Bureau Bar & Bistro

I have very mixed feelings about the Bureau. Situated in Jordanstown, roughly 10 minutes drive from Belfast, it certainly looks the part, both inside and out.
It is a short 5 minute drive from where I live, so I have been here numerous times for lunch, dinner, and evening drinks.
The style of the bar is smart-​casual, so make sure you observe this when you come, and visible tattoos are a big no-​no, last time I was there during the day, a gentleman at the table beside us was asked to cover his tattoos.
They have a really nice beer garden, overlooking Belfast Lough, which is lovely on a good day.
Food wise, they have a decent selection which is reasonably priced, and the food is fine. Nothing outstanding, but it’s good if you are hungry.
All in all, the Bureau is a good place to go if you live in the area and want to save yourself the taxi fare into the City Centre, it looks good, and the other customers are a good crowd, but I wouldn’t travel too far especially for it.

It’s not far from where I live, and sometimes I think I’m silly for not going there more often, because it’s a really nice place for a drink. Most of my pals however live much closer to Belfast, so I don’t get to come here as often as I’d like as it’s really out of the way for most of them. But for those who live nearby, it’s a great place for a drink. They have amazing views of Belfast Lough and on a sunny day the beer garden is the place to go to see this. They serve food too, although I’ve never had the opportunity to try it, anytime I’ve been it’s been for a liquid meal only! At the weekends they have DJs playing sets and live music too, so it’s a good venue for all ages and tastes.

Despite living withing spitting distance of Jordanstown, I have to admit that this place never really occurs to me. I always tend to head to Belfast, whether I want a drink or just a coffee.
It’s actually really annoying that I can’t train myself to think of The Bureau more often, because it’s actually really nice.
I’ve only ever been in teh early evening for tea and buns and I was quite impressed with it. Now, they had run out of rice krispie buns (very bad in my book), but the service was good, the atmostphere was chilled and the décor of the place was modern and relaxed.
Jordanstown itself is on the shore, so you’re never far from the water if you fancy a walk after you’ve had a big feed (or too much cake…). Since you’re out of Belfast, parking is also slightly easier and there’s a car park directly across from it.
I really must try to get to The Bureau more often, but I suppose I’ll have to just retrain my brain so it doesn’t think the world begins and ends in Belfast City Centre!

The Bureau is a little bit out of Belfast, but certainly worth the trek! It is situated on the Shore Road on the way out to the University of Ulster, Jordanstown. It has some great meals on offer and is very well presented throughout. It is one of the favourite locations for my family to have a good meal, while saving all the hassle of city centre parking and dining.
I enjoy their loin of venison so much I don’t think it will be possible for me to order anything else on the menu, though I have also had the Chinese salted chili chicken which was great as well. I believe that this place is a bit of a diamond in the rough when looking for good Asian Cuisine. It is not an Asian restaurant but does some great Asian cooking.

The Bureau in Whiteabbey provides locals and visitors alike with a classy, yet chilled atmospheric bar by day, and a hip, trendy place to be for a night out. Having visited myself on a number of occasions (all at different times) the bar hardly ever fails to let me down.
Any time I’ve visited, the staff are always more than pleasant, the waiter service very efficient, management are fine with children and are always accommodating to your needs.
The bar has a good range of beers and wines, mostly sold at reasonable prices, though these can be a tad
expensive… saying that though, one of the male bar staff makes the best cocktails I’ve ever tasted (and for a pretty good price)!
I would recommend coming during the afternoon /​early evening for a quiet, relaxed drink (or meal) with friends, in this modern, dynamic bar with stunning views overlooking Belfast Lough … or come on a Saturday night for the younger, noisier crowd to enjoy the night until the small hours (on occasion the bar provides special guest DJs /​live sets … see bureau bar updates for info)
The beer garden provides simply stunning views of Belfast Lough and of the Holywood/​Bangor area. The bar makes great use of the retractable canvas coverings in the smoking area during the ever so temper-​mental Irish weather. Come rain or shine though, the beer garden is gorgeous, if a little noisy during busy traffic, but the views more than make up for it.
If you’re coming for a meal, I’ve found it particularly lovely if you get window seat in the restaurant upstairs where you can watch the boats sail up and down Belfast Lough and generally find yourself jealous of the sun shining its last, lovely, dying rays over those lucky folks in Hollywood. The food here is generally pretty top notch, I’ve tried a variety of dishes on their menu, and I’ve never been let down by the food they’ve produced.
However, I’ve found that at times the bar can be busy and the service will be slow… but this is a most definitely a rarity.
I’ve also heard a few stories about the management (who also owns The Lighthouse bar a few doors down, where you’ll find cheaper drink, but in much less fashionable surroundings) …apparently the turn around for waiting staff (at least in The Bureau) is quite high. Having met the man though I can’t say much bad about him. He’s only trying to ensure his business survives (many companies haven’t in Whiteabbey … See Rory’s /​Auntie Socials /​etc…)
So in summary I would say it’s definitely worth a try. I’ve heard some people haven’t had the best of experiences here, I honestly, don’t know what to put that down to, (being very busy/​no staff/​…) but, as they say, everyone deserves a second chance. So I really would give it a go and see what you think. I’d absolutely recommend this bar to anyone visiting the country or someone stuck for somewhere to go within the area.

The bureau would be my favourite drinking den on a friday night. Its usually busy but not packed, with a live dj playing funky tunes. Table service is provided and it is a modern comfortable place to spend a fri night.