Top-Five Breakfasts in Belfast, Northern Ireland

Belfast was the first city I traveled to with friends who were just as excited about and interested in food as I was–that’s essentially the whole reason I travel, and I remember feeling so relieved to be on this adventure with people who also made huge lists of new foods they wanted to try, saved restaurants that had incredible ratings, and audibly groaned at the dinner table after tasting insanely yummy desserts or cocktails. Nearly every spot we walked into was a pleasant surprise here–even after scouring the menus and Instagram accounts online–and, though it might have just been the excitement of getting the traveling-foodie-bug, every meal in Belfast just felt special.

Now, even though I am a food blogger, and the three of us work remotely, we all tended to skip breakfast a decent amount, or just make something quick so we could save our money to go out to lunch or dinner. When we did go out for breakfast, it was always in adorable cafes where we could indulge in something super yummy we saw on their menu or recommended on TikTok, so I began to really cherish our breakfast outings, especially with such great spots in the city. It was tough, but I decided on my top-five breakfasts in Belfast (in no particular order) that I’d 100% suggest for your next trip to Northern Ireland!

The Pocket

The Pocket is a wonderful little gem tucked away on Upper Church Lane on the east side of Belfast. They serve unique brunch dishes, both savory and sweet, with plenty of fresh coffee and a quiet but charismatic interior. I ordered their “green eggs on toast” and was blown away by the flavor in the pesto sauce alone–I’m a savory breakfast kind of girl, and this one truly hit the spot (with bonus points for a pretty plate). You can find decked-out French toast alongside fried chicken baps with various flavors in between, making it a place for just about every appetite.

STANDOUTS:

• Green Eggs on Toast
• Pocket Fry

General Merchants

We went to General Merchants for Liv’s birthday breakfast, and it did not disappoint! It’s a bit farther out of the city center, but was on our side of the river and easily reachable by bus (as were all the spots we went to). The interior is a bit more rustic and industrial, with charming wooden tables and cozy booth seating. The shakshuka was incredible, though it might have been a special since it’s not on the menu anymore–but regardless, it was hard to choose what I wanted anyway with such a diverse brunch menu! They offered tons of different egg preparations, porridge and açaí bowls, avocado toast, and so much more. Their coffee was also fantastic, and those birthday mimosas couldn’t be topped.

Stereo

This awesome little cafe opened up the week before we left Belfast, so we were lucky to have been able to visit before we continued our travels (and lucky that it was on our road!). Initially we thought it was just a walk-up counter cafe, so we were surprised when we got there and were sat down for table service. It was a really quirky spot, with turntables on the walls and great music playing–and the breakfast was outstanding! A safe bet for me is always the breakfast potatoes, and their take on a classic was just insanely good. There was chorizo, pickled onions, fried eggs, crispy potatoes… a combination made in heaven. 10/10 recommend.

Audacity Coffee

I felt the need to throw in a quick option for two reasons - one: quick breakfasts are a must when traveling and it’s great to have a counter service cafe on your list, and two: the vibes and food here were insanely cool. Audacity is definitely farthest from the city center on this list (and probably the farthest we went from the center at all), but it was still only about a 20 minute walk from our Airbnb. Perfect distance to take a morning stroll to go get coffee and a vegan sausage roll–which is what we got, pictured below. When I tell you these things were huge, I mean HUGE. And you couldn’t even tell they were vegan (I’m very much not vegan, but I still wanted to try it out just because).

I also have to shoutout the staff here because they were incredibly kind and cool! We chatted for at least an extra 20 minutes before leaving just because they wanted to give us recommendations for things to do around Belfast and get to know us a little better. It’s those little things that make a place really stick out!