Fontana

Fontana occupies a first-floor room above a kitchenware shop on Holywood's High Street, reached by a staircase from the street. Colleen Bennett, who trained under Michelin-starred chef Paul Rankin, has run the kitchen for over a decade, continuing a Mediterranean-leaning menu that has traded in the town for more than 25 years. Dishes centre on local fish and lobster, 28-day dry-aged Irish steaks, and vegetarian and vegan options, backed by a wine list that has drawn separate recognition. The restaurant held a Michelin Bib Gourmand until 2019 and continues to appear in the Michelin Guide's standard listings, with a 2023 relisting. Ards and North Down's food hygiene inspectors rated the premises in August 2024, confirming it remains open and trading. Fontana operates as a single independent site with no other branches under the same name, distinct from a separate café, Bennetts, run by the same owner on the Belmont Road. Regulars return for the kitchen's consistency and the room's unfussy dining rather than any recent reinvention.