The Lobster Pot in Down

Hadn't been to the Lobster Pot for years but we visited as a family on the Strangford festival weekend. Although they were very busy the service was good and the food served was excellent. We shall return.!

Lovely pub. Friendly staff. The food was very tasty. Nice wine list!

Excellent seafood restaurant. Has steaks etc but primarily a very fresh seafood restaurant. Seafood and shellfish chowder is to die for. Yum!

Very active pub but crowd very young.

Lovely pub with local seafood. We came for lunch whilst visiting family nearby & all enjoyed the food. I had the Strangford mussels for starter - it was a very generous portion & v tasty. And the lobster from Kilkeel was lovely- reasonably priced too versus having lobster in other restaurants It’s also dog friendly in the bar area. The seating area in the bar wasn’t huge so if you’re visiting with a dog, I’d recommend calling to reserve a table

The starters were absolutely delicious. We had salt and pepper squid and mussels to start… outstanding. The mussels portion was a large enough to be a main despite paying for the smaller option. We shared a whole lobster for our main but we were disappointed that it was so small. If it hadn’t been for our starters we would’ve been very disappointed. But the starters won the day for us.

Very good cuisine, attentive staff: a good address.

Great food, we had a lovely meal at the Lobster Pot, lovely atmosphere, catered for all of us. The fish is delicious, highly recommended.

Went on a tour. Great food with gluten free options and great service!

Young untrained waiting staff and noisy customer's children.

My wife, I and the dog went for a drive to Strangford got the ferry over to portaferry and had a walk with the dog . On returning to Strangford we called into the lobster pot for dinner and I must say it was most enjoyable. I would recommend this place to everyone. The food was delicious, Staff our so friendly and helpful. I would give this place 10/10

Called in for lunch today and staff were very accomodating finding us a table as we didn't have a booking. Fish and chips was delicious. Lovely white fresh fish served piping hot. The scampi was excellent. Very sensible to have half portions on the menu for pensioners and children.

Food lovely, a tad expensive for 2 courses & changed for an extra coffee! Not rushing back, will stick with Aldos. Haven't been here for 20+ years & the old family friendly atmosphere Seamus created back in the day has gone.

A nice enough visit. The pub is quite pleasant to sit in. The staff were friendly and the service was quick but there were only a couple of tables full. I had the mushroom and asparagus soup and scampi. I did eat all the soup and wouldn't say I didn't enjoy it but probably not the best pairing. The scampi was very good but I felt a little bit expensive for lunch at £18.95. Place was clean and in good order.

The lobster pot Stratford co.down Is the best place for food and drinks The guys and girls that work in lobster pot outstanding This is the place to go for fabulous food drinks and a good chat

My husband and I had dinner on Sunday night with our wee Yorkie, Trixie. The food was tasty, generous portions and excellent value for money. The service was perfect and every member of staff was professional, friendly and went out of their way to ensure we had everything we needed. They all made a fuss of Trixie which she loves. We’d thoroughly recommend here to anyone.

Just passing through and stopped for lunch. The soup a scampi were amazing. Would highly recommend 👌

Lovely staff and clientele. Great atmosphere. Was lucky enough to be in the same time as the original Magic Mike.

Went for lunch with our one year old twins - food was delicious and staff were so friendly and accommodating!

We love coming here for the fabulous seafood. The staff are very friendly and welcoming and the food is just awesome. Great location too.

Massive portions and very hot. Downside Chowder and mussels were cooked well but lacked flavour. Lacked atmosphere in restaurant, but acknowledge it was a Wednesday evening. Annoying background lift style music.

Beautiful place, good welcome. The mutton dish for €28 with tough meat, no thanks...

Strangford is a lovely little spot for a weekend outing. Food was very sub standard. Mussels were tiny, 1/2 Lobster expensive, also tiny and not a Thermidor. Sauce served separately. NZ Sauvignon Blanc was very good. Sash windows are bolted shut, no airflow on a warm day. To summarise, food disappointing, service attentive, atmosphere nothing special.

Lovely experience as per usual. 3rd visit. Gorgeous food. Friendly homily atmosphere. Relaxing but not slow service. Very efficient Very friendly.

Food was excellent staff friendly

The bar section is dog friendly, the service was good and the food was delicious.

