As Belfast’s Bullitt Hotel approaches its first anniversary, the hotel has announced that its brand new rooftop bar and garden Babel will be opening on October 20th as part of the hotel’s planned £1.75m expansion.
Work is progressing fast on Phase II of Bullitt, which will also see 31 new bedrooms being added this year including the hotel’s first twin rooms. The expansion will create 30 new jobs, bringing the total number of people employed by the innovative hotel to 130.
Babel, the new rooftop bar and garden, will have capacity for 250 people and will include an open-air terrace with panoramic views over the city. The bar and garden will also have a number of unique features including an interior living wall made up of 300 fresh plants and herbs and a vertical exterior garden wall that can be seen from ground level.
Shaking up Belfast’s cocktail scene and a first for the city, Babel’s drinks menu will be based around ‘Shrub Cocktails’ with the bar’s living walls providing a fresh supply of herbs, to be used as ingredients and garnishes, for the cocktails. The venue will also be available for private hire and will have its own food offering, influenced by South and East Asian cuisine.
Named after the Steve McQueen movie of the same name, Bullitt Belfast has gone from strength to strength since it opened in the heart of the city last year with consistently high occupancy rates.
In addition to the positive economic impact and job creation the hotel will bring to the city, the expansion will assist in fulfilling the demand for additional hotel bed space in Belfast. The 2016 annual industry survey from ASM Chartered Accountants recorded a high occupancy rate of 83.5% for Belfast.
Commenting on the announcement, Conall Wolsey, director of Beannchor, said:
“Bullitt Hotel has been hugely popular since it opened last October. The vision behind the hotel is for it to offer much more than a bed space, we want it to be a place where people come to work, come to relax and come to socialise.
“The addition of the new rooftop bar and garden will only add to this vision and the stunning views across Belfast were the selling point for us when deciding how to utilise this space.
“We continuously want to push the boundaries and the living walls, which provide a fresh supply of herbs that will be used as ingredients and garnishes for our drinks, will enable us to introduce a new cocktail-led concept into Belfast for the first time.
“As well as the rooftop, we’ll be extending the bedroom offering with 31 new rooms being added this year. This will include the hotel’s first twin rooms, increasing the bedroom capacity to 74 and opening the hotel up to new customers and markets.
“We are also proud to be creating 30 new jobs, providing people with rewarding long-term careers.”
Babel will host a calendar of events throughout the year, kicking off on Sunday October 22nd with a special Belvedere Vodka Tasting as part of Belfast Cocktail week. Be one of the first to experience the newest rooftop bar in the city just days after its launch and enjoy an evening sipping on an array of premium Belvedere cocktails and serves.
8 things you need to know about Belfast’s hottest new rooftop bar
Before you plan your trip to enjoy cocktails and food with a view, here’s everything you need know about Belfast’s new rooftop hotspot;
City sightseeing
The rooftop bar and garden is located on the fourth floor of Bullitt and can be accessed via a new entrance on Ann Street. City views don’t get much better than this, so soak up the sights and see if you can spot the dome at Victoria Square, Stormont and Napoleon’s Nose while you are there.
Living wall
The bar and garden will be home to Belfast’s first living wall which will shake up the city’s cocktail scene. With 300 fresh plants at your fingertips, including basil, mint, sage and thyme, Babel’s cocktail menu is based around the idea of ‘Shrub Cocktails’. Edible plants and herbs from the living wall can be freshly picked and infused in your drinks. The bar will also feature a vertical exterior garden wall that can be seen from ground level.
Year-round fun
Babel will be Ireland’s biggest rooftop bar and garden and can be enjoyed indoors or outdoors all year round. The bar and garden will have capacity for 250 people including space for 85 seated guests and there will also be heaters and blankets to keep you warm during the winter nights.
Opening times
The venue will be open Monday – Tuesday from 5pm to late and Wednesday – Sunday from 12pm to late. Food will be served Wednesday – Sunday from 12pm to 10pm.
Mouth-watering small plates
The mouth-watering small plates menu is inspired by South and East Asian cuisine. The tasty treats include Halloumi and Smoked Corn Fritters, Sugar Pit Bacon Ribs, Keralan Chicken Thighs and Lamb Tomahawk with Szechuan Pepper, Chilli and Cumin. Delicious snacks such as Kimchi Fries and Roasted Cashews, Pepitas and Popcorn will also be available.
Entertainment
As well as Babel’s resident DJs every Friday and Saturday night, the rooftop bar will host a range of events throughout the year, kicking off on Sunday October 22nd with a special Belvedere Vodka Tasting as part of Belfast Cocktail Week. Be one of the first to experience the newest rooftop bar in the city just days after its launch and enjoy an evening sipping on an array of premium Belvedere cocktails and serves.
Go VIP
The rooftop is available to hire for private events, including large groups of up to 250 people, as well as for more intimate parties with a cosy corner room available for smaller groups.
Keeping it local
The team at Babel has worked alongside a number of local creatives, including Ulster University ceramics graduate Caitriona Aldridge and family-run leather goods company Father’s Father, to create bespoke pieces for the bar. Call in and see if you can spot them!
For more information, visit babelbelfast.com, follow Babel Belfast on Instagram or like Babel Belfast on Facebook.