The Garden Restaurant in Larne

Delicious food excellent service highly recommended

Birthday treat for wife, booked bed and breakfast and afternoon tea, great relaxing time, afternoon tea was fantastic with a festive touch. 🎄☃️ great breakfast too.

The afternoon tea was lovely. All the food was delicious - and lots of it. We had a seat by the window which we enjoyed on a stormy Saturday afternoon. and the staff were great too.

Our first visit to Ballygally Castle. We had a beautiful meal in the Garden Restaurant, service was excellent. Well worth a visit.

we booked the Garden Room restaurant a couple of months in advance for a special occasion. we received a phone call two hours before the reservation time to advise the restaurant was booked and we would have to eat in the bar. luckily a proper height table was provided but it was a disappointing experience.

Fantastic variety of hot and cold scrumptious food. Attentive staff and cozy Christmas atmosphere ... perfect way to start the festive season. See you again soon.

Great experience here! The food was good, and the room was very peaceful. I also have a gluten allergy, and the staff was prepared to tell me everything I could safely eat, which I really appreciated. Would absolutely return again.

Excellent stay and the receptionist who booked us in and out is an assett to your company! I think her name is Katherine?

Great friendly service and staff

We spent a very relaxing evening at the hotel. Nice surroundings, nice room and nice staff.

Is there anywhere else in the world you could eat a delectable, lovingly prepared Sunday dinner, in a Castle whilst a pod of dolphins played in the bay? Only at Ballygally Castle Hotel. We love the Sunday Carvery, the choice and quality of food is second to none. I particularly love the linen tablecloths and napkins, the polished cutlery, the glassware and attention to detail. All staff are so warm and welcoming, local, polite and 5 star at their job. The pianist just adds that touch of luxury to a relaxing ambience.

Staff were brilliant, accomodating a very fussy 3 year old! Food was lovely and the children enjoyed exploring the Ghost Room whilst waiting for dinner. The only reason atmosphere is 4* was due to our early sitting etc. it felt a bit lacking in atmosphere in a large room, but that is probably more our fault than the hotel!

Yet another wonderful lunch with my mum. Many thanks to Jess, Chloe and Grace for their exceptional customer service and for always making us feel like VIP's.

Fantastic place to visit for a meal and a bit of scenery. The gardens are a great place for some pictures and if you are lucky enough for a sunny day a beer in the gardens. The staff were great but confused us over some of the starters that had been taken off the menu. Overall a lovely place to visit, eat and drink.

Room and view was lovely, comfortable massive bed, two red velvet buns, and bottled water, also tea and coffee. Let down for me was the food, I had the pate which was lovely but did not really like it on soda bread. We have stayed there a few times and I decided to order the Steak for the second time and for the second time it was over cooked, I asked for medium but it was well done no sign of pink at all. Not really surprised because you never seem to get a steak cooked properly anywhere. The Breakfast staff were brilliant, but I wish they would cook the bacon a bit more, no fried eggs in the buffet but the waitress got me two, the potato bread was a disappointment, there was lots of choice, orange juice hit the mark, as did the fresh grapefruit.

Staff rather young but friendly, atmosphere quite nice but the food is thoroughly overpriced and below what you can expect from a place like this. Was served a £9 "couscous salad" that was basically dry couscous, seeds, broccoli and rocket salad thrown into a bowl without any dressing at all. Got olive oil and balsamic dressing after I asked for it, but it's really not worth it. Disappointing, as this restaurant has the potential to be a really pleasant spot.

