Latest news with #BYOB
Irish Times
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Ten restaurants in Ireland where you can save money by bringing your own bottle
As the cost of eating out rises and then rises again, it makes sense to seek extra value when remotely possible. If you like to have an alcoholic drink with your meal, one way to cut down on costs is to find a restaurant that allows you to bring your own bottle (BYOB). Some restaurants that allow you to bring your favourite wine or beer charge corkage, while some don't – they should be happy to make this clear when you're booking. Traditionally, Middle Eastern restaurants have been particularly amenable to guests bringing their own drinks because they don't serve alcohol themselves, but BYOB goes wider these days than you might imagine. Here's our guide to some of the best. Fayrouz 117 Cork Street, Dublin 8; 01-5560404, Fayrouz, Dublin. Photograph: Tom Honan The exterior of this local restaurant on Cork Street in Dublin gives away only the slightest hint of the Lebanese delights that await within. The creamiest hummus, the smokiest baba ganoush, the bejewelled fattoush salad, the perfect halloumi fries and not to forget the signature stacked chicken or lamb shawarmas. As the restaurant itself serves no alcohol, guests are welcome to bring their own and enjoy without any corkage fee. Read our review here . Hawksmoor 34 College Green, Dublin 2; 01-4854720, Hawksmoor, Dublin Take a trip to what is probably Dublin's most magnificent diningroom on Mondays and you can bring any bottle of wine, regardless of size, for a €5 corkage fee. Maybe this is the time to open and enjoy that magnum you've been keeping tucked away. For the best value, combine with Hawksmoor's excellent value pre- and post-theatre menus, available 5pm-6pm and from 8.30pm to close. Read our review here . READ MORE Fallon & Byrne Wine Cellar 11-17 Exchequer Street, Dublin 2; 01 4721010, Fallon & Byrne Wine Cellar, Dublin The cozy, intimate wine cellar underneath the Fallon & Byrne food hall is on the list of every wine lover for its excellent selection of wines by the bottle and accompanying sharing boards or classic Italian dishes. From Sunday to Tuesday, it really comes to life as guests can buy any bottle off the shelves and enjoy for just €1 corkage. Sofra 18 Liffey Street Upper, Dublin 1; 01-5586902, Sofra, Dublin This relatively new Turkish restaurant has been bringing in the crowds ever since opening. Across the street from the side entrance to Arnotts, the mangal, or charcoal grill, takes centre stage here. Don't be deceived by the small downstairs space as there is a larger room upstairs. The menu is full of Turkish classics such as warming red lentil soup, mezze, smoky kebabs and of course baklava and kunefe. No alcohol is sold but guests are welcome to bring their own free of charge. Yves @ Brother Hubbard 29A Ranela g h, Dublin 6; 01-4411112, Brother Hubbard in Ranelagh. Photograph: Tom Honan Running every Thursday to Saturday evening, Yves offers up a range of small plates, mains and other tasty French- and Spanish-influenced dishes. There's always a good selection for vegetarians and the wine and cocktail list is spot on too. However, if you want to bring something else, especially considering the excellent Redmond's off-licence is next door, corkage is just €10 per bottle. Read our review here . The Vintage Kitchen 7 Poolbeg Street, Dublin 2; 01-6798705, thevint The Vintage Kitchen, Dublin. Photograph: Bryan O'Brien Chef Sean Drugan's little spot is much loved by its regular customers and its easy to see why. It's lively and the hospitality is warm. Dishes such as roasted rack of spring lamb, open spring roll with organic smoked salmon or Drugan's signature surf and turf keep the crowds coming back. Enjoy an early week treat with corkage for €7 per bottle on Mondays and Tuesdays. M&L Cathedral Street, Dublin 1; 01-8748038, M&L on Cathedral Street, Dublin. Photograph: Bryan O'Brien If you like Sichuan food, then you'll surely know about M&L. If you don't, then it's a great spot to dip your toes into this varied and exciting Chinese cuisine. Owner Angie Wang and her team will help steer you through the classics such as fried green beans and fragrant deep-fried sea bass. A corkage charge of €7 applies if guests wish to bring their own wine. High Street Cafe 2 High Street, Galway; 091-532648, This family-owned upstairs restaurant offers a mix of traditional Moroccan dishes, Mediterranean breads, pizzas and other classics in a warm and lowkey atmosphere. Always popular with families, students and those looking for good value, guests are welcome to bring their own wine at zero corkage, subject to a minimum €15 spend per person. [ A casual bite: Irish bistros, cafes and wine bars for a laid-back meal Opens in new window ] Sultan Cafe 5 Penrose Wharf, Penrose Quay, Cork; 089-2149471, Sultan Cafe, Cork You can get your fix of Tunisian, Lebanese and Moroccan cuisine in one spot at Cork's Sultan Cafe. Along with all the expected classics, look out for dishes such as Tunisian sea bass spaghetti, mezze, spiced lamb shank or the home-made merguez sausages. The owners have a second location in Cork's Marina Market, but the original on Penrose Wharf allows guests to bring their own alcohol for a small charge. Goodhood 9 St Luke's Avenue, Summerhill, Cork; A relative newcomer in the rebel city, Goodhood is a neighbourhood spot born out of a love for pizza. The menu includes sharing plates of Ballycotton fish croquettes, crispy smoky baby potatoes and home-made gnocchi with squash and sage. An alcohol licence application is pending so guests are currently welcome to bring their own drinks free of charge to accompany the creative pizzas made in house with well-sourced ingredients. Look out too for new breakfast and lunch opening hours.
