The Ice House Bar and Restaurant, Portstewart in Coleraine

WELCOMING. GREAT LOCATION. Food is delicious. Tables are perfectly spaced, lots of room. The service is excellent and professional. The atmosphere is so relaxing. The music made me smile and hum along to, yet at a level which never interfered with conversation. Views are outstanding. Cosy bar downstairs, also given choice to dine on this level. Upstairs extends to an outdoor area to enjoy a drink and a meal. All areas are very clean, bright and welcoming. Don't leave Portsteward before spending time at The Ice House.

We went in about 7pm on Saturday, and to be fair, they were quite busy. Seeing that they were busy, I asked one of the servers if they could take us- totally fine if not- she said yes, but it would be the window stools looking over the building site. That was ok. We took them and they brought us over cutlery and menus. Then they totally ignored us. We sat for a while and then decided we'd wait 15 minutes before leaving. We waited that and then we just got up and left. On the way out, we met the server we'd interacted with first. Her face kind of dropped but she didn't say anything. Don't think I'll be back, and it was a real shame as one of our party was visiting from the US so didn't give him a good impression.

Visited on Easter Monday for dinner at 7pm. Gorgeous interior and good exterior space. Staff made direct eye contact when we walked in for our booking then basically ignored us until we stood right in front of them. Had to go to bar to order drinks only to be told "I could have come to you, oh well, snooze you lose". Food was basic pub good done poorly with only the battered fish being decent. Cutlery was just dumped at the table and staff walked off. If you wanted something it was like you had to flag people down. The upstairs feels like it doesn't know if it wants to be a pub or restaurant and isn't doing either well.

Ordered a pasta dish and had been waiting over an hour for it to even be served with meals being served all around us, the dish was bland with very little flavour and was very unevenly cooked, would not recommend

Highly recommended, great food, atmosphere and staff.

First time eating here and definately wont be the last. The staff were so friendly. They alone made the visit worthwhile, but the food was also exceptional.. the most delicious burger I've eaten in a while.

Honestly the best staff in any restaurant I have ever eating.. They are a credit to both themselves and the ice house. Nothing was too much, friendly inviting and put us all at ease when dining with young children. Food was amazing cooked to perfection. We will be back and recommend to everyone...

Great views! Lovely atmosphere over the weekend 👌🏻

Was nice to see the Ice House open again. This was the first time I'd been back since they've reopened. The food was really good. I had the monkfish tail, which was amazing. Others in the party had different things and nobody was disappointed. Service was really friendly, engaging, and attentive. The server we got chatted away and couldn't do enough to try to help out. They definitely go out of their way to make you feel welcome. Price is about what you'd expect. Perfectly reasonable so no complaints there, definitely feel like I got value for money.

Have been in the Ice house. Staff friendly and professional. But had to leave after half hour. As it was really noisy. Pity upstairs restaurant couldn't be closed off

Fantastic place great service and oh wow that view from upstairs. However the main thing to report is the best burger I have ever had anywhere

Excellent. Food and service exceptional.

Need more bar star in downstairs bar.

Friendly service, good food and very reasonable prices. This was our first visit since re-opening, and we will definitely be back.

The food was decent, but I wouldn't call it amazing. My chicken goujons were standard pub fare, but my friends were let down by the burgers. They lacked the advertised bacon and weren't very visually appealing on the plate. The seafood linguine wasn't what was expected and wasn't finished. Our sides (fries, chips, and garlic chips) took a good 5 minutes to arrive after our main courses, which felt a bit off. The service was interesting - the staff were friendly, but when we asked for water for the table, they only brought 3 glasses for our group of 5, and when we tried to get the attention of the younger staff, they seemed to blank us. But the senior staff were nice and attentive. On the upside, the atmosphere was warm and inviting, and we enjoyed the overall vibe.

Average experience of north coast dining - drinks are moderately priced for the area, although food is nothing special. Portion of garlic fries was large but the burger did not come with bacon as advertised. Not worth the price paid.

Great experience. The best seafood chowder fish and chips ever

Heard good things about this place, shame we didn’t even get to order a drink. No hello from the staff upstairs, once we asked for a menu, these were placed down with no hello, just “back in a minute”. Further 10 minutes passed with no orders taken. Venue is nice but need to work on service, place wasn’t busy.

No complaints about the food and service .Manager,Nigel very helpful and friendly. However, when we queried a number of faults in the bill the young man serving in the bar upstairs was extremely rude and swore at us. The other member of staff was less than helpful and verging on unpleasant . This detracted considerably from an otherwise pleasant experience

Love this place great food, great views, very friendly staff

Visited for our staff Christmas party. The food was amazing and the staff great. The venue clean, tidy and warm. I'd happily return and recommend.

