Underground Dining in North Down

What can we say other than our first experience at UnderGround Dining was just fantastic!! From the professional & friendly staff to the beautiful food and great atmosphere it surpassed all our expectations! The Chicken Risotto & Seafood Mornay were exceptional👏 Highly recommend a visit & we will definitely be back! 5x⭐️’s

A small restaurant on High Street in Bangor with great quality food and prompt service by the staff.

Really good local restaurant in Bangor. Lovely varied menu and great service. The £4 tasters are a must! Be sure to book in advance if you are in the area. 😀

Overall, we had a nice evening. The table wasn't ready when we arrived 5 mins early and there is no where to wait. It was fine as we could sit outside, but it would have been an issue if it was raining. The service was interesting, I think they were training staff, so the service was not really of the standard you would expect in that type of place. However, they were friendly and quick to rectify any problems. The food was excellent, if not a little generous on some of the Taster dishes.

Brilliant spot. Staff very friendly and helpful, food delicious. Ate here on Tuesday evening and again on Thursday. Tuesday, I ordered starter of squid, as it’s something I have never had before, for mains I had seafood mornay, both were cooked beautifully and were gorgeous. On Thursday evening we went for a taster menu, and chose eight dishes. We enjoyed all we had ordered, tho were not particularly keen on the fish skin poppadoms, but that was purely personal choice, and thought the taster dish was the perfect way to try them for first time. We finished off with sticky toffee pudding which was yummy. We ate at 5pm, and at hotel the next morning we did not feel hungry enough for the full cooked breakfast. If we were in Bangor again, this would be somewhere we would return to.

Absolutely brilliant food. Thank you for an enjoyable evening.

Fantastic food, great service and a lovely atmosphere. Ate twice this week at this restaurant. Both occasions the meals were excellent. Even on a wet and windy Wednesday night the place was buzzing! Congratulations to the chef and team at Underground Dining.

I promised the Manager on Friday night (20th Sept 2024) that I would, so here it is. We all had a wonderful meal. The ambience, service and food were all first class and very reasonably priced. We had 1 x pork belly 2 x beef bourgogne 1 x fillter steak All excellent and perfectly cooked and presented. Very much home style cooking feel and you could taste that. For dessert 1 x sticky toffee pudding 1 x Belgian chocolate torte Absolutely glorious. Would highly recommend underground dining for people of all ages. Will definitely go back soon.

Had an amazing meal with my partner at Underground Dining in Bangor last night. Amazing food, great buzz and the staff were very friendly, helpful and professional. We are returning home to Dublin today but will be back to Underground Dining again on our next visit up North. Would highly recommend a visit. Maria W.

What else to say than it’s the best food , service, atmosphere… i discovered this place and I felt immediately the good atmosphere, The food follows at the same level. A big congratulation to the crew and to Garry! Unforgettable moment spent…. I am highly recommending the Underground Diner to every person! The French Rory McElroy 🙂

Nice but not lovely. The calamari was a bit chewy and the chicken a bit stringy.

Service was either great or appalling depending on who came to the table. (One server just slammed our bottle of wine down and walked off), food was average but nice to see a vegan menu, atmosphere was average

Mixed service, some good staff some less friendly. There is a vegan menu but the vegan burger was average being a burger perched on top of a piece of stale sourdough. Wasn’t really for me.

We had a beautiful meal With friends- there were 4 very clean plates returned!. Thank you !

Had a lovely lunch from the tasters menu today with my niece. Such a relaxed atmosphere and our waitress Serena (I think) was just brilliant. The pork belly and parmesan fries were so good we had to order another portion. Would highly recommend. Well done to your team.

We had a great night at Underground Dining, where Louise, Gary and the rest of the team provided an outstanding service for all twenty of us, and we had a wonderful birthday meal. The fish, vegetarian and meat dishes were all great successes, and the booking process worked a treat.

My friends and I had a beautiful meal here last night, Saturday 3rd Aug. The food was to die for, the menu had a very good choice. The staff were very efficient, very pleasant and the service very good, the staff were run of their feet. The atmosphere & decor was very warm, and welcoming. The chef came out to speak to us which was lovely and personal, you don't see this very often. We all agreed we will be back we enjoyed the whole experience.

