Three Belfast restaurants retain Michelin star status for 2023

Three popular Belfast restaurants have retained their Michelin star status for another year.

This comes as the ever-prestigious Michelin Guide 2023 announced new stars for restaurants across the UK and Ireland.

These stars are given to restaurants judged to be of a particularly high standard, with one, two or three-star gradings being awarded.

No new Northern Ireland eateries were awarded stars this year, but three of Belfast’s top-notch restaurants retained their one-star award status for 2023: Deanes Eipic on Howard Street (which has retained its Michelin star for the sixth year), The Muddler’s Club, tucked away between Waring Street and Exchange Place in the historic back streets of Cathedral Quarter, and OX on Oxford Street.

Deanes Eipic describes its menu as full of “subtle flavours created using predominantly local, seasonal produce of the finest quality, delicately prepared and perfectly presented”.

It’s head chef Alex Greene from Dundrum in Co Down began working at Deane’s in 2007 and from there went on to work in Petrus by Gordon Ramsay, Claridge’s by Gordon Ramsay and The Cliff House in Ardmore, all Michelin starred establishments.

He has been heading up Deanes EIPIC for the past five years, “delivering the freshest and most seasonal produce cooked to perfection”.

The Muddler’s Club was named after the secret society that met there over 200 years ago.

It boasts of a “menu based on meticulously prepared but simple dishes, a focused wine list and extensive, innovative cocktail list” and calls itself a “restaurant [that] writes its own rules”.

The open kitchen provides a "sense of theatre and allows the diner to watch as ingredients are transformed into meticulously simple dishes in front of them”.

OX, meanwhile, is “committed to developing close relationships with local suppliers, menus are designed around the best available seasonal produce.

“As a result, each dish leaving the kitchen is thoughtfully designed so every element on the plate has an integral role in showcasing the best of today’s larder.”

Overlooking the River Lagan, it was opened in March 2013 by two long standing friends, passionate about their craft, each with a desire to bring something new to the Belfast restaurant scene and so combined forces.

The website reveals that “Belfast-born Stephen and Brittany native Alain met in Paris. They honed their skills working in various influential and inspirational restaurants , developed their talents and percolated ideas to put into practice against the backdrop of their own relaxed riverside restaurant.”

Well established Belfast chef Michael Deane of Deanes Eipic was also one of five people to receive a special award at the launch of the 2023 Michelin Guide.

Michael was named 'Chef Mentor' of the year for being a "true figurehead" in the industry.

The judges said: "Michael Deane is never one to stand still, as his group of varied restaurants would testify.

"Many of the chefs who have passed through his kitchen owe him a debt for the skills, the values and the professionalism that he instilled in them.

"His name is synonymous with quality restaurants and he is a true figurehead in the industry."

Last week, Edo on Upper Queen’s Street and the Waterman Restaurant in the modish Cathedral Quarter were each awarded a Bib Gourmand by the Michelin Guide.