The food was lovely and the staff were very friendly and helpful.. lovely decor too.. will definitely visit again

Ben and Kai from the bar downstairs were great craic and has amazing service! hope these boys get the recognition they deserve! all in all great night!

Ate in Ice house last Thurs, staff went above and beyond to cater for the dietary requirements of a member of our group. So impressed with the service. Food was great as was the surroundings.

Menu only had a few choices on it but they were pleasant.

Staff were so very attentive and geeat food. The decor is lovely.

Really enjoyed our visit to the recently refurbished and expanded Ice House. Staff were friendly and helpful, although there could maybe be a case made for a front of house when you arrive. Menu was a little limited but what we got was very good. Will definitely be back again, great to have this restaurant back open!

Our first visit since the Ice House has been renovated. Efficient service and good food in nice surroundings. Only one negative, the so called background music is that loud, you end up having to nearly shout to hold a conversation. Because everyone is then talking loudly, it drives the overall noise up even more. Maybe that's what some would call atmosphere? We would return, but maybe avoid a noisy Saturday night.

We had good beers and nice talks there!

Popped in for espresso martinis yesterday and had to just comment due to the exceptional friendly professional service and attention to detail of the barman Thankyou

We were up for a few days and we went to the ice House for a few drinks and we were meet with kai, he was a lovely young man and was brilliant at his job and we will definitely be back

Kai has been an absolute gent the entire night. His pints were good, cocktails amazing and his craic even better. Our first time in here and he made us feel like locals. Super spot

Nice views, good food, pleasant staff

Great place with great views, nice meals.we had lobster with chili sour cream fries and burger. Delicious !

I put 5 star for the atmosphere even though it was Monday afternoon. Place was relatively quiet but the view more than made up for it..

My wife and I eat out on the north coast nearly every week, and pre pandemic loved the old icehouse, regularly sitting in the upstairs bay, overlooking the harbour….thought we’d try it tonight since it’s reopening. Sadly, very disappointed..☹️☹️ Starter to share…Honey/chilli prawns…£12 for 6 prawns..🤔😳😬…prawns big but very salty/Asian salad nice/but sauce inedible…nothing but dark soy, so ridiculously salty…..told waitress, who mentioned it to chef, who agreed, but hadn’t tasted it before it was sent..😳😬 Main…fish and chunky chips…..big piece of good haddock, but batter and fish unseasoned, so tasteless….chips ok, but borderline over salty…mushy peas so thick they had to be cut, and were cold..!! Menu mains limited to fish, and unless some of our menu was missing, there was no meat, ( steaks/chicken), except a burger..!! When paying the bill, was thanked for pointing out the faulty sauce, but still charged the full price..!! Service was friendly, but nobody checked if our meals were ok. Atmosphere was pleasant but quiet. As this was a first impression of a newly reopened restaurant, and there are so many other good restaurants on the north coast, I sadly doubt I will be returning to the Ice House..☹️☹️

We had a great evening. Staff are amazing. Looking forward to the expanding menu.

Called in for wee drink with wife treated great by all staff hopefully get meal soon fòod looked great 👍

I have walked past here countless times. Called in for a coffee and were met with pleasant staff willing to ensure our experience was memorable. As can be seen from the photos, the downstairs has a cosy feel and welcoming. We ventured upstairs, and it didn't disappoint either. Greated by the octopus / Kraken on the ceiling as you go up. Most people look down. Look up. Leonardo would be proud. Large open windows with views to occupy anyone. As you venture through towards the back, you think, could there be more. Purpose built bench and stools with a large TV. And so it goes on to an open courtyard with multiple seating. It has the feeling of a greek Taverna. Just remember not to smash the crockery or glasses. It's worth a visit. We will be back.

Unexpected Suprise, ticked all the boxes! The food was beautiful - pizza was delicious, burger homemade and also delicious, even simple sides were properly cooked and seasoned, generous portion for kids meal, tomato sauce included without having to ask, all round lovely. Drinks came promptly, service was friendly and efficient, mostly very young staff but all super polite and keen to please. The lady who seemed to be in charge was knowledgeable, supported the other staff and organised everything required efficiently. The decor was lovely and prices very reasonable. Surprisingly good visit considering the lack of staffing currently in this industry.

Called in last night without a booking and we’re quickly greeted and seated. The menu is small but everything sounds tasty. We had the salted chilli squid with Asian slaw and the chilli and sour cream fries. Best squid I’ve had in a very long time. Good size portion, really tasty. Staff are friendly. Definitely be back here.

