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Cafe Vaudeville, Belfast
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(028) 90 439 160
25-39 Arthur Street
Belfast
BT1 4GQ
Northern Ireland
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Cafe Vaudeville reviews (28)
15/04/12
First Saturday night out in ages. Really dressed up and was looking forward to a good night and chat with my aunt, who had travelled from Cookstown. Apparently we were giving dirty looks to a group of Millies who enjoyed intimidating us into leaving. Avoid at all costs.
23/06/11
It’s not exactly cheap, but then you do get quality food, attentive staff and a great interior.
04/04/11
Was there on Saturday night. Had an excellent dinner, with the cod cooked to perfection.
Only downside (besides the slightly high price) was the live band who were there until we finished our starters. Despite being good, they were far too loud, making it impossible to talk to others at the same table.
27/10/10
Used to be excellent - but seems to be missing something lately. Needs to reinvigorate
05/09/10
Great on a Saturday early evening after a long day shopping and in need of a great coffee or a glass of fizz - cafe Vaudeville is the place!
30/08/10
Went for my birthday, around 8pm. Menu wasn’t too bad and I ordered the beef burger. Very tasty but the portions weren’t too big. My twin bro ordered the veggie pasta which came in a MASSIVE bowl with a small amount of pasta - he wasn’t too happy!
Staff were friendly and the interior is incredible.
01/08/10
Got invited to leave by a very ignorant bouncer because i bumped a table on the wannabe “dancefloor” When asked what i had done wrong he got shirty then said “f*$k off you’ve had to much to drink!!”
18/06/10
Pitched up without a booking around 6pm on a beautiful Thursday evening before heading to the Waterfront. No shortage of staff attention and shown straight to a table for two.
They had an early bird menu, which was unexpected, on which they had three starters about five mains and four sweets. Two courses were £13 and three were £16.
Given the quality of the food that we both had and the friendly service I thought that was superb value. Would definitely consider coming back with a bigger group as I think we only just scratched the surface of the place.
02/03/10
Amazing looking, decent choice of drinks. Food not so good. More of an afternoon relaxation bar for me! Can be hectic when it is packed to get a drink. Also 3 flights of stairs to get to the mens! Bloody hell. Keeps you sober!
23/02/10
Walked in without a booking around 2pm on a saturday. Had to wait less than 5 minutes for a table for 12. Immediately impressed as most restaurants would escort you to the bar and make you wait a considerable time as they pushed random tables and chairs together.
Menu was a little expensive i thought for lunch £17 for main course on average.
I had a chicken caesar salad and a side order, it came to £11… Really good value for money, portion was massive and probably the nicest caesar salad i have ever had.
We left around 3.30pm and every table was full and also people waiting at the door. I would suggest booking or getting in early!
14/02/10
The décor is more opulent and gaudy than can be described, and at 6.45pm on 13 Feb Cafe Vaudeville was already heaving. Like a grotesque caricature of Benedicts!
Having advised us of an hour wait for a table - was for a birthday rather than early Valentines Day - we ended up leaning against the bar for 40 minutes before being shown upstairs. Given the number of couples turning up, and the slow turnover of tables, they’d decided to open up a few more tables to cope. Thank you.
Upstairs was a bit quieter, away from the direct sound of the live band who were tunefully working their way through the Van Morrison songbook. At times it was still impossible to hear what was being said on the other side of the table without copious “What did you say?”
The food was tasty. Shared starter of bread and olives arrived quickly. The “Irish Angus burger, relish & gherkins served with triple cooked chips” arrived with a bap that was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside (someone’s been to Made in Belfast for ideas!) and six chunky chips in a dish sitting on a slate (rather than a plate). The burger was tasty - if a little lost in the large bap - but not as good as Belmont’s Gourmet Burger Bank on a good day.
On the other side of the table, the “Roast cod with Bombay potatoes, tomato, chilli & fennel seed dressing & confit fennel” was raved about!
Afterwards, the warm sticky toffee pudding was good, though the truffles were too rich to eat six of them.
Side portions come in at £3/50 or £4, so can be expensive. The bar crams glasses full of ice so soft drinks aren’t good value.
But overall, it wasn’t as expensive as I imagined. Two and a half courses for two people for £45.
Good food, unique setting, VERY LOUD, and not extravagently priced. And the staff were friendly and helpful.
But what is it with the guy sitting in the mens’ bathroom behind the table of aftershaves and bowl of lollypops? Weird!
10/02/10
If i could have gave this place ‘0’ stars i would have. Only for the delicious food i guess does it deserve 1 star.
