts, which is fine with me. This way you avoid problems!! Good service and very friendly!!! Yes, they close early at night!

I've been delivering food to the cloth ear for a few years now and never actually been in for a pint or something to eat. I've always thought it a was a nice looking place and never had any reason not to go other than I don't head into Belfast city very often. Today, I called in to change that and I was not disappointed. It lived up to all of my expectations. The staff were all very friendly and seemed like they new exactly what they were doing and what was going on around them. Attentive as they should be and clearly have some experience behind them. I had a pint of Orchard thieves which was lovely and my girlfriend's Carlsberg seemed to be going down well too. We had a Ragu pasta and some battered chicken strips both of which were devoured. I tried both dishes and couldn't really fault them. In fact the batter on that chicken will probably draw me back to the city centre alone. Standard city centre prices but being part of the merchant, this place feels just that little bit more 'fancy' or something along those lines. Next time I'm in Belfast for drinks or a meal I'll definitely keep the cloth ear in mind. So should you.

We enjoyed our meal, and desert. But had higher expectations given its association with the Merchant Hotel. Additionally, we were served a warm bottle of water without any ice. My wife's gin had no attention to detail.

This is clearly a cool place to hang out. The night that we visited it was clear that this wasn't going to be a rough and ready kinda bar. Nice relaxed surroundings although the drinks were a little pricier than other bars on the street.

Loved our lunch here on Belfast. Excellent food, service and atmosphere.

One star because there Is no other option. Would not rate at all poor service staff awful rude very unprofessional!! Could not wait to leave!!! Do not spend any of your money in this establishment !!!

Was recommended to come here and we were not disappointed. Absolutely fantastic. The food was scrumptious and the live music was a delight. Highly recommend!

Lovely place, very good atmosphere and nice service. I was expecting a piece of meat for the lamb, it was good, very soft and tender but nothing really special. The chicken was very good though, nice crisp outside and good sweet aftertaste. We also got the soup of the day, even though it was nice, the bread was slightly burnt.

25 pound for 2 of the smallest cocktails that taste absolutely dreadful ! One wasn’t even full and for the size you would expect to be full !

A gorgeous, relaxed bar with excellent service. Stopped here, after dinner, and enjoyed some delicious cocktails and some great service. The place has warm and welcoming staff and decor, and I would recommend it fully.

One of the best pubs I’ve ever been. The food is delicious, the drinks are too. Stylish venue and the service is great. Highly recommended! I enjoyed this place. I order the Cod Chowder and Old Fashioned.

Bouncers are petty and rude. Stepped out

Went to get drink for my wife and myself on Saturday night wasn't busy was standing for a least ten to fifteen minutes waiting at a sparse bar counter being continually observed by bar staff who seemed more interested in people ordering cocktails I would look over it if I had been drinking but was driving and probably been ignored because I was ordering a beer and soft drink for myself finally gave up and left and made lady bouncer aware of poor service won't be back I think if this continually happens Mr Wolsey needs to have a word with bar manager and make him aware of poor staff

The menu was a good for both food and drinks. The drinks menu is extensive. Both food and drinks are of the highest quality and the service is excellent

Great spontaneous meal. Band playing was good. Service was professional and at same time relaxed and fun.Richard was great fun and made the experience. Food was 10/10, portions were “about right”, “good have eaten more”.

Haven’t been here in years, but was easy to see the place has still kept the high standards. Beautiful seafood chowder, great portion. Service was the best I’ve experienced in a long time in Belfast, think the man was Richard. Brilliant

Great portion, fish, tiger prawns, chorizo, vegetables. Surprised me positively.

Part of The Merchant Hotel, which was actually the best part of the experience. The Merchant is a beautiful building with a main room for drinks. Inside an opulent building previously used as a bank with an array of lovely cocktails for a pre-dinner drink. Heading into Cloth Ear, it was a typical buzzing pub and we were excited for the meal ahead. Sadly the service was very poor and we waited for over an hour for our food with no warning or apology from staff. A second round of drinks we ordered when the food arrived turned up after our food was finished! The food itself was very tasty but perhaps not worth the time waited for it to arrive. I can give the benefit of the doubt due to it being a Friday night but what I can not ignore is the lack of apology or some sort of communication that our food was delayed. A simple gesture or little word in the ear would have been greatly appreciated. Nevertheless, the food and drinks were lovely and I would visit again but perhaps avoid a busy Friday evening.

I called in for a meal before a concert on a wet cold night and had a seat near the fire. Meal was good.

Arrived tonight as they had a medical emergency in the kitchen. Staff were so professional and kept customers informed. Even managed to resume food about 45 minutes later. Well done all

The ambiance lacks atmosphere, and the food is bland, lacking in flavor. I had Fish of the day for 23£ and it wasn't delicious at all and the chicken curry wasn't better either.

