First of its kind high street food hall opens in Belfast following £1.2m investment and creating 60 new jobs

A brand-new concept eatery, Foodies has launched in Belfast amid a £1.2 million investment, creating 60 new jobs in the process.

Following a major revamp of the former Danske Bank on the Lisburn Road, this new establishment houses four new culinary options under one roof. This 180-seater restaurant features a unique food hall concept and is poised to take Belfast by storm.

Working with Northern Ireland based interior and fitout company, M B Contracts, the south Belfast space has been given a new lease of life, incorporating a mixture of modern design elements with an urban chic finish.

The space has been entirely reconfigured to ensure efficiency is at the forefront of Foodies whilst not comprising on aesthetics. An ‘outside in’ vibe has been created for the large unit featuring a wide range of colours, mixed with vibrant lighting and textures, resulting in a completely unique look for this new Lisburn Road food concept.

Foodies features four distinctive food brands; Fireaway Pizza, Loranzo Coffee, Peperi.co and Wok&Go, all in one vibrant location. Fireaway Pizza will be the most recognisable outlet within Foodies, having won the Rising Star Pizza Chain of the Year at the 2021 PAPA Awards. The company has grown since first launching in London in 2016, now having 142 stores in Europe including stores in Northern Ireland, and as far as the Netherlands.

Foodies Asian food offering comes from the Wok&Go brand with its dynamic noodle bar, specialising in healthy, nutritious Asian-fusion noodles cooked to order in minutes. Wok&Go has branches in England and Wales, with this outlet being its first foray into the Northern Ireland food scene.

Foodies also features two new brands, Loranzo Coffee and Peperi.co. Loranzo Coffee is a fresh sandwich bar which opens for breakfast serving wraps, traybakes, sweet treats, smoothies and bubble tea with over 21 flavours to choose from. Peperi.co is ideal for those customers looking something fiery with unique Peri Peri Chicken served in a choice of burgers, burritos, tacos, wraps and more.

Patrick Kennedy, operations manager, said: “We are delighted to finally be opening Foodies Belfast, having utilised our time to research and develop this concept to cater to the needs of the people of Belfast and beyond.

"Belfast has seen an influx of new restaurants in recent years, but we wanted to offer up something unique. Our new focus is on swift service without sacrificing the flavour and quality of the food on offer. Our customers could order a wrap, a burger or even a pizza and be presented with their order moments later. There are so many tantalising and mouth-watering choices, all under one roof!

“We’ve seen a great response from customers since opening our doors. There are plans to expand the food hall concept beyond Lisburn Road and Belfast in the future. Watch this space.”

Foodies is open 7 days a week from 8am until 11pm and can be found at 353 Lisburn Road, Belfast.