The Rabbit Restaurant in Antrim

I attended The Rabbit restaurant for dinner with my partner and had an unpleasant experience with the front of house. On arrival, the front of house was very cold and unwelcoming, especially to myself. He asked for the reservation name abruptly and asked if we had any allergies. I advised them of my allergy. The front of house turned away and repeated my allergy a very judgemental and strange tone. I was taken aback as this felt judgmental and very strange as to why he was acting like this . He walked to our dinner table with little to no pleasantries, advised the soup of the day and repeated back my allergy, again with a rather judgemental tone. We were both taken aback by this and did not understand why the man had been unpleasant with me especially. On leaving the restaurant each waiter stood and greeted us on exiting, however the front of house simply stood at the bar and as we approached to turn and walk down the steps out of the restaurant, looked away and made no form of contact, clearly seeing us coming along and deciding to turn away. I have attended The Rabbit for numerous year and have generally had a good experience however this left me in rather bad taste and I am not impressed by that level of service from a place that fronts sophistication. I felt judged and the manner which this man served us with was cold and not what you’d expect of someone who is meant to be the front of house greeting your customers and showing them to your table. Very disappointed.

Beautiful hotel and spa. Stayed for a wedding which was really beautiful and staff were so helpful and friendly. Added spa and lunch for the following day which was a great experience. Breakfast was really good and so much choice and food to suit all needs and requirements

Perhaps it’s ’The Emperors New Clothes’, however I read about ‘The Rabbit’ and the ‘Galgorm Group’ and so though it would be worth a detour to the restaurant en route to,the airport on a Sunday evening, however was incredibly disappointed. Media hype around the hotel has been very good, however it felt like a slightly upmarket Harvester Inn, and certainly not an intimate restaurant. On arrival we were directed to an empty welcome desk. We waited for at least 5 minutes whilst numerous staff walked past us and ignored us. Eventually I asked at the bar and was told somebody would be there at some point. When he arrived the maitre D was very good, however very overworked, and clearly the only person working with any enthusiasm in this huge and awkwardly shaped dining space. From the price level our expectations were high, however food was mediocre at best. IKEA would have been ashamed of the 5 overly cooked bullet meatballls (£10) however it was the Caesar salad which was the biggest joke at £20. The waitress took time to explain that there would be anchovies, which we said yes we expect that in a Caesar salad. However what arrived was bland salad with Sun dried tomatoes, lettuce, no garlic, Parmesan, or any flavour. Service from staff is terrible. They look disinterested, and generally scruffily dressed. So this was a £100 stop off that we really wish we hadn’t made.

Fantastic service. Staff were all friendly, professional and attentive. Atmosphere in the restaurant was relaxed and enjoyable. We had the a la carte menu which in my opinion is slightly overpriced. The lunch or early evening menu is much better value for money. The starter scallops were delicious however I had to fight back visable shock when the plate was put in front of me. For £12 I was served 5 discs of scallop, the discs were the size of a 20 pence piece and I am being generous to say they were as thick as a pound coin. They were sprinkled with a light and I do mean light dusting of black pudding. I appreciate scallops are expensive but I would go as far to say then please dont put them on your menu if this is the only way you can serve them. We were a large party and everyone else seemed happy with their more plentiful starters. I would have sent the plate straight back if we had of not been in a large group. All other meals served to our party were well presented and plates were all cleared. However I do feel portion sizes were on the small size particularly in regards to sides. Perhaps why our plates were all cleared. All in all a very enjoyable evening spent in the Rabbit and service and staff faultless.

My oh my, this place restored my faith in great food, done simply and offered at a fair price for both in the transaction. I’d give it 10 stars if I could. It’s our first visit here. Lots of off - road parking. We were warmly welcomed, literally going through the door, and invited to go to the restaurant or the bar area as ‘our menu is the same’. We were properly and politely served throughout our visit and all the staff were delightful. We opted for the restaurant. We both opted for scampi - proper fresh made on the premises delicious scampi - the Dublin bay prawn scampi. Oh we had chips, superb mushy peas and a tartare sauce portion with the seemingly obligatory slice of fresh lemon (my personal taste is lime is tastier). I squeezed some lemon juice into my tartare to make it even more tangy. Almost everything was perfect, almost everything easily 5 stars oh and 4 green stars to them for their drive to sustainability using fabulous local produce and the imminent arrival of solar panels and the plan for EV chargers. The rest rooms too are very well appointed and they offer free fast WiFi. The only tad of disappointment for us both was the chips, but only a tad, as next time we’ll just ask for them to be real hot. And here’s a tip if you are ordering scampi or cod and chips anywhere or at home try a glass of Sherry as it really works. Thank you Rabbit.