Loved the tasters on the menu - just right for an interesting and light lunch. We'll be back!

As a vegetarian there's never much on menu, however a couple of starters and chunky chips did the job. Food was very tasty. The pork belly was Enjoyed too. I liked eating in their outside yard. A wee bit pricey though. My only negative

I have to say we had a very disappointing experience tonight . We had high expectations for this restaurant and as soon as we walked in we could tell it was not going to be a pleasant evening. The restaurant was far too warm. The condensation on the windows was so heavy, the water was just coming down the windows and front door. Half way through our meal we asked if something could be done about this and we were told they could not even open the door. The restaurant was full and due to being such a small area the clients were sitting right beside each other. It felt like we were all sharing the same table in a big group conversation. My husband's starter and main were very good but again my dish was so disappointing it was supposed to be a pasta with crab and prawns. The prawns were tasteless and the crab could not be found.. Its a place that we will not visit again.

Great varied tasting menu and affordable prices

Thanks to Gary & his team for looking after us, very friendly & attentive. Amazing extensive menu & the food was fabulous! 5* We enjoyed a beautiful family meal I highly recommend Underground Dining to anyone!

Wonderful food!!! There were seven of us and we came in last minute without a reservation and they were amazing, attentive and positive. The food was beautiful and absolutely delicious!!!

This was not the first time for us as we’ve been here several times Nothing is too much trouble for chef Gary and his team and front of house Louise and team! I am dairy intolerant and they were able to make a meal suitable for me and always greatly enjoyed ! Thank you ! We didn’t have dessert this time but have sampled them in past ! None of which I could say are not tasty ! The taster bites are something else and very much enjoyed with a glass or two of wine ! Not to forget my favourite cocktail old fashioned !!! The surroundings and atmosphere is always welcoming .id totally recommend this place .gary uses locally sourced ingredients too and compliments his food with a great choice of wines .

Exquisite food, great atmosphere and lovely staff. Would definitely recommend. AAA+++

There very little to say that already hasn't been said about Underground Dining, however I would like to say thank you to the whole team both Kitchen and front of house for an exceptional meal in the relaxed and friendly space that you have produced. The excellent wine and the dozens of beautiful, delicious tasting plates that you presented to us, and the wonderful desserts all added up to the best evening out I've had for a long time. Thanks again and see you all soon.

Absolutely smashing lunch. I had a special of French Onion Soup followed by a Portavogie Prawn special starter, both were superb. My dad had the same Portavogie Prawn starter to start, and followed with Cajun Spiced Crispy Squid - both were excellent. The staff were really friendly and chatty, and we also met and talked to the owner/chef Garry, who explained a bit of the background of the restaurant and his 6 and a bit years of ownership. The restaurant is, in our opinion very good value with some items less than you would pay from a larger freezer based restaurant. You can see that Garry and his two chefs have a passion for good food and the variety, quality and presentation back this up. We will certainly be back soon!

Really good food with a wide and flexible menu and reasonably priced, slightly functional atmosphere

A really great place for some decent food with a conscience chef who wants you to enjoy the food. Well worth a visit.

An absolute pleasure to have spent last weekend eating at underground dining. Dined-in Friday and Saturday evening with family. Enjoyed delicious food all around, special recommendations from our experience would be the house pork belly and chicken risotto dishes but all at the table left satisfied including the two younger lads who's palette was equally catered to. A further recommendation for those above their age bracket would be to take a look at the house cocktail menu which also didn't disappoint! A classy and relaxed atmosphere indoors was complimented by an attentive and friendly staff who made the experience all the more enjoyable, headed by the delightful owner Gary. Couldn't recommend enough, looking forward to returning again soon to see what Gary and the team have in store for our next visit.

Top quality in terms of menu and service and very reasonably priced

The restaurant is one of the best in Bangor and the area. The waiters are very nice and kind, specially Louise. The food is excellent. I can recommend it to you 100%

Think we found the best restaunt in town. Staff were all so friendly. Amazing plant-based options! Can't recommend this place enough!!!

