Born in Irish-Chinese takeaways and fuelled by decades of post-pub cravings, the Spice Bag has become something of an unofficial national dish of Ireland. The cult takeaway staple — a chaotic but glorious mix of crispy chips, fried chicken, peppers, onions and Chinese-style spices, typically drenched in curry sauce — has long been devoured at 1am like a sacred ritual.
Now, Burger & Lobster has decided to give this late night comfort food delicacy a decadent twist.
Launching to coincide with St Patrick’s Day, the restaurant has created a limited-edition Lobster Spice Bag — a luxury reinterpretation of the Irish classic that swaps the traditional fried chicken for seafood indulgence. The dish features half a fried lobster, juicy fried king prawns, chunky chips, peppers and onions, all tossed in Chinese spices and served with a side of Chinese curry sauce.
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Priced at £25, the Lobster Spice Bag launches on Tuesday 17 March and will be available for four weeks across all Burger & Lobster restaurants. Diners can order it in-restaurant, as a takeaway, or via the delivery platform Uber Eats.
We had the pleasure of heading down to Burger & Lobster to try the dish, and rest assured, it’s as gloriously indulgent as it sounds. Be warned though, this is a hefty bag of food, and is definitely one to be tackled as duo.
Me and my dining partner couldn’t quite finish the last few chips, but the curry flavours were a beautiful balance of sweet and spicy, with the lobster and prawns providing a decadent addition.
The playful reinvention taps into a broader moment for Irish food culture. From Dublin-inspired wine bars appearing across London to Tayto sandwiches popping up on restaurant menus, a new wave of Irish chefs, producers and second-generation diaspora talent are reshaping how Irish cuisine is perceived internationally — modern, confident and proudly rooted in tradition.
At the heart of that culture sits the humble Spice Bag. First emerging from Irish-Chinese takeaways in the early 2000s, the dish quickly evolved from a simple late-night order into something far more symbolic: the taste of afters, a rite of passage for generations of students and pub-goers, and a defining marker of contemporary Irish youth culture.
Burger & Lobster’s lobster-laden version may be a far cry from the fluorescent takeaway bags of Dublin’s suburbs — but its spirit remains unmistakably the same: indulgent, joyful and best enjoyed with friends after a long night out.