Kombu Ramen and Bao Bar

This new ramen and bao bar (Japanese restaurant) held their official launch on 10 July 2025, and opened the following day - just in time to provide new tastes to Galway Arts Festival visitors.

They're located at the bottom of Druid's Lane, next door to the Druid Theatre, in the space that was most-recently home to Éan - and long-time residents may remember as Cactus Jacks.

Developed by local-celebrity chef JP Mahon and Gabriel Hoefling Ossani, Kombu is both just around the corner and half-a-world away from his long-standing Spanish tapas restaurant Cava Bodega. And it draws on experiences with seaweed and more in JP's Michelin-starred Aniar restaurant.

The aim in this restaurant is to provide a casual-dining experience with great flavours. The tone is set by the bold paintings of local artist Tracey O’Callaghan, juxtaposed with the solid stone walls of Druid and warm wooden furniture, There's also some outdoor seating at the bottom of the lane, which is great on a a sunny day.

The menu is inspired by Japanese street food offering a fusion of Asian influences and Irish produce. Mains include ramen, teriyaki, tempura, and rice-dishes including beef cheek teriyaki, smoked eel, and katsu chicken curry. Small plates include furikake fries with kepie mayonnaise, scallions and milled nori, miso soup with mussels and sea lettuce, tuna kobujime, Oysters with ponzu, wakame and trout roe, scallop toast, and katsusando (pork sandwich). There's also a selection of bao buns with savoury (pork belly, maitake mushroom, chicken, crab) and sweet dessert options.