My friend and I had lunch here today, we were shown to a table beside the window of the restaurant. We both commented on how uncomfortable the chairs were, when you sat back to support your back it meant you were too far from the table, so we had to sit forward on uncomfortable seats with an unsteady table which nearly toppled over if you moved it in any way, the people dining beside us also commented that the table was so flimsy and dangerous and uncomfortable chairs. The service was good, our waitress was very pleasant & helpful, The chicken Caesar salad was big but I quickly realised it sadly had very little chicken .. The coffee’s we had were excellent.

Service very good. But the food quality is overrated overpriced and no flavour at all we even found a hair in the chicken wings even though they took it off the bill. We will not be back starters poor main course was below average and the dessert was poor.

Date Visited 27 April 2024 Copied from The Rabbits website (Celebrate those special moments at The Rabbit. We understand the importance of culinary excellence in making your event memorable) Our experience at the Rabbit was certainly memorable for all the wrong reasons. A party of 11 were celebrating my daughters 30th wedding anniversary, She had her reception at the Templeton now known as the Rabbit, How standards have gone downhill since then. The food in the restaurant was very pretentious being not of  "Culinary Excellence" being Over priced, Small portions and being of greasy spoon standard. The 8oz steak burger with salad came with a lettuce leaf (1 item salad?) A Mushy battered onion ring and a very small portion of fries unfortunately on the menu it did not state that it would be served up medium with traces of red meat if I'd known this before ordering I wouldn't have, The other person who ordered it had the same opinion as myself. 3 members of our party ordered Scampi and were very disappointed at the small size of the portions that were served the Mushy peas were served in a mini ramekin dish. The attitude of the staff in the restaurant was as if they were not concerned about giving us a fine dining experience, One staff member was rolling her eyes while serving food. When I was returning from the washroom another member of staff walked out in front of me and walked through double doors and just let them swing closed before me, When we asked for the bill we asked for the 10% sevice charge not to be added and were asked why not? We replied that we like to make our own decisions about tipping We were again asked Why not I think this was a attempt to intimidate me in front of the rest of our party. Both of these incidents made me feel very unwelcome at the Rabbit. Finally my daughter was very disappointed at the lack of acknowledgement from the staff. When we made the booking we informed them that it was her 30th wedding anniversary and that she had celebrated her wedding at this venue we had balloons on the table and also banners celebrating this and not one member of staff acknowledged this, Would it have been to much to wish them well? Obviously it was! This venue was special to them but not now, Thanks Rabbit

The atmosphere is nice and we could sit at the table all night and chat which was lovely. However the value for money is poor and affects whether you would recommend. In addition being charged for mayonnaise in a restaurant of such a standard, was a bit tight. The food is fine but there are restaurants in the area that have much better standard of food.

We stayed at The Rabbit on Easter Monday. This place is modern and quirky. Our visit started well with the Duo Clay Ritual followed by use of the Spa facilities (hot tub, steam room and sauna). Pure luxury. Our room was modern, clean & comfortable. The bar with open fire is cosy with a great vibe and live music. The food at the Rabbit is expensive. The menu reads well but the food was the only negative. Barfood (beef nachos, crispy lamb and chicken wings were good but small portion; curried hake cigars were unpleasant, soft and soggy with limp rocket leaf). Breakfast food was also disappointing. Both Eggs Benedict were served with overcooked eggs. The coffee is OK but I suggest sourcing a better supplier as our espresso and flat white were not great. Service was excellent throughout our stay. All staff were friendly and professional. A special occasion venue.

