The Best Coffee Shops & Cafes in Belfast

Established burst onto the Belfast coffee scene with a bang in 2013, offering stylish surroundings in a fantastic Cathedral Quarter location. Its floor-to-ceiling windows, polished concrete floor, and corner location are all attractive, but its main draw is probably its sheer commitment to good coffee. As well as coffee and food to enjoy on-site, Established sells plenty of coffee paraphernalia and artisanal products. From Belfast’s own Suki Tea and Man Made to Brooklyn’s Mast Brothers chocolate, Established likes to celebrate excellence in general, not just their own.

Town Square sits in the centre of Botanic Avenue, the hub of food and drink in Belfast’s University Quarter. The serving area is spacious and open, but there are also booths and chairs tucked in corners, offering some privacy to anyone who might want it. With coffee, food, and an attached bar area, it’s a versatile spot, and you could easily lose a day without leaving the building. Town Square took both first and second place at the Northern Irish Aeropress Championship, so if you don’t know what to order, we recommend their Aeropress brew.

Kaffe O was born out of owner Orla Smyth’s love for Copenhagen, and a Danish aesthetic permeates both of her cafes. After spending time as a lawyer in Copenhagen and getting a taste for Danish coffee, Orla returned to Belfast and opened her Ormeau Road location, with the aim of bringing that same no-nonsense mindset to Northern Ireland. Following its success, a second location opened up on Botanic Avenue. Kaffe O imports their beans directly from Denmark, where they’re hand-roasted by Ricco Sørensen before making their way to Belfast and eventually ending up in your cup.

We’re not sure if The Pocket got its name for being pocket-sized, but this newer coffee shop definitely comes across as cosy rather than cramped. It’s just across from Queen’s University, and its outside seating areas are a great location to people-watch, especially during term time. Inside, the small space is used to its fullest, with benches, window seating, and an unobtrusive counter. This cafe is a bustling student spot and can get quite busy around lunchtime, but it’s popular for a reason.

French Village’s Botanic Avenue storefront is almost always busy and with good reason. It opens early for breakfast and stays open all day through lunch and dinner. The three different menus are all a good size, as well as offering a good variety of dishes. With the dining room on the left and the to-go deli counter on the right, there are almost always two queues. Joining either will bring you to great food, so don’t worry about it too much.

Guilt Trip is brand new on the Belfast coffee scene, and the cafe has been making waves. Opened by Ulster rugby stars Callum Black and Darren Cave, they’re serving up excellent coffee and some of the best donuts in the city. Callum, in particular, is passionate about his coffee, and it shows. They’ve brought in some of Belfast’s top baristas with the aim of creating a destination rather than a pit stop, and they’ve succeeded.

Down a small set of stairs by City Hall, this basement boutique specialises in chocolate in all of its guises. Their truffles and chocolate bars are made in small batches to ensure quality. Co Couture isn’t just a chocolate shop, though. It’s made this list because it serves up the best hot chocolate in the city, no doubt. It’s easy to miss, tucked down those stairs, but it’d be a shame not to stop in. With a large variety of different chocolates to choose from and a selection of baked goods, there’s something to cater to every taste, as long as that taste is cocoa.

This secondhand bookshop/cafe does a lot right. They’re committed to providing job prospects to ex-offenders; they have a reading room for study or work, and, most importantly, they serve good coffee. The Thinking Cup is an apt name, as the space is perfect for some quiet reflection. You can easily book the reading room for any sort of function, so if you’re really committed to having a space in which to work, The Thinking Cup might have a solution for you.

Root and Branch roasts all of their own beans in their roastery, before serving them up in their Brew Bar. The amount of time that the beans spend sitting is minimised so that you can get the freshest coffee possible, direct from the roasting drum. No corners are cut at any stage, whether you’re having the coffee, the food, or the teas. Either way, stopping in for a single cup of coffee or just to pick up some beans for your own kitchen, Root and Branch will look after you.