AMAZING service, the server and everyone working is EXTREMELY kind and friendly !!! The food also DELICIOUS, and a very cosy and warm and AESTHETICALLY atmosphere

Nice wholesome pub grub and a great selection of cocktails, too. Staff need to be a little bit more friendly. They all look a bit doom and gloom

Went for a meal here which was mostly enjoyable. Shared the chowder for starters which was tasty and very enjoyable. Both ordered steak for main but seemed overcooked in both cases. My wife asked for medium rare which was more medium/medium well and I asked for medium which ended up more like well done. Still tasted decent but a slight disappointment. It was presented to me as medium-well by the waitress which wasn't what was asked for which was a bit strange. I suspect they just overcooked them a bit and just went with it. Anyway, chips were very nice as was the pepper sauce. Sticky toffee pudding also went down well. Service was fine although waitress seemed to disappear at the end so had to go to the till to pay ourselves. All in all a nice place but slightly lacking in some areas.

Food was not good 5 out of 10 chips where reheated about 3 times chicken cheese an bacon toasties was very poor the only thing was good the guinness

Lovely place. Friendly professional staff. First class service. Brilliant Irish coffee. Big thank you to Chris and Clara . Will definitely be back soon

Amazing service, amazing food, I highly recommend !

Went in on Saturday 9th March 12.20 for lunch, we hadn't booked a seat so we were told by staff that we had to sit on high bar stools in the middle. All other comfy seats were reserved and by the time we finished our meal and left the bar no one had arrived to sit in the comfy reserved seats. It wasn't busy. I would describe the portion sizes as small, especially the chicken curry £18. Seabass with mashed baby potatoes £19, it was very dry, no sauce with it. The 2 female staff members, one was pleasant and the other one didn't seem that interested.

Classy place! The bartender made a Belfast Coffee cocktail like you wouldn't believe. 100% check this place out if you're a tourist looking for a really nice Irish cocktail bar.

slow, poor service, chatting to eachother behind the bar instead of serving. orders take ages. and cocktail barely had any alcohol in it. avoid. and would never be back.

Popped in for a Guinness whilst walking past. Good service. Not intrusive. Pricy but nice vibe

Very delicious steak, crispy fish and chips, fish not fishy and fresh, great space, large dining room

Service was appaling , waited almost an hour for our meal , then only half of it came out ....

Food and atmosphere are more than excellent and the stuff so polite

Nice looking venue serving really tasty pub classics with a modern twist (like the deconstructed chorizo chowder). Service very polite, but wait times a bit too long (for both food and drinks). On top of that lack of communication somewhat spoiled the evening. Waited for 45 minutes for the main course and then no time for dessert etc. All in all the experience was fine but we’re probably not coming back any time soon.

Food was nice. Guinness was not. There's better bars near by.

First time here. Pretty busy. Service very good, thank you Richard. Good menu. Got roast chicken dinner and the plate was well filled and delicious.

I was visiting family that live local and made a booking for a pre-Christmas lunch - there were 5 of us and the food was a real let down - 3 of us had the Goats cheese salad as it had good reviews online but it was a big let down, horrible in fact! One didn’t even have nuts on it. Not one of us were able to finish it was that bad! The staff only asked about the food experience when I went to pay.

Excellent cocktails done old school.

Didn't eat here so can't comment. Had a drink and there was live music which was very good. Lovely place, nice atmosphere but it was a bit cold, temperature wise.

Nice Bar, good food and service 👍

We popped in for a drink after walking around the city. The bar is great for a chat. There is music but it's not too loud, so you can actually heir each other. We enjoyed our drinks.

Chris the manager couldn't manage himself. Left standing at the bar for 25 mins on Nye only to be told not serving anymore. Me and my partner nothing to cheers to. The most arrogant, rude and patronising person ever. Will not be back!!!

Tried to go for food and had to wait half an hour. After the wait and once we had a table they told us there was no burgers or anything vegan except Falafel (not even on the menu) which I don't love....wish they had told us before we waited. So we went elsewhere. The vibe is very casual with plastic chairs. The bar downstairs is pretty funky tho.

Although there for lunch this venue has the makings of a cosy atmosphere, Food was good too!

Excellent food and good value. One of the few places that has retained quality post pandemic. Can get busy so better to book a table.

Really comfortable (including real log fire), very friendly efficient service, oh... and great food!!!

Group of 3 friends turned away as one of us was "too drunk". All of us had yet to have a drink. Strange power tripping doorman. We won't be back.

Enjoyed a very pleasant pre Xmas afternoon lunch in the Cloth Ear. Staff and food were excellent, particular mention to Richard who tended our table. Outstanding attention to service. Highly recommend.

I was refused entry on a quiet Tuesday evening even though me and my friend were only in for some drinks. The doorman (who was very rude) said they were too busy when we could clearly see they were practically empty with multiple seats available, i have been a number of times before and the cocktails are amazing but hard to say I'll be back after this sort of treatment.

This is a stunning venue. Excellent service and really good bar food

Great cocktails, friendly staff

Very nice place, clean, and has a good atmosphere.

Amazing place for eat out. The food was perfect-ordered salmon and burger and they were both delicious great atmosphere and very friendly service and helpful for me especially due to the fact that we had our baby’s stroller..

