The Safehouse Cafe Bar in Coleraine

Came here with my dog and my daughter. The staff was so friendly and welcoming, with everyone greeting us with a smile and even coming over to see the dog. As it was there 1st birthday since being open, we got free cake and prosecco. The coffee was very tasty. Cara was so lovely and chatty when she gave us our coffees! Would recommend and will definitely be back!

Called in for a bit to eat and a couple of pints, as stated in a few reviews the reception was odd at best, lots of staff behind the bar, not really up to much. Spoke to one member of staff, they informed me it was a sit at your table, read the menu, order you choices at her bar and give a table number. Did all the above and paid when ordering. Food arrived about 10 minutes later, Tomato @ Mozzarella bread, Charcuterie platter for two and a Sicilian pizza ( there were 3 of us by the way 😂) Everything we ate was outstanding, Nothing went back, 3 clean plates. Like I said in my title review, stick with it, you will not be disappointed with the food, my 4 star review only reflects the fact there were a lot of staff but no table service bar the delivery of your meal. Will I return, absolutely.

Great food relaxed atmosphere not overly expensive and Dog friendly - we loved our experience here and will defo be back

Called in today at 1 o’clock , not busy , 4 members of staff behind bar watching us come in , no welcome , we picked our own seat , read menus and picked what we wanted and waited about 20 mins and no one came over to us to take order so we got up and left and staff never even acknowledged us leaving . Went over the road to the port hotel and received a welcome and prompt and efficient service with good food .

Went here today with family and my dog for coffee. On arrival didn’t receive a friendly welcome from any of the staff, not even a hello. I had to ask for a table and looked at like I had two heads. Coffee was okay and carrot cake good. However for a dog friendly cafe, didn’t seem too friendly. My dog totally ignored which was fine, but another dog had staff fussing around it and a bowl of water brought over, which we weren’t offered. I found the staff very awkward which made for a unwelcoming atmosphere so won’t be back and won’t add to my list of ‘dog friendly’ places to visit.

Set in an old bank, the Safehouse is a bit classier than the average Portrush bar. We had coffee mid-morning, and it was very quiet. The coffee is very good, as is the meet-and-greet service. Recommended.

Went for pizza and a drink very nice pizza. Lovely place, beautiful building, good to see another food/drink place opened in portrush! Good music. Very relaxing. Will go back again would recommend

First visit to the safehouse. Beautiful surroundings in a relaxed atmosphere. Served by Cody who was very friendly and helpful.

Great spot for well priced food and drinks. Lovely staff, we we served by Jensen who was very helpful and had a good knowledge of the drinks menu

Our family were up in Portrush to celebrate my husbands 70th birthday! We chose the safehouse as it had a small semi private room just off the main bar area, this meant that we didnt feel isolated from the vibe going on in the main bar area! We had 4 small children in our party and 8 adults, we were able to order drinks from the bar, service was very quick and the staff were friendly, professional and attentive. We ordered some food, Pizza and a sharing board, was delivered really quickly and everything was enjoyed by all! I look forward to our next trip to the North Coast when we will definitely be visiting the Safehouse. The traditional music was a lovely bonus!

First time here And definitely will be back! Myself and a friend were greeted and served by Jensen, who was super helpful and lovely, not to mention making us some banging pizzas. I love the atmosphere and interior, all in all a nice spot for somewhere new!

This is a gem in the middle of Portrush. Came here for pizza with my friend and we ordered the goats cheese and fig and... I was blown away! So delicious! We were looked after by Jensen who was an absolute star, made our pizzas, was great craic... what more could you want? Definitely will be back! Only tip as someone who works in hospitality; desserts could be more intricate considering how beautiful the interior, drinks and food are! Apart from that, 10/10 experience!

My kind of place! Decor is gorgeous and the staff were lovely but the biggest plus point for me is it is dog friendly! A real welcoming place for dogs and owners which is great to see ! I had a french martini when we stopped in which was lovely and fresh. We followed that up with a charcuterie board as well which was tasty. Cannot fault it will definitely be back !

Friendly service, delicious drinks and food, and a lovely atmosphere! It's gorgeous inside, and a really nice spot by the coast to just relax and have a good time with friends. Would definitely recommend, whether you're popping in after shopping or catching up with friends over cocktails. They're dog friendly too, and it's a great spot to enjoy with your furry companion!

We came here for lunch (on a wet June day) and had a lovely Goats cheese and Fig pizza. Ended up staying for two hours....coffee, tray bakes, alcohol free Guinness and G&T later.... definitely will be back! Great service, friendly staff, relaxed atmosphere. Dog- friendly too if you have a furry friend!

We had a beautiful meal here at the weekend the service was outstanding from a member of staff named Cody he couldn’t do enough for us absolutely exceptional we will definitely be back.

I came here with my mum today, i was warmly greeted by Lindsay, one of the servers. We ordered two cappuccino’s and i have to say the baristas here can do a great coffee! we also got a smoky bbq pizza and a porcheta mini pizza. when lindsay brought our food down, she went above and beyond to make our experience great, by bringing us napkins and cutlery. We will definitely be back again. Great Service Lindsay thank you!!