Having grown up in Co Antrim in the 1980s / 90s, it’s sad to see that most of the independent, family run hotels and restaurants have mostly been taken over by hospitality companies. Each time I return home from England, I find that more and more traditional establishments have gone and as such the menus and drinks selection have become standardised and more akin to English pub grub than traditional Irish food. My parents often spoke warmly about the cellar bar in Ballygalley Castle, however that has long gone - likely a victim of health and safety or fire regulations. So the main restaurant is now the garden restaurant. While the restaurant is pleasant, I was disappointed at the limited choice available. Half of the starters were also available as main courses, and there were 2 salad options. There also seems to be a lot of pork options available, pork belly for both mains and starters, and sausage and mash for mains. There’s nothing wrong with pork, however, on a very limited menu, it seems a lot. For starters we had soup and the pate dish. The soup was fine, however the pate was served with soda bread, which wasn’t really toasted enough to be crispy. The big disappointment was the selection of main courses. Being on the coast, I was hoping for a decent fish selection. However this was limited to battered fish and chips (pub grub), or sea trout - a fiddly dish if ever there was one. Where was the mackerel, sea bass or salmon that are caught locally? There was also no lamb option. In the end we had a chicken and slow cooked pulled beef dish, a beef dish and sausages and mash - which was called something fancy. While the food was tasty and nicely prepared, it’s obvious to see the menu is based on cost cutting rather than variety. Particularly noticeable as the chicken / beef combination used exactly the same slow cooked beef as the single beef dish. As someone who eats out regularly, there is nothing wrong with this. However at approximately £20 per main course, I would expect individuality and not a mix n match approach. I did fancy the 10oz sirloin steak, however this was priced at £32, and I had eaten exactly the same steak in another restaurant the previous evening for a mere £20. The dessert menu was even more limited, and in all honesty, reminiscent of a supermarket frozen aisle, so I opted for coffee instead. When it finally came the coffee was lukewarm and extremely bitter. At £4.20 for a small cup, this was disappointing. The staff were pleasant, and for this reason I decided on 3 stars. However, until the menu is significantly overhauled, I don’t think I shall return.

The menu is the star , great food ,great table ,great service good atmosphere

There isn't a huge choice of restaurants along this part of the coast so we drove back down the lovely coast road to have dinner here--an interesting place with some Game of Thrones connections. The food was very good and reasonably priced and the service was spot on.

Excellent food and amazing service. The surroundings were also beautiful.

We had our evening meal here during our stay in the hotel. We were sat right next to the fire, which was lovely. The service and food were excellent and very reasonably priced. The two of us had 3 courses, with drinks, came to £80. After the main, we needed a break and the waitress kindly let us go out into the garden for a little stroll between courses! The Apple Crumble for dessert worth the Salted Caramel Anglaise was particularly good!

Our recent stay in the hotel included a 3 course evening meal. Great selection on the menu and the food was fantastic. A good wine selection also!

Great place for a meal, the food is localy sourced and cooked perfectly. The staff in the restaurant when we were there are excellent especially ANN, CHLOE & JESS, 3 absolute STARS.

used this restaurant while staying at the hotel food was delicious and staff were excellent superb value would whole heartedly recommend and will definitely use again when next in the area

Hotel was excellent rooms very clean and comfortable food was delicious CHOLE who served us was very pleasant and professionally we will be back

Tres bon accueil, plats corrects et bon service ! Nous séjournions dans l’hotel, c’était tres pratique car il n’y a rien d’autre aux alentours…

Dinner was excellent. Had the beef/chicken combo with spring onion mash the sticky toffee pudding was excellent. Friend had Irish beef she enjoyed hers as well. Only confusion no check had to pay at podium on way out

Reservation at 7. Asked server what “Gammon” was. Server said “ham” with no other explanation. I asked if she could elaborate on the dish, she said no. We had butter on the table but no bread. I asked for bread, the server said no. The place was unseasonably warm, we asked if the door could be open for air, the server said no. The front desk wasn’t much better. We asked for water. The front desk says rudely “you’ll need to pay for it.” 45 mins later we finally got starters. 30 mins after that, we got a main dish. 25 mins later we got dessert. Customer service was atrocious. The servers literally looked as if they were high school students just hired for the evening. A place this expensive and allegedly this “high class” needs to understand customer service is a MUST in the class of hotel they are trying to portray. They should be in the business of saying “yes” more than “no”.

We had a lovely night at the garden restaurant , the food was delicious and the atmosphere was very pleasant. The staff were also great particularly Matthew who was an extremely polite and attentive host . We will definitely be back

Friendly staff high quality of food and service

The food was excellent the service in the restaurant was very good staff were very attentive to us both evening meal and breakfast plenty of choice and good home products on display really enjoyed our experience at ballygally hotel

We had a lovely 3 course meal here. The beef was very tender and the chowder had lots of seafood in it. Couldn’t fault the meal. Service was also very good.

Great food and staff very friendly.