Popped in for a Guinness and a small chowder with my mate after a few hours fishing at Ballyhornan. Best chowder I've had in a long time. Staff were so friendly and down to earth. Will definitely be back!

OMG WHAT A TREAT!!! How lucky were we to go to this amazing place tonight! Food was amazing, every mouthful carefully prepared and delicious. My husbands birthday and they celebrated him in just a classy and understated fashion. I had an issue with another table which was again addressed so easily and with no anx . And the food! Mussels, lobster, lamb - all amazing . Thank you so much - we will be back . Special mention to a very special waiter - @craig Kelly ! Thank you for being so kind.

Excellent pub food. Really fresh scampi & chips. Tasty hummus & flat breads. Generous portions too. And they had Tabasco Sauce🥳

Popped in for a drink and also a meal. Had the seafood chowder which was choc full of salmon, smoked haddock, prawns and mussels. Really tasty. Also tried the mussels.

Beautiful meal, friendly atmosphere, best seafood chowder around. Definitely be back soon!!

Was recommended to us to try, right facing the harbour & ferry port, hotel & shops in Strangford lough

A nice little restaurant with a big reputation in the town centre of ~Strangford. Not particularly friendly but efficient enough service. The food was normal Northern Ireland gastropub stuff - nothing exceptional but adequate - see photographs. My chowder was not brilliant - more potato than fish and a lot of mussels. It's quite pricy for what is on offer, I'm afraid and we were not particularly impressed. Hard to specifically criticise but not a memorable visit. Maybe you might get it on a better day.

A nice little restaurant with a big reputation in the town centre of ~Strangford. Not particularly friendly but efficient enough service. The food was normal Northern Ireland gastropub stuff - nothing exceptional but adequate - see photographs. It's quite pricy for what is on offer, I'm afraid and we were not particularly impressed. Hard to specifically criticise but not a memorable visit

Went here with 3 friends and all of us agreed it was the best food we’d had out for a long time. Absolutely delicious and great service

The lobster pot disappointingly did not have batter cod, mussels or lobster as it had been a busy weekend. But the scampi and homemade tartar sauce was amazing. My husband got cod loin in garlic prawns beautiful.

Lunch stop here on the way to Castle Ward on the most beautiful day we had on our holiday. The weather was perfect to try their seafood chowder. It was the best I've ever had! We also ordered a nice burger with chips and 2 of the most refreshing ciders I've had in a very long time. Bonus that it was served in a huge wooden flagon! I'm an island girl from Hawai'i, and we don't get such things, so it was a fabulous experience for me and my partner. Everyone was so friendly and the service was brilliant and the food gorgeous!!Mahalo (thank you)! I hope to visit again!!

Dog friendly bar, great bar staff. We don't eat, but the food looked fantastic coming out of the kitchen.

Good parking, very friendly bar and restaurant staff. The food is to everyone's taste. Excellent.

My family took me here for Mothers Day, we were seated in the back room where there was a fabulous Harpist playing, and I received a complemetary glass of prosecco, lovely touch. Food was delicious as ever, best flat breads and dip i've ever had, scallops were amazing, followed by the Monk Fish, which was cooked perfectly. Overall, great day had by all, looking forward to our next visit. Only down side was we had to leave, could have stayed all day by the fire in their cosy bar.

First visit in over a decade, the food was lovely, well prepared and presented. Everyone in the party of 4 enjoyed their meal. I'm glad we took the time to visit Strangford and won't leave it as long to visit again.

There were three of us, the food outstanding, servers extremely attentive, very busy but nothing a problem. We had a lovely wee night and would highly recommend it.

says open on google maps but they don't open on wednesday door was also closed / locked because of the wind and we got soaked trying to get in we also asked for a fish and chip take away as they say they do take out & deliveries on google maps. we asked for salt and vinegar and she said "we don't do that, we're a proper restaurant" ??? i'm pretty sure proper restaurants have salt and vinegar staff must be under paid and over worked or else don't know what they're doing... we called and they said hello this is the *sassy sigh* lobster pot" like why are they so pressed? it's just a phone call

I’m grateful that this restaurant is dog friendly- and technically serves lobster, if you’re fortunate enough to be there when they actually have lobster available. The quality of the food is reasonable, though slightly annoyed to be charged the full price for lobster linguini when lobster was not included, just big chunks of heavy fish, but c’est la vie, we were hungry & it was edible. The mussels were delicious. Having two dogs we had to sit in the bar area, having experienced this before, the clientele are very loud and the language is atrocious- to the extent that is very unsettling. This was the case on Sunday afternoon as well as Sunday evening- be prepared for very rough & ready behaviour from local people, not from dogs. Also, does dog friendly mean that tables aren’t to be sanitised? I had to wipe the table with my own dettol wipes as it was filthy.

