The Crown Liquor Saloon

I believe this stop for lunch was the highlight of my trip to England, Wales & Ireland. What a step back in time! I was looking around to see if Peaky Blinders were in a Snug next to me, visiting from Birmingham! Our Irish Stew was so stunning, & was the best meal ever from the pages of a history book. If you miss this true Victorian jewel of Belfast, Ireland, you've missed the main attraction. I know you'll agree the waitress & all the wait staff are the kindest folks around the city.

A beautifully-preserved pub and my favourite in Belfast. Owned by the National Trust with all of its original features intact, including gas lighting! The booths, with their high screens and doors, create a nostalgic atmosphere. All of the staff were friendly and efficient. A great place to spend an evening with friends.

The atmosphere and history make The Crown worth a visit, but the food was a miss for us. My steak and ale pie looked amazing - and to be fair, the crust was perfectly done - but otherwise lacked a depth of flavor beyond what salt, pepper, or gravy could fix. Stick to the bar downstairs, consider reserving a snug for the fun of it, and enjoy drinks with friends!

Had a late lunch in the upstairs restaurant. Nice setting, and extremely courteous staff. Had the Guinness and steak pie and it was delicious! My daughter had the steak and my wife tried the vegetarian dish. Both of them thoroughly enjoyed their meal. Well worth a visit.

We started with drinks in the saloon. Then headed upstairs for a bite to eat. The food was fantastic. Oysters as starters, ribeye steak, steak and Guinness pie as mains. Then finished with the sticky toffee pudding and lemon tart. I 100% will stop here any time I'm in Northern Ireland. The food and service were fantastic and the upstairs provided a great ambiance for the dining experience.

This is generally a must visit pub when in Belfast. Owned by the National trust it has an amazing interior of wood, tiles, stained glass and small private drinking booths. The atmosphere is great and friendly and staff all very nice and happy. I have been here many times over the years. Guineas is good. They also offer a range of food including traditional Irish fare. I ordered sausages and champ (mash potatoes with spring onions). It was ok but sausages should be fried, not cooked in the oven as these were. Also my champ lacked taste and where was my well of molten butter that I’m used to if it’s homemade? That said, I’ll always visit here if I’m in Belfast. Check it out.

The Crown is a "must see" when visiting Belfast. It's a grade 1.listed building and is virtually untouched. The restaurant upstairs serves great Irish fare. I had the rabbit pie

Best meal in Belfast! I had the chicken mushroom and cider pie, and it was so tasty. The atmosphere is incredible - one of the most unique restaurants/bars I've been to.

What a friendly place! Very welcoming. Our server Rhiannon was amazing. She gave us a bit of history and some information about Belfast. Being from the United States we appreciated all the info she gave us! Food and Drinks were very good!

Visited on 20 January 2025. Had a late lunch with my mother while on a day tour from Dublin into Northern Ireland. This particular restaurant/bar was recommended by our tour guide. Dining area empty at this time (about 1500), but it meant that we got to chat a bit more with our server, Rhiannon, who was delightfully bubbly and informative not only about the menu, but the local area. Food itself was good-- I had the three oysters, the cheese and chutney sandwich, and a pint of Guinness. My mother had the cheeseburger and the espresso martini. Also, it should be noted that the building itself is lovely and ornate and does deserve its recognition for being an example of Victorian finery. Would go back if ever in the area again.

What a cool pub! 140 plus years old and totally authentic. Didn't eat here but had to stop in to get a drink at this historic tavern. The bar area has multiple booths that are sectioned off and completely private. Can only imagine the historic discussions that took place in these "rooms". Must stop in Belfast!

Ww stopped by for a quick lunch with our large group. They were able to accommodate ua within a reasonable time. I did not want to take too long, so I tried their cheeseburger. It came with perfect fries and tomato sauce. The service was friendly, the ambiance was unforgettable, and overall, it was terrific. I hope to come back and try some of their other menu items. We had the Belfast Dark, a great brew that went well with the yummy beefburgers.The Belfast lager was another favorite.