Nice surroundings and ambience, very pleasant and helpful attendant staff. Food is good and fresh but it is quite expensive, worth another visit though. Service was quick and efficient and staff very understanding of our need for prompt service due to having to catch a flight.

Me and my boyfriend went here last week and the rooms were lovely apart from the smell as we went in. It smelt of dirty sewers or a dirty toilet. We looked in the toilet and it was very very dirty. When u went to shower there was not a drop of shampoo conditioner or body wash in the bottles so we had to use the bar of soap! We where told there was a mud treatment with the stay but we where never told we had to book it and showed up in the morning for it and we where told we hadn’t been booked in so we where never able to do it! We weren’t given a lot of info at the start. Apart from them the rooms were absolutely lovely and they decor is amazing. We had a lovely outside bath with a log burner!

We visited the Rabbit Hotel Restaurant on a busy Saturday evening. The staff were extremely welcoming from the moment we walked through the door. We were promptly seated and the waiter and waitresses were attentive and very friendly. Our food was absolutely beautiful and arrived quickly despite the bar and restaurant being at full capacity. I would highly recommend, and we will be back for the rump steak 👌🏼

Dined with family on Saturday and as before, the food was fabulous. We had a range of starters, mains and desserts and all were ursti g with flavour and cooked perfectly. Honey chilli chicken was particularly good as was the pork main. Cocktails ere also fantastic. Staff are so attentive and the dining experience was faultless. Will call again when in the area. Treat yourself, you won't be disappointed

While the place is beautiful and the service was faultless we found the food disappointing. Maybe just the chefs take on dishes wasnt to our taste but The Sugar pit pork chop which my partner had was essentially quite salty gammon. The salt and chilli chicken which I was super excited to try was a very saucy tomato based honey chilli style chicken. Not what we were looking for but we were perhaps just unlucky with the actual dishes we chose.

Booked via website, very easy to navigate around. Three of us enjoyed it. One had a nut allergy therefore he was super excited to be able to have cheesecake. Atmosphere very relaxed. Staff very attentive, engaging and helpful. Vegetarian Menu offered upon request. Ribs went down a treat, full of flavour. Feta bites wholesome and plenty of them too. This was part of the 2-3 course menu on offer and it has to be said is very good value considering an alcoholic or non alcoholic drink is included with a varied array on offer. With it also being a nice settling, we didn’t feel rushed considering it is a 2 hour window for seating. Veg main of pasta, the sauce from my part lacked some flavour which was a shame considering it had olives combined through it. My feeling was the chilli pasta sauce probably needed to rest to absorb the flavours for a day as there was a lot of chilli which took over from the ingredients mixed into the pasta, perhaps some cheese to top would have lifted the pasta also, however it was eatable. I did relay this back to the staff as I felt it was important to tell the chef. Think that is important to note considering why only four stars. We/I will definitely return. Yum!!

So I have decided to take to trip advisor and write a review, I almost did this after my first visit to the Rabbit, and that's when we were asked to pay for our lunch after each course because we had to sit outside due to the restaurant being full. We had a card machine stuck in our face while eating at the starter and drinks, main course then dessert. I asked the waiter why this was, and he said we had several ppl just leave without paying. I thought it was a huge failure of service and just awful. So may wife, her parents, and friends called over tonight, and they booked a meal at the Rabbit. I didn't want to go as I'd said I'd never be back, but I went. Well, the service had only mildly improved but then we got charged £20 for a burger, which was awesome, but the 16 chips looked a little bit weak beside it. Are you having a laugh, is the costs so bad that you have to skimp of chips now. Well, I promise one thing, I'll never darken the door of this Galgorm want to be again, and that doesn't come close to justifying the extortionate prices. If you visit, remortgage your home, expect nothing on your plate, and don't expect good service as it sucked.

