Cafe Rossi Restaurant & Bistro

I remember when this place used to be Dixons, an absolutely amazing fish and chip shop back in the days when I was a kid. The people here retired, and it has changed hands quite a few times since then, but I think the people of Ballynihinch are glad that it has finally settled on this place.
It is a wonderfully spacious little restaurant that has a lot of room to cope with a large amount of diners. The ficus here is on good solid home-​made favourites. My most recent trip here was after a cemetery Sunday, and my whole family enjoyed they food.
My brother’s goujons were crispy and tender, my fathers’s steak was cooked perfect, my mothers gammon has a delightful glaze and my plaice was truly delicious.
We didn’t have the appetite for deserts but the menu were very tempting. All in all i have only good things to say about this place, so keep up the good work!

In NI sometimes families decide to go on ‘drives’. What this means, basically, is to get in a car and drive to a place with less entertaining things in it than the big city and sit about in some drool café being cold.
Thankfully Café Rossi was a little welcome gem on this otherwise typically awful journey. The food was yummy for such a little place, in such a little town, I expected the basics but they did home cooking very well. I got the sausage and mash. Everything cooked perfectly, so much so that I almost mourned my last mouth full. The staff were really friendly and judging by how busy the place was, it had quite a little reputation in the town. If I ever find myself back in Ballynahinch (doubt it though), I’ll be back!

Pork chops aren’t always the tastiest of things but in Café Rossi the honey glazed ones are delicious. Likewise the steak was excellent too so in my experience they know how to choose good meat and cook it well. The menu is not all about meat of course — there’s pasta, pizzas and burgers too. I didn’t have enough room for starters or puddings but you could have a three course meal here if you wanted, and bring a bottle with you (no corkage charge). It’s open all day and in the evenings, very friendly and relaxed, a fantastic asset to a small town which is quiet in the evenings.

Expect the unexpected. That’s one of the things I’ve learnt while visiting places and writing these reviews. I was taken completely by surprise that such a lovely restaurant would lie in the centre of Ballynahinch, I was even more astonished at the service that was so well provided, and I was utterly stupefied by the delicious food that was set in front of me after all that. Unexpected doesn’t quite cover it.
Café Rossi is a chic bistro situated on Ballynahinch’s Main Street, which, on this occasion, was the location for a scrumptious lunch. It’s divided into two sections — a chilled out, relaxed area for breakfast and lunch with comfy sofas and coffee tables, and a more elegant area for fine dining in the evening.
Upon our arrival, my sister and I were quickly shown to our table and provided with menus. There was a decent choice, and it did take me a while to pick (unusual, I know), but I eventually settled on the Famous Rossi Burger, whilst sister got a chicken wrap (it had a fancier name than that, but that will suffice for the meantime).
We didn’t have too long to wait at all, which was rather impressive, and rather fortunate, as both our tummies were playing melodious tunes with their rumbling. One bite of that burger, and I was in heaven. It was quite possibly the best burger I’ve ever tasted, and had a spicy kick to it, which went down an absolute treat. The huge side order of criss-​cross fries = also delice, and I instantly knew that I wouldn’t be able to finish the whole lot (isn’t that always the way?). The sis enjoyed the wrap thingamajig, and also staring at the «hot waiter». Apologies Mr Waiter for my gawping sister. She just doesn’t know when to stop…
With no room left for afters, I paid the bill and departed, feeling very satisfied at finding such a lovely little restaurant. My sister, on the other hand, was feeling incredibly satisfied that she’d had some poor, undeserving waiter to drool over. I guess it was a win /​win situation then? (For my sister and I that is, not for the my sister and the waiter…)