Tapas, Pizza, and Service: A Winning Formula as Goodhood Takes St. Luke's by Storm
The opening phase of new St Luke’s restaurant has been a resounding success, and the excitement is just starting!In the restaurant business, certainty is hard to come by these days—if it ever truly existed. However, Goodhood seems to have found a winning formula at St Luke's Cross, offering a compelling combination of tapas and pizzas that is proving to be highly successful in the former bookies' premises.
Having opened about six weeks ago, the positive response from customers has been overwhelming. So much so, in fact, that Colin Ryan and his team have focused on delivering food rather than promoting the restaurant on social media. If you need to make a reservation—which is recommended—you can find a link, though not much else, on their Instagram.
The atmosphere was lively last Wednesday evening, with a full house enjoying the experience. Despite not having a dessert menu or a drinks licence yet, the place was buzzing.
For those wanting to enjoy a drink, there's no need to worry. Simply cross the road (carefully) to the local off-licence, pick up your favourite beer or wine, and bring it back (again, carefully!). The team at Goodhood will provide glasses and open your wine with no corkage fee. They expect to have both drinks licence and dessert options available in the near future.
Colin Ryan, from Hansum Rotisserie Chicken at the Marina Market and Paperboys Café on Tobin Street, is partnering with Ciarán O'Regan of Rita’s Pizzeria in Dublin to launch the brand-new GoodHood Pizzeria. Both are graduates of Ballymaloe Cookery School.
O'Regan is the owner of the successful Rita’s Pizzeria in Ranelagh, so you can be confident that the pizzas at GoodHood in St. Luke’s are thoroughly tested and well-crafted. I confirmed this for myself last week when I enjoyed their Diego pizza, which features a delicious combination of tomato, mozzarella, garlic, oregano, anchovies, and capers. Both my dining companion and I gave that pizza a big thumbs up!
The Diego is one of seven pizzas currently available on the menu. Other options include the Hunted Hog, Hay Pesto, and the Cheek of It.
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Diego |
To start, consider choosing from their tapas-style Sharing Plates, or select two or three to share! I highly recommend the Beef Cheek, which features slow-cooked pulled beef served with crispy potato terrine and Pecorino Romano, as well as the Beets on Goats, which includes oven-roasted beetroot with blackberries, goat’s cheese, and chive oil.
Don’t forget to check out their short list of sides; my top tip is to try their chips!
A large pizza oven serves as the centrepiece of the compact restaurant, drawing your attention even as you approach the premises. Upon entering, you’ll notice a striking black and white photograph depicting children dressed up, presumably, for a local festival many years ago, captured as they crossed the road just outside Goodhood.
The photo shows the old Toll Booth at St Luke's, marked by a large Woodbine cigarette sign. Built around 1880, it was owned by the Corporation of Cork and leased to the highest bidder to collect tolls on goods and livestock entering the city - an early example of a private/public partnership. It was one of several toll booths in Cork. Tolls were abolished in 1927, and now we have parking fees instead!
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Toll Booth |
Parking is often a challenge around the cross, but it doesn't seem to affect the local food and drink businesses, such as O’Keefe’s Good Food shop, St. Luke's Wine Tavern, and Cork Coffee Roasters café, among others. The cross is becoming quite a hub for food and drink, and you can find delicious German-style bread from Ryes and Shine outside Henchy’s every Wednesday from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM.
The businesses are also collaborating; a recent example is Goodhood supplying the popular Henchy Bar with their delicious pizzas! St. Luke’s is increasingly becoming the place to be!
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