Dinner was good but not a huge selection. Breakfast was very tasty, lots to choose from, very fresh and quick service

The dinner was delicious but not fabulous. Service was satisfactory. There was a big fireplace and a number of radiators around the walls. Sadly my table was next to French windows where the curtains neither met not reached the floor. It was too cold for comfort. Breakfast the following morning was ok but unremarkable. The bedroom suite was stunning however and reception staff very welcoming indeed.

Food in this restaurant is beautifully presented & delicious. The staff & service are second to none! Could not fault this place!

Excellent food. Wonderful service friendly staff. Highly recommend if in the area.

Excellent food good prices wonderful service. Recommend

Steak cooked to perfection My partner got the coley and loved it. The crushed potato and chorizo that came with it was his favourite

Excellent dining while staying at hotel

Food was delicious. Staff super helpful. Highly recommend this restaurant.

The Garden Restaurant is situated within the Ballygally Hotel. This is a lovely hotel situated right on the shore line with a beautiful beach to the front. The hotel itself has a lot of character and charm which can be explored with a trip to the tower and ghosts room. The entrance to the restaurant is already impressive with a large custom carved wooden door to celebrate the Game of Thrones which was filmed in local spots around Northern Ireland. The carved wood was from fallen trees in Dark Hedges another film location. The Garden Restaurant has nice views to the gardens of the castle which are also worth a stroll around to enjoy. Upon entering we were warmly welcomed and placed at a central table. The restaurant is bright and airy with a vaulted ceiling. Perhaps it loses a little of the intimate dining experience which most enjoy. The menu choice was nice with a good selection to cover most tastes. The food itself was lovely without fault and enjoyed by the whole party. The table service was also as expected. Overall, a lovely choice of good quality food in a nice setting and worth the travel.

Lovely setting with beautiful gardens.

Highly recommend. Excellent food, great menu. Never disappoints. Very friendly and welcoming staff

Beautiful food. Staff were friendly and helpful.

We stopped at the Ballygally Castle hotel for 5 nights as a special occasion to celebrate my retirement and ate in the restaurant 4 nights and had an afternoon tea. The first night we were sat down at our table for 25 minutes before someone came and took our order , nobody came and asked if we wanted a drink whilst we looked at the menu . The food when it came was nicely cooked but I had steak and chips and it came with no garnish , no mushrooms and when I asked for mustard , they came back and said they had none. The next night we had a table booked for 7.45 . We went to the restaurant and despite having booked the table three weeks earlier were told to go and sit outside the restaurant and they would call us in when ready . Eventually about an hour later they came out and told us we could not have a table in the restaurant. By then there were about six groups of people in the same boat , the worst having waited from 7.15. Eventually at approximately 9pm we gave them an order for a beef daub and they came out with sirloin steak ! When challenged the waiter didnt know the difference but we were told they had no beef daub left on the menu. But surely when the chef had seen the order he would have known the difference. And so it went on , very little supervision from their management on what were new young waiters that needed support that was sadly lacking

Had Christmas Eve dinner and it was excellent. the roast beef fell apart and tasted very nice. All current guidelines were excellent.

The restaurant has a very good and varied menu and caters for those with special dietary requirements. The staff are helpful and professional and the food is excellent. Highly recommended whether staying at the hotel or for a meal out.

Seems to us that the Ballygally hotel is taking advantage of the government eat out scheme by offering an extremely poor set menu with cheap ingredients rather than the usual Lounge menu. The starter offers leek and potato soup, 3 breaded mushrooms, chicken wings or Caesar salad. Mains offers were fish pie which was 3/4 mashed potato Not one single chunk of fish with even more cubes of potato in the under mash. Seemed to me this was some left over chowder as it had small pieces of over cooked leek and celery in i looking like they had been a soup previously. Chicken curry was a pre cooked chicken breast heated by adding to a curry sauce. Chicken was dry and hard and sauce lacked flavour.Very few staff with long waits between service.Also and more worrying social distancing and hygiene precautions were Non existent. Hotel was teeming with a very large funeral party +70 eating from a buffet in main restaurant, and a wedding party in lounge/function room. Staff no masks or gloves.The Only precautions were a hand sanitiser on entry. Plates and cutlery all handled by staff, salt and pepper placed on tables not in sachets. Tables not wiped down.Unfortunately we will not be back despite the friendly and courteous staff who were run off their feet.

