Head Chef at Bierhaus, creator of sharing-style pop-up events, and self-confessed pickle addict! Alex Bourke had a great 2024, and this year is set to be even bigger.
If you've been to the Bierhaus on Henry Street (if you haven't, you must), you'll know that extensive beer offerings and bespoke cocktails are only half the story. Inside this cosy yet vibrant Westend bar is where Alex's kitchen is really creating a stir. What strikes you most is that here is a menu curated by someone who cares not just about what's on the plate, but also about the people who eat it. Behind the scenes, Alex collaborates with Bierhaus’ owner, Jack Considine, and fellow chef Santiago Amozurrutia, and it's a dynamic that continues to thrive. Food that not only tastes great but is tailored for everyone. The menu here is completely vegetarian, with gluten-free and vegan options. While their spicebag quesadilla is a dish close to Alex’s heart (especially when paired with a glass of Grüner), menu staples such as the to-die-for smash burger and the now locally famous grilled cheese are devoured on a daily basis.
For Alex her love of cooking and food began at home. Coming from a family of chefs in Cork, Alex remembers growing up in a lively kitchen, with her mother cooking and food all around her. “My mom is class. She is a chef, had a cookery school and did catering. I was always in the kitchen with her.” When Alex first announced her intention to become a chef, her family tried to deter her by placing her in a busy kitchen during a rush, but unperturbed by the noise, Alex showed up the next day with a newfound love of the work. After completing her college course, travelling around the world, and working in Éan for a year, Alex landed in Bierhaus in the summer of 2023 on a part-time schedule - and well, the rest is history. “I was meant to be there part-time and then just got into it, and I love it. It’s one of the nicest jobs I’ve had. [Jack] is a great boss, and there is a great team in there. We all just get on really well.” Laughing, she adds; “we get on so well that it doesn’t really feel that much like a job.”
Last year, Alex collaborated with Stephen Clohessy, who is a chef in Rúibín, to run a series of family-style food pop-ups named Tine, that ‘brought together Stephen’s obsession with fire and Alex's love of all things fresh and pickled.’ Tine, meaning ‘fire’ in Irish, evokes a sense of coming together around the hearth to converse and share good food. It's a spontaneous gathering of the soundest people you’ve ever met, snugly packed around tables, with plates of increasingly appetising dishes laid out in front of them. There's an infectious atmosphere as locals sit side by side, rubbing shoulders with strangers, all of them caught up in the joy of communal dining, where no dish goes unshared. At the forefront, Alex, Stephen, and staff watch on as exclamations of ‘This is amazing! Here, you have to try it!’ are called out, and plates are passed back and forth. Speaking of her experiences with these pop-up events, Alex says; “I kept saying that I want it to be about community, and I want it to feel very communal, like you are in a bit of a hub, and for it to be fun. One of the girls said to me as she was leaving the pop-up ‘I just felt like I was in a community,’ and the minute she said that, I was like, ‘I’ve done it!’ That was the big thing about it. If we can create a vibe and get a buzz going, then that’s all I want.”
After a busy year working in the kitchen in Bierhaus, and curating new menus for special pop-up events, in 2025, Alex Bourke will be bringing Galway a feast of bold new flavours, with plenty more surprises to follow. Visit Bierhaus at 2 Henry Street in Galway City to enjoy Alex’s cooking, and follow the latest updates from Alex’s work at Bierhaus at @bierhausgalway.
Photos by Ciarán MacChoncarraige
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