Son of a Bun set to tickle Cork diners pink

A new burger restaurant is set to tickle diners pink — literally.

Husband and wife team Niall and Amanda O’Regan’s new Son of a Bun burger restaurant in Cork, which has opened in what was once one of the country’s best known music stores, is the first in Ireland to be approved by the HSE to serve its burgers pink.

“Burgers are something that we feel very passionately about — we have travelled far and wide in search of the best burger components and now we feel that we have perfected it for our restaurant,” said Niall.

“Son of a Bun signifies the dawn of a new burger too because we are the only restaurant approved by the HSE to serve burgers cooked pink because we have a clean and transparent supply chain.

“Our Aberdeen Angus beef comes from the same farm, abattoir and butcher in Bandon, and we mince that beef on site every day to make our signature burgers.”

The renovated 4,500sq ft restaurant officially opened yesterday in the former Crowley’s music store on Cork’s MacCurtain St.

It can seat 84 people and has created 20 full-time and 11 part time jobs. The O’Regans also hope to hire more people in the run-up to Christmas.

Billy and Clare Lyons, Mayfield, Cork, at the opening of Son of a Bun. The eatery can seat 84 diners and employs 31 people. Its Aberdeen Angus beef is sourced in Bandon.

Ms O’Regan said they were excited to open the restaurant in the former music store.

“This place was made famous by Rory Gallagher many years ago,” said Amanda. “It is an iconic Cork building and we are going to continue with that tradition and create an iconic Cork burger restaurant.

“Everything on our menu — our sides, fries, dips, and chips — even our desserts are all homemade and prepared fresh every day.

“We think that it is important to know that everything is carefully selected which is why our beef and chicken are sourced locally and our eggs are all free range.”

The couple established their first restaurant, Niall’s, in Bandon in 2002. They opened the Coffee Pod on Lapps Quay in Cork City centre in 2006, followed by the Coffee Pod on the city’s Winthrop St in 2007.

Son of a Bun, which is open every day from 12pm until 10pm, is the just latest of many foods venture to open on MacCurtain St recently.

Already home to two dozen cafes, bars, takeaways, and restaurants, as well as the Metropole Hotel, the one-way street recently welcomed Bad Boy’s BBQ, which opened next to Gallagher’s Pub, and which features a 1,500kg wood-burning barbecue smoker.

At the far end of the street is another barbecue outlet, the White Rabbit bar and BBQ. In between is a mix of sushi bars, chippers, pizza joints, and fish restaurants, as well as higher-end restaurants such as Greenes and Isaacs.

www.sonofabun.ie