Very disappointed today. Long waiting times of 45 to 50 minutes between courses. When the food did arrive it was overcooked, presumably from sitting under heat for so long. Lacklustre at best. Didn't remain for a dessert course as couldn't face another wait and more disappointment.

I have been to the lobster pot many times in the past I feel like they have changed there head chef as tonight's meal was the best food I have ever had in my life. Incredible!

Amazing food. Hands down one of the best places to eat. Fresh food and great portions. Well worth the visit. Mussels and chowder are a must.

I have been to the lobster pot many times in the past I feel like they have changed there head chef as tonight's meal was the best food I have ever had in my life. Incredible!

I won a competition for dinner for two on Saturday night, the restaurant has a very cosy atmosphere, the food was delicious and the staff very friendly and helpful, I would highly recommend a visit if you’re in the area. We will definitely be back and might even pay next time 😁

Wow this was certainly the best meal we had in Ireland! Don't miss the Lobster pot. We were so happy we found this place. The lobster pot is somewhat quaint and unassuming from the outside but don't let this put you off. The food was top quality and the best meal we have had dining out for a long time (including in London). We had the cod and slow-cooked beef. Both were cooked to perfection. The price was very reasonable too. The young staff were very professional and highly attentive and gave excellent service. I certainly would recommend this place and would love to go back.

We were so happy we found this place. The lobster pot is somewhat quaint and unassuming from the outside but don't let this put you off. The food was top quality and the best meal we have had dining out for a long time (including in London). We had the cod and slow-cooked beef. Both were cooked to perfection. The price was very reasonable too. The young staff were very professional and highly attentive and gave excellent service. I certainly would recommend this place and would love to go back. The best meal we had in Ireland, don't miss it.

Had a really enjoyable meal for a reasonable price

Brilliant wee spot. Always so friendly. Bar men fantastic. Need to mention Marty pmsl. Always come here for food wen we stay I'm castleward and never disappoints. Highly recommend 👌

Just went for a drink, but the staff were not friendly, not very welcoming. Even though a friend of ours is local, and been there before, staff were the same .

This review is probably unfair on the chef as the food was very good, however a review is based on the overall experience. Firstly I went here for the Lobster 🦞 however it was sold out. I had the mussels followed by the scampi, both were very good except the bread served with the mussels was tasteless, a slice of what I presume was sourdough, if it was toasted with a little garlic butter it would be perfect, but not good as it was, I asked if it was possible to have some wheaten bread, so she brought it and it was perfect. I ordered a bottle of wine, when the bar man brought it he left it on the table and said is it ok if I leave it for you to open, it was a screw top, but I thought the edict was wrong. At the end of the meal I ordered a Remy Martin Cognac, the bar man brought it, and said I brought you some ice with your whiskey 🥃, Cognac served in a whiskey glass is one thing but the bar man who doesn’t know the difference. When I got the bill, I was disappointed to be charged £1.50 extra for the bread, I told the girl I was disappointed at this extra charge, I paid by card, and the girl went up to another staff member and complained loudly that I had a problem with the £1.50 charge. I normally enjoy the Lobster Pot, I am not sure if it has changed hands, as I know the previous owner Sarah always ran a professional and well run restaurant. The staff are the only thing letting this fine business down.

We were down in Ballyculter Church outside Strangford. We decided to go into Village a coffee. We went into Lobster Pot and decided to have lunch. Marty served us a drink and was very chatty it makes such a difference when Staff take the time to have a conservation especially on Christmas Eve and busy. Abbey and the other Servers where pleasant and helpful.

I had a lovely joint of venison

I was there tonight with 3 of my family. We had the turkey & ham it was fantastic we will definitely be back. Would recommend to anyone.

