Where To Eat, Drink, & Experience Culture In Belfast, By Craic Magazine’s James Robinson 

Service95 sits down with James Robinson, editor of Craic magazine, to discover the origins of his journalistic love letter to Northern Ireland, his full-circle career moment and what’s still to come. Below, Robinson also shares insider tips to the best spots in Belfast – one to bookmark for your next visit... 

I first met James Robinson amid the frenetic launch party for issue two of his indie magazine, Craic – an image-based publication offering a fresh perspective on Northern Irish identity. With a crowd spilling out the entrance of Peckham’s Velocity Press in south London, Robinson appeared simultaneously overwhelmed and in his element at the centre of it all, bouncing from handshake to hug to magazine sale. Caught in the throng, I barely managed to bag a mag, a packet of Tayto crisps and exchange a quick hello before leaving him to revel in the well-deserved success of the night.

Sitting opposite him outside a Shoreditch coffee shop a few months later, the image-maker, stylist and art director is cooler*, calmer and more collected. (*Notably so, thanks to the dark-lensed sunglasses he casually whips out mid interview). But Robinson’s self-assured presence is understandable given the trajectory he’s on. Two years in, he’s just earned himself a coveted spot on the Dazed100 list – an annual curation by Dazed magazine, featuring the next gen of global creatives and innovators. 

Why? Well, Craic is more than a magazine; it’s a love letter to Northern Ireland and a project that’s fast becoming a vibrant archive of contemporary Irish culture. Birthed during his final year of uni in 2021, it came about as a response to the young creative’s frustrations around negative depictions of Ireland in the news at the time. “After Brexit and the pandemic, a lot of old tensions resurfaced,” he says. Headlines were dominated by images of riots, bus burnings, and tense political negotiations.

“I remember thinking it would be cool to do a magazine that completely focused on the good parts of Northern Ireland – all the culture and the arts,” he recalls.

Flipping the script on the one-dimensional portrayals in the mainstream media, the result is a magazine that feels celebratory. From reclaimed religious iconography to drag queens, rave culture and roosters running wild – through the lens of photography and fashion, each issue paints a modern portrait of heritage and creativity, interrogating what it means to be Northern Irish today.  

For Robinson, the answer to this question is simple: “To be Northern Irish is to be proud of where you’re from. That, and good craic, of course – that’s part of my identity.”

It’s this pride and humour that forms the DNA of the aptly titled publication. Featuring work from fellow Northern Irish photographers and artists, including Gareth Sweeney, Billie-Jane Stringer and Shannon Ritchie, Robinson’s accompanying interviews balance thoughtful explorations of growing up in a post-conflict society with essential insights into the very cornerstone of Irish culture – including the best flavour of Tayto crisps.

The 25-year-old’s ability to capture the essence of modern Northern Ireland has caught the attention of many. One standout moment was his meeting with Jonathan Anderson, the Northern Irish designer and visionary behind JW Anderson.  

“That was crazy,” he admits. “When I was in [school], me and my friends used to look at his collections and think, ‘No one in Northern Ireland is doing anything like this.’ To meet him years later in Paris and have him buy a couple of copies of Craic was such a full-circle moment.”

Robinson’s own creative vision draws from artists who capture raw, unfiltered vignettes of life. He speaks passionately about Doug DuBois’s My Last Day At Seventeen, a photographic series that depicts coming-of-age in Ireland with striking authenticity. “The photographs in that book are incredible – moments you wouldn’t see unless you were there,” he says. This inspiration shines through in Craic, where the pages celebrate the fleeting moments of small-town Northern Irish existence.

His new issue, Coming & Going, sees Robinson continue to memorialise these snapshots in time, as he attempts to piece together a deeply personal puzzle of coming-of-age. Mixing archival family photos from an expired roll of film found in his garage, with portraits taken over the past couple of years, issue three is a poignant tapestry of his journey so far.  

With this now under his belt and talk of other projects in the works, Robinson shows no signs of slowing down. It’s clear he’s got something special: the eye of an artist, the voice of a storyteller and a gravitas that belies his 25 years. Where will he go next? The only certainty is that he’s going places – and taking Northern Ireland along for the ride. Oh, and his favourite Taytos flavour? Smoky bacon, of course. Sponsorship still pending...

James Robinson’s Insider Guide To Belfast

The Best Pubs To Enjoy A Guinness In Belfast 

1. The Sunflower Bar – A great beer garden, with pizza & Beamish on tap. There’s live music seven nights a week and it’s one of the only bars in Belfast that has kept artifacts from the Troubles intact.
2. Kelly’s Cellars – For homemade Irish stew and the best Guinness in Belfast. You can’t miss it.
3. Bittles Bar – Always a great choice.
4. White’s Tavern – One of the oldest taverns in the city. It has a dedicated Guinness bar and a cosy spot in the winter.

