James St.

Name: James St.
Address: 19-21 James Street South, Belfast, United Kingdom, BT2 7GA
Telephone: 028 9560 0700
Price range: £26 to £40
Rating: 4.5

4.5 (367)

£26 to £40

Steakhouse

19-21 James Street South, Belfast, BT2 7GA

Make a reservation

2 people

Jun 14, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 4 times today

About this restaurant

Hot spot
Good for special occasions
Charming

James St is a casual and contemporary, brick-walled restaurant specialising in chargrilled and aged steaks. The charcoal grill plays centre stage, cooking not just some of the best steaks and prime cuts Northern Ireland has to offer but also fresh whole fish, pork and vegetables.

With a larger, more established bar area, a large range of wines are available alongside a considered spirit list and an extensive whisky offering. Locally produced beer, cider and gins take pride of place on the drinks menu.

Owned by Niall McKenna since 2003 the revamped James St. will offer locals and tourists a great dining experience in a Belfast city centre.

The restaurant team is headed up by Ryan Stringer as Executive Head Chef & Paul Vaughan as Operations Manager

Bookings may be seated on stools at the bar.

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Elegant
Price
£26 to £40
Cuisines
Steakhouse, European, Irish
Hours of operation
Mon, Wed, Thu 5:00 pm–9:30 pm Fri, Sat 1:00 pm–9:30 pm Sun 1:00 pm–8:00 pm
Phone number
028 9560 0700
Website
http://www.jamesst.co.uk/
Payment options
AMEX, JCB, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive chef
Ryan Stringer
Private party facilities
The Restaurant has a 1st floor private dining room for up to 40 guests for business or pleasure. Guests dine from a fixed price set menu to suit your tastes and budget and be accompanied with a selection of wines to suit your palate and matched with the menu. Drinks receptions are also available for celebratory events and weddings.

Location
19-21 James Street South, Belfast, BT2 7GA
Neighborhood
Belfast
Cross street
Brunswick Street, Bedford Street & Howard Street
Parking details
There is pay and display on street parking located outside the restaurant. The nearest secure parking would be at the Europa Bus station car park.
Public transit
Located within walking distance of Europa Bus & Train stations and main Belfast hotels the Grand Central, The Europa, The Fitzwilliam, Durys and The Maldron. We are also within walking distance from Belfast attractions of The City Hall, The Crown Bar and the Grand Opera House.Bookings may be seated on stools at the bar
Additional
Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Private Room, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 367 people are saying

James St. reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.5

4.5 based on recent ratings

4.5Food
4.6Service
4.2Ambience
4.1Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

Northern Ireland
Good for business meals
Northern Ireland
Good for groups
Northern Ireland
Hot spot
Northern Ireland
Neighborhood gem
Northern Ireland
Romantic
Northern Ireland
Vegetarian-friendly
Belfast/Antrim
Good for business meals
Belfast/Antrim
Good for groups
Belfast/Antrim
Healthy
Belfast/Antrim
Hot spot
Belfast/Antrim
Neighborhood gem
Belfast/Antrim
Romantic
Belfast/Antrim
Vegetarian-friendly

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

James St. boasts "delicious food" and "attentive staff," creating a "lovely atmosphere." Though some diners noted issues with steak and service, many praised the "excellent" culinary offerings and welcoming environment. Ideal for last-minute bookings, it's a "top-class restaurant" known for its "spectacular" dishes and vibrant city center vibe.

