Afghani chicken, creamy with fenugreek and a bright squeeze of lemon, sits at the heart of this lovely Daata story. For anyone following food Ireland, this is the kind of restaurant update that feels warm and real: a family business built slowly, handed down carefully, and rooted in memory as much as cooking.
Daata owner Mohammed Saleem arrived in Ireland from Pakistan in 1990, just 18 years old, carrying little more than a visa and his mother’s recipes. He came to work in Shalimar, then Dublin’s only Pakistani restaurant, on George’s Street. According to his daughter Aliha, those early days were shaped by kindness from local traders, with fruit and veg sellers often pressing small bags of produce into his hands as he found his feet in a new city.
A full-circle moment in food Ireland
That history makes Daata’s George’s Street restaurant especially moving. Years after starting out across the road, Mohammed returned as an owner, cutting the ribbon on a place of his own. It is easy to see why the moment hit hard.
Today, the family’s next chapter is being led by Aliha and her brother Fahad. He works in the kitchen, while she leads front of house, and together they are shaping the business with the same recipes and values they grew up with in their parents’ Bray takeaway.
What this means for the Ireland food scene
For readers interested in food news Ireland and the wider Ireland food guide, Daata’s story says a lot about how restaurants endure:
- Family recipes still matter deeply
- Community support can shape a restaurant’s identity
- Second-generation owners often bring fresh energy without losing tradition
Aliha says Pakistani cooking has something for everyone, and Daata’s best-known dishes make that easy to believe. Their menu highlights include vegetable samosas, prawn pakoras, butter chicken and that much-loved Afghani chicken, all set to feature at Taste of Dublin this June.
In a busy food Ireland landscape, Daata stands out not because it is flashy, but because it feels lived-in, generous and personal. If you keep an eye on food Ireland for meaningful restaurant stories, this is one worth noting. Image Courtesy: EVOKE