We have been twice and already looking forward to our next visit

Excellent meal. Quality ingredients, well cooked and beautifully presented. Service first class and the Chef/Owner spent time on each table towards the end of the evening. Class actand great value/ thanks Gary and t!!👍👍

Food was amazing, as usual, so tasty and full of great flavours. There was plenty of options on the drink & food menus. The staff were very friendly and happy to help with any questions we had around the meal. Any time I go to Underground Dining, there's always a good atmosphere in the restaurant. Can't wait to visit again 🙂

Fabulous food, steak was cooked to perfection & as requested. Staff were friendly & attentive. Would definitely recommend without hesitation.

Lovely food extremely spotless restaurant and super friendly staff. Highly recommended to everyone.

Had taster menu should have had a main instead

Small but beautiful restaurant with talented and friendly chef and helpful staff. Great food at reasonable prices (approx £35 pp). We will go again.

This little restaurant in Bangor is a gem on all levels. I would love to live in Bangor just to revisit. Hint choose 2 or 3 from the taster menu helps with choice paralysis.

This was our first visit, definitely not our last. The menu and specials created by Gary and his team would cover all tastes and is prepared and cooked to perfection. I cannot stress how good the service is from Suzy and her team creates a really nice ambience that you don't get everywhere. We selected Underground Dining for our sixth wedding anniversary and left replete and happy even my wallet wasn't in pain. I highly recommend Underground Dining as a great place for an informal dinner.

One of the best meal experiences I have had in the last 25 years. Decor is pleasantly neutral, no faffing about, no ostentatious but comfortable. Front of house and service is friendly and spot on controlled by the lovely Suzy. The menu has plenty of choice depending on your needs, and is flexible, ie you can mix and match from either the tasting, main or specials menu. Predominantly the food is locally sourced and seasonal and gives GF and vegetarian dishes. There is also a good selection of non/alcoholic to accompany your meal. Our meal consisted of starter: Crispy cajun spiced squid for my wife and elected for the Scotch egg, we both enjoyed those greatly making our anticipation of the mains, for my wife the Baked Seafood Mornay which she said was to die for and I had a 6oz venison spiced burger served on sourdough bread with a mushroom sauce with fries and trimmings, this was a revalation of how a venison burger should taste. This was followed by dessert that was equally well prepared cooked and presented. Gary and his kitchen team continue to create tasty affordable meals.

Some of the best food I have had anywhere in the world. Brilliant service on the spot but not overwhelming. Veggie options as well as good for carnivores. Just everything was excellent.

Visiting this part of the Northern Ireland coastline for the first time, I asked people I trust for dinner recommendations, all four put Underground dining first. Saturday night, the restaurant was full, great atmosphere. A winning combination of difficult to choose from menus choices across all courses, outstanding presentation, excellent quality and amazing value for money. The front of house staff were also superb. I spent 20 years running and launching high-end hotels. I had a chat with Chef Owner Gary Bell, The passion, commitment and the skill of him and his brigade is a given. The real mark is consistency. The restaurant opening pattern means the same brigade is always on. If Gary isn't there the restaurant isn't open. Gary and his team really do have something wonderful going on. I am looking forward to visiting again.

Love this restaurant! The food is delicious and the staff is very friendly. Great value for money. Love especially the seafood chowder and the chips with crispy fish skins… a must

Fantastic food and service. Highly recommend. Service was great and chef owner came down to the table for chat which was lovely.

Had lunch based on the 'Tasters' menu. Prawns, Squid, Venison Burger, Arancini all excellent. Finished of with the taster of 3 desserts - also fabulous. Welcoming and efficient staff added to the overall experience. Hadn't been for a while but will be back soon.

Excellent waiting staff. Very attentive. Great selection of dishes well presented. Very good on gluten free options. Nice atmosphere. Will be back!

Another fabulous dining experience today at Underground Dining! Local produce impressive menu. Our food was exceptional we'll be back !

Excellent service, lovely and accommodating staff! Lots of delicious vegan options

Came highly recommended. We had from the tasters menu. Delicious! Highly recommend but you need to book. Easily done online.

From the outset, felt we were in for a good night and we were not disappointed. Service, atmosphere and food were all excellent, and great value for money too. Lots of choice on the menu, including gluten free options for one of our party. I'd highly recommend and will be back again.