Amazing chilled out views and really friendly staff. Well worth dropping in.

Fabulous location, the staff are lovely. Nigel, the manager, is knowledgeable & friendly. The batter on the haddock was light & crisp. Top notch.

Called in this afternoon for a pint on a long walk..friendly staff..perfectly poured..orchard thieves served in non orchard thieves but no big thing.. 1 mixed toilet downstairs?

A complete rip off. My husband and I both ordered the open chicken sandwich at £12.95 each. This consisted of one small slice of bread (approximately 4 inches wide), one lettuce leaf, one slice of tomato and a chicken breast sliced into two. Lazy cooking, it seemed the 'chef' couldn't be bothered and the kitchen deemed that to be acceptable to be placed in front of the customer. This was after we tried to order lobster but were told it wasn't possible because "they needed to be prepared." We won't be back, not a good first impression.

We were able to take the children there untill 9 pm

Would give 6 stars of possible. Fantastic

Beautiful view and lovely service.

Wonderful friendly staff and lovely premises.

Very friendly staff great location

Very nice place with lovely views.

Called in for coffee with friends. Was very impressed with the new premises and service. Staff were very friendly. They have an outdoor terrace/beer garden which would be lovely on a warm sunny day.

Had a few drinks on the terrace in the sun. Great place

Some aspects of the meal were lovely. The nachos were great. The chicken was alright, but nothing special.

Good food, attentive staff. Love this restaurant. The Bang Bang Chicken is really good. Can't wait to go again.

Probamos el restaurante local por primera vez en unos años. Era fácil ver porqué como la comida, el servicio y el entorno no está a la altura del nivel mantenido por costa norte la mayoría de los restaurantes. Mi pareja y yo pedí un bistec cocinado medio raro lo que llegó a nuestras mesas era un corte barata, de difícil, de carne cocida. Muy decepcionante por el precio, ya que este restaurante no tiene los tres campos por el precio de los principales establecimientos locales como la mayoría. Los empleados eran inexpertos, no están bien formados y el personal del bar era desagradable y más familiar. La decoración arriba era Gauche, barato y poco atractiva y claramente patrocinados por un popular marca de Ginebra. Lo mejor de nuestra comida era la vista desde la ventana de arriba. Muy decepcionante, no volveremos.

El Ice House nunca decepciona, de alta calidad, comida local! El pescado es siempre recién capturados y nunca he tenido una mala comida. El personal siempre es amable y servicial, en especial en torno a 6 hora de las naciones Unidas a menudo cuando nos Cram carga de l de pequeños en el rugby y algunos nachos. A veces la espera puede ser un poco largo para comida, pero creo que va a mostrar que hacer su cosa bien aquí. ¡Muy recomendable!

Había 7 de nuestro grupo para cenar aquí en la víspera de año nuevo. Compartimos nachos, pieles de patata y pan de ajo para comenzar. Los nachos en particular eran extremadamente sabroso, fluida que será un montón de salsa de queso, jalepenos, etc. Para platos principales, el rape quería no estaba disponible, así que elegí la merluza especial en su lugar. Fue excelente, sabrosa y presentado en un encantador con un tomate y verduras base. Era mi plato favorito de nuestro grupo (habiendo probado todos los demás es también! ). Otros buenos platos eran el bistec, bacalao y eglefino. 2 del grupo ordenados los platos de pasta pero tampoco estaba buenísimo y las raciones de pasta eran demasiado grandes, lo cual era un poco desagradable. El lugar no estaba muy concurrido, lo que para nosotros porque no era demasiado ruidosa, así que un ambiente relajado y agradable en la que charlar. Si sólo se habían producido el 2 de nosotros, podría haber sido un poco deficiente. En general, tuvimos una velada muy agradable y sin duda volvería a comer aquí de nuevo.

Fantastic food and attentive staff.

horrible noche! Había traído un amigo de visita de Cambridge. Habíamos reservado allí como en cualquier otro sitio lleno esa noche. nachos ordenados como aperitivo, que eran grasosas y enfermizo. Pedí solla europea. El camarero volvió a explicar lo servían como 2 piezas de pescado y que sólo había 1 pieza izquierda. Estoy de acuerdo con otro trozo de bacalao en su lugar. La comida estaba grasienta y enfermizo. Mis socios comida lo mismo. El ambiente era lo suficientemente agradable pero la comida era terrible!

Mi más reciente viaje a la casa de hielo era menos de una agradable.

