DirtyOnion
The Dirty Onion is a Belfast city-centre hospitality and live entertainment venue — comprising two bars, the Yardbird restaurant, and one of Belfast's biggest beer gardens — offering free-entry food, drink, and live music seven nights a week under the Beannchor Group.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersBelfast, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What DirtyOnion does
The Dirty Onion is a hospitality and live entertainment venue located at 3 Hill Street, Belfast city centre, operating as part of the Beannchor Group portfolio. The single physical site combines two bars (The Dirty Onion and The Second Fiddle), one restaurant (Yardbird, open daily 12pm to 11pm), and one of Belfast's biggest beer gardens, supported by a year-round outdoor space and an indoor peat fire for winter trade. Free entry is offered every night, with entertainment programmed seven nights per week — primarily contemporary live bands and acoustic acts — and themed events such as the annual Fleadh at The Dirty Onion festival.
The venue's go-to-market is direct-to-consumer walk-in trade plus table reservations for groups up to 12 people; there is no e-commerce, no delivery channel, and no mobile app. Marketing is conducted through organic Facebook and Instagram presence and the company website, with no paid advertising disclosed. Revenue mechanics are transaction-based across food, beverage, and merchandise: a primary stream from Yardbird and bar sales, a secondary on-site merchandise line (GAA-branded Jerseys, Hoodies, Tees, Socks) sold at the bar, and informal event programming income. Customer segments span Belfast-based social nightlife and entertainment seekers (primary), dog owners (secondary, leveraging dog-friendly positioning), and GAA supporters purchasing merchandise (secondary). The digital experience is delivered via a website developed and maintained by PBD (Pale Blue Dot). No proprietary technology platform, AI/ML capabilities, or licensed data assets are disclosed; there are no patents, trademarks, certifications, or regulatory actions on record.
DirtyOnion firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DirtyOnion
- Legal name
- DirtyOnion
- Website
- https://thedirtyonion.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Dirty Onion is a Belfast city-centre hospitality and live entertainment venue — comprising two bars, the Yardbird restaurant, and one of Belfast's biggest beer gardens — offering free-entry food, drink, and live music seven nights a week under the Beannchor Group.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
DirtyOnion industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Bar and Entertainment Venue
- NAICS
- Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (72241), Full-Service Restaurants (722511)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Neighborhood & Sports Bars (THAFAEAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Pubs & Gastropubs (CRANACAB)
Keywords
Where DirtyOnion is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Belfast
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
DirtyOnion business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Food and beverage sales: Primary revenue from serving food and drinks through Yardbird restaurant (open daily 12pm to 11pm) and two bar outlets within the venue.
- Entertainment cover charges: Revenue generated through live music performances and entertainment events. No cover charge mentioned as venue operates on free entry model.
- Merchandise sales: Sale of branded merchandise including GAA-branded jerseys, hoodies, t-shirts, and socks available at the bar.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
DirtyOnion product offering
Product offeringCore offering
DirtyOnion operates a multi-venue hospitality complex in Belfast city centre comprising two bars (The Dirty Onion and The Second Fiddle), one restaurant (Yardbird), and one of Belfast's biggest beer gardens. The venue offers food and drink service alongside live music entertainment 7 nights a week with free entry, and sells GAA-branded clothing merchandise on-site.
Product overview
The Dirty Onion operates as a multi-venue hospitality complex offering food, drink, and entertainment. The core offering consists of The Dirty Onion as the main bar and entertainment venue, supplemented by the Yardbird restaurant and The Second Fiddle bar. Additional revenue streams include merchandise (GAA-branded clothing) available at both bar locations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Yardbird: Restaurant operated by The Dirty Onion, open daily from 12pm to 11pm, serving food and drinks.
- The Second Fiddle
Products and services
- The Dirty Onion (main bar and entertainment venue)
Companies that use DirtyOnion
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
DirtyOnion technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
DirtyOnion partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Beannchor GroupcoreThe Dirty Onion is operated as part of the Beannchor Group portfolio, a hospitality group managing multiple venue brands in Belfast. The venue shares operational infrastructure and branding with The Second Fiddle, also under the same group.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
DirtyOnion competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Duke of York: Belfast city centre bar in the Cathedral Quarter offering drinks and live entertainment. Comparable Belfast nightlife/bar venue targeting similar walk-in social trade.
- The Hudson Bar Belfast: Another Beannchor Group venue in Belfast offering bar, food and entertainment. Closest comparable within the same operator footprint.
- The Crown Liquor Saloon: Iconic Belfast Victorian pub in city centre operated by National Trust. Directly comparable Belfast bar/gastro-pub offering food, drink and atmospheric seating in the same catchment.
- The Errigle Inn: Large Belfast bar with live music multiple nights per week. Closely comparable entertainment-led multi-room bar format with similar programming intensity.
- The Botanic Inn: Belfast bar with regular live music, sports coverage and food service. Comparable multi-purpose bar/entertainment venue targeting similar demographic.
- The National: Beannchor Group sister bar/restaurant venue in Belfast city centre. Directly comparable multi-outlet Belfast hospitality venue operating within the same parent group.
- Kelly's Cellars: Historic Belfast pub offering live traditional Irish music and bar trade. Closely comparable entertainment-led bar model in the same city.
Broad incumbents
- Young's: London-headquartered pub and bar operator with food-led and entertainment-led sites. Comparable broader-incumbent UK pub operator with similar city centre bar/restaurant offering.
- Mitchells & Butlers: UK managed pub and restaurant operator (All Bar One, Harvester, etc.). Comparable broader-incumbent UK bar operator with overlapping casual dining and drinks-led formats.
- Wetherspoons: UK-wide pub chain operating city centre bars including multiple Belfast locations. Broader incumbent with overlapping food, drink and casual socialising proposition but national scale and no live-music specialisation.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
DirtyOnion social profiles
Digital presenceDirtyOnion financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DirtyOnion leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
DirtyOnion subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
DirtyOnion funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DirtyOnion M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about DirtyOnion
What does DirtyOnion do?
DirtyOnion operates a multi-venue hospitality complex in Belfast city centre comprising two bars (The Dirty Onion and The Second Fiddle), one restaurant (Yardbird), and one of Belfast's biggest beer gardens. The venue offers food and drink service alongside live music entertainment 7 nights a week with free entry, and sells GAA-branded clothing merchandise on-site.
Is DirtyOnion a public or private company?
DirtyOnion is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was DirtyOnion founded?
DirtyOnion was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is DirtyOnion based?
DirtyOnion is headquartered in Belfast, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does DirtyOnion make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Food and beverage sales are the primary driver. The others are entertainment cover charges and merchandise sales.
Who are DirtyOnion's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Duke of York, The Hudson Bar Belfast, The Crown Liquor Saloon, The Errigle Inn, The Botanic Inn, The National and Kelly's Cellars. Broad incumbents are Young's, Mitchells & Butlers and Wetherspoons.
Does DirtyOnion have an API?
No public API is recorded for DirtyOnion.
What industry is DirtyOnion in?
DirtyOnion's product category is Bar and Entertainment Venue. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAEAA, Neighborhood & Sports Bars, with a secondary code of CRANACAB, Pubs & Gastropubs. Its NAICS code is 722410 and its SIC code is 5810.