Owned by the National Trust

Lovely place, great if you can get a seat in the booths, but its always so busy.. Directly opposite Great Victoria train station/Belfast’s main bus depot!

Great place, thhis pub is world class, beatiful victorian interior. I just love those snugs. Remark the mosaic crown at the doorstep. The story I have heard is the protestant wife demanded there should be a crown present in the pub. The catholic husband chose to place it at the doorstep, so you litterally step on the crown when entering the pub. The service is great, my friend and I ended up cracking jokes with bartenders, when they could see we were interested in the beers and not only to get drunk. A few nice cask northern irish beers.

(Visited on 2008-06-29) The pub is very genuine piece of architecture: both from outside and inside. At the time I visited the pub it was packed with people eating, so it was practically impossible to find a seat. They had two Whitewater cask ales and some other draught beer which weren’t interesting. Nevertheless, the place is worth a visit just for the decoration.

Architecturally this is a real gem of a pub, owned by the National Trust. CAMRA describes it as possibly the UK’s most ornate pub, and that seems pretty reasonable to me. It’s a Belfast institution, and a must-visit. Because of it’s location across the street from one of the most-bombed hotels on the planet (the Europa) it’s been through some restorations, at least one of which is still visible in the pub. Served three Whitewater ales on cask when we were there, one of which is their house ale (Crown & Glory), The other beers are of no interest. That’s about as good as it gets in Belfast. Service was friendly and attentive. No music.

Built for the inauguration of the rail service from the station opposite (which is hidden behind the Europa hotel), this classic feast of over-the-top Victoriana serves 2 cask ales from Whitewater, one a house beer. The style of the pub reminded me a lot of some of the more gaudy Edinburgh bars such as the Abbotsford and the Guildford. For lovers of trivia, the Europa hotel over the road was once the world’s most bombed hotel - apparently.

A beautiful place, indeed, but don’t expect too much in the way of beers. Balfast bitter and one more on tap - apart from the standard lagers and stout.

A wonderful place to visit if you are going to Belfast!