What’s on offer?
When Ian Marconi returned to Dublin from London after working in Moro, he ran the Parlour Games supper clubs in Portobello, and, soon afterwards, set up the Paella Guys food stall trading at markets. He also launched Jackrabbit, an event-catering company with a lunchtime concession in Morton’s on Hatch Street. Covid brought everything to a halt but, when restrictions started to ease, he parked his catering van out the back of Churchtown Stores bar, serving food at the smart outdoor area to go with drinks from the bar. It proved to be popular, so Marconi built a kitchen in the premises and now operates the food for Churchtown Stores on a permanent basis. Food can be ordered online for delivery or collection and features nachos, chicken wings, Korean pork and pancakes, curries, fish and chips and burgers, as well as kids’ meals.
What did we order?
House nachos, fish and chips, and the Big Jack beef burger.
How was the service?
Very pleasant. Our order was being finished as we arrived so we waited in the bar area until it was ready.
Was the food nice?
There’s a generous amount of nachos, freshly fried corn tortilla chips which have been laced with guacamole and Jack Rabbit’s delicious lime Parmesan crema, as well as bean paste, cherry tomato salsa and house pickles. Three pieces of cod, which have been deep-fried in panko crumbs, come with chunky, skin on chips and mushy peas that have a delightful zing of wasabi. The handmade burger, made from FX Buckley beef, has great flavour. Served in a Tartine Organic Bakery brioche bun, it is topped with Gruyère and Jack Rabbit’s tsunami sauce, which has a serious hit of flavour from roasted garlic, black garlic, chilli and burnt tomato sauce with fermented mustard and black rice vinegar.
Forêt restaurant review: A masterclass in French classic cooking in Dublin 4
Charlene McKenna: ‘Within three weeks, I turned 40, had my first baby and lost my father’
Restaurateur Gráinne O’Keefe: I cut out sugar from my diet and here’s how it went
Ireland’s new dating scene: Finding love the old-fashioned way
What about the packaging?
Brown cardboard compostable packaging is used mostly; plastic containers are used for the wet dishes as there were issues during transit.
What did it cost?
It cost €38 for dinner for two people: house nachos, €11; fish and chips, €14.50; and the Big Jack burger, €12.50.
Where does it deliver?
Order online, collection or delivery within a 3km radius. Open Tuesday-Sunday, 4-9pm, but if the pub gets too busy on weekend evenings orders stop early.
Would I order it again?
Yes, the selection is family friendly and the quality is very good.
