The Esplanade Bars & Restaurant in North Down

We went for breakfast here, I have to say this was one of the best breakfasts we have had in quite some time. We had a mix of eggs florentine and benedict, waffles and pancake stack. All the portion sizes were perfect, plenty of eating and the coffee was nice as well. The atmosphere was lovely, the fire was lit and the setting were great looking oit at sea. The staff were very friendly and gave us plenty of time to make up our mind. The bill was not expensive at all. This place definitely runs anywhere close in terms of excellent food and service. We worth a visit.

A lovely meal & service v.good ,took interest in my allergies ,v.attentive

Lovely wee spot for a bite to eat and a pint, great views too

Returning to update my review after two consecutively poor visits, which is sad as I've been going here at least monthly for 10 years. Firstly my wife's rhubarb crumble was ice cold in the middle. Our roast dinners were £18 and had 2 slices of beef, a bit of mash and two carrots with a Yorkshire pudding, it was not worth £18. The temperature was all over the map, some of it was nuclear hot in the centre and was clearly out of the microwave, while the other half was assembled from presumably a pot that had been cooling down a while. On the previous visit I ordered a blue steak which I would describe as well done 3 minutes prior (infact I didn't want to order blue as its never done to a good standard in NI but the waitress encouraged me). It was also close to cold. The cherry on the cake was the very drunk 25 year old man at the bar in the front lounge next to our table at 3pm that dropped the F bomb every 10 to 15 seconds next to my 4, 6 and 9 year olds. While it doesn't bother me it was rubbish to see my daughter keep staring at the floor. The bar staff just let this continue despite I could see they were uncomfortable with it. I don't normally update reviews, so this is a real shame.

Sirloin, chicken gojons and mash Oinion rings,chips, brilliant!

A great New Year’s Eve at the Esplanade - seven us enjoyed a lovely meal. Despite the busyness our servers Freddie and Chloe kept on top of everything and were friendly, attentive and welcoming hosts. We would all go back.

Always a awesome experience and delicious food the service was absolutely 💯 professional and very inviting

I went in the late evening on Christmas Eve.It was cozi and I had a pint with some friends : can't comment on the food. They kept background music low so we could chat. Friendly staff and beautiful views.

Very small portions, charged for extra veg and gravy. No mocktails. Got 1 sprout and the other cut in half, which I then had to chase round my plate. Mash small and hidden under turkey. Carrot and parsnips was miniscule. Staff were passive aggressive. Wish I had spent my money else where. Plus had to stop on way home for a sandwich.

Following on from a decent lunch the previous week we booked dinner... big mistake. Ordered the terrine for my starter, resembled a congealed block of cat food. The bread that accompanied it was literally inedible. Ordered the battered cod for my main thinking they surely couldn't mess that up... wrong. A greasy slab of tasteless cod surrounded by a handful of tasteless chips without a hint of seasoning. All of which was compounded by the level of service which was laugh-out-loud bad. Am genuinely baffled at how places like this continue to draw people in (it was virtually full) when their customers are treated to such dire standards across the board. Bangor can do much, much better.

Great venue with views over Ballyholme Bay and the food is fantastic. Will be making regular return visits.😎🍻🍴👍

Thank you to the chef and our server last Saturday for my brother's birthday lunch upstairs. I'd had never been before but it's my brother's favourite, they catered very well for our group of 19 including excellent GF options, every single guest was delighted 😋. I will look forward to returning myself. Well done all and have a prosperous holiday season . Trish x

Excellent food and lovely surroundings

Great food and service! Well worth a visit!

Roast beef dinner, roast beef was rubbish, half was all fat.

One of the nicest meals I’ve ever had - scallops were large, juicy and cooked to perfection- an unexpected delight. My parents also enjoyed their meal too. I was expecting nice pub grub but got proper amazing dining

Good quality food and good portions. Staff were friendly and helpful. The surroundings were lovely too. Not a massive place so best to book.

Excellant place for a good feed on a Sunday morning!

