One of Belfast’s leading restaurants, James Street South has built a great reputation on creative, modern Irish cuisine. With exposed brick walls and an industrial-chic vibe, the place may look unpretentious, but the food is outstanding—dishes such Dundrum crab with a bisque reduction, Guinness-cured salmon, local beef sirloin with a cheddar cheese crust, or cod with pickled rhubarb and smoked buttered leeks. Splurge on the “Taste of Ulster” tasting menu (£50 for four courses, £55 with paired wines).