We initially just went for a few drinks on a wet Saturday afternoon. Few people in the bar area and we decided to stay for an early dinner. After reading some reviews, I was a bit apprehensive, but honestly, food was fab. I had Ribs to start and duck for main both cooked really well. There was plenty of meat on the Ribs and duck cooked to perfection. My husband had chicken wings to start, and another chicken dish for main. I just can't remember which 1, but he said both were really nice, although he said the Ribs were better than the wings. Staff were lovely, including bar staff, and just felt a very relaxed atmosphere and will definitely be back

Not up to par. The old menu was much better with plenty of fish Lamb kebab nice but salty, couscous inert and the pitta bread flat and boring, tough and just weird. What was I meant to do with flat pitta, I could not open it . A nice Greek salad would be better. My wife's Burger tasty with lovely relish. Chips tough on the outside. Our guest's duck was good. Deserts were lovely. Key lime and rhubarb crumble. Staff 10/10 Cleanliness 10/10

We visited the Rabbit restaurant part of the Rabbit Hotel for lunch. There was a problem with not only ordering but accessing the menu online due to WiFi and not having the QR code scanner downloaded on our phones. This took a rather stressful twenty minutes our meals arrived food was good quality and well presented. Service was very good no complaints. Could someone please do something and remove the dead stuffed fox! on top of the wine cooler. They have it dressed up in a costume! as well, nearly choked on my meal couldn't honestly believe that they mounted it and dressed it up. Poor taste in this day and age we won't be back prefer to dine in a more respectful environment!

Stayed in snug room. Complimentary water tea coffee and tunnocks tea cakes! Room really warm and clean with comfy beds. Used spa which was lovely although some of jets in main pool not working. I nentioned this to staff but no change. Jacuzzis were very good. As it was cold you couldn't really sit outside in lounge qreas . Sauna steam room and salt room all lovely. Meal was delicious- piping hot and good portions..soft drinks extortionate prices at 3.40 for a sprite but think that's the same everywhere. Would definitely recommend staying here.

Needs improvement .... Seafood paella a fail --- used long grain rice rather than risotto rice or arborio rice ( sticky rice ) No taste of chorizo nor saffron..... taste of the sea ? Nowhere to find ---, Chatted with the chef --- I hope they do understand that we go out to eat to have good honest food and not being mislead ...

My husband and i had a meal in The Rabbit Grill bar Saturday night. We both ate of the Christmas menu. Prawn starter which was excellent as was the Turkey dinner, might say the best I have add this year, just missing sprouts. The big let down was the heat, or lack of it. We were both foundered and I had to put on my coat after the starter. When I complained the lady in front of me spoke up and said she had her coat wrapped round her legs and just wanted to eat and get home to get warmed up!! I advised the waiter when he arrived with my main meal, no offer to move me, just said he would close the door. When second waiter arrived with a coffee, (too cold for a sweet) and asked if I had enjoyed my meal stated not as was so cold. His reply was 'Well I am warm'. What an insensitive thing to say he was alright so to heck with his customers. I will not be back till they turn their heating up so disappointed as such a very good meal. Cannot recommend as too cold in the hotel at the minute to enjoy the surroundings.

We returned to the rabbit for a lunch and found the food to be so much better than we had experienced previously. The starters were again ok maybe slightly overpriced for what you're getting but we thoroughly enjoyed our main meals of seabass and a lamb skewer with pitta, salad and dips. We shared a sticky toffee pudding with ice cream which i would recommend. As we were both not drinking I still feel the mocktails are again overpriced for what you're getting but were tasty enough. I appreciated the fact this time around we were shown a lunch menu with reduced prices and think this is an important option to have especially these days and with the comments on prices I think this has been taken on board. Hopefully the rabbit can keep to this standard and we will both be returning happy patrons.

Food, atmosphere and staff are all good. I cannot however understand why they have no menus. They ask you to google the menu on your phone! I was completely shocked. No one wants to go out for a meal and have a table of people struggling to connect to Wi-Fi and viewing menus online. No other quality restaurant does this. When I asked why the bar man said it was due to environmental reasons. This however doesn't stop the restaurant burning logs all day on their decorative fire. I hope management take the initiative to correct this in the future.

We love the new set lunch menu at £14.95 which includes a drink. The sea bass meal was delicious. Definitely will be back and highly recommend.

Visited for sunday dinner with my wife and son. First of all the food was very good and the service was good. Bit annoying that there's no menus and you have to use your phone to go hunting for the menu. The main issue I...

