Winner spotlight: Noel Smyth of Delaney’s

Irish pubs have long been a staple of Hong Kong’s hospitality sector and publican Noel Smyth has been at the centre of it all. 

As the managing director of Delaney’s, Smyth is the man behind the bar which essentially introduced Irish bar culture to Hong Kong.

The first Delaney’s was opened in Hong Kong back in 1994 and since then has continued to deliver an authentic Irish experience.

With venues located in Cyberport, Wan Chai and Tsim Sha Tsui, the bars have become favourites for local foodies and lovers of whisky and damn good beers.

As for Smyth, it seems he was always destined for a career in hospitality. 

His dad was a career hotel man and a legend in the industry back in Ireland. Following in his footsteps was the natural thing to do. 

“He walked so tall and was respected by everyone. I really looked up to him from an early age and while the thoughts of saving a woman from a burning building or flying a plane was cool, the hospitality industry just screamed out to me,” he told Hong Kong Living.

Running a pub for some 25 years in a city that devours new venues in a heartbeat is no easy feat. But a healthy mix of old school Irish traditions, mixed with a dash of a millennial mindset has helped steer Delaney’s through troubled waters. 

“There have been many challenges and no doubt many more to come,” Smyth says. 

“Be it red tape on construction, banking, licensing issues, staffing problems and of course the last 12 months in Hong Kong… it’s never all that bad.

“There is light ahead of the tunnel, it’s just hard to see sometimes. But you have the power to change what may look like a disaster into something more manageable.”

As this year’s Editors’ Pick winner of Best Bar Concept, the accolade is icing on the cake and confirms that its commitment to customer service has paid off handsomely.

“Providing an experience every time doesn’t necessarily involve reinventing the wheel every time but ‘making the effort’ and those little small touches go really far,” Smyth says.

Delaney’s, multiple locations including Shop 314 & 601, 3/F 6/F, The Arcade Cyberport, 100 Cyberport Road, Pokfulam, 2544 7581

See the full list of Hong Kong Living Bar Awards 2020 here

Feature image: Graham Uden