Crannagh Bistro - Coleraine

I know the crannagh has now changed hands and the permanent staff there are another company now. My wedding was one of the last one by the arbutus catering. I was so happy with the service we received from arbutus catering. Barry and his team are fantastic, cannot recommend them enough to people. Denise was the lead for our wedding and she was amazing, replied promptly to all enquiries and was a warm, friendly personality. Our guests thought all the staff were fantastic and hard working. The barman was kept busy all day but he was always smiling and joking with my friends and family. The food was spectacular, our trio of starters were amazing and guests were brave enough to try the salted chilli squid and said they would definitely order that again when out. Totally changed their minds on seafood. We had a bbq for the main and platters were carried to the tables. Guests had the choice of chicken, steak, burgers, pork fillets, chicken drumsticks or hallomi and various side salads. The food was to such a high standard and guests loved it. My farming family were definitely well fed. We finished it with a dessert of peanut butter cookies and ice-cream which was perfect for a hot summer day. The staff were very professional and kept the day ticking over smoothly. I could not fault it at all. The evening food of bbq pork sliders and chicken goujons with chip cones went down a treat! The crannagh is a gorgeous venue for a laid back relaxed wedding. We were able to put our own stamp on it with our decor. The views of the river bann are stunning. It made for gorgeous pictures at the golden hour. Cannot recommend this venue and the catering enough to people.

Obviously under new management. Had to send a cup back as it was clearly not clean, soup was cold and tasteless. No apology for either issue. My mother in law used the disabled toilet, which has an insecure seat, flushing suggests that main soil pipe is possibly blocked. Generally this used to be a bright vibrant place, it is well on its way to greasy spoon status. Suggest you get a grip before the business fails.

Very friendly helpful service, coffee and Tea were both of good quality as was the scone and cream. We will definitely be back as we have been here before and found similar. Some other coffee stops at Whitepark Bay are always out of scones although their coffee is very nice but not much point in a coffee and nothing to eat with it. The Crannagh always have a good selection of scones. An improvement suggestion would be to carry Sweeteners for Diabetics.

A very sub-standard 3-course meal. The one star is only for the goats cheese starter. The mushroom risotto main was an over cooked plate of mushy rice and some mushrooms, with no flavour whatsoever. I’d have gotten a nicer brownie from a supermarket own brand range. Service was appalling. Hospitality is a tough business but a smile costs nothing. Drinks selection was very limited. To finish, we were seated in a marquee/conservatory area. The drapes from the ceiling were mouldy. This place is in a great location but they do nothing to make it a great place to eat.

Usually a visit to the Crannagh for an ‘Ulster Fry’ is one of the highlights of my visits home to N.I. I recently visited for the first time in 18 months (due to lockdowns) . What a disappointment! I requested no black pudding but asked if I might substitute it for mushrooms or baked beans instead. They said they had neither baked beans are part of their children’s menu. The sausages were thin and watery, the fried egg was massively over cooked. No choice of fried or scrambled egg and £2.70 for a small glass of orange juice from concentrate. At £8 for the breakfast I felt it was very poor value for money.