The Old Forge Cafe - Antrim

This charming little restaurant is full of character and offers a wide selection of homemade hot dishes as well as scones and tray bakes.

This little coffee shop has one of the best lemon drizzle I ever had. Pretty place, quiet with nice food.

On the outside, this looks a nice little place. We had come to Randalstown to eat elsewhere but after parking nearby, we thought we 'd try what looked to be a little cosy cafe. First impressions through the door were that the internal decor doesn 't match the outside. The look and layout was bland with very little food on display in the awkward, over sized, almost fort like counter. Once seated, there was noticeably no atmosphere, no music, no buzz about the place, just awkward silence. Our order was taken within minutes, no other waiting customers (should 've read the warning signs! and the food arrived after around 15 minutes or so. I had ordered an afternoon fry and my daughter had requested chips and goujons. My fry arrived warm but that 's the end of my compliments. A 6 piece fry shouldn 't cost £7.50. The beans were the cheapest of the cheap, the sausages were very poor quality and my 14 chips (that 's being generous had a strange after taste. Goodness knows how old the oil was. I was almost embarrassed at what my daughter was served for £5.50 4 tiny goujons, like chicken dipper size, and 9 chips. She 's 6 years old and rarely eats a full plate, but she had no problem emptying an already sparsely covered plate. To add insult to injury, my tea was charged on top of the £7.50 fry so all in all, over £15 for something that amounted to a very low quality snack. There wasn 't a 'was everything ok ' whilst taking my card, as I may have just let them know that no, this was one of the poorest cafe experiences in recent memory. Obviously the locals have voted with their feet and when back in Randalstown, we 'll be going elsewhere.

Hubby and I found this place when we visited Randalstown on a whim. I am so glad we did! They had the best leek and potato soup! Very filling. The people working there were super friendly. I highly recommend The Old Forge for their relaxed atmosphere and great food.

We didn't even notice that the guy had taken the signs inside and was closing up , we were too intent on getting something to eat ! We were nevertheless given a warm welcome and served tasty food . Lovely surroundings and excellent customer service . No hesitation in recommending .