Location: Cookstown
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Top 5 European food in Cookstown, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Reviews on European food in Cookstown, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. Cookstown is a town and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the fourth largest town in the county and had a population of 22,838 in the 2011 Census]]. It is one of the main towns in the area of Mid-Ulster. It was founded around 1620 when the townlands in the area were leased by an English ecclesiastical lawyer, Dr. Alan Cooke, from the Archbishop of Armagh, who had been granted the lands after the Flight of the Earls during the Plantation of Ulster. It was one of the main centres of the linen industry West of the River Bann, and until 1956, the processes of flax spinning, weaving, bleaching and beetling were carried out in the town.
Things to do in Cookstown
1. District 80
Overall Ratings
4 based on 86 reviews
Reviewed By Dana M
District 80 is fabulous ! We had my sister's 50th birthday meal here. The staff were so friendly and attentive. The food was unreal with very good portions. A great selection of choices from their 4 course menu and really reasonably priced. Would highly recommend!!
2. Porto Cafe
Reviewed By Hilary C
Most enjoyable late lunch in a very unexpected place - Portuguese food served by friendly attentive staff. We asked for dish recommendations and duck rice (arroz de pato) and Francesinha were the offering. We were advised that they would take about 15 mins to prepare and they were well worth the wait. Both were delicious - the Francesinha is a traditional sandwich of steak, ham, chipolata and linguiça covered in melted cheese with a tomato and beer sauce served with tomato and beer sauce and a bowl of chips. It was delicious and filling - only for the very hungry carnivore! Decor is cafe style. Good coffee!
3. Dunleath Bistro
Quirky bistro set on the outskirts of the thriving town centre of cookstown producing everything to suit your appetite from express lunch, and hearty irish food to more delicate fine dining cuisine with daily specials and fantastic pricing all food locall
Reviewed By ANNA B
Swe were travelling to Ballybofey and stopped in Cookstown. A friend recommended the Dunleath. When we noticed it did three courses for £10.00 we thought oops maybe should have gone elsewhere. We were very pleasantly surprised. My son had garlic mushrooms as his starter and he said they were lovely. He then opted for chicken and chips which he ate with relish. (pleasure not sauce) followed by chocolate cake He was very pleased with his meal. After I informed the very pleasant waitress that I had a severe wheat and egg allergy she went to check with chef. Upon return she said that with exception of two meals on menu the chef could cook anything else to suit. I had the chicken which was really good. My granddaughter had chicken gougons and she said they were lip-smacking good. A jug of orange and our meals came to £24. I will definitely call here again when I am in that neck of the woods. Highly recommended.
4. Kitchen Restaurant, Tullylagan House Hotel
Overall Ratings
3 based on 50 reviews
Reviewed By Lizzie M
When you pull up outside the Tullylagan Country House Hotel, after the meandering drive between the main road and the quietly secreted building itself, nestled amidst several acres of lush green, tree lined and carefully manicured Tyrone countryside, you half expect a spotty teenager in a National Trust T shirt to greet you, collect your admission and begin the tour.You see, The Tullylagan Country House Hotel was originally the family home of the Greers, built in the early 19th century in the contemporary Georgian classical style of the era on the site of a previous dwelling. Many large manor houses of this era have been taken over by the National Trust and have become places of pilgrimage for tourists at a loss for how to fill the long weekend hours by learning the history of how the other half lived in previous centuries; whilst the Tullylagan has made the transition to commercial enterprise, metamorphosing into a luxury hotel and restaurant. Dining facilities at The Tullylagan are divided into 3 distinct areas: The Lobby Bar, an area in the foyer of the building, furnished and decorated in a style sympathetic to the late Georgian/early Victorian architecture of the building, in the shadow of an impressive, though not imposing wooden staircase, which leads to the accomodation on the first floor. From here you can rest in the comfort of a winged armchair, or lounge on a two seater sofa and enjoy a glass of wine or afternoon Tea. The Kitchen Restaurant is a more