Myself and my friends were there on sat evening, spent nearly £700 on food were staff waited until we had paid the bill before telling us nicely that 2 members of our party were too drunk to proceed to the Champagne Bar which we had pre-booked weeks before. Considering we had one drink order taken before our meal was ordered and this was the only drink we were offered throughout the two hours it took for the meal to be served, it was fairly obvious no member of our party was ‘too drunk’ or could have been too drunk. Especially coupled with the managers ‘suggestion’ that we could stay downstairs in Café Vaudeville and be served alcohol, yet we were too drunk to go upstairs!
In fact upon leaving Café Vaudeville we were not ‘too drunk’ to gain access to any of the subsequent establishments we went to that night.
Utterly disappointed by this place. Beautiful decor & music which should amount to a lovely experience of nightlife in the heart of Belfast. Instead pompous attitudes makes this place one to stay well clear of.
05/01/10
We went to Cafe Vaudeville for the first time on Saturday past and had a great night. The music was excellent and the crowd was equally good.
A stunning place and apart from the lack of dancefloor, I cant find fault….
Will be back
24/12/09
To be honest I’m still not sure if I like this place or not. Every one seems to get stuck up they’re own arse as soon as they walk through the door. Still, have had a few great nights out here-lost in a cave, sipping on cocktails-they do say its the company you keep not where you are though…
12/11/09
Your opinion of Cafe Vaudeville will depend entirely on what you want from the establishment. If you are looking for a drink/coffee/snack during the day or early evening then you will most likely be impressed by Vaudeville’s sumptuous interior and quirky layout. It is always a very good spot to bring visitors to the city during the day for a bite.
Now if you are looking for a venue for the evening, well you might be in trouble. Vaudeville has taken over from The Apartment for posing. There is always a queue at the weekend and the layout although fabulous when not busy does not lend itself well to a large number of revellers. It is the place where those who want to go to be seen. If you want a good night out where you can actually get to a bar and have a dance, go somewhere else because Vaudeville is not the bar for you.
25/10/09
The decor is fancy, but the seating is uncomfortable and it has a really weird layout. Having to go to two separate bars to get a pint and a cocktail, is frustrating. The lack of bar staff leads to long queues for drinks, this tends to make the night boring and frustrating. I was there for three hours and managed to get two pints.
They have a poor selection of draught beer, which was a bit of a let down for myself. They do however appear to be more cocktail orientated, of which I know little so i can’t really comment.
The staff seemed friendly enough but the crowd seemed a bit arrogant, antagonistic and consumed with their own self importance. It is nice to see somewhere in Belfast aiming to be a bit more upmarket, but sadly Cafe Vaudeville felt stiff and unfriendly.
21/10/09
Does really nice coffee and hot chocolate, and not as expensive as you would think, about the same as starbucks. Love the decor inside.
06/10/09
Food is fantastic and its a gr8 place 2 people watch Its really the place to be at the weekend if u want to get away from the student crowd can b seriously busy tho so need 2 get in early
22/09/09
Cafe Vaudeville is a wannabe poseurs heaven. The place really lacks atmosphere and does a good job of annoying punters with the in-house entertainment where the singer thinks he’s Sinatra reincarnated. My biggest gripe is how far the gents toilets are away from the bar, just go before you start your pint is my advice!
21/09/09
And a little guady, but that’s part of the appeal. It is a converted bank, and it looks like one. Rich wooden bar, tables everywhere, “bouncers” in suits.
Only problem with it is as a restraunt. The food and table service is good, and there’s a number of wee nooks thats good for more private/quiet meetings. Problem is trying to book a table, depending on who you talk to you’ll either be told that you can’t book, or that there’s no problem booking. Then you turn up and get told they don’t take bookings. Hmm…
However as a bar it works just fine. Easy to get a drink, queues are never that long, and its not as expensive as it looks like it should be from the outside.
24/03/09
I recently visited café vaudeville for the first time at the weekend and was quite surprised. I always thought that they would never let me in, being a converse wearing kinda guy. However I had no problems last Saturday, added to that the fact that I had been drinking before. The place is simply stunning inside and has endless nooks and crannies. I met up with some friends who where enjoying food, and as a former chef, I can safely say the food looked stunning.
What looked like a jazz band where packing up upon my arrival, which was a shame, as the venues sound system just doesn’t cut it. This would be my only bad point, as it almost feels like a giant hotel lobby, as it has no soul. That said I will certainly be going back here and really have no idea why it took this long to get me there. A fantastic venue, great staff and great service.
15/02/09
Really fancy place for a drink with friends! But as I like a little boogie on a night out I feel that cafe vaudeville lacks an appropriate dance floor. There is a perfect place for it right in the centre but there are tables galore on it, weird. I think they should clear them away for the dancing divas hehe
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