Three Bears

Going into the Three Bears restaurant is like going into a time warp and coming out in 1987. It doesn’t go out of its way to let you know it exists, boasting merely one small sign in an upstairs window which you can only see from the other side of the road. You have to go through an unmarked door beside the Cancer Research shop on the Ormeau Road. Then up the stairs and to the left, you’ll find the Three Bears, identified by a smattering of dusty bears in a case inside the door.
Clearly suffering a bit from damp judging by the slightly offputting mould around the windows, the Three Bears does a roaring trade at lunchtimes consisting of retirees and one or two local business men who know the secret. Skip the sandwiches and toasties which are served rattling around on the centre of a plate with no salad or sauces, and go for the pie. Baked in little individual serving dishes, there are generally a choice of two types of pie each day. Costing the bargain price of around £3, you could do a lot worse for a hot, hearty lunchtime meal.
To round things off, there are loads of homemade cakes and tray bakes which are worth a try too. A strange but interesting little place that is good value if you don’t mind the slightly unsavoury surroundings, and that most locals don’t even know exists.