I recently visited with my wife and parents for breakfast here as we live just down the road. First time I have been but won’t be the last! Food was really great - had the big fry and my mum had the French Toast with caramelised banana. So tasty! Service was brilliant as well! Thanks and certainly be back soon!

Was sitting down on our own outside so no expectation atmosphere would be good but we'll set up with heaters and service and food we're superb

Didn't have food as restaurant upstairs Only opens Fri an Sat not the same atmosphere as it used to be could not recommend

Had a lovely meal last night, food, service, value for money, and friendly helpful staff. I hadn’t been in a while but will definitely be back again soon.

Great place for breakfast. Extensive menu and all nicely presented. We had reserved a table which was good because the place was quite busy. The pancakes and Eggs Benedict were fabulous. The service was great and friendly and the prices very competitive. We will definitely be back.

Visited here on a very busy Friday evening. We had booked our table in advance and glad we did as I doubt we would’ve been accommodated without a booking. Staff were extremely pleasant, happy, friendly and helpful. Atmosphere was lively in the restaurant and the beer garden out the front was packed. Food was absolutely fantastic. I cannot fault one thing. We shared the goats cheese crumble starter which was beautiful and more than enough to share. Very fresh & tasty. We both had steaks, sirloin & ribeye. Both were cooked to perfection, they were so tender and the knife was barely needed. We had pepper sauce and blue cheese sauce alongside our steaks which were beautiful and creamy. Sides were chunky chips and Parmesan & truffle skinny fries. The wine list is fantastic, very good range of wines and the cocktails looked great. Views across the bay are second to none. We had a lovely evening here and would highly recommend popping in here for a drink or a bite to eat.

First visit in a long time. Very pleasantly surprised. Extensive lunchtime menu, very reasonable prices including wine. Food and service excellent, without going into detail, all four of us really enjoyed our lunch, plentiful and good quality. Will be back.

Called in for food on spec last Friday at 6.15pm, saw a free table in the front lounge but before we could sit down we were approached by a waitress who asked if we were eating or just having a drink. I replied that we would ideally like to do both. She informed me that the table was reserved from 7pm so we could only have drink there but not get fed. She stated that they were serving food in the back bar or we could try and find a table outside. I asked what the situation was in the back bar and was told it was busy. I asked for some advice as to what would be the best thing to do and at this the waitress reiterated the position, whilst turning her back and walking away again stating we could try and find somewhere to eat outside but we couldn't eat at the table we were standing beside. So we left without food or a drink. I emailed the establishment to complain. I described the waitress and her manner in the belief that she might be given some advice about customer service and we might get an apology, but bizarrely the respondent had a go at me and didn't have the common courtesy to sign their reply. Would it have been too difficult to get us a drink and look out for a table for two? Yes according to the Esplanade, their staff were far too busy. Never again.

Drop in meal for two but they found us a space. The menu looked a little limited than we were expecting, but the food was really really good. Would definitely visit again

Nice wee spot, good sea front location. I only ever go for drinks, they are very accommodating and friendly. No cold soft drinks though, only bad thing I could say about the place.

Lovely setting and very helpful and friendly food was great

Great place for outside food and great. Great views. Very friendly staff

Found this restaurant on bringfido.co.Uk After constantly being turned away from restaurants because we had a dog with us. We called ahead and the manager confirmed we could eat in the back bar.

Although website says they do takeaway, They DO NOT!

Lovely scenery and friendly staff food excellent

Fantastic sea view. Nice food and good service.

Was in the Esplanade for lunch on a sultry afternoon last week. I had the scampi and chips and it really was as good a scampi and chips as you'll get. Freshly battered prawns - not bread crumbed stuff out of the freezer - with proper fresh chips, salad and tartare sauce. Simple but perfectly done. My friend had a burger which he enjoyed too. The service was top notch, very friendly and efficient. We really enjoyed the Esplanade and would happily return.

First ever, the Ribeye steak we have had. Wow, flavour fantastic presentation first class, the sides were amazing too. Highly recommend this pub grub 10 out of 10 .