Valentines day, wonderful experience. Staff very welcoming friendly, helpful. Had the steak, cooked to perfection, wife had the chicken. Overall a great night and will return. Have no hesitation on recommending this restaurant and on phoning to book they check for any dietary requirements Will & Sasha

Went for lunch on Saturday. The food was amazing, and the friendly staff made it a nice experience

Absolutely smashing lunch. I had a special of French Onion Soup followed by a Portavogie Prawn special starter, both were superb. My dad had the same Portavogie Prawn starter to start, and followed with Cajun Spiced Crispy Squid - both were excellent. The staff were really friendly and chatty, and we also met and talked to the owner/chef Garry, who explained a bit of the background of the restaurant and his 6 and a bit years of ownership. The restaurant is, in our opinion very good value with some items less than you would pay from a larger freezer based restaurant. You can see that Garry and his two chefs have a passion for good food and the variety, quality and presentation back this up. We will certainly be back soon!

Enjoyed a birthday celebration here. Food and service was good.

My family ate at Underground Dining to celebrate my husband’s 60th Birthday. The food was absolutely gorgeous, service was great and we had a fabulous evening. Special thanks to Louise who organised the evening.

Fantastic food and excellent service

Lovelly wee restaurant fro light bites to full couse meals something for everyone. So cosy n relaxing

Beautiful food always specials on menu to choose from. staff very friendly and welcoming my favourite restaurant in Bangor well done Gary and staff

Fabulous menu with locally sourced fresh products ! Very relaxed atmosphere with friendly attentive staff. The quality of the food is excellent....you won't be disappointed!

Thank you to Gary and his team for making me and my food intolerances so welcome. None of my questions were too much bother...they just wanted to make sure I enjoyed my lunch. I dread eating out usually but today's experience means I'll be back...

I had the fillet steak and my wife had the sirloin. Some of the best steaks we’ve had in a long time, absolutely delicious. Lovely service and atmosphere as well.

I went here twice in 5 days in Bagor. Excellent food and service. Would fully recommend. The burger was excellent. Felt very comfortable when I came alone the first time with a book.

I came back to Northern Ireland from Australia to try the Irish Seafood Chowder. This came with home made wheaten bread. Did not disappointment. Great service and I overheard a waitress ringing prospective booked clients and informing them of what to expect and how to...

Who needs to go to Belfast for good food when we have Underground on our doorstep. Excellent food. Can't wait to go back for my birthday.

Been here before for my birthday and decided I'd take my partner here for hers this time. Excellent service really lovely people , The food was just perfect so tasty and generous portions "I even ate the beetroot on my starter and don't even like...

My work Colleagues & I had our Christmas dinner here & it was absolutely fantastic. The food was great & the service was second to none. Gary & Louise put on a great show & are well worth a visit.

A little gem we discovered when looking for a lunch venue last week. It was so good I returned with 2 friends for dinner. One friend is gluten and dairy intolerant. Many menu options were available and slight adjustments were no trouble and that included...

Underground Dining is in my opinion the best restaurant in Bangor. We have introduced many friends to this place and each time we take them they come away singing the praises of the food. The quality and flavour of the dishes I have sampled have...

We had a wonderful time and everyone enjoyed the efficient and friendly service, the relaxed atmosphere and the exceptional cuisine. As a vegan, it makes such a welcome change to have a range of delicious options across 3 courses. Food is fresh and prepared with...

My wife and I had dinner here last night - excellent food - the venison meatballs were superb. Great atmosphere in the restaurant. Very friendly and efficient service. Looking forward to going back early in the New Year.

A fantastic warm, friendly, inviting restaurant. Fabulous choices especially for a Christmas menu. One of the best vegetarian meals we have had in a long time❣ It's rare to get vegetarian food that is not goats cheese or bland or just one choice at best....

There was so much choice, rare for a Christmas menu. The vegetarian options were amazing and so rare to have so many choices nowadays as most offer vegan only, goats cheese or bland food. The choices were unique and tasty. It was one of the best vegetarian meals we have had in a very long time. The chefs & staff were fabulous, friendly & well versed on advised on vegetarian & vegan choices; the place was warm. very intimate & inviting. Would highly recommend Underground!

Due to the 5 star reviews on here we went with friends to Underground Dining and we don’t understand the 5 star reviews at all! Both food and service was just ‘average’. So it’s too expensive for a ‘just about okay’ meal. And wine was...

