2021 has undoubtedly been a year like no other for hospitality, businesses have battled through a year of closures, lockdowns, and restrictions (and are continuing to do so).
Launching a business is never easy, but launching a hospitality business during one of the most difficult periods for the industry has to be commended. We have collected our top new hospitality businesses that have opened up in the most tumultuous of years:
10. Six by Nico Dublin
Slipping into 2021 by the skin of its teeth is a restaurant that’s already established itself firmly across the water. Starting out in Glasgow, the restaurant has an interesting approach to food, creating a six-course tasting menu every six weeks. Taking over a nice chunk of Dublin real estate on Molesworth Place, Six by Nico have hit the ground running with their current tasting menu centering around chipper food (for a full review of it click the link).
You can find Six by Nico Dublin in 1 Molesworth Place for more information visit their Instagram page.
9. Los Chicanos Taqueria
When the distinctive blue truck rocked up to the streets of Dublin 8 on the last week of June, it was with the ease of a business that always knew they were going to hit the ground running. Focusing on authentic Mexican food gave Los Chicanos Taqueria a bit of an edge in what was then an oversaturated food truck scene. Scott Holder is the man behind the wheel and the chopping board. Holder has a background working in Dublin’s The Winding Stair and L’Ecrivain with stints at Searsucker in San Diego State Bird Provisions in San Francisco and Momofuku Seiōbo in Sydney. The food is probably as authentic as you are likely to get in the city right now, the team truly excels at the simpler things like their street corn (pictured below) and their corn soft serve.
Check out their Instagram to see where Los Chicanos Taqueria will be popping up next.
7. Ciao Cannoli
Few food trucks have hit the pavements of Dublin with such a distinctive bang as Ciao Cannoli. Its USP is selling simple, fresh cannolis served up a couple of different ways. Its brand is distinctly Italian, headed up by Federico Riezzo, director of the event specialist Catch Events and self-proclaimed “Cannolo Campione”. Turns out Dubliners can’t get enough of these cylindrical sweets, as Ciao Cannoli has expanded into a brick and mortar set up in Coppinger Row.
You can find Ciao Cannoli on 1 Coppinger Row, for more information visit the Instagram.
6. Puck Burger
Puck Burger opened the shutters of their light blue food truck at the end of April. The team kept things simple with a menu of four burgers, fries with dips, and coffees. But the burgers really caught everyone’s attention, because they looked straight out of the kitchens of an Americana movie (pink ladies jacket sadly not included on the menu).
You can find Puck Burger in Malahide Marina for more information visit their Instagram.
5. Lennan’s Yard
Fitting into 2021 by the skin of its teeth, Lennan’s Yard has made a strong impact despite being in business for a mere few weeks. Set in an old coach house, it’s accessed through the old 260-year-old archway off Dawson Street, which makes for a quirky and intriguing entrance. The plates are the level of lux you expect for that part of town, but with a nice seasonal and local use of ingredients.
You can find Lennan’s Yard on Dawson Street for more info visit the Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CW37R7NF5ZA/
4. Hawker
Opened in June 2021, Hawker was a flash of fun and colour at the tail end of a pretty abysmal time for everyone. The food stall that operates out of the front window of Hang Dai, opened with a fun and light-hearted food and drink menu (often handwritten on one side of a brown takeaway packet). The team headed up by ex-777 chef Adam Dunn creates some seriously adventurous specials using often overlooked stuff like frogs legs (pictured below), duck hearts, and cheeseburgers wrapped into spring rolls.
You can find Hawker on Camden Street for more information visit the Instagram.
3. Library St
Perhaps one of 2021’s most anticipated openers, Library St snuck in at the last minute, opening the doors of its Setanta Place spot in November. Headed up by former Allta chef Kevin Burke, the restaurant is designed for sharing (Joey and Smithy would not approve). It’s a concise menu, packed with seasonal Irish produce, which gives the more humble of vegetables the spotlight for a bit. Book it now and thank your future self later.
You can find Library St on Setanta Place for more information visit the Instagram.
2. Table Wine
The good folks behind Meet Me in the Morning have done a bit of chopping and changing over the last while, changing the name to “The Morning” and converting the cafe into a takeaway coffee spot. The space to the left of the Pleasants Street spot has been converted into Table Wine, a restaurant with an emphasis on yes, you guessed it wine. It’s an intimate spot with a menu that feels like an extension of the quality and earthiness that was once demonstrated on the brunch plates of Meet Me in the Morning. Opened late in 2021, there’s little doubt that Table Wine will become one of the buzziest spots to eat at in 2022.
You can find Table Wine at Pleasants Street for more information visit the Instagram account.
1. tír deli
You might remember this spot from before the panny d, when it was home to Cocu the go-to spot for health-conscious suits. Late April this year it was replaced by tír deli, which is first and foremost a sandwich spot, but not just any old sandwich spot. The team at tír deli is fanatical about their ingredients, they keep them hyperlocal and a little bit off the wall (this Christmas they have a spruce mayo). The menu rotates with the seasons, the ingredients are smoked, fermented, or pickled in-house where possible. Sometimes with such experimentation and fixation, the taste can be sacrificed but nothing is sacrificed here, the output of tír is second to none.
You can find tír deli on Baggot Street Upper, for more info visit the Instagram account.
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