By far worst dining experience I have ever had in my life.Freezing cold no radiators on. Starters served on roof slate plates. Probably a good though but was able to watch most of the salad fall off onto an already dirty floor while making its way to us. Which was just left to be tramped all over the floor. Turkey dinner not great.Didnt eat most of as it was cold. When it was brought to us when asked did we need anything else to which I replied An knife and fork would be good tells you all you need to know..I assume it was the kitchen manager seemed out of her depth and totally unprofessional. Should give her a mop and bucket to clean the floor for a start. Ended up going to McDonald's in Downpatrick on way home which was first class. Would not recommend The Lobster Pot to my worst enemy. WILL NEVER BE BACK!!!!

The dining room was cold and very draughty. Only 1 small radiator which wasn't on in December. There was a fireplace but no fire which would've not only heated the room but helped with ambience. The waitress who may have been a bar manager was verging on unprofessional, my friend was asking her did they not open at the start of the week as she had been ringing all week to book a table and no one had answered the phone. The waitress was gazing out the window while replying that she didn't know. The food took quite a while to come, especially considering there was no one else there. It was called salted chilli chicken but resembled Chinese barbecue ribs off the bone. They were pleasant enough tasting but verging on cold as were the chips. My friend had the pavlova and remarked how the sugar hadn't been mixed in properly as it hadn't dissolved.

Absolutely amazing couldn't fault it in any way

Great food & fast service. Highly recommend.

Second to none, beautiful food,attentive staff idyllic setting get stuck in

Smart lunch option while waiting for the ferry. Menu is partially focused on a seafood. Their fish and chips was more then good! The pub is one of the stop on the "Game of Thrones bus tour" so they can serve beer in the stylish the wooden mug. At least on request. Nice :-)

Lovely Sunday lunch outside in the Beer garden Roast Beef with all the trimmings. Great staff nothing was any bother. I will be back!

We made a plan to go here while visiting Strangford. Walked in and mentioned to the waitress that we have a dog and would like to order food, she said take a seat in the bar. We sat down and the floor was filthy, tables dirty and flies swarming. 3 members of staff were stood having a chat and not one came over to us with a menu. We ended up walking out.

We come from the Oregon coast where every restaurant has clam or seafood chowder and we take it very seriously. This was the best seafood chowder we have ever had! Absolutely worth the 7600 kilometers to eat here!

Thoroughly enjoyable family outing at Lobster Pot. Great friendly service Food was excellent. Scampi and Lobster sooo yummy. Function in another room was a bit noisy. Would recommend

Best chowder ever. Super crusty bread

Great pub lunch, with the extended family! Staff were able to cope well with large parties, thanks to them all! Wheelchair accessible too

Lovely food for lunch seafood chowder and a pint . Staff were very good

Lovely meal with good service. The only thing that stopped me from awarding it 5* was the venue needed a bit of a paint job, a "bit tired" as my wife put it..

Cosy place, delicious food and amazing service! We had a great lunch experience at the Lobster Pot, fast orders, and super friendly staff. Definitely the best place to eat in the area! Thanks again :)

Visited this place during the Game of thrones bus trip. It a lovely restaurant and the service is great! However, a bit on the pricey side. Had chicken wings with chips. Guiness beer was served in a wooden tankard for the complete medieval feeling! :) Still water was not free!

Delicious roast beef dinner, really good gravy, veg cooked just right .. with a little bite! Will have to make a visit again just as soon as I can. Recommend you book before hand if you can, otherwise you might have a longish wait

Good food, can get busy which slows down service, parking in general for disabled drivers in Strangford is non existent and folk tend to park over the drop down kerbs , but the lobster pot is definitely worth a visit.

Excellent experience from the moment we stepped through the door. Attentive staff and fabulous food, what more can I say.

Very nice setting, very nice venue, vety nice staff don't order lobster or mussels, far too small, should not have been harvested or served.

We ended up in the Lobster Pot late last night, having come on a boat from the Isle of Man. Could not praise the restaurant staff and the bar staff enough for how helpful & accommodating they were and the takeaway food which was fish and chips and scampi and chip was absolutely delicious. Thank you again Frances Cannon &co 🛥️🛥️🍤🍟🙏🙏🍺

Visited on what looked like a quiet Wednesday, so was able to get a table straight away. With the quality of food on offer, I suspect booking is advisable on weekends or holiday. I had the warm bread starter with different tapena dips, followed by a beautiful half lobster with garlic butter. My friend had the mussels which came in a rich cream mushroom sauce. Both complimented by a Chablis, which unfortunately wasn't chilled enough however the ice bucket helped. Nice location, friendly staff, a little quiet on our visit but worth it

Called in late afternoon with no booking after visiting nearby Castle Ward. Grabbed a table in the bar for a drink and to check the menu. Staff were very good and decor was bright and smart- don’t be put off from the outside which looks a bit old fashioned. Bar and restaurant overlook the ferry and stangford lough. We were seated in the restaurant and had gorgeous mussels to start, followed by whole lobster and chef special - seafood pappadelle pasta. Reasonable wine menu. Fab food, portions good, great friendly staff - relaxed atmosphere. Highly recommend- would pre-book if weekend and/or larger groups.

