Harvest Market - Belfast

Looking through my photos, it was actually the image of St. George’s Deli Kitchen “Irish stew” that got my feelings of wanderlust going again. Of course, it’s not that the stew was particularly mind-blowing; rather, it was more of what it represented: The ability to travel beyond borders, through airports, on planes, to explore other places and cultures without the worry of contracting COVID. Indeed, that was only six months ago, but it feels like so much longer. But enough philosophical reflection. This café-style eatery, located in Belfast City Airport, carries a little bit of history – and I’m not talking about the vague references to the world-famous St. George’s Market; instead, I’m referring to its life as an eatery. Beginning life as the Harvest Market, the establishment was re-branded sometime in 2017 as “St. George’s Deli Kitchen,” obviously drawing inspiration from the aforementioned St. George’s Market. Interestingly, this re-branding did catch the ire of many folks who traded and worked at the actual St. George’s Market, if only because, according to the Belfast Telegraph, the Market’s fresh produce “will not necessarily feature on the menu.” I do feel this is a valid criticism because if you’re promoting or drawing inspiration from a world-famous Market then, naturally, some of what you sell should come from there – not just propaganda photos. But then, maybe things have changed since this place opened and some ingredients/goods do come from the Market? In any event, St. George’s Deli Kitchen is modern and spacious, especially for an airport restaurant. It contains a variety of seating options – everything from your typical café-style seating, small booth seating , and plush leather chairs similar to what you might see in, say, a bachelors pad. The lighting fixtures are also attractive and help to give the space a smart, clean look. I especially enjoyed the large floor-to-ceiling windows, which allowed me to watch Flybe (RIP and Aer Lingus bumble about like busy worker bees. When it came to food, as noted, I decided to order the traditional Irish stew. I wanted to avoid the typical burgers and fries type deal get a small taste of Ireland. Now, when I ordered, I was fully aware that the stew probably wasn’t going to be the best representation of the dish, but at least it would be a start. It certainly looked the part and, when it came to flavours, I was pleasantly surprised. The stew was flavourful; the carrots, potatoes and lamb were tender, and the broth made for excellent dipping with the bread. In many ways, the dish reminded me of a beef stew my grandparents used to make. In short, the Irish stew far exceeded my (low expectations. FOOD: 4/5 SERVICE: 4/5 VALUE: 4/5 RECOMMENDATION: Because of my experience, I was fairly surprised when I logged on to TripAdvisor and saw that 44/65 reviews for this restaurant were rated as either “poor” or “terrible,” representing just over 67% of the total. Maybe other items on the menu are sub-par, or maybe I just got lucky? Regardless, I found St. George’s Deli Kitchen to be a decent place to eat . . . not that there’s much choice in BHD ; PS: If you found this review helpful in any way please consider hitting the helpful button!

There aren't many places available for a lunch or meal at Belfast City airport, so we managed to grab a couple of baked goods from the Harvest Market while we waited for our flight. Overall, the baked good items were large, and tasted fine...they all worked for us as we waiting for our flight.

No wonder I couldn’t find this restaurant on Tripadvisor! Harvest or St George’s or whatever you want to call it -avoid ! This was vile ! Burnt yucky tasting sausages, odd powdery mash (texture like couscous) and gravy with gloops in. Not nice

This place needs a good make over, not the decor but the staff. Cooks can't cook and there is too many staff behind the counters. Fried eggs that have been made dear knows how long ago are like plastic and the rest of the food is sub standard. The prices that are charged is outrageous for this very poor quality food. Bring your own sandwiches etc rather than eat at this place.

After vowing never to eat here again after giving it the benefit of the doubt on 3 previous occasions in recent years I thought it was worth a visit after a revamp. WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! Best part of Southern Fried Chicken burger was the salt and vinegar. Words fail me!!