We were greeted by a very pleasant receptionists and showed to our room The room was very nice and comfortable food was excellent and staff very attentive

We stopped by, without planning to, as we were passing through Ballygally en route for Belfast on a bitterly cold February evening.I asked at the front desk about the food and was immediately attended to by a very friendly manager called Norma. We went to the Garden Restaurant, and settled on the two courses with a glass of wine( but since we didnt want wine, we were offered a choice of soft drink instead), a kind of early bird special , served until 7pm and costing £22..We sat by the lovely open fire.There were only a few other diners and the atmosphere was very relaxed.We were served by a warm, friendly waitress called Jess, who was excellent at her job.The food was beautifully cooked and presented-very tasty, we both had ribs as a starter followed by the chicken.It was really good.We then ordered a dessert of sticky toffee pudding, which was possibly the nicest I have ever tasted. All in all, this was a great experience, super service from Jess and Norma and excellent food,It is now definately on my llst of places to eat when up exploring the Antrim Coast

Went here for Sunday dinner and food was lovely. Starters & Main were delicious and it was buffet/carvery style so help yourself to as much as you want. Only thing I feel is desserts let it down as I found them basic and seemed to be bought in. Desserts were you trifles, cheesecake and fresh fruit but they had little flavour so was disappointed. Setting of the restaurants views are out of this world over looking the water. Definitely a stunning view. Meal was £27 each so for what you get I suppose its an average - high price for a sunday dinner.

Lovely hotel/surroundings...pity the food didn,t match...very poor, was like something from icelandand they even managed to burn it in the microwave...

Ate here for two successive evenings this week. Food was excellent and staff were professional and friendly. A very enjoyable experience and would highly recommend a visit.

Soup and sandwich appear OK, but my chowder was simply thin fish soup with bits and not much flavour. Very disappointing, but in front of the friends who brought me here, I didn't want to complain. Chef should know what chowder is, so it shouldn't have left the kitchen.

The food was great, I had veggie pasta and it was the best we’ve had on the trip. The morning buffet was delicious and the service was excellent. I would go back to this place in a heartbeat

Excellent menu in comfortable surroundings. This restaurant sources fresh local produce and serves to a high standard. Service very good and pricing competitive. Would certainly recommend this restaurant to residents and passers by.

We had a family group staying on a Dinner, B&B; arrangement and were very pleased with the experience. We had two members with medical special diets and the staff coped admirably - no problem at all. And breakfast is a real feast!

Called in without a reservation for evening meal. Informed that food was only being served in the Lounge which was fine by us. Initially only two other tables occupied so service was excellent. Scampie starter was very good, nicely presented and good size portions. For mains we selected the chicken curry which was advertised as having a creamy sauce. Sauce turned out to be anything but creamy and actually had a real kick which was the very opposite to what we had anticipated. West Coast Cooler was charged at £5.10p - really??

Restaurant was excellent from the moment we entered. Greeted immediately and taken to our table. Menu had various options, both settled for steak with pepper sauce. Starters were brought out in good time followed by main meal, cooked as we had asked. Cheese board with port and coffee followed, all well presented. The live back ground music was an additional treat.

We had a lovely Valentine's day meal. All food is sourced locally where possible. The setting is wonderful and the staff are excellent

Excellent food, great choice, super service. I enjoyed a salad starter and then chicken and my husband had soup and steak.

What a fantastic stay from start to finish.

We booked to stay overnight in the Ballygally Castle Hotel to see an Abba tribute. The Garden restaurant Ballygally held a special set meal for event, £22 for a 2 course meals and a glass of wine - bargain.

We ate several meals here and enjoyed them all. It is located inside Ballygally Castle which is a gorgeous spot. The staff is friendly and attentive and they have a nice menu. They offer a 20 pound dinner that includes main dish, dessert and glass of wine.

We had two dinners and two breakfasts here while staying at the hotel. While the menu was not extensive, everything on it sounded delightful. The salmon was just fabulous. The breakfast buffet was most generous and my favorite was the oatmeal with a little Bushmills, a nice touch. Our service was not rushed and we were allowed plenty of time to enjoy our meal.

Top quality food in this interesting place. Even went up to the ghost room! Food was tasty and reasonable price. Service was friendly.

Having stayed at hotel we ate in the Garden Restaurant. Great service from staff especially undivided attention from Restaurant Manager Norma. Food excellent. Nothing was too much trouble.

