4 Best Restaurants in Northern Ireland

Starting life as a street food truck, PNP is now a full-service restaurant (with a liquor license) but is still serving up its authentic street-food dishes such as Legenderry, Veganderry, and Jalapeno burgers. Long bare bulbs hang over rough-hewn tables made with thick wooden scaffold planks and 1960s reclaimed school chairs. The kopa oven spits, sizzles, and confers a distinctive smoky barbecue flavor to marinated grass-fed wagyu steak, fish kofta, or pork chop with sides of potato rancheros, tortillas, or salad. Squid, masa chicken, baja fish, and cauliflower all come under the tacos menu wrapped up in the best of local produce in what is possibly Derry's coolest spot.

“Say nothin' till ye see Claude," was a famous old Derry saying in the days when Claude Wilton, a solicitor and civil rights campaigner represented all classes and creeds. Although he died in 2008, his name lives on T-shirts in this central, bike-theme café. Chicken is used in a dozen different ways from cajun and chili to tikka. Meal deals are great value while paninis are extremely popular with customers and you can also make up your own tortilla wrap or try one of their baked potatoes with a salad filling, accompanied by a specialty tea or freshly roasted Segafredo Italian coffee. Bikes and jerseys hang on the wall; those on two wheels are even encouraged to drop by and receive some air in their tires.

While you're enjoying your coffee, log on to one of their computers or just browse a copy of the Derry Journal, a paper that has been reporting the news for 250 years and is the essence of the city.

If you feel like a treat, several dozen colorful flavors of ice cream including chocolate, honeycomb, mint, and Ferrero Rocher are available at Joe Jackon's bustling city center café. Belgian waffles, crepes, muffins, apple tart, and other snacks are served during the day along with shakes, smoothies, or sundaes such as the Shoeless Joe or MoJoe.

Lavazza Italian coffee comes with a free mini cone.