Delicious food and quick friendly service. Lovely table overlooking the bay😎

Lovely restaurant with great views. Food excellent. Seating inside and outside. Helpful staff. Highly recommend

Food good but perhaps use cornflour and GF rice crispies, where possible, for GF clients.

I call ocassionally to this pub. The drink is good The atmosphere bland was my experience. The food in front place looked ok. It was daytime calls lately when I was there

A long time favourite of ours. Food is consistently good with friendly and helpful staff serving. Coupled with beautiful views of Ballyholme Bay, the Esplanade is our go to bar all year round. Many thanks to the great team that work there!

I eat here regular. Food and service is always good. Need the crispy pork belly back on the menu . 😋

Lovely place right on the seafront. Went twice, once for drinks and again for food. Fitted us in even though they were booked up. The food was excellent and they made all three of us, two adults and an eight year old girl, very welcome. Surprisingly reasonable prices too. Highly recommended - if we come to Bangor again we'll be back. Edit: We came back, and it was just as good as the previous times.

Lovely food. Good prices. Scenery lovely

Went for dinner last night and was told inside was fully booked but outside and back bar was available. So we sat outside and got a drink. We were then told that there was a table of 15 upstairs eating so it would be half an hour to order food, which was OK.. I do feel some people outside got preferential treatment because they had dogs with them. They got served and drinks brought out to them. Also all tables were not cleared that needed to be cleared as the staff were more interested in the dogs.. I went inside to order a drink and asked if by chance there was a table free inside, the barman told me there was a table free.. We sat down and were able to order within 5 minutes.. I ordered a burrito from the specials board which stated it came with guacamole and sour cream, which it did. However, the amount of guacamole and sour cream that came with it was terrible.. To state that it came with this on the specials boards, you'd expect a bit more to be enough for all of the meal.. I was waiting on a member of staff coming over to ask if everything was OK so I could ask for more but no one came near us for the entire meal. Had to ask tontake the other half home with me.. Food was gorgeous, however, the waiting staffs work ethic leaves a lot to be desired.. All customers matter, not just ones inside with bookings or the ones outside with dogs!!

Smoked salmon with wheaton bread left a lot to be desired. Fish was tasteless & bread stale, not to mention that it was the heel of the loaf( something I bin at home).

Absolutely delicious! First time here and we will be back.

Disappointed with the food, raw fried chicken , steak over cooked will not frequent again although the staff were lovely

Great location but if you ask for an extra chair you are told no, if you want to order food outside you can’t because the kitchen is too busy. All customers want to do is to enjoy themselves and the views this location offers but it’s not really possible when staff aren’t able to offer good service. Anywhere else you go in town staff members would do their best to keep customers happy, it would be great if it would be the same in this location too

Good food and drink with friendly staff and very comfortable surroundings.

staff need to be shown how to pour good pints of Guinness got one in less than one minute world record

Went to the back bar as it allowed dogs,had a very nice lunch,place was somewhat quiet but you expect that where dogs are permitted

Delicious dinner and wonderful wine

Lovely food and friendly staff. Nice view of the sea.

Nice wee place. Staff are great, very friendly and always go the extra mile to accommodate unusual requests. Haven't tried the food myself, but as a bar it's top notch.

Good food, good service, good atmosphere.

Went for a family dinner on a Saturday evening and came away extremely disappointed. We shared a large portion of chicken wings for starters which were mediocre. Nevertheless, I was looking forward to my main course which was seafood linguine. When served the seafood linguine, the sauce was very bland and the only type of fish in the dish were chunks of a white fish (presumably cod). Surprised at the absence of a mixture of shrimp, clams, mussels and / or scallops in the dish which a typical seafood linguine comprises of, I enquired with the witness who abruptly and rudely told me they ‘advertise the seafood linguine as local seafood only’. I felt like I had been scolded for raising this query and overall quite embarrassed and that I was in the wrong in this situation. I then made a point of checking the menu which made no reference to this. I sent the dish back barely touched as overall it was really unenjoyable and I paid full price with no apology or offer to discount the dish from our bill. We asked the manager at the bar before we left and he said the seafood linguine will only contain ‘what has come in or what they can get’. This was not made apparent to the customer either on the menu or by the waiting staff. As a seafood lover I have had many seafood dishes and seafood linguines (at all times of the year / seasons) at various restaurants and to date this is the only dish I have not been able to eat and the only time I’ve queried the quality/content with the staff. I left very disheartened and will certainly not be back. To have poor quality dishes on the menu is one thing but the poor customer service on top of that made this a very disappointing experience.

