Michelin-starred Loam in Galway closing over ‘insane’ running costs
Owners Enda McEvoy and Sinead Meacle will continue to operate Éan, their bakery, wine bar and restaurant, on Druid Lane in the city
Loam, the Michelin-starred restaurant in Galway city owned by Enda McEvoy and Sinead Meacle, will not reopen after its winter break due to what the couple have described as “insane” running costs.
In an Instagram post, McEvoy and Meacle said they had been given the opportunity to be released from their lease on Fairgreen Road in the city, and had decided “after much deliberation”, to accept the offer.
“The cost of running such a large space right now is insane and it doesn’t look like it’s going to get any easier. In the background we are working on a new project and of course our other premises, Éan, will be running as usual,” they wrote.
“Fairgreen Road, the unlikeliest of places for a restaurant, has been great to us the last eight years and we will miss being up there, but ultimately we feel this is the correct course of action for us.”
The owners paid tribute to their staff and suppliers. “You have made this adventure on the fairgreen a real rollercoaster, and each and every one of you have been essential to making Loam the fantastic place it is. We cannot thank you enough,” they said.
They also thanked their customers. “We know this restaurant is as special to a great number of you as it is to us. We thank you all for choosing to spend your special moments with us, and there will be more special moments in the future,” they wrote.
McEvoy and Meacle opened Éan, a bakery, restaurant and wine bar on Druid Lane in Galway city, in November 2020 while the country was still in lockdown.
Loam is the latest restaurant to close due to sharply-rising running costs. Tartare in Galway city was closed by its owner JP McMahon last August, while Circa and Saltwater Grocery are among the Dublin restaurants which have gone out of business in recent times.
