This was an awesome place!! The waiter was super educated regarding celiac restrictions, he was able to mark everything on the menu that we could or not eat and tell us all the changes they could make. Food was excellent and overall a great experience.
On the plus side, it has a separate menu for both gluten-free and vegetarian options, which is a real plus.
The reason I'm not giving it more stars is because the waitresses aren't very friendly and the place is smoky, leaving the (unpleasant) smell on your clothes. On the other hand, the gluten-free noodle dish didn't contain any noodles, and the menu didn't mention it.
Honestly one of the best Italian meals I’ve had, we arrived and went to the bar for a gin and tonic where the bar man took the time to tell us about a local gin and the meaning behind the name of it (jawbox) -totally worth a try… and the we were seated upstairs by a lovely chatty young lady. Our server named Josh was very attentive and kind. Now. When we arrived I said I was a coeliac, and I told the girl on the way to the table, but I forgot to tell poor Josh. So when our food arrive and I suspiciously asked, the poor lad had to take it all back. I felt like a total arse, not his fault at all, it was my fault, but he took it back and had it made fresh. He then apologised and brought us a complimentary Prosecco each. What a darling. I felt awful but he was so kind.
Now let me tell you, I don’t eat Italian very often because of the gluten thing, but tonight my show was stopped and my fast was flabbered by the scallop gnocchi, honestly it was the best thing I’ve eaten in a restaurant in a decade. Staggering
Well done to the chef, the best texture was unbelievable and the mix of flavours is like nothing I’ve had before. BRAVO!!!
You honestly have made a grumpy coeliac very bloody happy. I would recommend this place to anyone who has a gluten intolerance and misses the beautiful texture of real Italian cuisine.
I will be back. Thank you Josh, you are a darling x
The place wasn’t super packed but still busy. We ordered two gluten-free pizzas to-go and had a 30 minute wait. Manager at the time was apologetic and helpful when we went inside to ask about progress.
Pizza tasted great but was a little on the crispier side and was not cut. The cheese showed lines of scoring but the dough wasn’t cut through at all and we had to spend some amount of time cutting through the dry dough
Was surprised at the massive menu… joking, loved it 👌🏽
Had a cheese burger (medium well done) with sweet potato fries.
My partner had a gluten cheese burger (medium done) and shoestring fries (skinny fries)
The best option was she is Gluten intolerant, so we were happy we found the gluten free bun on the option for her, so I would recommend here, and would definitely come back
Pizza was nice, even the gluten free, but the waitress was deluded. Cold, very hard to catch her eye for a drink for the kids, no sense of customer experience
CocktailsDinnerIndianOpen Late NightTake AwayVegetarian OptionsVegan OptionsDedicated GF FryerCiderLunchAsianDeliveryKid FriendlyBar
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Victoria McC
Favourite place for a takeaway or a nice meal sitting in. All mains are completely gluten free and staff are very helpful. Food is excellent and is a constant for me!
Not a great experience.
2 of our party of 4 are Coeliacs and we were all looking forward to our meal.
Our first disappointment came when I was informed that there were no gluten free starters...the server spent some time checking the allergy sheet then consulted someone in the kitchen.
My daughter had gluten free pasta which was ok...but not great.
I had a GF pizza which was nice although slightly undercooked.
We wanted to order aa second bottle of Pellegrino but they'd run out...it was on our bill but they agreed to remove it.
All in all it was disappointing amd we'd travelled 40 miles to eat there.
Went here tonight for my sister’s birthday. I managed to drop the (homemade) cake I had for upside down in the box when getting out of the car on the way in 🤦🏼♀️ The staff were amazing at helping me salvage it, we did a pretty good job imo hahaha! I can’t eat gluten and am allergic to chilli and the staff were amazing at helping, so many options and the food was unreal! Huge thank you to Padraig and Joanne for going out of their way to help me save the cake 🥰
Had our wedding anniversary celebration here. Loved it.
Food.... steak amazing and reflective of the price...probably the best I've had so far.
Wife was happy with the curry dish.
Good menu with very good gluten free options
Desserts very good too
Drinks...great choice of beers, wines and cocktails.
