11 Best Restaurants in Derry, Northern Ireland

Part restaurant and café, part cocktail bar, part French-style patisserie, Primrose overlooks the Quay and is all raves from Derry foodies. Main courses may include roasted cod loin with parsnips and butter sauce, bacon loin with choucroute, pulled pork, or haddock with buttermilk batter, best washed down with local craft beers such as Northbound's Oak Smoked Beer from their Campsie brewery near Derry. Their "scratch" bakery—so-called because all breads and cakes are made fresh from scratch every day—produces scrumptious desserts such as lemon meringue pie, carrot cake, or gluten-free lemon and blueberry drizzle cake. The high-quality patisserie is famed for such delights as strawberry and white chocolate scones or treacle tart.

Starting life as a street food truck, PNP is now a full-service restaurant (with a liquor license) but is still serving up its authentic street-food dishes such as Legenderry, Veganderry, and Jalapeno burgers. Long bare bulbs hang over rough-hewn tables made with thick wooden scaffold planks and 1960s reclaimed school chairs. The kopa oven spits, sizzles, and confers a distinctive smoky barbecue flavor to marinated grass-fed wagyu steak, fish kofta, or pork chop with sides of potato rancheros, tortillas, or salad. Squid, masa chicken, baja fish, and cauliflower all come under the tacos menu wrapped up in the best of local produce in what is possibly Derry's coolest spot.

The famous Derry Girls mural adorns one outside wall of this old-school tavern. Inside, wood-paneled walls are covered with photos of local sporting legends. Those with a big appetite can wash down lavish portions of filling pub grub with what is claimed to be the best pint of Guinness in Derry, and the menu also includes bar snacks such as toasted sandwiches.

The owner, Ian Orr, a former maestro chef who has handed over the cooking to others, has put Derry on the culinary map. Candles on tables and leather-upholstered horseshoe booths with calming cream and brown timber shades set a stylish scene, where the three-course dinner menu at £27.50 is a hit. The menu showcases seafood chowder, chargrilled steak, chicken wings in a honey hot sauce, or braised shoulder of Lough Erne lamb. If you have space for a dessert, then indulge in the chocolate fondant or banoffee profiterole. Attentive service and comfort means you leave here with a mellow afterglow that lingers.

“Say nothin' till ye see Claude," was a famous old Derry saying in the days when Claude Wilton, a solicitor and civil rights campaigner represented all classes and creeds. Although he died in 2008, his name lives on T-shirts in this central, bike-theme café. Chicken is used in a dozen different ways from cajun and chili to tikka. Meal deals are great value while paninis are extremely popular with customers and you can also make up your own tortilla wrap or try one of their baked potatoes with a salad filling, accompanied by a specialty tea or freshly roasted Segafredo Italian coffee. Bikes and jerseys hang on the wall; those on two wheels are even encouraged to drop by and receive some air in their tires.

While you're enjoying your coffee, log on to one of their computers or just browse a copy of the Derry Journal, a paper that has been reporting the news for 250 years and is the essence of the city.

Great-value portions of burgers, steaks, lamb shank, fish, and Caesar salads are dinner favorites at this popular city-center brasserie that has chalked up over a quarter century satisfying the Derry palate—it's rumored that the first cappuccino in the city was served here. The lunch dishes may include seafood chowder or the delectable chicken melter, made up of cheese, tobacco onions, and bacon with Mexican spices. Fitzroy's frequently has specials, including half-price meals on Monday and Tuesday (excluding bank holidays) and 30% off the rest of the week on all food and drink—check the website for the latest offers.

If you feel like a treat, several dozen colorful flavors of ice cream including chocolate, honeycomb, mint, and Ferrero Rocher are available at Joe Jackon's bustling city center café. Belgian waffles, crepes, muffins, apple tart, and other snacks are served during the day along with shakes, smoothies, or sundaes such as the Shoeless Joe or MoJoe.

Lavazza Italian coffee comes with a free mini cone.

A duo of dining experiences is reflected in different rooms at this refashioned old waterfront building which was once Derry's Custom House where taxes were collected from ships arriving at the port. Beef, chicken, and fish dominate the main restaurant, Entrada, where you can also enjoy snacks such as meatballs, salted cod fritters, or cured meats and cheeses. The elegant lounge, with its Spanish Para Picar menu, is a wine and tapas bar and may feature ham hock, spiced beef, or charcuterie.

On the banks of the River Foyle, this airy and cool main restaurant of the City Hotel, taking its name from the old Thompson's Mill that once occupied this site, is a fine place to chill while taking in some great river views. The menu might include pork belly, oven-baked salmon, or supreme of chicken with an herb stuffing.

Reservations are recommended (and practically essential on weekends).

The Wine and Dine menu (available every night except Saturday), based on two people sharing two courses, is £39 for two. There's also an impressive but not expensive wine list. Breakfast is served daily, but lunch only on Sunday. The adjoining Coppins Bar serves wine and cheese (£9.95) and runs a special Tapas Friday from 4 pm at £4.50 each or 3 for £12.