It’s rare to see such excitement around the opening of a takeaway in Dublin, but in the case of Hawker it seems more than justified.
Co-designed with sound system creator and furniture maker Toby Hatchett, the little sister to Hang Dai offers a gorgeous takeaway menu featuring a host of modern Chinese-inspired dishes and incredible cocktails to go.
Owner Will Dempsey says the fare is essentially “restaurant quality Chinese-inspired food available via delivery and collection.” He tells us that they originally opened a version of Hawker as a takeaway during lockdown, when Hang Dai was closed, and it ended up being incredibly popular.
“It kept our staff busy and engaged, and got some great reviews. When everything reopened we just couldn’t do both, but we knew we’d love to revisit the Hawker idea again with its own standalone location, and we finally found the perfect space close by. We went and took one look, and knew we’d found Hawker’s home.”
Featuring a series of smart takes on street food classics such as dim sum, wok dishes, dumplings and more, the new venture has been described as ‘a love letter from Will and the team to the talents of street vendors, inspired by Hong Kong.’
Choose from Grandma’s red-braised short ribs, Sichuan Kung Po Chicken with Crispy Chicken Skin, and tantalising wok-fried Singapore Noodles packed with prawn, beef and chilli. Dumpling lovers will find pork, morel mushroom and prawn har gau, while the legendary Hawker Spice box and family meal deals are also there for the taking.
And did we mention the takeaway cocktails, including the richly-layered Hong Kong Old Fashioned, spiked with sherry and Chinese teas?
Truly, madly, deeply… a love letter loaded with flavour. Orders here.
Words: Martina Murray
