
Novelli Belfast City Quays
Restaurant Philosophy
Novelli at City Quays is a stylish Mediterranean and French influenced brasserie open all day offering lunch and afternoon tea through to dinner, a great place for after work cocktails and tapas at our bar. Why not enjoy al fresco dining on the terrace when the sun is shining.
Bon appetite!

What people are saying about our restaurant
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Style AND Substance Having had a couple of truly mediocre meals in Belfast hotel restaurants recently (the Great Room at the Merchant and the Seahorse at Grand Central), I wanted to share the absolutely lovely dining experience that... Read more I enjoyed at Novelli City Quays in the AC by Marriott last Sunday night (14 October 2018).I was meeting one of my girlfriends for dinner for a long over due catch-up and having heard good reports about Novelli City Quays decided to give it a whirl.We weren’t disappointed when our taxi dropped us off at this sparkly, cool and shiny new hotel right on the waterfront and the layout of the sophisticated dining space takes full advantage of the river frontage. We were given a big table overlooking the water which also had the benefit of a clear view of the kitchen and the pass where we observed the buzz of the chefs hard at work.I had phoned ahead and ordered a bottle of fizz for us to kick-start our evening and this arrived promptly after the hostess guided us to our table in a great big champagne trug full of crushed ice. It was perfectly chilled and kick-started our evening off beautifully.I really enjoy perusing menus and as my GF is vegetarian I had the advantage of studying the stand-alone vegan menu which which is extremely impressive. I had the goat’s cheese starter whilst my companion had the wild mushroom tortellini. Both dishes were delicately presented and were delicious - the creamy goats cheese was complemented perfectly by the tart acidity of the accompanying beetroot jelly. I only managed to scrounge a little of the tortellini, but it tased superb and I fully intend to order it on my return visit. For mains, my GF had the chick pea curry which looked smelled and tasted gorgeous. She is a really fussy, high-maint diner so it was a good sign when she finished the lot. A perfect choice for a chilly, autumn evening. I had the sea bass with cod cheeks and clam broth served with potato galette, spinach and salt-baked carrot. The fish was cooked to perfection, beautifully moist and flaky. As our eyes are way bigger than our bellies, we also ordered the twice-cooked chips and the Dauphinoise potatoes. These were both excellent and whilst we could never have finished the generous portions, I am glad we ordered them and sampled just how good they tasted.My GF cried off pudding, but I soldiered on ordering the Gateau St Honore, a decadent French classic of puff and chow pastry, caramel and whipped cream. Wow! It was a delight. I want to go back just for that pudding.Service throughout was top drawer. We had 2 very attentive and efficient waitresses looking after us - they also enjoyed a little “craic” with us during the meal which was really charming and prevented any stuffiness of stiffness table-side. The evening with my GF was a blast - we had a great meal in what I absolutely consider to be the best hotel restaurant in Belfast. I’m already planning my second visit - mushroom tortellini, lamb rump and that St Honore (again)… So thank you Novelli City Quays for turning a wee catch-up with a GF into a really glittering and sublime dining experience. Read less
jedieivy
10/17/20181st time visitors We finally got the chance for our first visit to Novelli at City Quays on a lovely Belfast afternoon.We had a meeting in the nearby Cathedral Quarter and decided to try out the latest hotel... Read more in the Belfast area.Very pleasant greeting from the staff on entry and shown to a table with lovely views over the lagan river and onwards to Titanic Belfast. We both chose from the Prix Fixe menu and i have to say the Monkfish was perfectly cooked and accompanied by spinach/chickpeas/saffron rice, lovely combination. My colleague had the Rotisserie Chicken and past comment on how succulent the meal was.We both had the Novelli Baked Tarte Tatin to finish, wasn't disappointed!!The staff were very attentive but not "in your face". We had a couple of drinks outside afterwards and will definitely be back again soon. Read less
kitchey16
6/16/2018Perfect for families Myself and 6 others dined here on Monday night and found the whole experience to be wonderful. I had family visiting from Texas including my 2yr old niece. We were greeted by a very welcoming... Read more host and as my partner and I were the first to arrive we were invited to have drinks at the bar while we waited on the others to arrive. This gave us an opportunity to have a look at the fantastic wines and cocktails on offer. I opted for a glass of Malbec (a must try) whilst my partner sampled the signature gin. I can only assume this was to her liking as she refused to let me try any of it!When we were seated we were given 2 menus to chose from as well as a very well thought out kids menu. Although the Christmas menu looked amazing we all went for a la carte. If you come here the scallops are a must try and the venison I was served was possibly the best I have tasted. Another plus was the kids starter veg platter. It was presented in such a way that my niece didn't even think twice about devouring the lot. Desserts were also fabulous and thankfully we all went for something different so I could sample the lot! The food and the service were second to none and I look forward to returning again soon!Thank you Novelli's for the perfect end to a family visit. Read less
Jay2217
12/20/2018 -
Great food and super friendly service! For a hotel-restaurant the atmosphere is very nice. And combined with the food served and service delivered, I only can score this restaurant with the maximum 5 points!