Caminamos pasado después decide ir en.parece muy pequeño desde el exterior, pero es grande por dentro.

Visitamos con amigos en un domingo por la tarde. El servicio fue bueno. Comida pasable. El edificio es bastante viejo y necesita una mano de pintura. Pedí un café americano y me dijeron que sólo confirmación. Oh, Dios es un restaurante o una cuchara de grasa. Creo que usted necesita para su casa de hielo de juegos.

Comimos aquí la noche pasada. ... y fue super comida ... los nachos para empezar dio en el clavo.

Came here with a group of 6 other people. There was not one thing anyone didnt like about their meal. Really lovely food. highly recommend this place!

Went here with a mixed crowd of about 14. We were put in a private room and waited on hand and foot. From the food to the atmosphere there wasn't a single complaint. The fresh fruit strawberry daiquiri seemed to flow all night. Highly recommend.

Popped in for a quick lunch and it was a pleasant surprise!I ordered salmon and my partner pasta.My salmon was perfectly cooked and even though the full meal was not what I could say was traditional (Grilled salmon, homemade wedges, tobacco onions and pepper sauce) it was delicious and good value!

Visiting Portrush with Dad & Uncle & feeling really hungry stopped here to eat and was Really impressed with the friendly waitresses, great sea view & the best cod & chips I've had in ages, Highly Recommended :)

Just home from having a lovely meal in this establishment. The food was 1st class and the staff where very attentive. Will definetly be eating here again.

Had heard good reports from friends about the ice house and I'm glad I gave it a try! The food was beautiful, best meal out I've had in a long time. I also enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere. Only thing was we had to prompt the waitress to take our order as we had been sitting a while, but she was a nice girl, and the food didn't take long so it wasn't the end of the world. Definitely would return.

Great food and lovely view of the harbour. The tobacco onions are a particular favourite with all the family! The pepper chicken and the steaks are great. Wine list a bit disappointing ,but service is excellent and the food is great value!

This pub/restaurant is spacious friendly staff and the food is very good. booking is advised on busy days in the summer. A window table upstairs gives one excellent views out over the sea Bar Mouth and Donegal

Ate in this lovely little place on Friday past- lovely wee bar downstairs then went upstairs for dinner. Food was gorgeous and the staff were lovely will definitely be back when visiting Portstewart again

The Ice house is a small restaurant and feels very cosy and intimate. the choice of food was good and whilst more expensive than many of the other local eateries it is lovely overall in terms of standards and ambiance. Service was good, discrete but attentive. I'd certainly go again for a celebration meal though not really 'family tea out' venue.

When other places want you to wait two hours the ice house is never as busy and I don't know why. The food is as good as the well known haunts and portions and prices are good too. The decor may be a bit shabby getting but if you are after food then give this place a try. Been a few times and it's never disappointed.

Food was of low standard and tasteless. Staff standing around with arms folded. Decor absolutely TERRIBLE. Safe to say i will not be back and would never recommend to family and friends

Even when this restaurant is very busy, staff really attentive and friendly. I take my steak blue and they cook it to perfection. We have tried a lot of things on the menu and never been disappointed, it's always very good.

The food overall was average, service was quite slow and the atmosphere was so so. I had heard some good reports of this restaurant but was a little disappointed when we ate there.

This is the sort of food I want when I go to N. Ireland. Wholesome, rustic and absolutely mounds of the stuff. Steaks are to die for and the fish is locally sourced and wonderful. Right by the sea (you can hear it) and comes with a bit of a 'party atmosphere' - which I should add can get a touch raucous. Don't let that put you off though, I went on a Saturday night.

A group of us visited during the "NW200 week" and were really pleasantly surprised at the great meals we all enjoyed. My chicken and prawns in a chorizo sauce dish was delicious and servings were generous.

The meal we had was very traditional as the menu was not great for choice. Atmosphere very quiet and staff average.

Eher große Portionen aber top qualität. Etwas teurer als der Durchschnitt aber das Preis-Leistungs Verhältnis stimmt auf jeden Fall

Went here tonight for a evening meal and have to say it was lovely! Great big portions and at a brilliant price. Staff are all lovely and helpful. Really nice atmosphere in this place too! Will visit again

I'm a local in the town and this would be my first preference for eating out. If their is only two of you then ask for a bay window seat - great view. Obviously good food and nice atmosphere.

Went for weekend break with friends weather wasn't great so went in to sizzling sausage in portstewart for dinner staff were helpful and service was quick food was great as was price will be back Norman Marie Jim Gladys

Really impressed with my meal on 6th June. Traditional food served with competence which sounds more simple than it is. It's a bit of s party atmosphere - but hell, what's wrong with that?