Where To Find The Best Coffee In Belfast 

1. Neighbourhood Cafe – Really nice artisan coffee.
2. Kaffe-O – A Scandinavian cafe with a Belfast twist. Good Danish pastries. Good Danish coffee.
3. Established Coffee – Good spot in the Cathedral Quarter.
4. Output Espresso – Or anywhere on Lisburn Road!

Where To Go For A Casual Bite To Eat In Belfast 

1. Wing It – In Botanic/Boneyard, a street food vendor selling crispy chicken wings. Try the Buffalo wings.
2. Boojum – Ireland’s answer to burritos. Boojum is a big deal in Northern Ireland. If I’m going out for lunch with friends, we’d all get a Boojum and go sit in Botanic Park, in the centre of Belfast. The best combo.
3. General Merchants – A great lunch or brunch spot, bougie but casual.
4. Cuban Sandwich Factory – Grilled Cuban sandwiches. Get the classic Cubano.
5. Flout Pizza – Stone-fired pizzas in East Belfast.
6. The deli section at Centra (essentially the Irish equivalent of Londis) – The deli sections are huge, triple the size of the ones you find in London. The best thing to get are the ham and cheese jambons, they’re like 69p.
7. Sawers – Very good sandwiches.

The Best Restaurants In Belfast For Fine Dining 

1. Zen – For East Asian cuisine.
2. Ginza Kitchen – Sushi and bao buns on the Lisburn Road. The Lisburn Road itself is a great recc, there’s a whole stretch of cafes and restaurants along it.
3. Jumon Dream’s – Try the classic jumon ramen.
4. Yugo – Amazing seafood plates and sushi. You can sit along the counter and watch the chefs cooking. Also good for vegan options.

The Best Nightlife Spots In Belfast 

1. Ulster Sports Club – The No.1 Friday night spot. It used to be an old working men’s club and there’s a strange juxtaposition to dance on the sticky floors of old committee meeting rooms. It hosts a really good monthly queer night called Ponyhawke.
2. Lavery’s – There’s a massive pool hall here. Upstairs, it turns into a club at the weekend.
3. For live music (especially live Irish music) – Go to The Points in Botanic or The Harp Bar.

Where To Stay In Belfast 

1. George Best’s home – The footballer grew up in East Belfast and you can now go stay in his family home, which is quite cool. The house itself has stayed the same since the 1960s.
2. Titanic Hotel – For the best views of the city, right by the docks where the Titanic was built.
3. Grand Central Hotel – Classy hotel and central location.

The Best Spots To Work, Hang Out Or Read A Book In Belfast 

1. MAC Gallery – Modern contemporary art gallery and a great spot for working in the afternoons.
2. Belfast City Library – One of the oldest libraries in Ireland. It has a big collection of Irish history and photography books. A very chill spot.
3. Botanic Gardens – Top-tier spot for having lunch or reading a book.
4. Common Market – A street food market in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter.

Where To Experience Northern Irish Culture In Belfast 

1. AVA Festival – Held every May/June, it’s hands down the best electronic music festival in the UK. The crowd is always great craic – it has a Boiler Room stage too.
2. Ulster Museum – A great place to go if you want to see some interesting exhibits about Irish culture. It has a really good archive about the history of the Troubles and various memorabilia from Derry Girls. I always find myself there when I’m in the city.
3. Murals – There are loads dotted across the city. The Peace Wall in particular is really interesting to go to – it’s a long wall of murals and every single week there are new ones popping up. At the moment, there’s a whole wall of Palestine murals. All the way back to the 1970s, Belfast has had murals in support of other countries. It’s like a diary throughout history. Other recommendations are the Bobby Sands, George Best and East Belfast murals. You can do a mural taxi tour, too, if you’re not local.
4. Belfast Exposed – A contemporary photography gallery with free exhibitions. It has a great bookshop and it’s a Craic mag stockist, too 😉

The Best Shops & Record Stores In Belfast 

1. Never Never – Top-notch spot to pick up streetwear.
2. Mryne Store – My favourite designer vintage shop, just outside Belfast in Newry. It’s got a really well curated selection. If you’re after an Irish slogan tee or a Guinness jumper, go here.
3. Sound Advice – Located in an old trading centre called Banana Block in east Belfast, it has a great selection of vinyls and music-related books.
4. No Alibis – A bookstore; a good spot for finding fiction.

Ella Marlow-Gilks is Social Media Manager at Service95