Times
28-05-2025
- Health
- Times
Forget the weights — lift with your baby instead
Across boutique fitness studios, a new concept has taken hold — BYOB, or bring your own baby. Where small humans might have once been a barrier to a proper workout (or even getting to a class at all), they are now the fitness equipment du jour. Who needs Hyrox or a Reformer when you can use a homegrown weight that smiles back? That's the idea at the Notting Hill Club (NHC), a newly opened studio. Think baby carrier workouts, parent-and-child barre and yoga classes (where those from age four can attempt a downward dog), family hip-hop sessions, and more. Classes aren't about offloading the kids to the crèche while beating out your sleepless rage on the battle ropes, but of combining routines within one sleek Scandinese-style studio. (Bathrooms also feature baby seating — a concept borrowed from the restrooms of Japan.) NHC was the obvious next step for Martina Rivers and her husband, Alexander, who also own Body Works West, the gym next door. 'Our experience as parents really shaped the vision,' she says. 'Also that of all our friends, and friends of friends — we're always looking for activities for our children to do, and it's very important for us to instil this passion for movement [within our kids], understanding how to move your body and being active from an early age.' Designed by the wellness-focused Zynk Architects, the chic setting is helping to reel in millennial parents keen to maintain the trappings of their pre-baby lives. NHC takes its inspiration from places such as Jesse's House and Jaego's House in northwest London — two of the rising number of luxury family friendly clubs across the capital with membership waiting lists that rival Annabel's or 5 Hertford Street. These enclaves, which feature milk bars, co-working spaces and a raft of soft-hued eateries, are capturing the market for whom family, work and play are now combined. Fitness is a key evolution of that: it's NCT gone luxe. Carifit (where babies are strapped on for an aerobic workout) is popular at Jesse's House. For mother of three Jess Russell, 'it has been a game-changer,' she says. 'I was in the best shape I've ever been after doing it after my third, and now I'm a busy mum of three, it's lovely to have that time just the two of us.' Also on the roster at the clubs are Mum & Baby Yoga, with the added benefit of grown-ups being able to drop sprogs off at a smoothie-making workshop afterwards. Membership at the houses — if you can get one (they are released in batches every few months, and sell out on the day) — cost from £4,000 a year for one child and one adult attending week-round. NHC offers a pay-per-session model targeted at frequent-flying Notting Hill parents, with one-off classes at £40, and around half that when signing up for a full term. Barre studio Barrecore, which has 13 UK outposts, last month launched Baby + Me, where little ones are placed on the mat as their mothers undertake a 40-minute series of low-intensity isometric holds. Baby-Wearing Barre makes them an active participant at Life by Margot in Crouch End. The Female Fitness Method in Tufnell Park has just launched a Crossfit class in which babies look on as their mums do box jumps and flip tyres, while at Busylizzy, whose studios span London and Hertfordshire, Pilates classes can involve mothers lying on their backs in pose, with their few-month-olds stationed on their shins. It's motherhood as the ultimate balancing act made flesh. 'It's about reconnecting with your body, having a moment for yourself, and not needing to choose between a workout and your baby,' suggests Laura Earnshaw, who will be leading the classes at Barrecore. Jenny Modaber was a Barry's Bootcamp and SoulCycle devotee prior to having her four-year-old, along with visiting 'every single boutique fitness class in London'. Once her daughter arrived, she and her husband — who previously worked out together — would alternate caring duties so each could attend a class, but signing up to NHC has allowed them to revert to old habits. Modaber also has a newborn, and 'the fact that babies are welcome is a huge bonus,' she says, as is the range of classes, 'which is a great selling point to me… as soon as I'm ready to get back to classes postnatally, I would be keen to try out everything they've got: yoga, barre, Pilates.' Exercising en famille is 'one less thing to think about, childcare-wise, and I think it's lovely to introduce kids [to fitness] and set an example'. Rivers hopes that NHC's youngest members will get the bug — and that their parents will work up a serious sweat. After a recent Eighties-themed family aerobic workout class, 'all the mums were telling us, 'Wow, we had a proper workout, we didn't expect that,'' she says. 'We really want to make sure that families can stay active, and have fun together.'