of a traditional dining room,located on the ground floor of the premises and catering for evening dining sessions and Sunday lunches in tastefully, yet modernly decorated surroundings:Then lastly, but by no means least is Harry's Bar. Located in a former outbuilding to the south of the main house and named after Harry Ferguson of Tractor fame who had links to the Greer family, Harry's bar serves modern Bistro style food from 6pm from Wednesday to Sunday, every week.Today's outing to the Tullylagan was precipitated by my mother's Birthday and my desire to have at least one Sunday of the month free from the burden of cooking and clearing up after Sunday lunch. I'd also heard, on the grapevine, that the Kitchen Restaurant was under the leadership of a new, antipodean chef and was curious to see what he could bring to the table? We were ushered to our table by a pleasant, well presented member of the waiting staff and given time to peruse the updated, summer Sunday lunch menu while our waiter organised our drinks. (Soft drinks for my dining companions and a large glass of a lively, unpretentious Cabernet Sauvignon for myself). Starters and mains were ordered, Thai crispy chicken for myself, goats cheese and red onion marmalade tartlets and Thai fish cakes for my dining companions. Then roast lamb, Salmon and turkey and ham, respectively, were the main event. Now, it has to be said that this was from the Sunday lunch menu NOT the evening a la carte menu and although my expectations from previous visits were high I have no allusions as to the constraints which can be placed on the end product when a kitchen attempts to balance quality with a budget. I was also acutely aware that control of the kitchen had changed hands and the coronation of a new 'king of the kitchen' can spell absolute disaster for any establishment once held in high esteem. I was wrong to be worried.Each starter was beautifully presented and expertly cooked. My only criticism being that the Thai element mentioned in the description of the crispy chicken on the menu alluded only to a sweep of sweet chilli sauce, encircling the deep fried chicken pieces and the slaw would have been more aptly described as stir fried vegetables, but it was tasty and filling. The fishcakes were gorgeous little spheres of deliciousness and the tartlets well balanced in their sweetness and acidity, perfectly complementing the robust goats cheese.The mains were perennial Sunday lunch favourites, yet the attention to detail and obvious quality of the ingredients was unmistakable. In a world where style too often triumphs over substance, it is a rare treat to experience a perfect pomme purée. No lumps or bumps but perfectly smooth, buttery bliss. The salmon even had a liberal sprinkling of samphire among its seasonal vegetables. Something pretty much unheard of outside of an expensive a la carte evening menu.Having cleaned our plates of all but a few traces of food we decided to stay the distance and finish the race with desserts and coffee. My dining companions ordered profiteroles and Elton mess whilst I gave into the temptation of the pistachio brownie. Ok, so these aren't the sorts of desserts you'll see on the menu of a Michelin starred restaurant but to dismiss the classics is to make a fatal error in judgement. Most people love a nostalgic note at the end of a meal. It's like a warm, reassuring hug from an old friend and the perfect addition to a Sunday lunch menu. If I were to be pedantic though, I'd suggest that the brownie was more of a cake slice than a squidgy, fudgey American brownie, but I am fiercely critical of restaurant brownies since I happen to make the best brownies that I, or any of my friends have ever tasted (yes, even the American friends lol). However, should the pastry chef at the Tullylagan wish to up their game I'll be happy to share the recipe (and the subsequent joy lol). Having said all of that, it was a tasty little slice of cake. I have few real complaints. After a perfect little cup of freshly brewed coffee and shaking with the caffeine jitters (I don't usually indulge in caffeinated drinks... and it shows) I settled the bill at the front desk. Three starters, three mains, three desserts, two soft drinks, two cups of coffee and a LARGE glass of delicious Cabernet Sauvignon all for £67.50. I felt like I had stolen something from them? How can anyone complain in the face of such quality AND value? Which left plenty of room for a generous tip for the thoughtful, well presented, hard working Waiting staff. My parting words to the manager were 'this was our best lunch yet', to which he replied;'Well, you'll just have to come back again soon to test that theory.'And so I will.