Can't leave Belfast without a visit to the famous Crown bar. Perpetually busy, we were lucky to snag a stool for a drink by the bar and soak up the atmosphere. I enjoyed my drink while taking in the details of the space, from the tin ceiling, the intricately carved high booths to the twinkling stained glass. I can definitely picture the centuries of patrons coming through for a pint and to chat. Didn't have any food, but the atmosphere was worth the visit!

It's not an Irish pub, but it's worth checking out. Service was great, but sitting in a snug was a favorite for me. I didn't try the food, just had a few pints. Definitely check it out. It's beautiful inside.

A great place for a meal and some beverages. Belfast is a beautiful city with lots of history. This place is no exception. We're able to be seated in a snug. It was absolutely so cool. The meal was very nice. Highly recommend.

Very unique bar. We grabbed a drink here since it is one of the historical bars in Belfast. Have never seen a bar like this before with private tables that can be shut off by closing a door. The only draw back was that the bar was freezing. Lots of patrons wearing heavy coats and hats since the temperate inside wasn't that much warmer than outside. Still worth the trip to see if you are in Belfast. They were doing construction outside so building had scaffolding all around it so could not take a picture of the outside.

Neat pub Very busy with pub food and good beer OK for our purposes - directly across from our hotel - so convenient

Solid place to enjoy a pint a great conversation with Lilly the bartender. When in Belfast this is the place to go, adorned in all the crown regalia it's a proper British pub!

This bar is discriminatory to single people, you get seated based on your looks. I was seated in their entryway at a children's table because i didn't have a reservations. 30 minutes later, another single person in our tour group asked for a table, and without reservations was seated in the main restaurant. The manager made up a story, which was clearly not true. I suggest skipping but it's your choice.

Went there in an early afternoon during the week, thought it would be easy to get a table but it wasn't. A very popular bar, will take a while to get seats and like to order food/drink was pretty long and slow, might be because it was in the afternoon and not ms y people working there, but food came quick though. Good atmosphere and very antique setting, nice experience!

My husband and I looked at the charming pub downstairs and then ate in the lovely dining room upstairs. I was a bit fish and chipped out so went with something different and tried the nachos (with pulled pork) which were great.

This place is awesome! When you walk in, take the time to look around around and take in all the history of Belfast. After a few pics, order a few perfectly poured Guinness and enjoy! If you are lucky, get the "snug" - when you walk in, the little corner unit on the right.

Yum yum yum. This was my first time trying soda bread! Though I wasn't a fan, my boyfriend loved it!! The smoked salmon was delicious!!!! Still thinking about it now. The fish and chips were pretty good too. I wish the fries were crispier but I think how they're traditionally made is pretty yummy too. Overall great food and drinks! This place is BEAUTIFUL. Both the upstairs (restaurant) and downstairs (bar) were breath taking.

Beautiful location. Too crowded and therefore too noisy for us. We could not find any space to sit. Never got a chance to order.

On the last night of our 13 day tour of Ireland, we were in Belfast, and staying in the hotel directly across the street from Crown Liquor. After hearing the story about it being the oldest bar in Belfast, it was an easy choice deciding where to eat dinner that night. We walked into the bar and noticed right away that the place was packed, and every "cubicle" was full. But as we were walking out the back, we saw a sign that the dining area was upstairs, so up we went. They were pretty busy as well, and did not have a hostess. So we waited about 10 minutes waiting for someone to notice us and come over. When they eventually did, we found out that we should have made a reservation. But, if we wanted to wait 15 minutes, she said she could get us a small table. So we went downstairs to get a couple drinks at the bar, then back upstairs to wait. We didn't finish half our drinks before the table was ready. My wife ordered the Cauliflower burger, and I ordered the Crown Beef burger. We both liked what we got, and the chips (fries) were very good. Plan ahead and make a reservation, or wing it like we did and have a drink while you wait. Definitely a good place for a drink, dinner, or both.

Highly overrated. Service was slow and unenthusiastic. Food was not good. Tried the Steak and Guinness pie and the mussels. Pie was too dry, Mussels too wet. Special historical location made it the least bit interesting.