Staff...waiting staff are great. Funny but sincere and very interactive
Surroundings...we sat wondering what the building was before...like years ago as it is modern but has kept the old coving and plaster faces at the ceiling.
Kitchen staff punctured to look after everyone as you can clearly see them working away but overall a brilliant atmosphere.
Five star in my book.
I will be back very soon.
Thanks for making our anniversary a memorable one.
Staff were very nice and Co-Operative because my relative couldn't have gluten and they worked around it very well. The food was amazing and tasted great, it was a short wait for food and good selection of starters, mains and desserts. The Lantern is a great place to go and I had absolutely no complaints or issues. Highly recommend.
Called into Maudes to check if they had a gluten free menu..They had GF sourdough so I ordered an open sandwich and my wife had corn fritters.We waited a while but the place was busy and it was worth the wait.The food was delicious and there was loads of it.Great value.The staff are lovely too..we will be back.
Lovely Italian Restaurant in Queens Quarter. My mum is Coeliac and we visited because it had a good choice of gluten free options. Very good GF Pizza and Pasta. Excellent Aperol Spritz. Interior of restaurant is very pretty.
Trust menu, 5 courses with 4 wines to accompany. Small courses but altogether quite filling. You get to guess what is in each course and after you finish the waiter/waitress tells you what it was. They cater for gluten free etc
Ordered gluten free dough balls for 4 servings, I was sent 10 dough balls. Have ordered this before and it was a ton of them. This time not so much. Charged 15 pounds for 10 small balls of bread. Totally ridiculous and the phone number to contact the store is not working. Very disappointed.
Great tapas spot! Probably 90% of the menu was available / adaptable to be gluten free and staff were very knowledgeable and attentive to dietary requirements. Food was really tasty and cocktails were fab! Would highly recommend.
Amazing service and great food as always!
Staff had a strong awareness about coeliac disease and even offered to change the oil to make sure there was no cross contamination when making tortilla chips.
Incredible .
Total carnivore . Would never have believed such wizardry was possible with plants to produce such awesome flavours . Superb for gluten free . Shockingly good .
Cyprus Avenue is hands down my favourite place for a Sunday lunch in East Belfast. The menu, presentation, service, ingredients are creative, fresh and flawless. Seafood and vegan options are spot on. My celiac friend has never had any issues with GF and DF options. Coffee is great with dairy free alternatives. I love their outdoor seating on a sunny day. Honestly, it's a joy to be there from 'hello' to 'see you soon'. Roadside parking is the only little thing I could do without; it's hard to find a spot nearby on a busy day. Five stars overall. (Sorry, no pics atm. I'm always so excited to eat there that I dig in straight away. I'll have to remember to take some photos next time :)
We called in here on Monday evening for a family meal and we were very impressed. We had a coeliac with us and were pleased to find out they had a dedicated gluten free menu and also loads of gluten free options on the main menu. The prices were great and the food was beautiful. I would highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a good priced beautiful meal in Belfast and to anyone with any food allergies or intolerances. The staff were so accommodating and friendly. The bar itself was lovely and super cosy. Also if you like chicken wings this is the place to go, the wings were super crispy but also super saucy at the same time which I find it so hard to get anywhere.
Wow. A fantastic Italian. Every time I go here I'm impressed with the service but most of all the food. I had a tomato based dish (sorry can't remember which!) and it was out of this world. The meatballs starter was seriously tasty too. Goats cheese polenta which we've had before is very good too.
My partner had carbonara and was less impressed - she said it was OK but not amazing. However that's her experience and mine was epic so giving this five stars.
They do the best 0% beer - Heineken - on draft. Best 0% beer I've ever tasted.
They even do gluten free pasta. If you're into Italian food, I don't think you'll be disappointed (although I've never been to Italy so take that with a grain of salt maybe!)
The quality of food is excellent. It is well cooked and presented.
They manage to provide a huge number of varied meals well.
Service is very good and attentive.
We had a gluten free diner with us and they were very helpful and spent time ensuring she felt well provided for and secure in their processes.
It can be loud which might be off putting for some. There were two large groups celebrating when we were there. The staff coped with them well.
atmosphere is very nice and relaxing with low lighting, the food was phenomenal!! we ordered lots of food and shared between us and everything tasted great. they even have a variety gluten free and vegan options. service was amicable and attentive.
