Places to eat in Armagh

One of the best all-rounders in Armagh, Embers on Market Street covers a lot of food territory. Open for breakfast, lunch, coffee and dinner, it’s an excellent spot and has plenty for families and children including a play area, on-table DVD players and dedicated kids’ menus.

There are several Indian restaurants in town. One of our favourites is Armagh Indian Nights. A local institution, the Scotch Street venue specialises in authentic Balti dishes, with good-value-for-money options across the menu and friendly, attentive service.

Heading out of the town centre, Portmor Restaurant is worth the 10-minute drive from Armagh. Located in the small village of Blackwatertown, the 25-year-old restaurant is open Wednesday to Sunday for dinner and for lunch at weekends, with a diverse menu spanning burgers, surf and turf, Irish mussels and several daily specials.

The other out-of-town recommendation is Digby’s Bar & Restaurant to the west of Armagh in Killylea. The food is some of the best in county Armagh and has a strong focus on home-grown meat and vegetables, with the menu spanning Irish classics and European flavours.

If you only have time to check out one cafe in Armagh, make it the Mulberry Bistro. The Cathedral Road cafe is perfectly placed for a cup of coffee and A slice of cake after exploring St Patrick’s Cathedral, with the menu spanning breakfast, lunch and snack options.

If coffee is your thing, The Craic’d Pot Coffee House on Upper English Street is the place for you. As well as a nifty pun-inspired name, the cute and cosy wooden deliver the best range of caffeine-kicks in town, plus a winning range of breakfast, lunch and snack options.

The other town-centre favourite is Macari’s Ice Cream & Coffee Shop. Located next to Viva Bar, one of our Armagh nightlife picks, the front counter is loaded with over a dozen varieties of ice cream and more dips and sauces than you could shake a 99 at. The coffee is good, too, as is their home-made potato and soda bread if you want something more substantial.

One of the top-ranked cafes and restaurants in Armagh, The Bawn Pantry in Hamiltonsbawn is well worth the five-minute drive from the town centre, if only for the daily specials which often sell out quickly. The homely cafe and diner is one of the go-to cafes for breakfast and lunch, meaning you might have to queue for a table at busy periods. But the speciality coffees, home-made tray bakes and classic Irish breakfasts are well worth any wait.

If your idea of a good time is an endless supply of finger sandwiches, scrummy cakes and tea poured into fine china cups, make sure a trip to Bide A While is on your itinerary. The quaint tea room is located to the south-east of Armagh near Gosford Forest Park and makes for the ideal lunch or coffee stop-off.