The Best Breakfast In Belfast City: 10 Spots That’ll Make Your Belly Happy

Wondering where to grab the best breakfast in Belfast City? You’ve landed in the right place! 

After publishing a guide to the best places for brunch in Belfast last year, we received a crazy number of emails (46, to be exact…) about Belfast breakfast spots that we missed.

So, after doing some digging and from chatting to family and friends living in the city, we’ve come up with the guide below.

It’s packed with well-reviewed places where you’ll be treated to some of the best breakfast in Belfast City, from quirky eats to traditional Ulster frys. 

Our favourite places for Breakfast in Belfast City

The first section of our guide tackles our favourite places for breakfast Belfast has to offer, and there’s some fierce competition for the top spots.

Below, you’ll find everything from casual places to nip into after a night spent in some of the best pubs in Belfast, to more refined eateries that go toe-to-toe with some of the finest restaurants in Belfast.

1. Curated Kitchen & Coffee

Curated Kitchen & Coffee offers a nice concept. The restaurant picks a different cookbook each week and chooses a few different dishes to put on the menu.

Located in the Cathedral Quarter in Belfast, this lovely restaurant with an ever-changing menu has high ceilings, exposed brick walls, and offers magnificent views of St Anne’s Cathedral.

Breakfast options are plentiful and include everything from French toast with sumac-roasted strawberries to poached egg with avocado. Did I mention that Curated Kitchen & Coffee was named Best Cafe in County Antrim at the Irish Restaurant Awards 2019?!

2. Grapevine

Specialising in freshly baked bread and delicious homemade grub, Grapevine is a great option for a hearty breakfast. 

Breakfast, which is served until 12pm, boasts everything from porridge with cranberry and maple to toasted bagels with cream cheese and the popular breakfast burrito.

If you are visiting for lunch, make sure to try their beef stew or order the mouthwatering Malaysian spicy root veg soup served with wheaten bread. To sum it all up, Grapevine offers delicious and reasonably priced Hispanic-inspired dishes.

3. The Lamppost Café

The Lamppost Café is a family-run artisan coffee shop that looks like a vintage tearoom. The breakfast menu includes options such as homemade scone with strawberry jam and cream, poached eggs with avocado, and savoury waffles.

It is also worth mentioning that the Lamppost café caters to many dietary requirements including gluten-free and vegan dishes.

Even the pickiest of eaters will surely find something on the menu at the Lamppost Cafe. I almost forgot to mention that the café is dog friendly and even has a special “Puppy Plates” menu that includes milk with dog biscuits, chicken, and sausage.

Related read: Check out our guide to the best coffee shops in Belfast in 2021 where you can grab a top-notch caffeine fix.

4. The Pocket

Located right across from the Queen’s University Belfast, the Pocket is one of the most popular breakfast eateries in the city. Instead of a classic breakfast menu, the restaurant decided to get a bit more creative with their dishes.

Try the pea pesto avocado or order the sunshine Buddha bowl and you’ll see what I am taking out. If you wish to go for the classics, I recommend getting the Big Pocket Fry that includes creamy soy mushrooms, fried brioche, sausage, and poached eggs.

Best places for breakfast in Belfast (if you fancy something a little different)

Now that we’ve gotten our favourite places for breakfast in Belfast out of the way, it’s time for some more heavy hitters!

Each of the Belfast breakfast spots below have, at the time of writing, excellent reviews and are well worth dropping into!

1. Established Coffee

Next up is a buzzy spot that’s known to knock up some of the best coffee in Belfast. I’m talking, of course, about Established Coffee in the Cathedral Quarter.

Here, you’ll find everything from poached eggs on sourdough with black pudding, crispy artichoke and fried egg to home-made chocolate milk.

There’s also cinnamon and brown sugar French toast along with a clatter of other options that’ll appeal to those looking for a sweet treat.

2. Conor Belfast

Nestled in the University Quarter and just a stone’s throw from the Ulster Museum, Conor Belfast attracts residents, tourists, and students alike.

This popular spot is well-known for using only fresh local ingredients purchased from local farmers. The Big Breakfast is a firm favourite and includes the usual fare (eggs, sausage, mushrooms, tomato, and bacon) plus a soda and potato bread.

If you fancy a healthier option, I recommend ordering their chicken pesto salad. For dessert, try Conor’s pancakes and waffles.

Related read: Check out our guide to the best vegan restaurants in Belfast in 2021 (there’s plenty to choose from).

3. Harlem Café

Opened in 2009 by Faye Rogers, Harlem Café is a charming bistro that offers an all-day breakfast for just £6.95. The interior is amazing, but the food is even better.