Staff were the best and menu is great, but can be horribly noisy at peak times. Definitely worth a try

Visited this restaurant on Saturday 23rd May 2015. Although it was a Bank holiday the pub was quiet and didn't have the normal buzz about the place. Our table was booked for 9pm as the restaurant was fully booked, however when we arrived at 8pm we were told our table was ready. We wanted to have a drink before our meal so agreed to order our meal downstairs while enjoying a drink. We got the window seat and the table was far from clean!. We sat at this table for about 30 minutes during which time two waitresses came and took our order and escorted us upstairs to the restaurant. Neither of them wiped or cleared the table, they never even noticed.I opted for the Chilli Chicken Penne Pasta - which was delicious, while the hubby went for the pork which was disappointing. We ordered a bottle of white wine which was plonked on the table with no ice bucket - had to ask for one. On the plus side there was 15% discount off food and drinks.We have eaten here most of last summer where the food and atmosphere was terrific, sadly things have changed for the worse this year.

Be careful when buying drinks at the bar downstairs I ordered one drink from a foreign guy he short changed me by ten pounds I caught on straight away when I told him I gave him a twenty pound note and not a ten he sort a looked a me funny Went back to the till and got me the rest of my money this guy new what he was doing cos when he gave me my change it was a fiver and some coins all scrunched up with no tenner in it thinking I wouldn't check.

Great meal on Friday night. Ice House was busy but still the quality of the food was excellent. The steaks were great but my fish pie was absolutely delicious. I could have 'licked' the dish, it was soooooo good. Great atmosphere.

Nothing really to fault about this cafe... Service, location, food, coffee, decor... All spot on.... Recommended for a summer day out...

been eating here for years, sometimes for business, sometimes for pleasure, and each and every time its great. my only criticism is the darkness and pub-like atmosphere, its just not to my taste, however the staff are fantastic, the menu has a decent variety, and a very good consistently high quality throughout their food. I highly recommend the nacho starter, they are to die for, and the bang bang chicken is great. also they cater very well for special dietary requirements when requested for.

I have ate here twice and the food is very good. It's good value. It has a nice atmosphere and toiletries in the toilets are a nice touch!

We attended a Christening in Castlerock and then travelled to Ice House for refreshments and a meal. There at least 40 people in our group and the meal was delicious and staff courteous but efficient. Thoroughly enjoyed the day and the baby Florence was suitably impressed.

Visited the Ice House recently. The food was lovely and I can not fault it. However the staff were very very rude. Our group was made to feel very unwelcome and in the way. Even when our order was being taken the way the girl spoke to us was awful. When leaving we paid the bill at the bar and the member of staff did not like having to wait a few minutes for us to sort out the cash and who was paying my card. She actually rolled her eyes. Just for information the Ulster Bank Cash machine was out of order hence why some had to pay by card. I personally won't be back in this place. Good food or not. When you are made to feel like a bother it's not worth it.

We were so fortunate to get a table at the Ice House on a cold windy Saturday night last May. The restaurant was packed to the rafters so we expected a long wait but our meals arrived after only 15 minutes. My friend had an enormous Lamb Chump meal while I ordered Herb-crusted Salmon with a Potato Cake and Prawn Salad. It was a delicious meal and well worth the walk through the cold wind back to our car. It is definitely a great place to dine.

We ate in The Icehouse and it was fantastic. It's our third time eating there, and each occasion has been better than the last. The front of house staff were pleasant and accommodating and showed us to a table right away. There's a nice ambience about the place and you can hear yourself without competing with other voices around you. There's also enough space for those private conversations that you want to have on a quiet night out. The food was exquisite! I had the chicken and beef combo. I had some reservations, not for long. It comes on a bed of champ served as a tower with tobacco onions on top. There's also a little jug of chorizo cream to go over the top. Simply sumptuous. Never has such simplicity been so decadent. This is an understated restaurant, try it for yourself. You won't be disappointed.

We asked for restaurant recommendation and were directed to ice house. The place is not much to look at from outside - not even menu in window but, we went and all enjoyed super meal and excellent service. Highly recommended.

We called in for a quick drink on a stormy day out.Staff are very friendly and service is good so we stayed for lunch.Menu is pretty simple but food was tasty and of a good standard.There is also 15% off all food and drink in March which was a nice surprise.Will definitely come back

Great Food and fantastic portions, just opposite the harbour. Have dined here with family and friends several times.