Balloo House

Originally a coaching house dating back to the late 1600’s, Balloo House is nestled in the County Down countryside near the shores of Strangford Lough. It is a beautiful country pub and restaurant that successfully combines history, tradition and comfort with a forward thinking attitude and passion for excellence in food.

In recent years, Balloo’s achievements have brought much recognition. In January 2008, Balloo was announced as one of the Bridgestone Guide’s Top 100 Restaurants in Ireland. This follows a year littered with critical acclaim. In 2007 Balloo won the prestigious Northern Ireland Tourist Board Hospitality Award which recognises excellence in food and customer service. Later in the year Balloo was the only establishment from Northern Ireland short listed for the Georgina Campbell’s Irish Pub of the Year Award, and the year ended with Balloo being honoured by the Irish News as one of its Top 5 Restaurants in Northern Ireland.

Head Chef, Danny Millar (previously Head Chef at Cayenne), describes the food as a modern interpretation of classic European cooking and uses only the finest, locally sourced ingredients, organic produce where possible.

There are two different dining options at Balloo. The downstairs Bistro is the main, more casual offering with an extensive and varied menu. It also boasts a fantastic specials board that change daily with offerings such as fresh fish, venison, rack of lamb, and other hearty classics that are perfect for the country house kitchen setting. The upstairs restaurant is a more intimate and luxurious dining area, with a menu that allows the kitchen team to show off the full extent of their talents. It is proving a very popular dining destination and the size of the restaurant limits availability at weekends, so booking in advance is essential.

**Highly Commended, Taste of Northern Ireland category, NI Tourism Awards 2009**

Opening Hours:

Bistro: (downstairs) from 12 noon – 9pm daily (8.30pm Sun & Mon)
Restaurant: (upstairs) 6pm – 9.30pm Tuesday – Saturday