Welcoming, friendly staff, warm atmosphere and a lovely menu. All palates covered plus lots of fish, mini starter plates were delicious!

Thoughly enjoyed our first lunchtime visit here. Staff were attentive and informative regarding all the menu choices. We opted for a selection of small plates and were not disappointed. All well presented and delicious 😋. A follow-up visit will definitely be on he cards.

Brilliant place to eat 100% recommended

Visiting this part of the Northern Ireland coastline for the first time, I asked people I trust for dinner recommendations, all four put Underground dining first. Saturday night, the restaurant was full, great atmosphere. A winning combination of difficult to choose from menus choices across...

This is a great restaurant and would highly recommend it. Had dinner on Friday night which was so good we went back again on Saturday. The food was super and the staff were excellent.. so friendly and welcoming.

Great food and excellent service Lovely experience

We were a party of 5 for my wife’s birthday our table was booked for 6.15 such is the popularity of this restaurant we had a 2 hour slot , the menu choice is plentiful so I would recommend you have a brouse on the...

Service tonight was not quite as good as usual. Hopefully a temporary blip. Possibly a bit of a negative atmosphere too? Food great as always.

We had a great night out in Underground Dining, the staff were fantastic and the menu offered really good vegan, vegetarian, dairy and gluten free options.

The wife and I went for a meal on Saturday evening at the 6pm sitting. There are 2 sittings on a Saturday evening and you have to prebook at least a week in advance. Service is very good and prices are very reasonable for a meal out in Bangor. Our starters were both delicious and our mains were also great. Venison bourgignon was amazing actually. We had a cheese board to share to finish which was pretty average. Gets quite noisy but that's to expected for a Saturday evening. Try and book a table on the right hand side of the restaurant as the other side all the table are really close together. Not sure what outside is like but ask for inside unless you are a bigger party I think. We'll be back I am sure as the steaks looked great too!

Visited last night with family on a trip to Bangor. Discovered this hidden gem. We had to pre book, and give our menu choices on booking as we were a party of 6. Everything ran like clockwork,the waitresses were very professional and got everybody's order...

What a gem this is! Great choice on the menu, beyond the usuals, including for vegetarians. Food was well presented and good flavours, service and atmosphere were good and the value very fair especially given the quality. A bonus was meeting the owner/chef at the...

First visit tonight and we loved it. The Gary and the staff were really friendly and welcoming. I had the goats cheese bon bons to start which were delicious - goat's cheese, beetroot and nuts are a perfect combination. My husband had the parfait which...

Marvellous, great food and service. Highly recommended, this will be a regular haunt.

We were so happy to find this wonderful restaurant. The food was amazing, very carefully presented with a combination of quality ingredients expertly prepared. We opted for the goat cheese bon bons and the crispy squid starter, followed by the pan fried cod and Killarney...

Food is exceptional but service leaves a lot to be desired. Drinks ordered didn't arrive and had to remind waiting staff a few times, after which 15 minutes later only one of 2 drinks arrived.

On an overnight in Bangor we were recommended to visit this restaurant. The meal was amazing as well as the Bon ami of the other diners.Gary is a hard working chef and it was our pleasure to support him and his excellent staff.

We have had an amazing meal for 4 . Gr8 experience food service .always worth a visit again Graham Henry

Went for lunch with a few people and already can't wait to go again, our waitress was friendly and welcoming, the food was perfect. I thought it was a clean and visually attractive place too.I would highly recommend anyone trying this place out, you won't be disappointed!

Delicious food. Attentive & pleasant staff. We'll be back.

Delicious food with a varied menu to suit everyone , warm and friendly vibe. Staff are helpful, attentive and professional. This was my first visit to restaurant but will definitely be back .

1st time here and loved it. The food is amazing. We started with the taster menu..opted for fish skins, stuffed peppers and the blue cheese..all were delicious..mains were cod with chips and crispy chicken with garlic fries..lovely..garlic fries aren't on the menu but they will...

Another excellent return to Underground Dining in Bangor - but this time we were blessed with fine weather and sat out on the back terrace, which was lovely. We shared the Cajun squid plate, then we both ordered the chilli crab and king prawn linguine,...

Fantastic food & great atmosphere, staff are amazing. Been here about 10 times and every single meal has been out of this world good!