Belfast's most famous bar was refurbished by Patrick Flanagan in the late 19th century and displays Victorian decorative flamboyance at its best. Carved-mahogany booths (snugs) , etched-glass, plus gas lamps feature in the 1820's pub, famed for its decor. We were lucky enough to get a snug for our first pint of Guinness upon arriving in Belfast. We came back the next day for a lunch of fish and chips and a pint of Nicholson's. Yes, it's a touristy place but there are a fair number of locals. Highly recommend grabbing a pint (or three) at this famous landmark!

No service when we arrived so we ended up turning away to look for other options. Pub seemed great and it's a beautiful venue, but food didn't appear to be the highlight.

Great place to eat! The service was excellent and the food was really good. The ambience was amazing and worth visiting.

My husband and I had one dinner here. The historic decor was more interesting than the food or service. Rate 3 The ground floor bar area was crowded and festive with locals. Some were seated, a lot were standing. There are some private semi-walled areas that could seat a dozen friends. The beer selection is wider on the ground floor than upstairs in the restaurant area. This part of the Crown looked fun. We had a reservation for dinner. The restaurant is located upstairs. The upstairs tables are well-spaced and the atmosphere is sedate. There are lovely historic paintings and etchings hanging on the wall. The food was average. My husband and I had battered fried fish. I had a good side salad. We split a sticky toffee pudding. We each had a Belfast Black, a nice beer similar to Guinness. The service in the restaurant was confusing. At first I thought that one server was assigned to our table, and that if we needed anything we should contact her. We did not see our server again for a long while after ordering. Eventually I concluded that the restaurant operated with group service. You should flag down any server walking by if you need help. Not knowing this, we sat around quite a while before a different server offered to hand us our bill. The restaurant is located conveniently a block from the Hotel Fitzwilliams and Hotel Europa.

This place had really bad service, but the food was good. That's why this place was given three stars. The sticky toffee with custard was great. The Beef guinness pie was alright.

I wanted to love this place, but unfortunately when we got there they were out of 4 things on the menu that were supper popular. We settled for what they had. It was good, but left wanting more.

All the "snogs" (private booths) downstairs were booked so unfortunately we did not get to experience that. The food in the dining room upstairs was average at best. Service was very good but the menu needs an overhaul. Unless you can snag a snog for a pint, I'd look elsewhere for food.

Came our first night in Belfast as it was recommended. Went upstairs for a sit down experience and we got seated quickly and a Guinness within minutes. The steak and Guinness pie was excellent and the appetizers were also top notch. It was quiet and not too crowded when seated up there. You will need to reserve a booth to sit downstairs at the real pub. Would recommend to anyone

Make a reservation or you will not get in. Staff is friendly and the food is good. Old style pub fare. A nice place to eat.

This place is gorgeous and in perfect condition! The ornate detailing of everything from the bar to the snugs to the ceiling is impressive. The history of Belfast surrounds you as you enjoy a drink with friends. If you are hungry, there is a restaurant upstairs that offers delicious food that should not be overlooked! When in Belfast, be sure to check out this gem. Everybody talks about it - and you'll be glad you did!

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. A stop on our Belfast Pub Crawl, we stopped in after the Eurpoa Hotel. Their tap lists were amazing; they offer some of the best local craft brews we had in Northern Ireland. The service was lackluster-they are busy, even standing at the Order Here area they took awhile, then staff was very dismissive, 'get it and go'. We were lucky enough to grab a spot in one of the booths, closing the door, taking in the beautiful woodwork, and having a nice intimate drink! They are a must-see, must drink!

My husband and I are in town for vacation and wanted an authentic Irish meal with a fun vibe so we came to this restaurant. The hostess was very kind and sat us upon our reservation. However, the good experience ends there. No one served our table for 10min. The hostess then came to get our order once I flagged her down. Our food came out about 15min later but it was cold and bland. The chicken sandwich looked like boiled chicken with zero seasoning or sauce. The Irish stew was room temp and the meat had more fat on it than actual meat. No one ever came back to refill drinks or clear our plates away. After waiting 20min, I walked up to the bar and asked to pay my tab. I could understand if it was busy, but there were 4 other tables in the restaurant. Very poor experience.