Was in on Monday, young man with ponytail Cailan I believe provided great service! He was able to recommend different drinks I may like to try as well as getting the drinks to me very quickly. Will 100% be back very soon.

I’d like to single out Cody as doing a really great job in getting me my coffee. I’m quite particular and he made an effort to make sure the milk was how I liked it. He was also exceptionally polite. Thanks, Cody

Absolutely brilliant ! We had pizza which was cooked to perfection !! But the star of the show was a staff member called Rosie ! Super friendly and attentive to our every need ! She really made our evening a great experience ! “WELL DONE ROSSIE !!

Loved everything about this place, food was amazing, drinks were great and the staff were some of the best we've encountered up here. Special mention to Linsey, Emma, Cailan and Cody! Great to see everyone looking like they're enjoying their job!

Great spot, nice pizza, a little bit pricey but was served by a lovely waiter called Cody. He went above and beyond for us and made sure we didn’t go wanting for anything. He made the experience so much better.

Well done to Ben who provided excellent service . Wonderful cocktails , just a bit poor that they ran out of cheese and therefore pizza.

Was in on Wednesday for drinks after our meal. The cocktails were made by patryja were amazing and they came very well presented. Cailan took our order and recommended pomegranate brambles which were an excellent choice

As a family we were visiting Portrush over the Easter bank holiday weekend. We came across the cafe / bar, as we were looking for a dog friendly establishment to have a relaxing drink. We were so impressed we returned three times. Drinks and pizza all good. The staff are super friendly and the decor / comfort excellent. I would highly recommend Dog friendly too

Was in here monday for food and drinks. Pizza was lovely and staff were very friendly. I was served by Linsey and Cailan and they were very helpful by supplying us with gluten free alternatives

Food was great and the staff were super friendly ! Tables were clean and food was served quickly. Had a great atmosphere!

All style and absolutely no substance. Spent all their money on decorations and had nothing left for staff. Server with the beard and ponytail literally threw the pizza at us. They have no choice at all. All they do is pizza. So you’d think it would be great. It was the equivalent of a frozen pizza heated up. Just awful. Usual watered down soft drinks complimented the horrible food and rude service. Very, very overpriced. No plates. Served hot food on paper that sticks to the hot food. Avoid this place!!! 😡

Visited twice over the Easter Holidays, first time back up since last summer at the caravan and have to say it’s a great new addition to the town. Chilled vibes with great entertainment on the weekends. Not a restaurant like many people seemed to think but had a great food menu to go along with drinks. Pizza and charcuterie boards what more can you ask for? Big shout out to Emma and the team, very friendly service and top notch drinks! (Best Old Fashioned I’ve had in the North Coast)

this cafe is a really good spot in portrush for lunch i really enjoyed it and my server leah was excellent and provided me with sensational service

The premises are lovely, however that’s where the positive comments end. The choice on the menu is limited but even worse is the preparation of the food. One member of staff was preparing food behind the front counter with no evidence of basic hygiene displayed. The staff member was preparing pizzas and painis, while also taking orders/processing payments via a card machine and taking cash, and not once did he wash his hands between transactions, nor was he wearing gloves. Preparation of food was incredibly slow and not worth either the cost or wait. It’s a shame the food/service are so poor as it is a lovely building.

Beautifully restored Boy did Portrush need a place like this Great decor , friendly staff, great selection of drinks, nice menu Full marks

Came here on New Years day for brunch. When we first walked in we were impressed with the decor. Unfortunately it ended there. Sat a while before realising we had to order at the bar, ordered 2 paninis & 2 lattes. When the paninis arrived, safe to say we were disappointed, for £8 each there was a measly little bit of filling. And there was no sign of the lattes, after a while my husband went up to ask to be told there was a “backlog on coffees”. The staff couldn’t have been less friendly if they tried. Definitely won’t be back & a shame as it’s a lovely setting.

The place looks great but that's about it. Stunning interiors which are very impressive. Take a table and order at the bar. We ordered 2 paninis and coffees. However from where we were sitting we could quite clearly the one member of staff who was preparing food was also taking orders and handling cash. The member of staff had long hair with no hair net and not once in the entire time we were there did we see them wash their hands. I'm sorry but handling cash and then handling food is concerning and unacceptable. What we witnessed has definitely put us off returning. I actually really hate to leave a bad review but what we saw concerned us regarding food hygiene. Hopefully with time and training things will improve as this place has a lot of potential. I really do hope to see new ventures do well but at the moment there is room for improvement.

