Bar One

In 2022, Bar One turns 20.
If you have been a regular customer ever since Mark Cadden and his team got the doors of Bar One open in Castlebar, then those two decades will be marked by happy memories of great cooking, great drinks, and the top-flight work of a tireless team who are never not striving to better their best. Bar One defines the modern Irish gastropub, because they never rest on their laurels. Every day is a new chance to try a new drink, experiment with a new dish, explore the chance to cook something delicious from a new local supplier, pop open a new style of wine, or sample a new craft beer. This ceaseless continual improvement also means channeling the energy of their artisan suppliers, and seeking inspiration from the riches of the County Mayo larder, so there might be Errigal Bay scallops with celeriac purée on the menu, to be enjoyed with a glass of Mescan ale, or Carolan’s Irish beef burger with Aran Islands goat's cheese.
But twenty years is merely the latest iteration of the profound impact that the Cadden family have had on the fabric of Mayo hospitality. That history began in 1978, when the family opened The Asgard, in Westport, followed in 1999 by Zest, in Castlebar. So Mark and his team have almost half a century of the most genuine, sincere and creative hospitality under their belts. It’s a mighty, mighty achievement, and isn’t it well worthy of the Hall of Fame award, at Mayo's Person Of The Year ceremony. Just saying.

Photocredit: Julia Dunin: www.juliadunin.com