We came for a family lunch in a large group. The food quality was good and the service was excellent. The young waitress was attentive but not overly so. She coped well with our dithering and got the order right. I'd thoroughly recommend Ballygally Castle.

We ordered several appetizer plates in the lounge. The server did not bring us share plates and service was extremely, excruciatingly slow! First only 3 tables were occupied, and then we were the only customers in the lounge. Had to get up to find someone to re-order wine and again to get our bill. The beef burgers were dry, and the chips were bland. The grapes were sour. Ha ha. The fried fish was good. For a restaurant that has a small booklet on the table touting their excellent cuisine, we were sorely disappointed.

Great food and excellent service. Staff were very busy but they were still attentive. Food was well presented, freshly cooked and really good flavours.

I was excited to bring some friends here on our trip to Ireland, as I'd dined here in 2015 on another trip and really enjoyed my meal. My friends were super impressed with both the food, and the prices. The grounds and castle itself are also very lovely, as well as the cool game of thrones door and touches.

Took our danish friends for a meal they enjoyed a perfect meal and a beautiful walk in the delightful gardens were very impressed.

We were staying at the hotel, so decided to eat here, a bit dissapopinted I hve to say, the "Early" menu was from 5 - 7pm, I found that menu very limited, but if you want to go to the main menu, you will find the food to be very expensive.

I highly recommend. There is something on the menu for everyone. Very reasonably priced. The food is delicious too.

After a lovely afternoon at Glenarm Castle gardens, my husband and I took his Mum, who was visiting from the States, to Ballygally Castle Hotel. Apart from loving all things “castle”, she is a huge “Game of Thrones” fan and was delighted to see the beautiful carved door used in the series (not to mention the excitement of climbing up to the “ghost room”…) I had read about the “early bird” offer (2 courses plus a glass of wine for £20) in the Garden Restaurant and decided that this would be lovely way to round off our day-trip.

Fabulous Meal here this Evening... Went with the Early Evening Meal £20 ph ...... And was blown away by the Quality and Service....... Presentation, Flavours , Textures simply superb..... We shall return .... Thank you �

Had 3 course dinner included in our DBB stay. Great choice on offer and food was perfectly cooked. Staff very attentive. This room would be made much cosier with a real fire, but probably not practical. Breakfast served here also and was one of the best we have had.

I had the seafood chowder starter, and the ‘Classic chicken curry’ for my main meal. Classic? You mean, regular, standard chicken curry? The menu says, “Irish chicken breast and roasted vegetables cooked in a rich, creamy masala sauce, served with boiled rice, flatbread and coriander yogurt.” £15. For dessert I tried their pecan and walnut tart. My meal was great, I must say. I really liked the chairs. In many places the chairs are awful, but here I was supremely comfortable for many hours of a family gathering. So, well done for your upholstering, Ballygally Castle!

The food and staff are excellent. We had a steak and the gammon. This room of the castle definitely felt like a castle!

Service was good, food was average. Breakfast is a buffet and is half way decent. I'm not a big fan of breakfast but if you want the full Irish they have it. We took advantage of the early bird special 2 course dinner with a glass of wine for 20 pounds Limited menu and I think same food was being served in the bar area. There are not any other restaurants close by that we could find. Music was instrumental from the Sinatra/Davis days. A little dated. The restaurant does not have a "castle" feel at all!

The food in Ballygally is great, especially the breakfasts.They do great children’s meals too.

amazing hotel with a lot of history behind it from having Ghosts to modern day filming of game of thrones. Unfortunatly we went here for a evening meal and was dissapointed , staff were polite but food wasnt up to the standerd you would expect from such a high class hotel

The restaurant is excellent for breakfast and dinner. The service is outstanding and there is a good variety to cater for all tastes.

Oferta de reserva anticipada es de 2 campos y una copa de vino por £20. Tenido con mi esposa y era preciosa. Limpio y muy bien hecha por dentro. El personal era amable y el servicio era bueno.

Gale tenía la panceta de cerdo y yo disfrutamos de la cannon de ternera, alias el extremo pequeño del lomo. Aparentemente mi tamaño significa bien hecho aquí, así que recomiendo pedir algo raro. No obstante bueno! Asegúrate de pudin de postre! Ñam ñam!