We visited on New Year’s Day to get some lunch. I got the impression the staff didn’t have a badly what they were doing. We hovered around on arrival not sure if we were to wait to be seated or to go ahead and sit. We were told to find a table but no one mentioned it was also order at the till and pay in advance. We waited 40 minutes for a cheese pizza and two panini. We were also told it would be at least 30mins for a coffee. When it did eventually arrived both panini were poorly filled and a low quality product. The same for the pizza which have frozen supermarket vibes. Most certainly well over priced. No cutlery or napkins were provided and when I asked for these I was told someone would get them and bring them over. They did not. As for the service, the staff couldn’t be bothered and had zero personality and seemed like they would rather be anywhere else. Regret going here and won’t be back.

The title says it all - it’s great to see the old bank restored and back in use, and the interior has been nicely done. We sat in what I think may have been the old vault, and it had nice character. Unfortunately, that’s as far as the positives go. We went mid-afternoon for hot drinks. As soon as you go in, it’s a bit chaotic. It’s not clear if you take a seat (as you would in a cafe) or wait to be seated (as you would in a restaurant) as Safehouse seems to be trying to be a bit of both. We hung around near the door for a minute but the staff nearby seemed to actively avoid eye contact, so we took that as permission to seat ourselves. It was busy enough but we got a table straight away. There were already menus on the table, so again it wasn’t clear if it was bar or table service. Again, no one was forth coming, so we went and ordered and the bar. All we ordered was three hot drinks, and after more than 20 minutes, and seeing others who had come in after us also being served their hot drinks, one of the drinks eventually arrived with an apology for the delay. However, the staff member then asked us if we were waiting on food or anything else - clearly had no idea what our order was, despite having an little order number stand on the table - and we have to tell her our other two drinks order again. Another 10 minutes passed without drinks arriving. Eventually, we decided we couldn’t wait any longer, and I went to the bar to ask to get them in a takeaway cup. There were several members of staff behind the bar who all actively avoided eye contact and didn’t seem to be doing much. One staff member was working hard, but making hot drink orders that had just been placed by people who had come in. When I looked behind, I could see our two hot drinks sitting on the counter, ready to go, but no one served them. They sat there, cooling, for the more than five minutes it took for someone at the bar to actually be willing to speak to me. They didn’t seem particularly happy about my request for takeaway cups, but did mumble an apology when I pointed how long we had been waiting. As I was standing at the bar, several others were also waiting to enquire where their drinks were, so this clearly wasn’t just one order slipping between the cracks. Incidentally, when it arrived, the coffee wasn’t great, certainly on the low end of quality for takeaway coffee in Portrush, and both my wife and eye binned half of ours on the way home, despite having waited so long for it. The family next to us also had a long wait, and one of the part complained that his drink - a hot whisky - was mostly water. I can’t speak for the quality of the food. Over all, it was not a good experience. It seemed like the staff didn’t know who was responsible for what and that there was no clear system. Poor service is a theme that runs through a lot of the reviews, and I see that management often replies to say they are working to train staff. Unfortunately, they have been saying that since October, and it didn’t seem to have improved things (after Christmas). It’s such a shame, because we really wanted to like it, but with so many other good options locally, I doubt we’ll be back.

Great pizza, tasty wine, friendly service, nice atmosphere and decor. I would recommend this restaurant.

Beautiful place, staff were very friendly-Cailan was super friendly and helpful. Took the dog with us and were made to feel very welcome- will definitely be back!

Lovely place such a welcoming atmosphere and linsey our server was so polite and friendly always had a smile on her face

Really enjoyed this new cafe bar in the middle of Portrush. It was the old bank building so it has a high ceiling and they have kept the vault door. Very tastefully decorated and it was warm and friendly. We had a pizza which was very good and we found the waiting staff very friendly. All on all a good experience amd we will definitely go back.

Called Sunday 4 of us for bite to eat. Place is lovely and was warm on a cold winters day. This place has so much potential but our experience of staff was not good. Tables were not cleared and ended up doing it ourselves. Staff didn’t seem to know who ordered what even though we were given table numbers. The food however was lovely just need staff to up their game. Will return in few weeks to see if improves

A group of us stopped by on our way back to the train and are so glad we did! The staff are fantastic at what they do. When seeing the girls in our group struggle with what to order Emma asked them what things they normally like and made them special off menu cocktails! All of us then after trying the girls' drinks went for another couple of rounds and they were top class! Only thing I can fault staff on is not giving us a much needed piggy back to the station!! The place seemed busy for food and drink and had an overall good buzz! Would definitely come back later next time to enjoy the live music! 10/10

Went with my friend and ordered the Sicilian and Calabrese pizzas - amazing! The ambience was great and staff super friendly. Also ordered a Margarita (wasn’t quite there but still enjoyed it) and an Espresso Martini (perfect!). The menu’s font style was really hard to read (probably the only thing I would recommend they change), other than that, this place is amazing and really stands out in the area. We so needed this! Defo recommending and defo coming back!!

Me and my friends really enjoyed our visit here. The food was really nice and service by leah was great.

We went here for drinks for our anniversary and Emma the bartender made our night absolutely amazing. She's a great assent to have in the place made it very special for us. Couldn't be more happier, all thanks to Emma. Thank you.