Ramore Restaurants’ Harbour Bistro fish and chips(Image: Niall Deeney / Belfast Live)There’s been a lot of talk this week about the prices at a restaurant group in Portrush during the week of The Open golf championship.
Ramore Restaurants, with its scenic location overlooking the Harbour in Portrush, admitted it made a “mistake” with a sharp hike in food and drink prices ahead of the prestigious golf tournament. The restaurant group said it had listened to customer feedback and will “revise and adjust”.
In the meantime, we at Belfast Live decided it was worth popping in for a visit to see exactly what a £25 fish supper looks like.
And it turns out, it looks a lot like a normal fish supper. I visited the Harbour Bistro on Tuesday afternoon with a table booked for 3pm, opening time for the venue.
With well over a quarter-of-a-million visitors expected for The Open, and unsure about possible parking difficulties, I arrived early in the expectation I might have a long walk ahead of me. In the event, I was lucky enough to snag a space at the public car park at the harbour.
Ramore Restaurants’ Harbour Bar and Harbour Bistro in Portrush on Tuesday afternoon(Image: Niall Deeney / Belfast Live)
Ramore Restaurants in Portrush(Image: Niall Deeney / Belfast Live)I spent some time soaking up the atmosphere and there was a steady flow of people in and out of the adjacent Harbour Bar, clutching plastic glasses outside the pub. All seemed in good spirits on the Tuesday afternoon as I snapped a few photographs while waiting for the opening of the Bistro.
I asked a group of punters how much the pints cost, and one shouted “six quid” only to be corrected by another gentleman shouting “no, seven”.
There were two blue flags bearing The Open logo flying at the front of the building on a pleasant afternoon.
Once it was time to get my table, I was greeted warmly and led to my table.
The interior was inviting, with rustic wooden surfaces throughout. It was warmly lit, with a wood burning grill beside the kitchen adding to the atmosphere. A friendly member of staff, without prompting, left a bottle of water and a glass with ice at my table as soon as I was shown to my seat. Rotissery chickens dripped juices as they slowly turned and my mouth was already watering before I’d even had a chance to study the menu.
There’s been a lot of talk about the prices this week, but it’s really worth having a look here for yourself. This isn’t AI generated or a mock-up done for a laugh on social media. This is the menu I was handed in the Harbour Bistro on Tuesday afternoon.
Now, when I was handed my receipt it was £24.95. The menu said £26.95 for fish and chips. I suspect they hadn’t time to reprint menus after Monday’s uproar on social media so reductions were taken at the till by the servers. Taking that into account that’s a new cheaper price on the meal – a revised down difference of £2.
Harbour Bistro menu on July 15, 2025(Image: Niall Deeney / Belfast Live)Order taken, I didn’t have to wait long for my dinner to arrive. The battered fish was served with a generous helping of mushy peas in a gravy boat, a slice of lemon and some tartare sauce. The batter was crispy, the fish well cooked and flaky, and the chips exactly what you might find in your local chip shop. My only complaint is the chips were a little meagre in portion, but this feels like nit-picking.
On the food itself, I’ve little complaint. It was fairly standard fayre, but both cooked and presented well. Having postponed lunch for the purposes of this review, I wasted little time in cleaning my plate.
The quality of the fish supper wasn’t bad at all(Image: Niall Deeney / Belfast Live)But for £25 you’re having a laugh. I can feed a family of five, albeit mine are quite young, for aroundn that at my local chip shop. When I walk out of Mister C’s on the Crescent Link in the Waterside in Derry, if I spend £25 I’m walking out with my arms full – carrying pizza, burgers, chicken, and big bags of chips. The next time I buy a fish supper, I certainly won’t be paying £25.
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