Balloo House

Balloo House is a great place to unwind and enjoy genuinely excellent food in a warm, characterful setting. The menu is built around quality local produce, the service is consistently friendly, and the whole place strikes that perfect balance between relaxed pub comfort and refined dining. Whether you’re calling in for a casual lunch or something a bit more special, it always delivers

Decided on a whim to go for New Years Day lunch. Luckily I looked online and booked as when we arrived a couple were turned away as they were fully booked. We were seated promptly and got a jug of water. The menu was very good and I ordered a scallop and crab risotto while my partner ordered ham hock. Both were excellent. I hadn’t eaten at Balloo in a couple of years but will be back again.

Came across here by chance and what a delight. There's a great selection of choices for gluten-free and veggie/vegan diners. The food was delicious and presented really nicely. The service was great and the atmosphere was lovely and relaxed. It's also worth nothing that the portions are very generous - we went for the 3 course Sunday lunch and didn't expect such a big feeding!

Attended this restaurant on Sunday with my family for a special birthday meal. The menu states cauliflower with the beef. However we were served very small dishes to be shared by 2 people and had to order more. We were not asked if anyone had food allergies. I ordered a chocolate mousse for desert and when it came I didn’t like the taste of it or the topping. No one asked if we were happy with our choices. I was unable to eat my desert and when everyone else had finished theirs the waiter came to clear up. I expressed that I couldn’t eat mine as I didn’t like the taste. I was not offered an alternative and when I said I wasn’t happy to pay for this desert I was told he would speak to the manager. The managers response through the waiter was you ordered this.. I found this customer service awful and was not impressed with the staff attitudes. This was a special day for us and I left the restaurant feeling unhappy. Due to this I feel I had to leave a review.

Service was incredible, it's been a long time since we have been looked after so well by Vanessa and her team, a warm welcome met us as we arrived, we were shown to our table immediately. My wife had a french martini and commented it was one of the best! The menu was comprehensive with lots of choice, water was brought to the table quickly and when the food arrived it was hot and delicious, every course was served just at the right time for us and we thoroughly enjoyed the food and wine A great evening, we will definitely be back (soon) Well done Vanessa and team, you all excelled 👍

Very nice high chairs for kids and they are able to colour in on the kids menu. Vegetarian options are great while menu for people with a vegetarian diet. I’m with my family and everyone enjoyed their food I recommend the garlic bread as a starter with was very very nice and the kids pasta for main with meatballs really good. Good place to relax and employees are very polite service is great they come back to check if everything is good and if we need any more drinks. I would strongly recommend this. Overall amazing restaurant. There is a whole menu for dessert definitely the first one I’ve seen that has this absolutely great menu’s are fancy lots of options in the menu’s but if you are coming with your child or children I would bring a pen and colouring pencils because they are not provided still good kids menu lots of fun and good choices of drinks could stay at this restaurant for ages good craic and lots of laughs. Lewis

Excellent. The best dining experience I've had in a long time. The place was clean and tidy, the staff were friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. As for the food, it was superb you just know it was freshly made the deserts topped everything.

Really lovely pub, went for dinner while staying in the area. The taxi to & from was quite expensive so next time I would just drive and have a drink later. The wine was reasonably priced and the food was excellent. The seafood platter looked amazing but my husband doesn’t eat it & it was too big for one, looked like it could do 3 with a a few sides. All the fish dishes we had were great & the sticky toffe pudding is devine. There is a posher restaurant upstairs with a lovely hang out bar.

Was not expecting much from Balloo House, simply because country restaurants don't often have good vegetarian or vegan options, but I was extremely impressed by their dedicated vegan menu. Staff seemed quite knowledgeable in terms of such food too. Interior is drab, dark and dated in the downstairs dining space, but the food more than made up for this as it was delicious. I had a main of Tuscan Potatoes with sautéed green leafy veg and mushrooms. Very good experience overall and great to have a range of vegan dishes to choose from.

This is a lovely gastro pub with fine dining upstairs. It's set in a convenient location for visiting the Strangford Lough and the sort of place you would bring the in laws out to for Sunday lunch. They are welcoming to children and we were greeted with a high chair equipped with a fun sheet and cup of crayons. The service was friendly and efficient. The food was nice, presented well and in large portions. My only niggle is that we came with far higher expectations than we were offered. The food was fine, but for the price I expected more and it could be tastier. I didn't feel the atmosphere was great, but then again we were seated in an enclosed corner. This was good for a change and everyone had a nice time, but not for you if you're looking for that little bit extra.

Balloo has struggled under different owners over the years and has been very hit and miss with chefs. Today it is a completely different matter with a chef that could be great.( as long as he stops being lured away to TV and focuses on his business ) A friendly country house charm in the bistro downstairs restaurant and an elegant, affordable fine dining restaurant upstairs Booking ahead is recommended

My family live around here, and this would be our go to restaurant. I have always enjoyed the food here, and they change the menus pretty regularly. It has that lovely country style atmosphere, my favorite kind! Big tables, big pints, big plates, which I am usually not a fan of, but here is an exception. The service is always great and prompt. The fish and steak are always great options to go for if you're not adventurous and ordering them here wont let you down. They are very good at cooking fish, and get creative with the dishes.using local ingredients to make interesting menus.

Had the misfortune of booking the Balloo House on Sunday 7/4/19 For my wife's birthday. We arrived 5.30pm and were seated and given menus,when about to order we were informed we had been given the lunch menus which finished at 4pm. We started again and ordered,I had traditional fish and chips and I can safely say it was the worst food I have ever eaten. The batter was nearly black and what little fish there was within was dry. We believe the staff were aware ,as not one member of staff enquired if all was ok. I did not want to cause a fuss and spoil my wife's birthday. I will never be back

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!

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

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.

Amazing gastro pub. The food and service are always top notch. When I have friends and family visiting from abroad we always end up here. Great wee place.

This is review of the food in the pub downstairs not the fine dining restaurant upstairs. The food was very tasty and the portions large. After 3 courses I was stuffed but to be honest I wasn't blown away by the food. Maybe I need to venture upstairs to sample more exciting food but I'm sure I'll pay for it. :)

Just back from Balloo House. One of the most woeful meal i've had in a long time. Table for ten Christmas lunch out; pork belly, turkey dinner, Thai curry and sticky toffee pud were good but there were some disasters. a salad unwashed, gritty and undressed, Risotto close to rice pudding, chicken liver parfait under cooked and almost bleeding and a chocolate torte that was liked uncooked cake mix. Something was seriously amiss today. Had they sent all the good chefs to their new place down the road? To be fair they took all the items we complained about off the bill and the coffee's but it doesn't make up for a day spoilt that you've really been looking forward to. Serious lack of management to as no one came over to apologise or even talk to us once. £35 a head, even with deductions. Great wine list, we will not be rushing back. Very disappointed after looking forward to it for some time.

This was our first time in Ireland and as a treat our hosts invited two of their friends and the two of us to some fine dining at Balloo House. What a disappointment!! My pork main course was bland, very fatty, very small, not enough to satisfy a child and the only vegetable was a potato and onion side dish - no five a day! My husband had to send back his main course which was inedible due to the fat content of the meat. This was replaced by beef, which was unseasoned, very small and tasted of cardboard. The desserts tasted fine but were tiny portions. Not good food and certainly not good value for money! Service was the only good part of this very bad experience. Everybody in our group of six left the restaurant hungry and dissatisfied. Not to be recommended.