The chef had received a Michelin star but customers can no longer afford to come and eat at his place. So this restaurant will have to close its doors.
Chef Michael Deane first opened Deanes EIPIC in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1997. The following year, the restaurant was awarded a Michelin star, which it lost in 2011, when it closed its doors due to flooding. He regained this distinction in 2015. But the restaurant, which has had a turbulent existence, will close at the end of the year.
After 26 years of welcoming customers, the restaurant will bow out in January due to high costs for both customers and owner. “With Brexit, Covid-19 and now the cost of living crisis, the world and my team have changed, customers have changed their criteria and so have I,” explains the Irish chef. “As people started going out to eat again, they developed an increasing sensitivity to cost that didn’t match our fine dining offering.”
The tasting menus cost 100 pounds, or around 115 euros. It’s a place that follows the classic model of fine dining common to many other Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe. However, being located in a small town, it does not have the same flow of wealthy clients as cities like London or Paris. The EIPIC team will be spread across other restaurants in the group, which includes Deanes at Queens, also in Belfast.
Located at 28-40 Howard Street in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the restaurant has long been a mainstay of the city’s dining scene, offering a menu that highlights Irish, European and British cuisines. The restaurant’s atmosphere is described as intimate yet relaxed, with an exclusive ambiance enhanced by a silver-gray color theme and an impressive wine cellar separating the dining room and lounge bar.
The chef also explained that he had informed the Michelin Guide of his decision to relaunch the concept. For 2024, a relaunch is in fact planned with a new image and “greater attention to the quality/price ratio”. “I am excited and invigorated by this opportunity to renew the business, but I must say that I am also proud of the Michelin star we have been awarded and the period in which we have been fortunate to earn it,” he added. “We have reaped the benefits it has brought to our brand.”