The Crown is truly a beautiful bar. The ornate detailing of everything from the bar to the snugs to the ceiling is impressive. Even the outside is gorgeous. It was quite busy on a Sunday afternoon, so I didn't get to sit in a snug, which I had wanted to do. But I did enjoy my time and food here. I had the mac and cheese, which was rich and creamy. I also tried the bread with lox, and while that was good, it would've been better toasted. Both the bartenders and servers were quite friendly, and it made for a pleasant afternoon. When I find myself in Belfast again, I'll be drinking here.

The bar section maybe fine but the restaurant is a thumbs down. Maybe they are understaffed and overworked but they should at least try to put on a happy face. Positive Attitude is what keeps customers coming back. Rudeness turns customers away. We tried calling for reservations for 2 hours and the phone was not answered. So we went to the restaurant and was told we couldn't be seated without a reservation. Put our name on a list and came back 1.5 hours later to a restaurant that was not even half full and still got lousy service. And to top those problems - many of the items on the menu were unavailable because they didn't have the supplies. How does a seafood restaurant not have any seafood? Too many other good places to eat in Belfast.

I recommend that you try this place out. Owned and maintained by the National Trust it's decor is in perfect condition. We always come here on our visits to Belfast. Again we had a lovely drink and a meal in beautiful old world surroundings. Helpful friendly staff brought our food and drink to our "snug" where we had a little privacy in a bar that filled up very quickly as it was lunchtime.

A great authentic Irish American pub with the best fries. The soda is also delicious.

This history in this pub is amazing. The food is pretty good as well. Had the fish n chips it was average. The ambiance makes it all worth jt.

(Breakfast Review) Overall Value: We had the two full Irish breakfast special for £13. This was a great way to experience the Saloon - it is such a cool and historic space, it was especially nice to take it in over a meal in a private booth. The normal food options are a little pricey and we did not feel like being inside a crowded/touristy bar for drinks, so this was a great option. Probably worth a return visit for a pint! The Food: As I mentioned, we got the £13 breakfast special for 2. We also got coffee and tea (sadly, not included) so our total ended up being about £18. This was a lot of food, especially at that price - I think we skipped lunch afterwards and just ate dinner. The food was good (not great), but at that price I'm not complaining. Standard two eggs, bread, blood sausage, sausage, bacon, and tomato (all x 2). It was probably middle of the pack in terms of quality, relative to the many many other Irish breakfasts we ate on our trip, but the price was great and the setting awesome, so we really enjoyed it. Space and Pace: Oh man, so awesome. The interior is just a stunningly historic pub. We sat in a really large booth (with a door that closes for added privacy!), and just soaked in all the ornate detail of the pub. Really worth it to come in the morning, when it is relatively quiet, to be able to appreciate it. The fact that we got a great value breakfast in this setting made it really worthwhile. It was pretty empty when we got there, minus the occasional tour group that would come inside to take pictures of the pub. The privacy door to the booth came in handy! Service: Bartender was not overly friendly, but he took our order just fine and the food came out fairly quickly. Not especially noteworthy one way or the other.

We had a fabulous time visiting while we were in Belfast! You definitely have to check this place out.

Fabulous decor. Very popular. Opens at 11:30 AM. Oysters are fresh and delicious. Cheeseburger was well done and mediocre.

The pub was fine - not overly crowded after a night at the Opera House across the street. Perfect for a nightcap. Ordered drinks, received my change, tipped the bar staff and walked away. The next morning I looked at the change and realized the bartender passed me a paper £10 which are out of circulation. If you have a UK bank account, you can exchange the bill at your bank or the post office but as a tourist I was stuck with it as it is no longer accepted in stores. Just because I happen to be travelling doesn't mean you can slip me unusable funds. Thankfully my hotel was able to exchange it ... had they not, I was on my way back to demand that they switch it themselves (as suggested by a lovely shop keeper in Belfast). A lovely place to visit but watch your change carefully & demand polymer notes if they try to pass off a paper note to you.