367 Reviews

E
Ed
New York City1 review
4.0
Dined on May 26, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 3
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
My only problem was the steak was grizzly ! The service was great.
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J
John
Northern Ireland1 review
3.0
Dined on May 19, 2025
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
Ordered sparkling water which was flat, asked the waiter to change it which did but second bottle was worse than the first. I ordered my starter from the “sharing menu” what I received wasn’t enough for one, quite pathetic actually, my guests and I laughed. When the main course arrived my dish wasn’t what I ordered. They offered politely to change it but my guests would have been finished by the time my food arrived so I just ate it. The steak tasted fine but for the price the plate was very sparse I.e. nothing else but a small dish of overcooked chips. They did adjust the bill but I was entertaining a customer and would have preferred a good experience This was my first time here but I don’t think I would go back. Over priced and underwhelming.
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C
Caitriona
New York City5 reviews
4.0
Dined on May 3, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Delicious food, lovely atmosphere and attentive waiting staff. Got a last minute booking on a busy weekend so very pleased with ourselves
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F
Fiona
Deactivated - Mayo2 reviews
5.0
Dined on March 8, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Excellent. I phoned to say we would be late and when we did arrive we were made very welcome. The service was excellent, very attentive. The food was delicious. All the staff were vert gracious.
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RC
RebeccaC
Northern Ireland3 reviews
5.0
Dined on March 1, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Staff were very friendly and went above and beyond. Food and drinks were delicious
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L
Louise VIP
Northern Ireland8 reviews
5.0
Dined on February 27, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Ate from the pre-theatre menu. Sirloin steak was tender and well seasoned, with no extra supplement payable! Cod was quite a substantial portion and the dark chocolate & blood orange dessert did not disappoint. Very “morish!” Service was great. Good evening and will be back.
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J
Jane
Northern Ireland1 review
1.0
Dined on February 14, 2025
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 1
The whole experience and booking was horrendous. Didn't actually eat at James St South. In using OpenTable to make the booking for a Valentine's dinner, we were deemed to be in excess to what the "restaurant" could accommodate at a normal low-level dining room table and were offered stool seats at the bar counter. It was like a diner, no leg room and perched in front of the fully functioning bar!! Very romantic? I don't think so. We left the "restaurant" and will not be back to James St South.
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G
Grace
Northern Ireland1 review
1.0
Dined on February 14, 2025
1. Overall 1
2. Food 4
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 2
Disappointing and Unsafe Experience Our Valentine’s dinner at was a disaster. Despite informing our server that I was dairy-free, my meal still contained dairy, which I only realized because my partner had ordered the same dish. As I’m breastfeeding a baby with a severe dairy allergy, this could have been dangerous. To make things worse, I ordered a non-alcoholic beer after my first drink, but the restaurant mistakenly gave me alcohol—something the staff knew about but failed to tell me when I directly asked. This affected our ability to drive home and meant I couldn’t safely breastfeed that night. Add to this an awkward table-for-eight seating, overpriced food (£30 for a sirloin with just a spoon of spinach), and poor service, and it was a truly disappointing experience. We won’t be returning.
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O
Oisin
Dublin3 reviews
5.0
Dined on February 2, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Booked on short notice but definitely found a top class restaurant. Both of us had steak, I had the sirloin special and can confidently say it was one of the best steaks I’ve ever had. Service was top class the only reason I’ve docked a star was due to having a significant wait after ordering until we got our food. Based on the quality of food we had we quickly forgot the wait! Would 10/10 recommend to anyone when in Belfast. On the expensive side but it was definitely worth it.
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M
Michael
Northern Ireland1 review
2.0
Dined on January 31, 2025
1. Overall 2
2. Food 1
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 2
This restaurant came highly recommended. Be careful everything is not as good as the reviews we read. My steak was undercooked and my wife’s was burnt to a cinder. My wife sent her steak back and version 2 was not much better. Restaurant was very busy; seems to be the place to be but there are much better restaurants very close by; try Deanes . Very disappointed in the whole experience
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FAQs

James St. is rated 4.5 stars by 367 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

Jun 14, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 4 times today

19-21 James Street South, Belfast, BT2 7GA

Additional information

Cross street
Brunswick Street, Bedford Street & Howard Street
Neighborhood
Belfast
Hours of operation
Mon, Wed, Thu 5:00 pm–9:30 pm Fri, Sat 1:00 pm–9:30 pm Sun 1:00 pm–8:00 pm
Price
£26 to £40
Cuisines
Steakhouse, European, Irish
Dining style
Casual Elegant
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
There is pay and display on street parking located outside the restaurant. The nearest secure parking would be at the Europa Bus station car park.
Public transit
Located within walking distance of Europa Bus & Train stations and main Belfast hotels the Grand Central, The Europa, The Fitzwilliam, Durys and The Maldron. We are also within walking distance from Belfast attractions of The City Hall, The Crown Bar and the Grand Opera House.Bookings may be seated on stools at the bar
Payment options
AMEX, JCB, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Ryan Stringer
Additional
Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Private Room, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://www.jamesst.co.uk/
Phone number
028 9560 0700
Private party facilities
The Restaurant has a 1st floor private dining room for up to 40 guests for business or pleasure. Guests dine from a fixed price set menu to suit your tastes and budget and be accompanied with a selection of wines to suit your palate and matched with the menu. Drinks receptions are also available for celebratory events and weddings.

James St.

Make a reservation

About this restaurant

Additional information

Menu

What 367 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Review summary

FAQs

How is James St. restaurant rated?

Is James St. currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Additional information