Belfast city is not always on top of everyone’s list of places to go, but we want to change that.
The city is steeped in fascinating political and industrial history, with iconic landmarks like the Titanic and famous Peace Wall you can visit.
Belfast has an infectious atmosphere with a fabulous sense of humour, an ever-growing range of places to be entertained, and a small town feel which makes getting around easy. Not forgetting the number of places to eat and drink on offer.
In recent years, the number of vegan and vegetarian eat-out options in Belfast has grown, and it continues to do so.
Though there are definitely more strictly vegetarian restaurants than there is vegan, Eat Street is one of the few vegan favourites in town.
The vegan community in Belfast are known for advocating Eat Street as one of their favourite places to eat, so we had to check it out for ourselves.
The Atmosphere
Eat Street is a small vegan café situated on Lisburn road – a very short bus ride out of the city.
It attracts crowds of vegans, vegetarians and those looking to eat-out whilst reducing their meat intake. Though, it welcomes all locals, travellers, couples and groups of friends who want a catch-up.
It provides a wholly unpretentious, relaxed and all-inclusive environment to enjoy some good food.
The restaurant itself has a simple interior design and décor. In our opinion, we feel that the dining experience is just as important as the food you eat.
Therefore, we feel Eat Street would benefit from more vibrancy and appeal to entice more people in to enjoy their menu (which was great by the way!) It may also help them stand out more as their position on the street is a little hidden.
The Menu
The menu itself boasts many vegan options for breakfast, lunch and dinner. From health-conscious smoothies, herbal teas to satisfying three-course meals and desserts.
Eat Street has veganised many meaty classics such as ribs, burgers, fish and duck using plant-based proteins such as tofu, soy and seitan. It’s a novelty to read such an extensive menu full of meaty ideas, but it makes you all the more curious to try everything.
The restaurant also makes extra efforts around special occasions such as Mother’s Day to provide affordable set-menus.
What We Had
We ordered two ‘meaty’ meals as we were so intrigued to see their approach to vegan alternatives. The food arrived and was superbly presented in these rustic silver trays. As for the food itself, here’s what we thought:
Tofish & Chips
Eat Street has managed to create an excellent vegan fish & chips, incorporating salty flavours of nori sheets with tofu to create a tasty and super filling main.
The texture of tofu doesn’t replicate the texture of fish, but the use of nori (seaweed sheets) helps create the fishy taste you’d be so used to whilst eating meat.
The batter was gorgeous – perfectly golden and crispy without any sight of grease. We were pleasantly surprised by how great this meal was.
The tofish was sided with chips, warm mushy peas, vegan tartar sauce and sweetly dressed salad which all made nice additions.
Southern Fried ‘Chicken’ Burger:
The burger boasted a soft bun loaded with a crispy seitan ‘chicken’ patty, vegan bacon, vegan cheese, lettuce, ketchup, vegan mayo and tomato.
The patty itself was seasoned with a variety of spices which reminded us of the ones used in ‘meat rubs’ – you know the smell of those spices? So we presumed it was seasoned with the likes of smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic and cumin etc. The flavour was great. Would we order again? Yes.
The skin on fries were also delicious, and we loved the garlic aioli dip.
Service
Due to the hot weather and Easter holidays driving everyone outside, Eat Street was empty when we arrived – we were the only ones in there! Therefore, the service we experienced was super speedy.
Eat Street consists of a small team who work together with passion and vision to create great vegan options for Belfast city. This is what makes this dining experience so unique and memorable.
The Damage
The Tofish and Chips came in at £13.50 whilst the Southern Fried ‘Chicken’ Burger cost £13.75.
Even though the food was amazing, we feel these prices are a little high in comparison to other competitors in town. It’s not the most affordable option for everyone. Especially if Eat Street want to encourage people from all backgrounds to try more vegan foods.
Lisburn road is known for its boutique shops and unique cafes, so perhaps the location may contribute to slightly higher prices.
On a positive note, Eat Street’s set-menu offers categories of less expensive meals such as their “Quick Fix” options at £7.95 each and “Chef Choices” at £9.95 each.
Overall
Overall, dining at Eat Street was delightful, and we would happily recommend it to anyone wishing to enjoy more vegan foods, or for those looking for a more unique menu to enjoy in Belfast.
Info
Address: 231 Lisburn Rd, Belfast BT9 7EN
Phone: 028 9058 2068
Website: https://eat-street-belfast.business.site/
The content of this article was made in collaboration with Life Without Meat.