Menú interesante y bien preparado. El hotel es parte de la cadena hastings, que incluyen algunos de los mejores hoteles de Ulster.

No puede ser recomendado. No podemos juzgar todo el menú, pero durante nuestra estancia en Ballygally Castle Hotel decidimos tener una cena rápida en el jardín. Ambos de nosotros fuimos a la sal filetes de mediana edad, mi mujer para el Cannon y me dieron el solomillo. Tanto la parrilla filetes fueron mucho más allá de la orden, la Cannon estaba casi bien hecho, aunque ordenados de tamaño raro, y mi solomillo estuvo casi cocidas. No me llevé mi escala pero por lo menos para el solomillo yo tengo mis dudas de que alguna vez pesó 10 onzas. Con casi 40 % de grasa pura en el solomillo, yo diría que el promedio de calidad de carne en el max. Sirve en tablas de madera, como se describe en el menú no suceda.

Pasar la noche en el Ballygally Castle Hotel cenamos en el restaurante Garden. El menú de la cena ofrecía muchas opciones, pero el desayuno era un poco decepcionante.

Not an a la carte menu - plain food but cooked badly. Food unseasoned and quite bland. The most enjoyable part of our meal were the chips and fondant potatoes. Reading the menu is very uninspiring - we struggled to find something we actually wanted. When you eat out you want to be either inspired or taste something you've never tried or both. The menu is more 80's pub grub - if it had been cooked well it would have been fine but it wasn't. Very disappointing.

Nice variety on the bar menu for an early dinner in the lounge area. Service plus with a smile. Large helpings of food everywhere we ate in Ireland including at Ballygally Castle.

Beautiful surroundings, terrific staff, amazing food, would highly recommend Ballygally Castle Hotel

From the full Irish breakfast, to the "Causeway" Chips, The food at the Ballygally is outstanding.... Our favourite place in Northern Ireland!!

We tried the dine and wine deal during an overnight Saturday stay. Despite there being a wedding on and the kitchen clearly busy because of that, nothing was lost for those in the restaurant. Service was quick and friendly, staff are amazing and the food (daube of beef and panna cotta) was to die for

We booked in for a dinner, bed and breakfast break.The evening menu had lots of choice.The presentation of the food was mouth watering, and the taste was every bit as good !The staff were very friendly and helpful.All in all, a very fine experience.

Juste ce qu'il fallait après une soirée de mariage bien arrosée... Personnel souriant, affable et aux petits soins.

The Garden resturant has two levels with a gas fire on upper level. It faces onto walled garden. We enjoyed two buffet breakfasts here and also one evening meal. Service was very good and the food was great. The interior is pleasantly decorated. I have one word of caution do not sit with back to gas fire unless you fancy plenty of heat

Lovely family dinner all catered for including my wee 5 year old and 6 month old baby foot great love the seafood chowder the chicken with white pudding stuffing was amazing Thank you Sam and team

We went for afternoon tea, which is apparently not the same as high tea. If you say so. £18 per person. Very enjoyable. Great view of the sea. A bigger table would have been better; they had to put some of our food off behind me. Even with that our table was stacked. The little sandwiches were very good. Glenarm Organic Smoked Salmon With Cream Cheese and Pickled Cucumber; Free Range Egg with Spring Onion, Mayonnaise and Mixed Leaves; Northern Irish Chicken Breast with Sundried Tomato Mayonnaise; Givan’s Honey Roast Ham with Wholegrain Mustard and Cress. They had a booklet that explained how they grow some ingredients in their garden, and source others locally. Which is reassuring. The pastries and scones were good, with one current loaf being really exceptionally amazing. I mean it. I was there there saying “wow”. There were tiny buns and meringues. Cream and jam and butter and tea afterwards, and you can sit for hours enjoying it all. We never quite finished everything, but they give you a card carry box to take the remainder home to enjoy later.Big windows with a sea view. They have their own dedicated car park over the road. It is big. The glorious stretch of Ballygally beach is right there. Do allow some extra time to take a turn around the hotel gardens. There’s a stream, the old fortress corner turrets, even an island for wedding parties.

Nothing bad to say here, food cooked to perfection with great detailing. Nothing too much trouble for the staff, some lessons on how to run a restaurant can be learnt from here.