This restaurant is great value for money, the staff are friendly and the food is great. They are willing to tweak the menu a little bit if required. I would definitely recommend a visit if you’re in the area

Highly dissatisfied, first glance looked ok but cafe feel for the layout and menu do not match. Had to wipe down all glasses for were not clean. Drove 2 hours to visit here for my birthday. Staff very polite. Food however was a different experience never have I ate in a place were every dish had issues. Steak £32 came out well done after asking for medium rare apologies made and steak was redone to come back as rare son tried to just eat it but couldn’t. Staff said it’s difficult for the chef as it’s a thin steak, (it’s a 12oz sirloin) it’s no minute steak. Seafood Chowder zero seasoning very watery. Salt n chilli chicken was literally honey again no flavour. Chicken carbonara chicken dry sauce was nice. Onion rings grease no flavour. Bread grease. Tried 2 muscles was nice went to 3rd near was sick. Lobster was squid texture. Clearly overdone. £104 for food that was left on plate ended up grabbing food on way home. Disappointed to say the least.

Stopped into this bar/restaurant for a spot of lunch. A great find! Staff were excellent, very friendly and the service was fab! As it was lunch time I chose from The Light bites menu. Food was excellent. Definitely recommend.

Had the most wonderful lunch here today, we opted for the Cod and chips and half lobster. Food was perfectly cooked fresh and full of flavor.

Beautiful place,food was excellent. We had the soft crab,mussels and open prawn sandwich for starters. Then 2 half lobster for mains everything was incredible,staff were amazing very attentive and nothing was a bother.will deffo be back,thanks.

Good atmosphere in bar area. No atmosphere at all in dining area. Old fashioned, table dirty/sticky. Really slow service (50 mins between starters and main course) and waiting staff very inexperienced, disorganised. Lovely scampi. Rest of meal not great (fish and chips particularly disappointing/anaemic looking)

Visited middle of July for lunch. 2 friends had the daily special of Cod I had the lobster which I was delighted to see on the menu Venue has expanded since my last visit which is a definite upgrade very nice ambience. Menu had lovely...

I visited the Pot before and enjoyed it ... This time years later it was a bit disappointing . Everything was great like before but the food experience wasn't this time . I'm not going to slag it off for the sake of it but...

Everything we ate was delicious. Not one bad dish. Highly recommend, especially if you like Fish 'n Chips.

I absolutely love this wee place :-) The staff are so nice and always so helpful. The place is cosy and a great vibe and it is definitely without a doubt the best Seafood Chowder going . we love a wee trip down and a...

Fish & chips was superb - fresh fish with a perfectly crisp, tasty batter. Homemade chips. Roast beef dinner was excellent, the beef was falling apart. Puffy yorkshires 👏. The pecan pie was 🤌🏻

We really enjoyed our lunch here, the staff are super and friendly, giving good suggestion amd showing portion sizes. Lobster was a hit with the missus and my chickpea was very good. The place is lovely inside.

Wir waren mit der Tour GoT zum Mittagessen da. Wunderbares Restaurant mit gutem Service. Nichts spezielles aber war fein und...

Leckeres Essen und sehr nette Bedienung…das Restaurant ist aber etwas in die Jahre gekommen.

Lovely spot in Strangford. Fresh seafood. Reasonable prices. Would recommend!

Reccomended everywhere and didnt dissapoint. Fantastic seafood.

Lovely, friendly service. Scampi excellent, Mussels lovely, Salt & Chilli chicken tasty but not very much chilli heat. Liked the pickled ginger with it though.

Food and service excellent would highly recommend.

The ambiance was delightful and The staff was extremely friendly. The beer was perfectly chilled, and the chips were absolutely delicious.