A new coffee shop and deli in Galway is certainly living up to its name as WYLDE brings a vibrant splash of colour to the heart of the city.
The latest business added to the Connacht Hospitality Group, WYLDE is a high end coffee shop and deli located in the heart of the city, next to and joined with the stylish HYDE Hotel.
With a focus on healthy, sustainable, and convenient food offerings, whether eating in or picking something up at the store shop to enjoy at home, WYLDE is becoming the perfect place to enjoy some of the best artisan food from the west of Ireland.
The menu for WYLDE is still expanding and changing, with its ranges of signature sandwiches, flatbreads, and of course the ever popular Acai Bowl, a sweet and healthy treat.
Eveanna Ryan, Marketing Manager of the Connacht Hospitality Group, says that a big part of their approach to creating the menu for the deli and retail section at WYLDE has been to “showcase local producers, and tell the story of Galway” through their food.
Keeping tourists particularly in mind, WYLDE sources its food and ingredients from local and artisan producers in Galway, and up and down the Wild Atlantic Way.
Just some of the artisan food and ingredients that have gone into making the food at WYLDE include the famed Aran Islands Goats’ Cheese, Achill Sea Salt, and baked goods from The Foods of Athenry.
More food items, and the local producers behind them, are being added to the menu as WYLDE experiments with new additions such as chutneys and pesto.
“It’s artisan producers, its local produce, and it’s a nod to the Wild Atlantic Way. So we have three pillars which are: sustainable, local, and healthy, and that’s really our core focus,” Eveanna said
One of the most popular dishes at WYLDE is the Acai Bowl, a delicious offering that lets people choose their mix of fruits, nuts, berries and more, all over a base of Acai berry syrup.
Of course, you can’t have a coffee shop without coffee. WYLDE is the latest CHG location to feature The Dock coffee shop, and its premium small lot Eighty9 coffee from JJ Darboven.
Eveanna explains that “We have our own brew, with eight different blends, and then we also do the Nitro Brew. We’ll be the only place in Galway with Nitro Cold Brew Coffee.”
This cold brew coffee has been infused with nitrogen gas to create a smoother, less bitter drink than regular coffee. WYLDE’s Nitro Brew is “almost like a Guinness” Eveanna says, “a really cold, creamy coffee.”
An important selling point of WYLDE is that much of what you can get fresh at the deli will also be available at the retail side of the business. If you find something that you like, when dropping in for lunch, there’s a good chance its on the shelves for you to bring home.
Along with many of their chocolates, sandwiches, and baked goods, the shop also sells raw juices, their HYDE water brand, and other healthy drinks, which come packaged in fully compostable cartons.
A Green Oasis
Located in the former tourist information office on Forster Street, Wylde draws the eye with its colourful and inviting appearance.
The glass fronted building allows people passing by a clear view of the deli and retail space, turning the entire business into its own advertisement.
But easily the most visually striking aspect of Wylde is the live wall on its exterior, vibrant greenery covering it from ground to ceiling in a manner that you’d expect to see in a jungle rather than a city.
“Visually it’s very pretty, and it lifts the side of the building to have such a green highlight,” Eveanna explains, adding that this is something they have made a feature across the CHG, incorporating greenery into the Connacht Hotel and An Púcán’s beer garden as well.
“It plays into our nature and sustainability theme, that you always feel that you’re in a very natural environment.”
Wylde has only been open a few weeks now, but Eveanna says that they have been pleasantly surprised by the level of footfall so far, which has mostly come naturally.
Word of mouth has helped to bring people in, and of course, it would be hard for the café not to catch your eye walking down the street.
Renovating the former tourist information office into a stylish modern coffee shop was a project undertaken during the COVID lockdown, Eveanna explains, as well as creating a new private dining and music venue JEKYLL located between it and the HYDE restaurant.
The idea was to create an open design, where each space lets you see into the next, as they naturally flow together.
“The whole idea is that you could have your dinner in HYDE, flow into JEKYLL for some live music, and you can get your coffee the following morning at WYLDE.”
There are many ideas for how WYLDE could continue to develop, Eveanna says, such a creating a cheese and wine bar offering for evening diners, but they are focused on remaining flexible to the needs of customers.
sponsored by the Connacht Hospitality Group.
