Homeboy Bar

What Homeboy Bar does

Homeboy Bar is a single-location cocktail bar and restaurant operating at 108 Essex Road in Islington, London, founded on December 6, 2018 by Dublin-born hospitality operator Aaron Wall under a proprietary "Modern Irish Hospitality" concept. The venue runs a cocktail menu organised around three pillars (Irish Whiskey, Contemporary, and Classics), an Irish-inspired food menu including a brunch service and proper Irish Sunday roast, Draught Guinness, and a programmed entertainment schedule of live music on Thursdays and Sundays and DJ nights on Fridays and Saturdays. The bar offers a 2-hour cocktail masterclass product starting from £50 per person plus 12.5% service charge, full venue private hire for up to 120 guests with minimum spends ranging from £2,500 to £12,000, and group bookings for parties up to 50 guests without booking fees.

The business generates revenue across four primary streams: food and beverage sales (the core transaction-fee revenue), cocktail masterclasses (priced per participant), private hire and venue rental (minimum-spend outcome-based pricing), and a hospitality consultancy service led by the founder covering brand development, site build, menu development, team training, revenue optimisation, and social media strategy for external clients. Supporting revenue lines include a gift voucher channel distributed via Design My Night and a recruitment service sourcing bartenders, floor staff, and chefs for the hospitality industry. Distribution is direct-to-consumer at the physical venue, supplemented by online table reservations through Design My Night, email marketing, and an active organic social presence on Instagram and Facebook.

The go-to-market targets a hybrid customer base comprising local Islington diners and workers, nightlife and live-entertainment seekers, private event and corporate function bookers, and experience-seeking groups attending masterclasses. The company holds no external funding, operates as an independent founder-owned establishment, and has earned multiple industry accolades since opening, including Tales of the Cocktail recognition (2019, 2020), World's 50 Best Discovery (2020), Top 50 Cocktail Bars ranking (2020, 2022), Design My Night Best Bar in North London (2019), and the LIV 1st Award for Interior Design in the Cocktail Bar Category (2022).

Name

Homeboy Bar

Legal name

Homeboy Bar

Website

https://homeboybar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Homeboy Bar is an independent, single-location cocktail bar and restaurant in Islington, London, founded in 2018 by Aaron Wall, serving local diners, nightlife patrons, private event bookers, and masterclass attendees under a proprietary Modern Irish Hospitality concept with award-winning cocktails and Irish-inspired food.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cocktail Bar & Restaurant Hospitality

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Cocktail Bars & Lounges (CRANACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Neighborhood Bars & Taverns (CRANACAA), Bars & Pubs (Non-Music) (MPAGAIAC)

Keywords

• Cocktail bar services
• Irish whiskey cocktails
• Private event venue
• Cocktail masterclasses
• Hospitality consultancy

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Food & Beverage Sales: Core revenue from cocktail, food, and beverage sales. Cocktail menu organized around three pillars: Irish Whiskey, Contemporary cocktails using modern techniques, and Classics. Also serves Irish beers and Draught Guinness.
2. Cocktail Masterclasses: Group cocktail masterclasses led by professional bartenders. Participants learn cocktail-making techniques over approximately 2 hours. Additional revenue stream with high margin per participant.
3. Private Hire & Venue Rental: Full venue private hire for events including birthdays, work events, and celebrations. Maximum capacity 120 guests. Minimum spend £2,500-£12,000 depending on date and timing.
4. Consultancy Services: Hospitality consultancy services led by founder Aaron Wall. Includes brand and concept development, site build, menu development, team training, revenue optimisation, and social media strategy for clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Homeboy Bar operates a single cocktail bar and restaurant in Islington, London, serving an award-winning cocktail menu organised around three pillars — Irish Whiskey, Contemporary, and Classics — alongside Irish-inspired home-cooked food, Irish beers, and Draught Guinness. The bar also sells cocktail masterclasses led by its bartenders, offers full-venue private hire for events of up to 120 guests, and runs a hospitality consultancy practice led by founder Aaron Wall covering brand development, menu creation, and team training.

