MacCurtain Street Set to Become Cork's Largest Open-Air Restaurant This August
MacCurtain Street transforms into Cork's biggest shared table as 450 diners feast with 20 top chefs at sold-out VQ Shared Table on 13th August.
Cork's celebrated food street will host 450 diners at a spectacular shared table stretching from the Metropole Hotel to Gallaghers on 13th August, as the sold-out VQ Shared Table launches this year's Cork on a Fork Fest.
The ambitious culinary collaboration, now in its second year, transforms MacCurtain Street into Cork's largest open-air dining room for one unforgettable evening. Sponsored by Birra Moretti, the event brings together 20 of the city's finest chefs and over 40 front-of-house staff from the VQ area's most celebrated restaurants.
Guests will feast on curated sharing plates showcasing seasonal, local produce, paired with drinks from Birra Moretti, Maharani Gin from Rebel City Distillery, West Cork Whiskey, and wines from MacCurtain Wine Cellar. The VQ will donate €5 from each ticket sale to Cork Penny Dinners, adding a charitable element to the gastronomic celebration.
The participating venues read like a directory of Cork's culinary elite: The Glass Curtain, The Metropole Hotel, Greenes, Isaacs Restaurant, Da Mirco, Gallaghers, Paladar, The Dean, Cask, The Address, Thompson's, Moxy Cork, The Shelbourne Bar, Gabriel House, and Son of a Bun.
Leading the kitchen brigade is Chef Brian Murray from The Glass Curtain, a Cork native who returned home in 2019 after working in acclaimed kitchens worldwide. Chef Alexandre Petit, Group Executive Chef of Trigon Hotels overseeing The Metropole, brings 22 years of experience and a passion for sustainability to the collaboration.
Brazilian-born Chef Nascimento Nunes serves as Executive Chef across three participating venues: Greenes, Paladar, and Cask, whilst Chef Guilherme De Fino at Gallaghers merges his Brazilian-Italian heritage with Irish culinary traditions.
The event emphasises food sustainability, with guests encouraged to take home leftovers in provided boxes, while surplus kitchen food will be redistributed through FoodCloud.
The VQ Shared Table launches Cork on a Fork Fest, which runs from 13th to 17th August and features over 100 events across the city, including pop-up dining experiences, chef collaborations, street feasts, food trails, cooking demonstrations, and foraging walks.
Organised by Cork City Council with support from local hospitality businesses, the festival is backed by Fáilte Ireland, Pure Cork, Cork Business Association, IHF Cork Branch, MTU, and Cork Airport.
Several headline events have already sold out, with limited tickets remaining for others. Full event details and booking information are available at www.corkonaforkfest.ie.