Yummy pizza and gluten free options. I love the location because you can see the Belfast City Hall out the window. We were the last family to arrive about 30 minutes before closing and they sat us and did not make us feel rushed at all! Highly recommend for straightforward pizza and good location.
Staff members were incredibly kind and helpful.Quick service.Safe if you have gluten intolerance.First time I wasn’t ill after dining out from years .Food was perfectly flavoured, fresh and beautifully served.Desserts are beautiful.Amazing place I will be back
Great restaurant. Buzzy atmosphere but not overly loud. Food was amazing. Lots of Gluten Free options. Beef bourguignon was one of the best meals Ive had. Lovely to have a choice of GF deserts too. £100 for 2 mains, a side, two deserts, a cocktail and a glass of wine and a tip seemed a fair price.
My mum and I needed gluten and dairy free options and the accommodated very well. My mum is coeliac and gets very sick with the smallest crumb, they warned her that there's no guarantee that there won't be cross contamination but we've been twice and she's been perfectly fine after both visits.
Went there today for the first time. Everyone enjoyed their food, and they were able to accommodate a gluten-free diet. The place was really busy for a Monday evening, showing they are doing something right.
I got the gluten free burger and chips. Clearly nobody who works there has tasted the bap. You can easily steam gluten free baps and then fry them or grill them- it only takes a minute - and you absolutely need to do this in order to make them edible. The gf bap was like eating a stale bap. Absolutely no trouble was gone to to make this a good gf burger. Chips were just average. The dessert was good- the gf chocolate coconut dessert was actually tasty. But I wouldn't go back.
Fantastic Experience at Zizzi!
Had an amazing time at Zizzi — the Calzone Picante and Gluten free Pepperoni Pizza were delicious, thanks to the great chef Jan! The service was equally impressive, with a wonderful waitress who was friendly and attentive. Special shout-out to Seb the barman for his excellent drinks and great energy. Highly recommend!
The food here is excellent - everything is pretty simple and really well done. The cocktails are top class, a proper authentic margarita experience (I'd especially recommend the mezcal margarita).
There's good gluten free options and veggie/vegan options.
The decor and general ambience of the place is pretty casual given the price of things, which is the only thing that maybe let's it down.
Also worth noting hat a 10% service charge is automatically baked into your receipt.
Overall, a reliable and tasty place to enjoy Mexican.
My wife decided to go to Frankie & Benny's after shopping. She had been when they first opened a long time ago. The food pricing on the menu seemed fair, considering costs at other vendors. However when the food arrived, it was a culture shock, it was frozen skinny fries out of a packet, frozen onion rings out of a packet. My son's burger is from the gluten free menu, so I understand how difficult it, but it was also a frozen burger pattie, in a frozen bun. Honestly the only thing that I'm thinking had any technical attachment was the chicken melts with cheese & bacon, unfortunately it was cooked that long it was like nawing beef jerky. Avoid like the plaque, don't waste your money, almost £50, for this food from the 90's, disgraceful even charging for this kind of food. My advice is get a proper chef. Someone who takes a bit of pride in there cookery skills & knowledge.
The Merchant Hotel, 16 Skipper St, Belfast BT1 2DZ, UK
Gluten-free options
CocktailsLunchVegan OptionsDinnerOpen Late NightVegetarian OptionsBread ItemsBurgersCiderDeliveryTake AwayOutdoor SeatingRestaurant
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Daniel Cairns
Disappointed. The beef doube was bland and needed a lot of salt to try and get some flavour out of it.
Apparently the chicken was really good.
A shame staff didn't ask how the meal was otherwise we would have given feedback.
We left hungry
Staff were really lovely and there are gluten free options available
REALLY overpriced for what it was.
Terrible GF options - left with very bland meal. Foods that should have been naturally gluten free I was strictly told I was 'Not allowed' such as egg or tofu, which was confusing.
Good choice of cakes and deserts, which my family enjoyed. Choice of gluten free deserts isn't great but good to have a choice of vegan ice creams and dairy free alternative milk for hot drinks.
Celiac friendly