The breakfast itself includes your usual suspects like pork sausage, oak-smoked bacon, grilled tomato, sauté mushrooms, soda bread, free-range egg, pancake, and black pudding.

You can also order the French toast. According to their website, ‘As well as going to great lengths to make her customers feel right at home she also goes above and beyond for charity; Faye has trekked though the Amazon and the Himalayas for the Teenage Cancer Trust in recent years.‘

4. Panama Belfast

Panama Belfast is another of the more popular places for breakfast in Belfast City Center and, while it looks like a corporate building from the outside, this trendy café on McClintock Street boasts a beaut of a breakfast menu.

From porridge (with soaked oats topped with nut crunch) to a baked fry (bacon, sausage patty, poached egg, potato bread, chorizo and black pudding crumb, there’s something to tickle most tastebuds here.

There’s also home-made waffles (candied bacon, mascarpone, Canadian maple syrup and roast nut crunch) and some tasty juice combos.

The best breakfast in Belfast for a hearty feed

The final section of our guide to the best breakfast in Belfast is packed with places to eat where you’ll get a nice, hearty feed.

Below, you’ll find everywhere from General Merchants and Mad Hatter Coffee Shop to No.1 Belfast and more.

1. General Merchants

General Merchants is well known for its brunch and its coffee, but it also dishes up a very tasty breakfast. Due to its popularity, this eatery is usually packed with guests.

Make sure to arrive early, especially on the weekends. The menu is packed with both innovative and classic dishes.

One of the must-order breakfast dishes is their Huevos Rotos, a fried egg with slow-cooked pulled pork, and triple roasted potatoes. Guests on TripAdvisor are also raving about the Mushroom Croque Madame which includes eggs, cheese, and sherry roasted chestnut mushrooms.

2. Mad Hatter Coffee Shop

Welcome to the Mad Hatter Coffee Shop, a traditional cafe in Belfast with an extensive all-day breakfast and lunch menu.

Whether you are craving poached eggs or you would rather get some paninis or wraps, there is plenty to choose from.

The fry is crafted to perfection and the raspberry ruffle tray bake is also amazing. On your way out, make sure to get an apple tart for the road.

3. The Coffee House

The Coffee House is a traditional family-run restaurant in Belfast. The breakfast menu boasts a range of dishes to choose from. But, many believe that the Coffee House serves one of the best frys in Belfast.

Don’t be fooled by the “small” fry. It can be easily shared between two people. If you are looking for a traditional restaurant that serves classic Irish breakfast foods and has an awesome Irish whiskey list, a visit to the Coffee House is a must.

4. Belvedere Cafe Restaurant

Spread across two floors, Belvedere Cafe Restaurant offers everything from succulent steaks to hearty breakfasts. You’’ probably need a nap after ordering the pancake stack with bacon and maple syrup.

The same goes for their insanely large Ulster Fry. Healthy eaters can order sourdough with beetroot, egg, bacon, and avocado. The coffee is nice and Terry’s chocolate cake is also amazing.

5. District Belfast

Although District sounds like a name that’d be hanging over the door of one of the nightclubs in Belfast, this is a popular spot for an early-morning feed.

District is an independently owned coffee shop and deli that boasts a very quirky breakfast and lunch menu.

Some of the more interesting additions on the menu include Belgium waffles (with cinnamon apple, wasabi sesame and maple syrup) and some brilliant beetroot lattes.

Related read: Check out our guide to the best bottomless brunch in Belfast in 2021 (there’s now only 3 running).

6. No.1 Belfast

A popular venue for breakfast/brunch in Belfast, No.1 Belfast lives up to its name! The sourdough with eggs, bacon, chilli oil, and avocado is executed to perfection.

The homemade spicy nachos, homemade granola, and Moroccan cake are all worth having! In addition to tasty breakfast foods, No.1 Belfast is well-known for its beautiful decor and attentive staff.

What Belfast breakfast spots have we missed?

I’ve no doubt that we’ve unintentionally missed out on some great places for breakfast in Belfast City in the guide above.

If you have a favourite Belfast breakfast spot that you’d like to recommend, let me know in the comments section below.

FAQs about the best breakfast in Belfast

We’ve had a lot of questions over the years asking about everything from where to grab the fancies breakfast in Belfast to where to get the best fry.

In the section below, we’ve popped in the most FAQs that we’ve received. If you have a question that we haven’t tackled, ask away in the comments section below.

What is the best breakfast in Belfast City?

In my opinion, you’ll get the best breakfast in Belfast in Curated Kitchen & Coffee, The Lamppost Café and The Pocket.

What places for breakfast in Belfast do good pancakes?

You can get pancakes in Panama, Conor, Belvedere Cafe Restaurant and Harlem Café.