Balloo House

2 restaurants. Upstairs is top notch. Better than some Michelin starred restaurants I have been in. Food is excellent and extremely good value especially mid week deals
Great open fire and armchairs in bar area and not too many tables in restaurant. Great for an intimate meal or with friends.
Downstairs food is also excellent. It’s just to popular! Can be noisy at busy periods but would still recommend. Go upstairs for a quiet meal and not that much more expensive especially for the quality and attention to detail

Who doesn’t love a good feed in a country pub, and this is exactly what you’ll get in Balloo. You have two options, with fine dining upstairs and gastro pub downstairs. It was the downstairs part we found ourselves enjoying Sunday lunch with the folks, and it was wonderful. The menu was extensive, with plenty of options for the fussy eaters in our party, and the waiting staff were very helpful, providing personal views on the dishes on offer. I went for the pork belly, which was sweet and juicy, and still managed to fit in a sticky toffee pudding for afters which was warming and homely, and I think led to the afternoon doze which followed!
After this visit I am looking forward to trying out what goodies lie upstairs next time!

Last year, my wife and I both became hopelessly addicted to a BBC cookery programme, a week’s worth of episodes of which featured a Belfast chef named Danny Millar, the head chef from Balloo House.
He’d served up this incredible looking vegetable broth with home-​made soda bread and chicken liver. So when Mrs M’s birthday came around, there wasn’t much discussion as to where we were going for dinner. We booked a table in the fine dining restaurant upstairs; the pub on the ground floor is a lot more humble.
Outstanding, extremely slick service from our French waiter who kept recommending excellent wines. As well as our three courses, we were given a selection of tasters before our starters involving delicious duck rilette and chilled cauliflower soup. I love the way good restaurants give you wee freebie appetisers!
Balloo House is situated near Strangford Lough, where some of the best shellfish in the world comes from. I didn’t try the broth from the TV programme as the scallops and leeks caught my eye, and I’m very glad they did.
An absolutely outstanding restaurant for a special occasion.