We’ve been to Tony Roma’s in Belfast a few times, situated on University Road, it’s pretty famous for its ribs, but you can also get chicken, seafood, steak and much more. The whole theme is American without being too kitsch and the restaurant has a nice atmosphere with big booths and more intimate tables spread across two floors.
We arrived at the restaurant at about 6.45pm and with such a large group of us (10 plus a baby), were informed that there would be at least a 25 – 30 minute wait. So we waited at the bar and within fifteen minutes, a couple of different members of staff reassured us that we wouldn’t be waiting much longer. In the end they actually moved some of the tables to accommodate us and even though we were sitting down after 7pm, we were assured that we could still order off the early bird menu if we wanted.We got an onion loaf for the table (as you do), which is basically a loaf made out of onion rings and is amazing, and we also got their boneless buffalo bites to start. The buffalo sauce is just the right amount of tangy and comes with a blue cheese dip. We also got the bites but with a Carolina Honey sauce and ranch dip, which I’d highly recommend, the Carolina Honey sauce is delicious and not sickly at all.
For the main course, the order of the day was obviously ribs…alongside the early bird menu, they also had an endless slab deal (available on Mondays), which was all you can eat ribs for £17.95, which most of the group indulged in. Considering the fact that a full rack of ribs was £19.95, this was definitely a good deal, plus, each time you get a new rack of ribs you can change the sauce, which makes this all the better. I got the rib sampler, which was four mini racks of ribs, each with a different signature sauce: Original, Carolina Honey, Blue Ridge Smokies and Red Hot. This also came with two sides, and I chose fries (which still have the skin on them, keeping them rustic) and onion rings – the perfect accompaniment. The meal was fantastic, the ribs were delicious and the staff were extremely attentive. They even have free refills on their soft drinks!
Over all, Tony Romas is a great place for a meal out, their food is consistently good and the service is just what you’d want (a shout out to our server Orla, who really looked after us). We even went home with enough leftovers to feed us all the next night, so it’s definitely good value for money.
