Dining out in Belfast’s best-loved restaurants is set to get easier on the wallet as Belfast Restaurant Week returns in February.
Belfast Restaurant Week 2023 will feature a diverse range of participating venues, bringing an affordable choice of food offerings to encourage families, couples and friends into the city centre to enjoy our hospitality industry at its finest.
Diners will be welcomed into the city centre with a host of gastronomic treats at tastier-than-usual prices from February 20-26.
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Kathleen McBride, Managing Director of Belfast One, said the key diary date for food lovers will see main courses served up for as little as £20 in the evenings and lunches for just £10.
She said: “We are excited to host Belfast Restaurant Week next month, after what has been a challenging few months for most people. We are really looking forward to this event as it truly is a highlight in the food lover's calendar.
“Belfast Restaurant Week is a well-earned treat for everyone and the perfect opportunity to sample restaurants they’ve maybe yet to experience in the city centre. Some very impressive participants took part in September and wowed with some spectacular dishes so February’s event will be even more exciting.”
The initiative is supported by three Belfast Business Improvement Districts (BID) - Belfast One, Destination CQ and Linen Quarter.
Collectively they have created a feast of activity during the week at some of the city centre’s biggest and best-loved restaurants where chefs will be out to impress with special menus carefully curated for the week-long event.
Damien Corr, Business Improvement Manager, Destination CQ, added: “We are delighted to welcome Belfast Restaurant Week back as part of our jam packed calendar of Culture, Craic and Hospitality. We want to build on the success of the last Belfast Restaurant Week, to welcome back old friends and to attract new customers to sample the legendary eateries in the iconic Cathedral Quarter."
One venue owner said that they witnessed a big uplift in business over the week compared to what would tend to be a quiet month while another found they had a significant rise in bookings during Belfast Restaurant Week for lunch and dinner.
They had the busiest Saturday since pre-covid. Usually, they would have around 140 covers on a Saturday however during Belfast Restaurant Week, they had 210, so they said it was really worthwhile for them to participate.
Charlotte Irvine, Linen Quarter BID, said: “We’re excited to bring back Belfast Restaurant Week next month. Chefs and restaurants get the opportunity to showcase their talents while customers get to really see, taste and feel how vibrant and varied our hospitality industry is through snapshot menus with very accommodating prices.
“Our last event in September was a huge success with some of the participating restaurants telling us activity throughout the week was elevated as much as 70% and there were more than 500 dishes to choose from.”
The event will culminate with weekend food demos by local chefs at St George’s Market hosted by TV presenter Pamela Ballantine where visitors will be offered the opportunity to taste dishes directly from the demo oven.
For participating restaurants and menus, please visit www.belfastrestaurantweek.org.
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