KingRoi
3/05/2019Fabulous local ingredients cooked to perfection with attentive, friendly service I was lucky enough to visit the restaurant on Friday 15th feb with my husband after winning a st valentines meal for 2. We were shown to our favourite table with great views and... Read more served by Stefani, who was very knowledgeable about the food and drinks. I find service is always fabulous from all members of staff who are all very professional and approachable making each visit a pleasure and one of the reasons I choose to visit Novellis. A beautiful menu it really was difficult to choose what to order,we opted for the Artichoke veloute with porcine mushrooms & as I’m a huge fan of JC’’s French onion soup I was delighted that it was on a par with it, perfectly seasoned and delicious. My husband chose the tarte fine of aubergine, tomato, courgette & celeriac with an olive & pest pistou. Presentation was beautiful and it was thoroughly enjoyed. We chose a lovely chateaubriand served with mushrooms, vine tomatoes, twice cooked chips with peppercorn sauce for both of us. Served on a wooden board for us to share it’s hard to resist quality beef from Peter Hannan cooked to perfection it was melt in the mouth. With not much room for dessert I chose the caramelised pear & white chocolate galette with popcorn cream, very light and beautifully presented with my husband opting for a cheeseboard, again, great cheeses served with fruit, local cheese biscuits & chutney. We had a couple of glasses of Prosecco and I thoroughly enjoyed a couple of cocktails too! Looking forward to our next visit as the ambiance, friendly staff combined with quality ingredients cooked to perfection makes each visit a pleasure Read less
JJGUY
2/19/2019Good food and services Came here on an afternoon for lunch. It was a pleasant experience with good service staff and good service. Shoutout to Billy for being very accommodating and making our experience better.
DeanOy92
2/25/2019 -
Fantastic dinner with an even better view My boyfriend and I came here for a celebratory dinner and I was so impressed by the staff and the food! The staff was so friendly and made sure everything was up to a perfect... Read more standard. And the food tasted absolutely divine!(my boyfriend agrees!) We will definitely be coming back! Read less
Maryann K
4/29/2018first visit Staff were lovely and engaged in conversation, Stefania served our table and could not have done more, she was great and very attentive. Slight mix up with our drink order which didn't bother us, the... Read more staff went above and beyond to rectify it. Food was all delicious, steak was cooked perfectly - medium rare. good portions sizes, not too big or small. Good value for money for the standard of produce used, will be back! Read less
Rachael R
7/22/2018A Waterfront Wow! Sun was shining, Belfast was buzzing for the "Big Weekend" so we decided to head down to the shorefront where it was "all happening". Very often in restaurants - there is a trade off -... Read more you either get the view you want or the food you want, but Novelli was to blow this theory out the water! Big warm welcome smiles on arrival - smiling with the eyes as well as the mouths. We were shown to our table overlooking the river, where we watched the world go by, people walking dogs, roller skating or pushing prams. Contemporary, light, airy surroundings added to the evening. The staff were attentive without pestering and nothing was too much trouble. They were knowledgeable about the menu, eager to talk about the ingredients and confident in their recommendations. Wines were good also.We had an aperatif, three courses with different wines, followed by coffee. The menu was to die for - a hybrid of traditional firm favourites with a twist (French Onion soup, with fennel, served with one giant crouton as a lid over the bowl). For my main course I had Lamb Tagine with couscous - so good! The desserts were works of art - if you could hold off from eating them for long enough to look at them! We did not feel rushed or pressured to order at any stage. It was a magical evening. Read less
Sara B
6/04/2018