Dockside Dining Club will be open at Mann Island on the Pier Head in spring and will comprise food stalls and a communal dining area following a concept found in Amsterdam and Copenhagen. Tony McDonough reports
A new dining concept is coming to Liverpool’s waterfront – a multi-vendor casual dining food hall with a variety of different food stalls and a centralised, communal dining area.
The Dockside Dining Club will be open at Mann Island on the Pier Head in spring, as part of the brand new concept created in collaboration with established city operator Andy Duckworth, CBRE and RBH Properties.
Mr Duckworth, who has been responsible for a number of hospitality brands in the city over the past 25 years, said: “From Foodhallen in Amsterdam, Torvehallen in Copenhagen to Dalston Food Market in London, food halls have already seen a resurgence in recent years.
“The Pier Head presents a great opportunity for a place like this – not only serving the flourishing tourist market but the business community in the Three Graces and the business district.”
“With the huge cultural agenda for 2018 for the 10th anniversary year of the Capital of Culture too, it feels like a great time to be launching.”
Mr Duckworth is also a long-standing member of the Liverpool-based festival team, Africa Oye, and he added: “We want to hear from vendors from the city who are keen to show Liverpool for the amazing food-hub it is, and also from national restaurants who want to test out the market with a temporary pop-up in a great location.”
The Dockside Dining Club will be situated on the Strand side of the Mann Island building and neighbours the Open Eye Gallery, RIBA North Space and Avenue HQ.
Nick Huddleston at CBRE, letting agent for the scheme on behalf of the owners RBH Properties said: ’’Mann Island is now a key hub at the waterfront and Dockside Dining will add a key vibrant daytime and night time addition to the scheme but also intertwine with the thriving wider Castle Street and Albert Dock bar restaurant circuit.”
Working with local designers, the team has developed a market style layout with 10 fully-equipped units, a permanent fully-licensed bar and bench seating in between.