Cool Places
The Terrace at Robinson & Cleaver
1-3 Donegall Square North Belfast BT1 5GA
The
original Robinson & Cleaver, which closed in 1984, was one of Belfast’s
most famous department stores. The new
café and restaurant have taken back the name and have successfully introduced a
little urban chic to at least part of the building. The café on the ground floor is bright and
welcoming, serving soup and sandwiches and popular with the office lunchtime crowd.
Upstairs the restaurant is bright and airy, offering a wider menu. The staff is young and their enthusiasm is
infectious. The seafood sharing platter, burger with caramelised onions and the
risotto are all recommended. There is also a
range of good vegetarian options. The outdoor terrace has a prime location
overlooking the front of Belfast’s City Hall; to the right there is a view of
the hills that hem in the north of the city, and to the left a view down to the
Courts of Justice and the Waterfront concert hall. On a sunny day there is no better view in
Belfast – or at least none with waiter service.
