The Hillside

Name: The Hillside
Address: 21 Main Street, Hillsborough, County Down, United Kingdom, BT26 6AE
Telephone: 028 9268 9233
Price range: £25 and under
Rating: 4.3

4.3 (854)

£25 and under

Gastro Pub

21 Main Street, Hillsborough, County Down BT26 6AE

Make a reservation

2 people

Jul 5, 2025

8:30 PM

Booked 11 times today

About this restaurant

Charming
Neighborhood gem
Good for special occasions

The Hillside is a charming, rustic pub situated in the historic Georgian village of Hillsborough, County Down, only 15 minutes drive from Belfast city centre. The Hillside first opened its doors to patrons in 1752 and has been enjoying a busy trade ever since thanks to our excellent food and drinks selection and our friendly, welcoming service. We are renowned for our roaring open fires in the winter and our pretty cobble stoned beer garden in the summer.

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
£25 and under
Cuisines
Gastro Pub, Pub, Bistro
Hours of operation
Food Served Mon–Thu 12:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 12:00 pm–9:30 pm Sun 12:00 pm–8:00 pm
Phone number
028 9268 9233
Website
http://www.hillsidehillsborough.co.uk/
Payment options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Smart Casual
Executive chef
Jonathan Doran
Private party facilities
We have functions spaces available for private dining & celebrations

Location
21 Main Street, Hillsborough, County Down BT26 6AE
Neighborhood
Hillsborough
Parking details
Public Lot
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Beer Garden, Cocktails, Dog Friendly, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Indoor Fireplace, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Vegan, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

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What 854 people are saying

The Hillside 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

4.3

4.3 based on recent ratings

4.4Food
4.2Service
4.3Ambience
4.1Value

Noise • Energetic

Loved For

Northern Ireland
Great for brunch
Northern Ireland
Neighborhood gem
Northern Ireland
Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

The Hillside offers a warm atmosphere with "fantastic food and excellent service." Delightful meals range from "delicious Sunday lunch" to "simply superb steak sandwich." While some reviews mention slow service, guests appreciate the staff's friendliness and the inviting ambience, with "lovely live music" enhancing the dining experience.

854 Reviews

j
jennifer
New York City1 review
4.0
Dined 7 days ago
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Lovely meal at the Hillside. All the food served was delicious. Victoria our waiter was attentive and chatty. Definately recommend.
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K
Karen
London1 review
3.0
Dined 7 days ago
1. Overall 3
2. Food 4
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 3
Service was extremely slow we had an event to attend and have 2 hours only managed starter and main. Food was good service poor
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D
Davy
Glasgow/Lanarkshire4 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 12, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Lovely pub, cracking food, and all served by polite and friendly staff - what more. Super you want!
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H
Hilary
Munster1 review
5.0
Dined on June 7, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great food, enthusiastic well trained staff. Would recommend and will be back.
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S
Stephen
Cambridge/Cambridgeshire1 review
5.0
Dined on June 1, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We just had soup and bread for a light lunch and it was perfect
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P
Patrick
Northern Ireland3 reviews
4.0
Dined on May 30, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
The food was wonderful and the staff did their best to make the whole occasion special for us even though they were rushed off their feet and under enormous pressure. But the whole event was really enjoyable.
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P
Patrick
Northern Ireland3 reviews
5.0
Dined on May 25, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
My wife and I were thoughtfully offered a seat in a quieter area which was helpful to my wife who has hearing difficulties. The staff were attentive and the food was truly wonderful! We have eaten there often and no doubt will return when next we're in Northern Ireland.
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T
Tania
Northern Ireland2 reviews
5.0
Dined on May 25, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
Delicious Sunday lunch , well presented and full of flavour Lovely selection of vegetables on each plate Service a little slow but we didn’t mind as lovely live music playing to create lovely atmosphere in what was a wet miserable day outside
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M
Martin
Northern Ireland3 reviews
5.0
Dined on May 21, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Simply superb steak sandwich. Perfectly cooked to order and beautifully presented.
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C
Christopher
Northern Ireland3 reviews
3.0
Dined on May 9, 2025
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 4
Extremely disappointed with what has always been my favourite restaurant in the area. Staff were inexperienced and it showed. Their attempt to be endearing at the lack of knowledge with food and drink became incredibly irritating. The young waitress did not know what the names of the dishes were when serving the food. The food itself was delicious, but had clearly been sitting for a while before being served to the table and so arrived lukewarm at best. The restaurant didn’t seem too busy and so I couldn’t even use this to give them the benefit of the doubt. I’m usually not one to complain but the whole experience was poor, especially for the special occasion that we had booked for. Will think twice before booking again.
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FAQs

The Hillside is rated 4.3 stars by 854 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a reservation

2 people

Jul 5, 2025

8:30 PM

Booked 11 times today

21 Main Street, Hillsborough, County Down BT26 6AE

Additional information

Neighborhood
Hillsborough
Hours of operation
Food Served Mon–Thu 12:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 12:00 pm–9:30 pm Sun 12:00 pm–8:00 pm
Price
£25 and under
Cuisines
Gastro Pub, Pub, Bistro
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Smart Casual
Parking details
Public Lot
Payment options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Jonathan Doran
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Beer Garden, Cocktails, Dog Friendly, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Indoor Fireplace, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Vegan, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://www.hillsidehillsborough.co.uk/
Phone number
028 9268 9233
Private party facilities
We have functions spaces available for private dining & celebrations

The Hillside

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About this restaurant

Additional information

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What 854 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Review summary

FAQs

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Is The Hillside currently accepting reservations?

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