Beautiful views ,good breakfast

Had the cod and chips- was amazing with a stunning view!

Best breakfast in Bangor by far,staff are very welcoming and the service was first class

Friendly welcoming staff, excellent food and service, great atmosphere in both bars, lovely view over ballyhome bay from the front alfresco eating area. Highly recommend this venue.

The decor is a bit tired, and could do with updating but the food was great and staff were friendly.

Food was delicious with generous servings. Friendly staff. A bit quiet but it was a Monday evening in February.

Excellent food, decent prices and friendly service.

Called in on way past from a walk. Had a look at menu and decided to come back for our evening meal. We both had the Chicken Escalope with pepper sauce, very enjoyable. Nice small intimate place and when we were there not noisy and about 3/4 of tables occupied. Will go again when next in the area

What a lovely friendly Pub/restaurant!! I was very impressed and I am a fussy so and so?? The food was amazing the nicest I have out in a long time in the Bangor area!! The staff are top class and the craic was 90 as they say!! Even the owner Ian came over!! Lovely guy!! Can't wait to go back! The mac'n cheese with black pudding was just gorgeous and the lovely girl recommended it!! My Sister's got the Sunday roast which was outstanding! The roasties were just like mine!! And my lovely Daughter got the ceasar salad 🥗 which she loved!! Fabulous wee spot right beside the sea!!

Not our first visit but we got a voucher from our friend for Christmas. The food, the atmosphere and the service were amazing you should be so proud of yourselves Excellent food and great staff and the table for 2 beside the fire just made it Thank you all you were amazing

Super afternoon meal with great tastes . Lovely staff . Great views .

We've been to the esplanade several times, always a friendly spot. We've had our dogs with us before, for coffee @ their outside area(amazing views) which is great. Welomed into the back bar with our dogs, a 1st for them both being in a restaurant/bar. Staff we're wonderful brought them water chatted for a while, we had food which was lovely. Highly Recommend.

Needs a lot of work, the building smells like my grandparents house and the food wasn't great. The staff were excellent but investment into the business is needed

Staff were lovely but my battered cod was oily and greasy. Couldn’t eat the batter as a result and then the fish itself on the inside was oily too. The portion size was huge (fish and chips) but the tartar sauce and mushy peas were in tiny ramekins.

A nice little bar with a roaring fire behind a glass. Will be back in the Summer, with my dog, she loved our visit.

Food great,paint needs re done,

Very good food , excellent service and an open fire

Amazing salad, great place to take the dog

Started out a bit shaky when the staff got defensive when we tried to explain that there are several sites with contradicting opening hours in their top Google results causing my guest and I to arrive early. Rather than apologising they got defensive and made us wait in their foyer. The food was incredible as was the nervous waitress but it felt like bad management. If I ran that place, I would have apologized and let me sit inside at least. Dunno if I'll be back given their terrible approach to staff training on customer service. No offense to the young waiter who helped us, it was clearly a management issue. But the food was great, the best local seafood I've had outside of the Mourne Seafood Bar.

Bullying bar manager, unfriendly staff. Completely ruins the place

Great bar and restaurant. Friendly staff and warm atmosphere. Food is lovely with a fantastic view.

Some music would help the atmosphere.

Love the breakfast here it's yum

Excellent food and brilliant staff

A bit out if town (15 minute walk) - but worth it. Nice atmosphere, and good selection of drinks. Quiet when the music wasn't playing!

Great atmosphere, busy but not too crowded. Food was excellent and very generous portions.

Great place to eat and have a pint.