Gutted!! Organised a birthday lunch for my mum last week the place was dead but service really wasn’t good at all. Id said we weren’t drinking alcohol (mocktails were £10 each) then there was awkward moments when waitress was just by our table not saying...

We visited the restaurant with friends and were very disappointed. No hard copy menus are available. We were offered one tablet between 5 people. We tried to access the menu on our phone. The internet/Wi-Fi access was very poor and the format/ view of the...

We visited the restaurant whilst we was staying at the rabbit hotel. The food is plentiful and fantastic. We really enjoyed the chowder, in fact I would say its the best chowder I have ever had! Also the Mac & cheese side is delicious. We...

Lovely place. Great investment, and will do well I am sure, but ffs don’t exploit the folk who chose nit to have a beer - £5.75 for a coke is scandalous. Steak is £28 before anything. So 2 x sides takes it to £37 +...

We had dinner on the terrace. Hubby loved the seafood orzo. My beef pie was good but a little bland. Our friend’s hamburger was good. Service a little slow but they are probably understaffed like everyone.

Lovely setting with friendly hardworking staff and great service. The food is absolutely delicious and there’s a dish on the menu for every member of the family. Cocktails are very well made too. To top it all off there’s a hotel dog Florence who usually...

We called into The Rabbit Restaurant when we were passing one evening and had such an amazing meal! We were sat quickly by a friendly waiter and had our drinks order taken. It was good to see the app being used to help the environment...

Poor disorganised service and very average food. Waited ages to order a drink which was taken at same time as food order. Food then arrived before drinks which were wrong. Food arrived that quickly it couldn't have been freshly cooked. Nice surroundings but a shambles....

Visited Rabbit Hotel for meal with friends. First time here since taken over by Galgorm group. On arrival lovely warm fire welcomed us in and we were shown to our table fairly promptly. The menu can only be viewed online which is annoying and if...

I though a lot about writing this review. I have been to the Rabbit 3 times since it has been bought over. First time we were celebrating as a group for my mother-in-law's birthday in September 2020. Food was inedible, even my parents in law,...

Our second visit to the restaurant organised by Arlene Curran who very kindly organised our table to accommodate a large push chair for my grandson. They were initially very welcoming & efficient on checking everyone into the hotel. Order for drinks taken very quickly and...

We took a half hour journey to try out this relatively new restaurant. The décor was excellent, the food average and the service poor. No paper menus are supplied so you need to scroll through your iphone to view the menu, not an ideal start....

The Rabbit Hote what can I say just perfection Our Daughters wedding thursday 28th oct 2021 The venue is just perfect. Galgorn Ballemena overrated and over priced ,But the Rabbit is AMAZING, staff so professional yet laid back, venue perfect food amazing backdrop for photos...

Enjoyed wonderful food at the restaurant for 4 evenings last week, and can’t recommend it enough! I was staying at a hotel around the corner, but chose to eat at The Rabbit restaurant as it offered me a greater quality and wider variety of food...

First, couldnt get parked (all bays full - its a small car park & weddings cause it to fill up) & seemed to be a lack of disabled parking (noticed the only free parking bay was marked as disabled but there was rope/carpet across it...

Had been waiting a while to visit The Rabbit and it did not disappoint. Service excellent and the staff were helpful and friendly. The sirloin and ribeye steaks we had were cooked to perfection and the sides were adequate in portion and price. The beer...

Visited recently for dinner with a family of four. Very pleasant surroundings and friendly, welcoming staff. The food was excellent in taste, portions and value for money. I would highly recommend the pork chops, two large, perfectly cooked chops are served and they are delicious!...

We had a family dinner for my sons birthday. There were 16 of us over 2 tables. Nothing was too much trouble and every member of staff who we came into contact with was professional, friendly and nothing was too much trouble. The food was...

My boyfriend and I decided to go to the Rabbit for my birthday after hearing nothing but excellent reviews from friends and family. I can confirm, it definitely delivered. I got the pork chops and my boyfriend, the sirloin steak. Both were cooked very well....

