It started, as so many good things do, in a tent. A pop-up at the Harvest Festival in Waterford City in September 2015 — borrowed equipment, home-made food, and an idea about bringing the flavours of the Middle East to an audience that was ready for something different. Nicola Crowley and Dvir Nusery — an Irish-Israeli couple — had the idea. Tramore, their home, is where it took root.
Deli, Café, Shop, Classroom
When Mezze opened their permanent deli in Tramore, they built it to do several things at once. By day it operates as a deli and café — shawarma, mezze platters, salads, and baked treats made fresh, using local Waterford ingredients wherever they can be sourced alongside the Middle Eastern staples. By evening, the kitchen becomes a classroom: cooking classes and food events that let people understand what they’ve been eating.
The philosophy is “simple, locally produced food with Middle Eastern flavours” — a combination that sounds natural once you taste it. The use of local produce like Grantstown tomatoes and Ardkeen-sourced ingredients alongside traditional Middle Eastern elements gives the food a specifically Waterford character rather than a generic ‘ethnic’ feel.
Lavosh Flatbreads in 80+ Stores
The retail side of the business has grown substantially. Mezze’s Lavosh Flatbreads — crisp, flavourful, made for sharing — are now available in over 80 stores nationwide, a distribution footprint that speaks to a product that works beyond its home territory. The online shop adds hampers, tahini, and other pantry essentials to the offering.
From a borrowed tent at Harvest Festival to 80+ stockists nationwide and a thriving Tramore deli — Mezze is the definition of building something real from a genuine passion.
Celebrating Ten Years
2025 marks ten years since that first pop-up tent. Mezze celebrated five years in June 2024 with the kind of recognition — national press coverage, a growing stockist list, a full deli of their own — that suggests the next ten will be just as good.