Lovely food in the back bar, front bar was fully booked and we just went in on spec. Very swift service tho the waiter was a little gruff (maybe having a bad day!) But he was courteous and quick so really shouldn't complain! Overall a very good experience and would definitely recommend.

Lovely staff, great food… great atmosphere

Just a good environment to have a drink and eat and the food is good

Nice food and atmosphere staff were friendly

Previously rated this place five stars a year ago ... How things have changed! Noticed a gradual decline in quality, and an increase in prices ... But our visit today was the point where I've decided we won't be coming back. We ordered three lots of the nachos, all of which arrived cold. Waiting staff replaced them ... with room temperature nachos. It was clear that there was no point sending them back for a second time, as nobody seemed to care. Charcuterie board was also served with FROZEN grapes! When asked we were told they were meant to be fresh. Still charged full price at the end, and no apology. Sad to see somewhere we once enjoyed visiting has gone downhill so much.

Had a lovely lunch there for my birthday. Nice relaxed atmosphere with music playing in background and lovely views of the sea. Staff friendly also

I walked here for Lunch yesterday with my family and was welcomed by a rude waitress, only thing made us stay was how hungry we were, I ordered the prawns and I got 6 tiny ones for almost 9 pounds! completely overpriced, My wife got the catch of the day for 22 pounds and was nothing to write home about!. They have a great view and lots of potential! but need to improve.

Back to Lebanon, my trip to Northern Ireland. I was in Belfast for only 2 days, so I went to Yuan Shao Shao 😉 The restaurant is isolated in Ballyholme Bay and you can eat and eat while overlooking the bay. It is very relaxing😜 - 🔸Battered Cod🐠 (£14.5) served with homemade chips, mushy peas and tartar sauce🍟 I have eaten fish and chips many times in the UK and this time is the best one ever😋😋 It is served hot and spicy🔥 The crispy skin is thin and crispy without feeling too pink🤭 The fish in the noodles is tender and smooth🤩 The portion is good Enough 😀 Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 🔸Seafood Chowder🦀 (Large) (£11.5) Served with house bread Chowder soup is one of the must-eat Irish Food😜 and it’s really good 😉 I was so confident that I called it Large size because I was very hungry at that time😂 But in the end I couldn’t eat it because there were so many potatoes that I felt full🥔 There is a lot of salmon meat in the noodles. It would be great if there were more other seafood🌝 Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 🔸Scampi Fritt🍤 (£15.95) lightly battered, served with homemade chips and tartar sauce🍕 I ordered another fried item😀 It was fried shrimp😜 I thought it was just ordinary🥺 It was crispy and thick with a little bit of fried food😅 but the shrimp meat in the noodles was a bit chewy 🙂 Rating: 🌟🌟

Great food and attentive staff 👌

Arrived for lunch, no booking, but place was quiet so we were shown a choice of tables. Food choice was OK but overpriced for what it was - £13 for a vegetarian burger that wasn't anything other than a standard bought in item, nothing homemade about it. The battered fish was nice but again, nothing exceptional - tartar sauce and mushy peas both tasted as though standard bought in items, no sign of any effort to make them anything other than standard. Service was OK, pleasant enough. When asked if I could take my last coffee to sit outside, no offer was made to take it out for me, even though I had already pointed out I use a crutch to walk. Thankfully my friend is used to having to help me out. Overall, I think this lunch is very typical of what we're used to in Bangor, very average food at inflated prices. Unfortunately won't be rushing back to sample more.

Great vibe in this sea front bar. Started raining when we visited and although they had a large canopy, they chose not to put it across so as the pub was pretty packed all the people outside left because they were getting soaked. When staff where approached about putting the canopy over they weren't interested and said it was too difficult....

Good food and great service ...definitely recommend.. glorious sunshine too

Just discovered this place recently. Had a drink and cappuccino on a Sunday afternoon outside overlooking the sea. Delightful. I will be back very soon. Loved it.

Lovely place, really tasty and affordable food and good portion sizes too.

We were only in the back bar for the rugby but great location, great selection of beers, decent food, breakfast was excellent and outstanding staff.

Location location location.. friendly vibe!! Cozy!