Extremely disappointed with the quality of the food after spending £248 for 4 adults & I child. £25 for an aged rib eye steak medium rare was delivered as medium our plates filled with rocket each time no variety with the salad. I ordered mash...

There were 8 of us and the food was excellent. Chicken was a little too spicy; the pork chops excellent; the pizza super and the burgers were great. Lemon tart and chocolate truffle cake was loved by everyone. Would definitely go back. The meal was...

Good food terrible service. Rude waitress and pretty rubbish at table service too. Not going back as planned next week.

fish and chips batter burnt fish undercooked,g/fpasta seafood plenty of pasta little of anything else,burger ok,roast cod small piece some veg,pizzavery little on top,very expensive,ordered house wine £22 could not recommend,had to buy side dishes. expensive cannot recommend

Sunday lunch in July - ate off the a la cart menu, decent value given the surroundings and food quality. The new owners have spent big and repackaged the old Templeton hotel, has nooks alcoves for privacy - materials used first class, staff well trained,...

After trying to book for weeks, we finally managed to get a table, arrived 15 minutes early, drove around a bit, the car park was so overcrowded, we had to leave, nowhere to park. Way to over booked, very disappointed, Sent an email, to express...

My wife and I celebrated our wedding anniversary at the Rabbit restaurant in Templepatrick. As with a lot of places with re-opening after restrictions, we had to book and we were glad we did as it was quite busy. We were greeted at the door,...

Went for a meal and to be honest although the staff were friendly and helpful. The menu let this place down Not a great choice on the menu and sides were not included My chicken was small in size and I had approximately 10 chips....

Very popular place, only one of its kind in the area, part of a newly refurbished hotel, good outside area

I have been here a few times to try and give the benefit of the doubt since opening last year. The service is so poor and food poor quality. Today I called in for a couple of pints. Ordered, paid and waited 20 minutes for...

Called on BH Monday on the off chance as we hadn’t booked. Managed to get a table outside which was appreciated. First visit, even though we live close by, as dinner menu had never appealed. Hadn’t viewed lunch menu so was surprised to find only...

So handy as we live nearby but the very limited menu is ok at best. Very expensive for what you get and sides are not included. There is a slight language barrier with a few staff members that can be overlooked. It could potentially be...

Just had an excellent evening and can't wait to go back for another delicious meal. The service was great ( thank you Andrzej) and the staff were all so friendly and really helpful. Will book a stay as well, next time. Thanks, Michael and Isabel.

I was in the restaurant after waiting a very long time to meet up with friends again for a nice meal and a few drinks. We decided the rabbit from previous recommendations and it didn’t disappoint! The food was very nice and well presented but...

Called only for a drink ... avoid ..... daylight robbery..... £10.50 for one glass , yes glass not bottle of wine !!

This was our first family dinner at a restaurant in over 12 months due to the Covid-19 pandemic. On arrival at the restaurant the host was welcoming and efficient and directed us to our table on the upstairs balcony. It was a little chilly for...

We have just returned home from having a meal in the restaurant. I am disabled and on arrival was surprised that the 2 disabled parking places were at the rear/side of the hotel, which wasn’t well lit. The ground towards the entrance was very uneven...

The food was delish, was served in a timely manner and the staff were polite and attentive. During the Covid period, I would say their covid measures went above and beyond, we felt very safe there. We were there on a Thursday night and the...

Service average, meal not hot, Irish coffee not hot, disappointing as same meal on 18 September birthday was great

My friend and I visited the Rabbit for lunch yesterday and we were extremely disappointed with the lunch menu. It consisted of full meals such as fish and chips, Burger, Pie, Seafood Linguine, Gammon and chips, Mixed Grill and Chicken Maryland. Definitely not what I...

Went for lunch today and we were really looking forward to eating in this new place but sadly we were very disappointed! I had Chicken Maryland which came with some kind of deep fried corn bread which when cut, crumbled into powder. The banana fritter...

The Rabbit, formerly The Templeton, is under new ownership with the hotel portion still under refurbishment. The restaurant opened recently and we visited during the eat out scheme. We were greeted by friendly staff as we entered and shown to our table.We had the 1...