Centra Donegal Square West

One of the few places that sell «Jones» soft drinks. Can be busy but several tills. Hot food/​Dehli avaiable.

This Centra has recently been refurbished and is looking much, much better than it used to. It’s super busy however, which can occasionally mean queues.
Nonetheless it’s getting a full 5 star rating from me because of the new look interior as I really like the purple-​pink and blue-​green colour scheme. Also this Centra serves one veggie/​vegan hot meal option per day over the in-​store food counter.
I tried the veggie homemade stew today and it was delicious. Great value too at only £4.00 for a meal deal consisting of a 500ml drink and huge tub of stew. I’m completely impressed as it was pure scrumptiousness in a tub! As few convenience stores offer vegan food it’s fabulous to see one which does. Would highly recommend.

I have been in a lot of centra stores unfortunately had the most awful encounter today with an extremely rude girl in the donegal square west branch. I asked a man in the queue if i could go next just to buy a bottle of water as I was in blind hurry he was okay with it. Rude assistant refused to serve me saying that it isn’t allowed to jump the queue even though i had correct change and man again said it was okay. She then proceeded to make a loud announcement about not bunking the queue and how she would serve me this time but not to do it again. I politely asked for my change and that i would go elsewhere and was horrified to nearly getting the cash thrown at me. No customer service nor manners rude. Lost a lot of service due extremely rude this girl.

New look Centra and it’s a big improvement!

It’s been a while since I worked in city centre and the Centra used to be a quick reliable stop for a nice fresh chicken tikka sandwich at lunch. My only problem was that it was tired and dated and a little dingy inside, trying to compete with a multitude of other retailers and café’s that were fresher and in the same walking distance.
That’s all changed as this store has had a massive refit, and I must say the change is astounding. From the outside you are greeted with a much more stylish white and silver lettering Centra sign and a glimpse through the window of a comfortable tidy little seating area. Yes I know, seats in a shop! But that all makes sense when you go inside.
The whole shop seems to have been refocused on catering to tea/​coffee/​lunch crowd of Belfast coffee culture. The whole shop is brighter and airier and is finished with crisp white tiling giving it the feel of a modern delicatessan. There is a service area for all your tea coffee and soup needs, and I mean all. The coffee machine itself is like something from the future.
Finally at the back they have kept the trusty deli counter, but even that’s been jigged up a bit. The whole disign is superb and if this is the future of Centra I’d say that high end retailers and the coffee shops of Belfast had better beware!

This is what you need in the city centre, especially when you can’t be annoyed going into a coffee shop to pick up a takeaway sandwich. The sandwiches are made fresh daily, or you can get one made at the deli counter if you’re a bit particular about what you like in a sandwich. A baguette with ham, smoked cheese, and tomato is always going to hit the spot more than a sandwich.
It’s always busy here but you’re never waiting long and the shop is laid out in a pretty convenient manner. There’s a hot food part in here as well and they have all sorts of quick nosh for those on the go. I always liked their ham and cheese jambons, but you’d need a few of them to fill any sort of a gap. A safer bet is the chicken curry and chips, which isn’t bad at all. It wouldn’t be the cheapest place to get a sandwich but when you’re talking about a difference of 30 or 40p, you sort of expect that for the convenience.

I must have been in this place literally hundreds of times. I used to work just next door so went in all the time to get lunch or grab a paper or just a quick snack.
The selection in the main store is ok, there is a good selection of papers and the like and you won’t be disappointed with this.
The deli is big with plenty of selection and you usually get a decent sized portion but it is a bit pricey. Expect to pay at leat £3 for a decent sized sandwich, while the quality is ok the price is just a little bit high.
The staff at the deli are great — helpful and friendly but the staff in the rest of the shop are surly and never smile when they serve you. I have worked in retail and know it is a pain but they need to put in more effort.