Business

Belfast’s Neighbourhood Café officially opens first US location in Texas

Cathedral Quarter business teams up with The Dead Rabbit and Andytown Coffee Roasters for new venture

Neighbourhood Café’s new coffee shop has now opened in Austin, Texas.
Neighbourhood Café’s new coffee shop has now opened in Austin, Texas.

Belfast brunch café and coffee shop Neighbourhood has officially opened the doors on its first American location in Austin, Texas.

The hospitality business, founded in 2021 by Oisin McEvoy and Ryan Crown, has linked up with The Dead Rabbit pub, now headed by Belfast-native Jack McGarry.

The award-winning Irish pub franchise, originally launched by Mr McGarry with fellow Belfast native Sean Muldoon, became a global sensation after it opened close to New York’s Battery Park in 2012.

The Neighbourhood duo have followed in Dead Rabbit’s footsteps by expanding their popular franchise state-side.

Both businesses are planning a series of drink and hospitality collaborations in Austin.

Keeping the Belfast theme, Neighbourhood Café Austin will be supplied by Andytown Coffee Roasters in San Francisco, founded by Belfast native Michael McCrory and Lauren Crabbe.

Oisin McEvoy described the new venture as special.

“The initial reception to the café has been so encouraging and we are looking forward to fully bedding into our new home, becoming a staple of the Austin hospitality scene, and bringing a little bit of Belfast to the people of Texas,” he said.

Neighbourhood co-founder Ryan Crown added: “The opening of a second Neighbourhood location was something we couldn’t have dreamed of when we opened our first Belfast café on Donegall Street in 2021.

“The opening of our second café in Austin is the result of three years of hard work, high standards, and prioritising the all-round experience of hospitality, from speciality drinks to top-class produce served in a warm, welcoming environment.”