I headed down on opening weekend – and was not disappointed
I had heard whispers and had noticed posters popping up throughout 2025 saying that a new Korean barbecue restaurant was coming to Belfast ‘soon’.
I am happy to report that ‘soon’ has arrived and BBQ22 opened its doors last week. You can find this brand new spot upstairs in, one of its sister restaurants, the Dumpling Library, in the Cathedral Quarter.
The owners of Zen, House of Zen and the Dumpling Library are to thank for this spot opening. I am a huge fan of these restaurants so I went into BBQ22 with high expectations
While this concept might be relatively new and unexplored here, it is extremely popular around the world. It allows you the chance to turn your meal into an experience. The dishes are cooked at your table, by you, and the staff will help you make sure it turns out well.
What we ordered:
Mini plates – Korean spicy sliced pork belly and ‘lava’ mashed potato salad
Sides: Egg fried rice and chips
Meat for the table top barbecue: Cocktail signature red wine boneless beef short rib and marinated chicken fillet
What we liked:
The cocktail of beef came presented in an actual cocktail shaker and the waitress added the beef along with the spices and sauces to it. This added a bit of flair to it and she proceeded to cook this for us on the grill which meant we had no work to do on this part at all.
When it was cooked, it was beautifully flavoured. I can see exactly why this was highly recommended to us by the staff.
I really enjoyed being able to cook the chicken myself next and the staff were beyond helpful and nothing was too much. They guided you along the experience without being too pushy and took genuine care in explaining how it worked.
They brought down a complementary portion of pancakes which was a pleasant surprise. I went into BBQ22 expecting high standards given the relationship to other great restaurants in the city but my expectations were surpassed. Every person that we came across honestly couldn’t do enough to make sure we had a great time here.
What we didn’t like/would change:
I will say that I didn’t love the ‘lava’ mashed potato salad and that is purely on personal preference. I just don’t think it matched up to what I had in mind when I went into it. I wouldn’t order it again.
How much it cost: £64.70
I can already see the comments that will say ‘you have to pay to cook your own food?’. It’s way more than this here and the experience itself is worth paying for but the amount of food we got for the money was great.
You also don’t have to cook it yourself, the staff will happily do this for you if you want to just sit back and watch.
Overall, I absolutely loved this place for a few different reasons. Clearly a lot of thought that has gone into creating this concept here. The food tasted great and the actual experience was a lot of fun. It’s something I will keep recommending to anyone who will listen.
I think BBQ22 is going to be a great spot for date night or a bigger group of mates who want to try something different.
In the interest of fairness and transparency, we pay for all the meals and drinks we review. This ensures that we are giving accurate and honest representations of the food and service that we receive. So, unless we state otherwise that we were invited down, we have paid for the meal ourselves and visited without the knowledge of the eatery, so you can trust our opinions aren’t skewed by a freebie.
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