Don't go here for the food go for the beer and the history. Messed up both our orders and servers didn't seam to care. Couldn't even get a Caesar salad right

Old time pub. Crowded with what seemed to be a relatively limited bar menu. Lamb stew was fantastic. Beef pie was underwhelming. They were out of oysters and fried cheese. Overall a worthy place but not top of the list

Sadly- bar workers don't seem to want to work there. Very unfriendly- I waited a very long time for a beer

Excellent atmosphere. The snugs downstairs are super cute. There's a larger dining room upstairs with excellent food options.

Classic pub! Great Fish and Chips with mashed peas! I've never had mashed peas, and the don;t look too appetizing, but these were delicious! The place was crowded, but cozy and fun! Good beer selection, too!

My dad remembered this bar from trips to Belfast in the 1970s and we happened upon it just before midday. It was almost empty and looked utterly glorious with the sun streaming through the beautiful stained glass windows and every available surface covered with ornate woodwork, tiles or mirrors. On appearance alone, one of the most impressive pubs I've ever visited. What we didn't realise but became clear over the next hour or so was that this pub is now dominated by tourists, and a lot of them. Obviously this has a bit of an effect on the atmosphere, and I would suggest the Garrick if you want to try somewhere that combines beauty with local patronage. I wouldn't miss a trip here just to see it though, especially if you can come at a quiet time.

Don't waste your time or money this was the worst experience at a restaurant in Ireland. First night we went to the restaurant through a very crowded bar to find the restaurant basically empty. Waited for at least five minutes to be approached (we thought maybe they hadn't opened yet) to be told we couldn't get in till 9:15 it was around 5:30. It seemed odd we didn't want to wait so we went else where BUT made a reservation or 6:30 the following evening. When we got a confirmation of our reservation it said 6:30-7:15 we thought it was odd; however, my husband has worked in the restaurant business before and thought it was just a way to keep the kitchen and staff from getting overwhelmed. We went the following evening and it was quite busy but we were sat quickly. We waited for a longer than normal time too be approached for our drink order but they were busy so we overlooked it. We finally got said drinks and ordered our food a good 15-20 minutes had passed. We started noticing our waitress spent a lot of time talking to the bartender and a cook while the other waitresses helped her out running food and waiting on their own tables not super quickly or happily but they did. Before our food arrived we had talked about their desserts which sounded appealing. A five top in the corner that had been their before we arrived asked if they could order dessert their waitress said yes, but shortly after the manager/waitress came to their table and said they were beyond the time allotted and they could NOT get dessert. The women in the party tried to explain that the waitress did not come back to the table in a timely manner and they didn't know they only had a limited amount of time. Manager/waitress didn't care and began listing all the ways the table had broken their rules. We got our food - it was meh. We had better the night before or just about every where else we ate. We again waited for our server to clear and ask if we would like dessert. When she final arrived our time was up and we didn't even attempt to try and order. It was a let down for sure and I think the history drives people there, but I would wonder about repeating customers.

A must do in Belfast. Beautiful interior with gorgeous woodwork and old private booths, with doors! I had the lamb stew which was delicious and came with 3 mini loafs of soda bread. Order and pay at the bar for your drinks and food and they will bring it to your table.

Great atmosphere!!! We decided to have dinner here after touring the Belleek factory earlier in the day... We arrived around 7pm and the bar was jammed packed, to start off weekend.... Such a beautiful bar.... The wood work and stained glass windows... Amazing and breathtaking..... The restaurant upstairs was quaint... With delicious food!!! We ordered the Lamb stew and steak and Guinness pie.... So yummy!!!!

We had dinner here mistakenly our first night in town. My husband ordered the scallops and pork belly, he got three small scallops and two small strips of pork with some broccoli spears and salty gravy. It was an appetizer sized meal. My ribeye was thin, overcooked and bland. The tomato was mealy and the onion rings were doughy and undercooked. They had one waitress for the entire dining room and we ordered two Guinness and two ice water and they sat on the bar for 20 minutes before she remembered to bring them (because I was finally able to flag her and ask) expensive tourist trap with bad food and slow service. The bar downstairs is really cool so stick to drinking here.