Established by one Sarah McHenry in 1861 as a small pub, this landmark business in the centre of Ballycastle was by taken over by Phillip and Gemma McHenry in 2000 and they have since developed it to become the extensive food and entertainment complex that it is today - and it\'s very much a family business, with their children Nichola, Aaron, Cara and Michael also involved.
While a large, modern bar and restaurant may not be the most obvious destination for food lovers, this one should surprise you - the Central Wine Bar is a Taste of Ulster member and their talented head chef, Ciaran Sansome, heads up a keen kitchen team who are committed to using local and Irish ingredients.
Menus change seasonally and they are carefully planned to offer something for everyone. Steaks and steakburgers from McKay Family Butchers just a few doors away top the bill, and they also provide the main ingredients for many of the mid range crowd pleasers like the rump steak sandwich, the special house lasagne and sausages of the day.
Some dishes, such as an beautifully presented and extremely tasty Smoked chicken Waldorf salad, are available in two sizes, and - although there\'s also plenty of choice for those who enjoy international flavours - visitors will be especially pleased to see that there is always a traditional Irish dish of the day.
A section of the menu is given over to local fish dishes (such as delicious herb crusted salmon with garlic & wine cream sauce, summer greens and champ) and another offers a good choice of vegetarian dishes - regulars travel here especially for their famous Superfood Salad...
And, if space allows, there\'s a house dessert with a real Northern Irish flavour too - made up of a trio of Glastry Farm Ice Creams (from Kircubbin, Co Down) served with a berry compote and wafer biscuits, Central\'s Signature Slider is hard to resist.
As well as serving very good food, friendly and obliging service is a big part of the reason for the Central\'s popularity as a dining venue - and they have craft beers on offer, as well as cocktails (of course) and a well selected wine list.
All round, this is a great venue, and a real asset to the town.