Used to love coming here, always had good portions and delicious food. Went tonight for a birthday dinner and it was actually awful, perhaps they changed the chefs? The soup was watery and tasteless and served with cold toast? The beef tasted sour, the vegetarian “pie” was like a dry Cornish pasty and all the sides of mash were cold. To top it all off there was a milk lid in one of our parties curry - which was also cold and served with cold flatbread. Overall a very disappointing experience, especially seeing as it used to be so good. The serving staff where very nice about this though and very accommodating, however for the price you’re paying I wouldn’t bother.

My husband and I were here for lunch today. We both had fish & chips. Fish was awful. The batter was soggy. Complained but nobody interested. The waitress did tell the chef and she said sorry we didn’t like it. This used to be my favourite place in Belfast to have lunch. Won’t be back.

Service here is absolutely awful. Waited at the door for over 10 mins had to ask for a table and then after being seated it was another 10 min wait or so, we had to flag someone down to ask them who our server was. Then our food was served first without our drinks. It was just an overall awful experience considering the place wasn’t even that busy and there were a ton of servers walking all over. What a shame!!

Excellent service. Friendly staff. Wonderful food. Didn't have many vegan options though.

Fantastic meal, excellent drinks and delightful polite waiter. Worth visiting!

Lovely elegant pub. That preserves a lot of tradition. Very good food and drinks and lovely service

Absolutely brilliant! Great atmosphere, the food is delicious, great service! Highly recommend!

Was delighted to find The Cloth Ear opened on a Monday lunchtime as a lot of Belfast Restaurants are closed on Mondays. Met by very friendly staff, it was just after 12 noon, so no real atmosphere yet, though when we left it was starting to fill up. Husband loved his order of Seafood Chowder, stating the prawns were cooked to perfection. I chose the Carrot & Parsnip soup, with the ham & cheese sourdough sandwich . The soup was delicious and the ham was off the highest quality. Very tasty sandwich. Very nice staff, not intrusive at all, but they make sure we had everything we needed.

Good time, food service first class on a busy evening staff very engaging professional and just good fun. Loved the cocktails and the food. Atmosphere great. You must book as this is a very busy venue.

One of the best places in Belfast for a weekend night out, me and my husband really enjoyed our visit 👍🏻

Food was great, service very slow, had to remind them of our drinks order on several occasions. Had table to 5:30 but 2 members of staff came to us asking us to leave before our time was due. This is the 2nd time this has happened, there will not be a third as I will not be back. Definitely need to improve their customer service. Don't expect a response from this establishment as only seem to respond to reviews that are glowing.

I've been to this establishment on many occasions, usually with female companions but on the three visits with my husband the service has been appalling. Suffice to say, I shall be avoiding The Cloth Ear in future. Extremely disappointed. PS: I doubt they'll even acknowledge this review as they only seem to reply to positive feedback...tut-tut!!

Have been before to cloth ear and it did not disappoint. Olivia our server went above and beyond and recommended a lovely wine, will be back!

Gorgeous braised beef dish very tender & tasty, top notch service .

was delicious the fish and chips were absolutely outstanding the seafood chowder was delicious

A truly wonderful spot to stop and relax. The place feels really welcoming and there is plenty of seating. Prices are good and the staff are fantastic. The perfect place to stop and watch the world go by (Saturday night entertainment at its best!)

absolutely lovely. If your in Belfast you have to stop by this amazing place. The food is incredible and the staff is absolutely lovely. We had a great time here. Many vegetarian meal options and the cocktails and beers are definitely worth a try. We will definitely come back here. Ps: try the charcuterie board and the fish and chips!!

I’m giving this an overall 4 star, this is solely due to the lovely manager Lesley who mitigated some frustration our table had. The food was lovely overall.

Lovely place to come for a bite to eat and a drink. Very relaxed and nicely decorated and a relaxed atmosphere

It is one of my favourite places for lunch in Belfast. Unhurried and great food. I had the curry this time around, and it was excellent. One of my dining companies had the chowder and was blown away by it.

Got the steak and chips £33.00 chips were very dry and the portion was very small came with one tomato and 1 mushroom was very disappointing 😞, the staff are lovely 😍 wouldnt go back just not worth the money came out hungry 😒 my friend got the curry her portion wasn't much either 😕

Just called in for a quick meal. Great menu. Reasonable prices. But above all fantastic staff👍

I am sorry but I really didn't like the Beyon burger. It was so plain. The service and atmosphere were amazing tho!

Disappointed. The beef doube was bland and needed a lot of salt to try and get some flavour out of it. Apparently the chicken was really good. A shame staff didn't ask how the meal was otherwise we would have given feedback. We left hungry Staff were really lovely and there are gluten free options available REALLY overpriced for what it was.

Great food and super atmosphere with helpful staff.

A new favourite of mine for dropping in for a glass of wine or a cocktail.

Great atmosphere and nice people 👍

Een van de betere pubs om te eten in Belfast