About Us

The Lime Tree Restaurant is located on Catherine Street within the town of Limavady. It has been established since 1996 and is owned & managed by Stanley & Maria Matthews with Stanley in the kitchen & Maria overseeing the restaurant.

We use fresh seasonal produce much which is sourced locally and combine traditional Irish dishes along with Stanley’s own individual style & recipes on our menus. We are modern in our menu approach offering a good, balanced selection of fresh fish, meat & vegetarian dishes and can cater for customers on an individual basis if they have special dietary requirements.

The dining room is intimate with a relaxed & informal atmosphere and friendly, personal & attentive service.

We cater for private parties or small groups on an individual basis. Maximum Capacity 38

Over the years the Lime Tree has won numerous awards and achieved recognition in most of the major food & travel guides along with reviews in local & national press.

Awards and Reviews

The Bridgestone Food Lovers Guide To Northern Ireland

2010                                                                                                                                                             Stanley Matthews is the local champion,a chef who champions local foods - Ian Hunter's Sirloin Steak, Malin Head Crab , local game , Atlantic fish - and alchemises the ingredients into jandsome finely wrought dishes. Their Seafood Thermidor is perhaps a signature dish , but we very much like the way Stanley cooks neglected and over looked rabbit ,prparing it as a roast saddle , or Majorcan - style stew with sherry, onions and roasted garlic. Whilst there are dishes for the more conservative palates, you really see Stanley's work at its best when he riffs on the Mediterranean influences that are close to his culinary heart.Maria manages front of house as th the manor born.

  2009                                                                                                                                                           Stanley Matthews is the Limavady local hero. As long ago as 1996, the year Stanley and Maria opened up in Limavady, a correspondent was accurately summarising the key ingredients that have made The Lime Tree a success: "friendliness, dedication and an unfailingly high standard in a frequently changing menu and an interesting wine list make each visit a wonderful gourmet experience...the lime tree is a joy." indeed it is. A modest, unpretentious place, just as you might find in provincial France, Italy or Spain, lt looks after the locals and the locals look after it. It's classic, classy cooking - the signature dish of saddle of rabbit with warm black pudding and bacon salad; rich osso buco; hunter's sirloin steak with black peppercorn sauce - and Mr Matthews wisely reads the conservative local palate by offering dishes cooked plainly. but, if you want a walk on the wilder side, then do try some of the culinary circumambulations this chef enjoys undertaking, for that superb sperrin lamb is as likely to come with moroccan spiced sauce as it is with mint sauce, and Mr Matthews shows both his flexibility and his culinary enquiry during their monthly theme evenings, which might be spanish cooking one month or new orleans the next. Friendliness, dedication and an unfailingly high standard. Yep, that's just right for the Lime Tree. 

Georgina Campbells  Best of The Best

Loyal customers come from far and wide for the pleasure of dining at Stanley and Maria Matthews' restaurant on the handsome, wide main street of this attractive town. And no wonder, as it is always a pleasant place to be, Stanley is a fine chef and Maria a welcoming and solicitous hostess. Ingredients are carefully sourced, many of them local; menus are generous, with a classical base that Stanley works on to give popular dishes a new twist. Specialities include their own home-made wheaten bread, which is the perfect accompani¬ment for a chowder of Atlantic fish & local potatoes, or Irish smoked salmon (supplied by Donegal prime Fish), with cucumber salad, while main course favourites include Sperrin lamb (with honey & rosemary) fillet or sirloin steak (from the award-winning local butcher, Hunters) and seafood thermidor (Stanley's selection of fresh fish with a mild cheese & brandy sauce. Menus are not over-extensive, but change frequently to suit different occasions - there's an attractive early dinner menu which is excep¬tional value, followed by a dressier set dinner for the main evening menu, which also has an accompanying (and more adventurous) a la carte. Stanley's cooking is refreshingly down-to-earth - new dishes are often introduced, but if it's on the menu it's because it works: there are no gimmicks. Good cooking and good value go hand in hand with warm hospitality here and it is always a pleasure to visit The Lime Tree - indeed, many discerning guests enjoy it so much that they plan journeys around a meal here. Children welcome. A concise, interesting wine list also offers predictably good value.

Michelin Guide

2010                                                                                                                                                                          Keenly run neighbour hood restaurant where a traditional exterior hides smart modern hues. Good sized menu of unfussy classical dishes with seafood a  speciality.Friendly,detailedservice. 

2009                                                                                                                                                                   Well regarded contemporary neighbourhood restaurant personally run by friendly husband and wife team. Seasonal produce often includes seafood and a Mediterranean influence.

The AA Restaurant Guide

2010                                                                                                                                                                    The Lime Tree has hit in a winning formula of down to earth atmosphere and equally unaffected cooking founded on French & Mediterranean classics that keep loyal sipporters coming back time and time again. The menus ring frequent changes and show case excellant local fish and seafood; Themed evenings might put together a Spanish menu offering pan-fried Hake with gatlic cream sauce and Majorcan style slow-roasted rabbit with sherry, onions and almonds. Otherwise Malin Head Crab Cakes with balsamic dressing are a perrennial success as is the Seafood Thermidor  2009                                                                                                                                                                    Solid neighbourhood restaurant with welcoming atmosphere. This unassuming restaurant continues to attract regulars who enjoy the consistency of the food and the friendly atmosphere. The mediterranean menu consists largely of classics with food cooked with skill and sensitivity , and good flavour combinations. Try warm caramelised onion and goats cheese tart to start,and follow with oven-baked supreme of salmon wrapped in smoked ham with a soya , honey and chilli dressing , or meat lovers might go for majorrcon beef tajine. Desserts include steamed orange marmalade sponge and custard or lemon curd cheesecake on a ginger crumb base. look out for regular theme nights that make forays into international cuisine.

Lonely Planet Guide 2010

Unfussy decor in shades of burgundy and beige softened by tea-lights makes for a relaxing atmosphere in Limavady's top eatery. The menu promotes local produce from succulent Malin Head Crab Cakes and Seafood Thermidor made with fresh fish from Donegal to Fillet Steak from award winning butcher's Hunter's, Limavady served with a Red Wine & Tarragon Sauce and includes vegetarian dishes that are a cut above the usual such as Spinach & Sun-dried Tomato Roulade with a Red Pepper Dressing. There is also an Early Bird Menu available.

The Lime Tree eas also highlighted as one of the editors pick and listed as one of the top 10 restaurants outside Belfast.

Northern Ireland Visitors Journal

This gem of a restaurant offers modern I,rish cuisine using fresh seasonal ingredients, much which is sourced locally. With several prestigious awards under their belt the Lime Tree is highly recommended by Bridgestone, Michelin and Lonely Planet among others.

Ireland’s Best Restaurant

Stanley and Maria Matthews run an efficient , homely restaurant. There’s nothing to frighten the horses here, you’ll find most of the favourites cooked competently using good quality local ingredients. The steak and pork from the award winning local butcher are particularly good and there are a number of fish options too. Menus change frequently and the early dinner special looks to stay at the exceptionally well-priced option.