Product overview

Homeboy Bar is an award-winning cocktail bar and restaurant in Islington, London, established December 6th 2018 by Dublin-born Aaron Wall. The bar operates under the philosophy of 'Modern Irish Hospitality' and offers a portfolio of interconnected hospitality services: a cocktail menu organized around three pillars (Irish Whiskey, Contemporary, and Classics), a food menu featuring Irish-inspired home cooking, cocktail masterclasses for group experiences, and full venue private hire for events. Additional services include group bookings for intimate gatherings, hospitality consultancy (brand development, menu creation, training), recruitment for the hospitality industry, and gift vouchers. The bar regularly hosts events including live music nights, DJ evenings, and seasonal chef pop-up series like Dúchas. No technology platform or software product is offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cocktail Menu Award-winning in-house cocktail menu organised around three pillars — Irish Whiskey (showcasing versatility of Irish whiskey), Contemporary (using modern techniques for innovative drinks), and Classics (paying homage to modern classic cocktails) — alongside Irish beers and Draught Guinness. Served to walk-in customers and table reservations at the Islington bar.
• Food Menu Home-cooked food menu featuring Irish-inspired dishes, including a brunch menu, main food menu, and a Proper Irish Sunday Roast offering for bar patrons.
• Cocktail Masterclasses Interactive ~2-hour cocktail-making experiences led by Homeboy Bar's professional bartenders, covering tips, techniques, and history behind award-winning cocktails. Priced from £50 per person plus 12.5% service charge, with additional drinks and food charged separately. Targeted at friend groups and corporate teams seeking a fun, educational group activity.
• Private Hire / Venue Hire Full venue private hire for birthdays, work events, anniversaries, team building, and other celebrations, with maximum capacity of 120 guests. Includes three screens, audio system, and optional DJ, live music, or birthday cake arrangements. Minimum spend ranges from £2,500 to £12,000 depending on date and timing, with food platters and drinks packages from drinks on arrival to late-night snacks.
• Group Bookings Table reservation service for groups of various sizes at the Islington bar, with no booking fee and no minimum spend for groups up to 50 guests. Pre-ordering of first rounds and food is requested for smooth service. Targeted at celebrations, work events, and group gatherings.
• Hospitality Consultancy Services Consultancy services led by founder Aaron Wall covering brand and concept development, site build and implementation, menu development, team training, revenue optimisation, social media planning, and brand partnerships. Targeted at bars, restaurants, and hospitality brands seeking to implement Modern Irish Hospitality concepts.
• Gift Vouchers Homeboy Bar gift vouchers available for purchase via Design My Night, allowing recipients to redeem the value against the bar's cocktails, food, and hospitality experiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• Recognized as Top 4 Best New International Cocktail Bar 2019 by Tales of the Cocktail
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• 11th & SocialminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 October 202411th & Social took over the bar on October 9th, bringing drinks and Norwich party vibes to Homeboy. This represents a bar takeover event partnership with another venue/brand.
• BacardiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAaron Wall has worked with Bacardi as part of his hospitality consultancy practice. Nature of partnership involves brand partnership and promotional activities typical of spirits industry collaborations.
• Brown FormanminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAaron Wall has worked with Brown Forman as part of his hospitality consultancy practice. Brand partnership involvement in spirits marketing and promotion.
• LVMHminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAaron Wall has worked with LVMH as part of his hospitality consultancy practice. Brand partnership activities in luxury spirits and hospitality sector.
• Dúchas (Irish Chef Pop-up Series)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDúchas is Homeboy's Irish Chef Pop-up Series featuring guest chefs including Lawrence Barrow, Robin Gill, Diarmuid Goodwin, and Paddy Maher throughout July. Culinary collaboration series showcasing Irish culinary talent.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Swift: Award-winning London cocktail bar in Soho with a similar design-led, cocktail-focused concept and comparable price point and clientele. Direct competitor for the same after-work and evening cocktail occasions.
• London Cocktail Club: London-based cocktail bar group where Aaron Wall worked prior to founding Homeboy. Operates multiple cocktail venues serving a similar demographic of after-work and nightlife patrons with a comparable cocktail-forward offering.
• Happiness Forgets: Award-winning Hoxton cocktail bar with a small-format, high-craft cocktail menu and similar neighborhood-cocktail-bar positioning to Homeboy in Islington.
• Satan's Whiskers: Independent, award-recognized East London cocktail bar with a comparable independent, cocktail-led ethos and similar neighborhood-bar-plus-late-night-nightlife positioning.
• Coupette: Bethnal Green cocktail bar with a strong cocktail program and similar independent, cocktail-led London positioning targeting a comparable design-conscious, after-work and nightlife audience.
• Nightjar: Globally ranked London cocktail bar in Shoreditch known for award-winning cocktails and live music programming. Highly comparable in menu structure (classics + modern), music-led atmosphere, and target nightlife clientele.
• Callooh Callay: Award-winning London cocktail bar where founder Aaron Wall previously led the bar team. Directly comparable as a design-led, award-recognized cocktail venue in London with a similar target market and creative cocktail programming.
• Tayēr + Elementary: Old Street cocktail bar from Monica Berg and Alex Kratena with a globally recognized cocktail program and similar dual-concept (cocktail-focused, food-supported) London positioning.

Broad incumbents

• The Connaught Bar: Iconic hotel bar in Mayfair repeatedly named among the World's 50 Best Bars. Comparable cocktail-craft and awards profile, but operates as part of a luxury hotel group with broader hospitality infrastructure.
• Lyaness (within Sea Containers): Mr Lyan (Ryan Chetiyawardana)-led cocktail bar within a hotel setting, ranked on World's 50 Best lists. Comparable in cocktail-craft prestige and design-led positioning, but operates inside a larger hospitality group.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/homeboybars
• Facebookfacebook.com/homeboybars
• Instagraminstagram.com/homeboybars
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/homeboy-bar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Homeboy Bar