Cafe Smart

Got the table by the windows so I could watch the world go by, cup of lovely coffee while I waited on my toasted bagel, cream cheese and bacon. The food was delicious and probably the nicest bacon I’ve had anywhere! The service was great, all the girls were very friendly and attentive. I brought home a few tray bakes as they looked so good… will be back again to try something else as all the food that came out looked lovely. With so many cafes on Belmont Road its hard to choose one, but this one stands out for me.

With their big wide windows spanning the corner, it is hard to miss Café Smart, and for me it is the windows that make it. Settle me there at the corner with a big latte and it is the perfect spot to watch the world go by.
It isn’t so coffee-​snobby as some places in the area, but that suits me fine. Having visited for a work lunch the menu of sandwiches and the like mean it is pretty quick if you are stuck for time, and the food is fresh and well presented. Apparently they open late on Thursdays with a 3 course set menu, BYO and live piano which I haven’t tried, but if the lunchtime offerings are anything to go by, it’ll definitely be worth a visit.

I always come here when I’m back in Belfast. Usually go for the daily special which is always great, coffee is excellent, and i love the hanging art work. Friendly staff and value for money. A favourite of mine, ticks all the boxes for me, highly recommended.

Well firstly I was pleasantly surprised by the interior if this place. The name certainly fits. It’s modern without being too much so and comfortable with sacrificing the look. Big, open windows light ip the interior, this is good because a. it makes it a nicer place to be and b. it helps keep the place very clean as even a single crumb on a table is hard to miss. As we’d looked in almost all the other cafes and eateries while walking up Belmont, it was noticeably cleaner better kept. Also on our visit there was a selection of art hanging that was for sale, not too tardy an not too pretentious, so you don’t have to pretend to know hats going on with it. There was also a sign on the counter for upcoming live music events in the café, which would be a pleasant evening.
The staff were welcoming and pleasant and the order was taken in good time with the drinks and food subsequently arriving in a similar fashion.
The brie sandwich I ordered was large, very fresh and well presented with a small pot of crisps, a dollop of coleslaw with very nice cheese through it and a tasty salad on the side. Over all I was impressed and will be in again if I’m passing.

Café Smart certainly lives up to its name as it seems to attract a smartly dressed, rather genteel clientele.
The art part of the «Smart» name refers to collection of art for sale on the wall. Where Art meets Food, they say. Whatever. The paintings were a bit garish and evidently quite expensive as they, I thought rather coyly, did not display the prices on the big ones.
As for the food, drink and coffee. It was expensive indeed, as previously noted, though pretty refined for a café. You could get a smoked salmon sandwich, for instance.
I just had coffee, which wasn’t very good that time and felt like a waste of £2.20. It’s a pleasant modern bright café so I feel rather Eeyore like for saying this but frankly, I wish I’d gone somewhere else on the Belmont Road.

The newest edition to the ever-​growing collection of coffee shops /​cafes on the Belmont Road, Café Smart is definitely the swankiest. Scarlet red details against crisp white lines = oh so chic. It was practically calling my name.
Café Smart was the location for a well needed catch-​up with a friend today, as I’d been dying to try it out for quite some time. Unfortunately, I was in one of those no-​hot-​drinks moods, even though the only hot drink I take is hot chocolate (just could never get into coffee, and tea = eugh). Appletiser it was then…
My friend, in contrast, hadn’t eaten anything for quite some time, so she ordered herself a salad and devoured it in next to no time. Actions spoke louder than words… I’m reckoning it was pretty good. Tea was next on the menu, and my friend was was provided with the cutest little tea pot, which seemed to produce an endless amount of the hot beverage. Not bad, and she seemed to enjoy herself. Could’ve been my excellent company though…
My only qualm with Café Smart is the fact that the prices are slightly on the high side. With paninis starting at £5.60, and reaching an eye-​watering £6.75 (fair enough, it comes with baked beans… but seriously?!), and my Appletiser coming in at £2.10, I did feel a bit hard done by. I’m sure you’ll agree.
Couldn’t decide between three and four… so just imagine a wee half mark in there, s’il vous plait.