OX

About OX

Stephen Toman cooked at Taillevent in Paris before he brought the discipline home to a stripped-back room on Belfast's Oxford Street. OX, the restaurant he opened with Alain Kerloc'h in 2013, has held a Michelin star since 2016 and was called the best tasting menu anywhere in Ireland by the Irish Times. There is almost nothing on the walls, the menu changes with the morning's delivery, and the kitchen faces the river through a wall of glass. It is the most serious cooking in Northern Ireland.

The Kitchen

Stephen Toman runs the kitchen; Alain Kerloc'h runs the room and the cellar. The pair met cooking in France — Toman's CV runs through Taillevent in Paris — and they built OX around a single idea: a short, daily-changing tasting menu driven by Irish produce and whatever arrives that morning. The cooking is precise and seasonal rather than showy. The signature is a celeriac course that has become the kitchen's calling card — the root creamed smooth, lovage for green lift, a crisp shard of chicken skin and a frond of black truffle — a small bowl that does more than dishes twice its size.

Around it the menu turns over constantly: a veal tartare wrapped in radish, halibut in a bonito butter, whatever the boats and growers send. The five-course dinner tasting is £110; the weekday lunch is the value way in at £45 to £50. Next door, the OX Cave wine bar extends Kerloc'h's list. The star has held since 2016, and the Irish Times verdict still stands. See where it sits among the best fine dining restaurants worldwide, browse the wider Belfast dining guide, or judge it against our The 7 Signs of a Great Restaurant.

The Room

OX is deliberately bare: white walls, concrete, bentwood chairs and a wall of glass onto the Lagan, so the plates and the river are the only decoration. Sound is conversation-easy — a calm, low hum, never a roar — and the lighting is bright and daylit at lunch, softer at dinner. Tables are generously spaced for a small room, and the open kitchen anchors one end. Dress is smart-casual; this is a Michelin room without a jacket rule. Seating runs to roughly forty covers, which is why the prime nights book out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is OX Belfast worth it?

Yes — it is the most serious cooking in Northern Ireland and the best tasting menu in Ireland by the Irish Times' reckoning. A Michelin star held since 2016, a daily-changing menu driven by Irish produce, and a sommelier-owner in Alain Kerloc'h make the £110 dinner tasting a fair price for this level. Come for precise, seasonal cooking in a calm room; come wanting a big a-la-carte menu or a quick meal and you will be in the wrong place.

How hard is it to book OX Belfast?

Among the harder tables in the city. With around forty seats and a daily-changing menu, OX books out weeks ahead for weekends and any special date, so reserve early through the restaurant. The weekday lunch is the easier and cheaper way in. If dinner is full, ask about the OX Cave wine bar next door, which is more flexible for a walk-in.

What is the dress code at OX Belfast?

Smart-casual. OX is a Michelin-starred room but a relaxed one, with no jacket-and-tie requirement, so a shirt or a smart top fits the pared-back space. The crowd dresses up a little for dinner and stays casual at lunch. The room is minimalist and the focus is the food, so comfort and neatness matter more than formality.

Is OX Belfast good for a proposal?

Yes, with the right table. The calm, spare room and the river view make for an intimate dinner, and the measured pace of the tasting menu gives you the evening rather than a rushed hour. Ask quietly when booking and the team can help with timing. It is a special-occasion room — a star held since 2016 — so it carries the weight of the moment without any fuss.