Bab Haus secures third site at new Caerphilly food hall

Leyli Homayoonfar's Tex Mex barbecue operation will open its third Bab Haus site at the new Ffos Caerffili Market, due to open in March.

Bab Haus Mex is opening on 15 March and is one of the first businesses to be revealed in Ffos Caerffili Market, the new container-style market located next to Caerphilly Castle.

Ffos Caerffili Market has been created as part of the Caerphilly Town 2035 Placemaking Plan to regenerate the local area, and has received funding from the Welsh government's Transforming Towns initiative.

The market will offer space for 28 traders, including food and drink outlets and retailers, as well as a dining area for customers.

Leyli Homayoonfar founded Bab Haus in 2019 after returning to her home of south Wales following 10 years in London, where she worked at development kitchens including Jamie Oliver HQ and Waitrose Cookery School.

The Caerphilly site marks a return to the brand's roots: the business was founded as a catering company in a commercial kitchen on an industrial estate on the outskirts of the town in south Wales.

This first site acted as a pick-up point for Bab Haus takeaway called the Smoke Shop, which resulted in three-hour customer queues during Covid, with dishes such as baby back ribs and smoked pork belly burnt ends.

After Covid, Homayoonfar took Bab Haus Mex to Goodsheds in Barry and then to the Newport Market food hall shortly after.

Speaking about her expansion into Caerphilly, she told The Caterer: "It's lovely to have an opportunity to be a part of something like this in this area. We've had so much support from the locals here and we really appreciate it.

"They don't necessarily have the glitzy restaurants that Cardiff has, and they've shown us so much love and support. It's such a good opportunity and the views of the castle are amazing."

As well as Bab Haus, the market will also feature a new coffee and brunch site called Two Shot Social owned by Caerphilly-born and bred childhood friends Daf Carter and Ian Butterworth.

"It's having the chance to give back to our local community that attracted us to Ffos Caerffili," said Carter. "We've already seen so many improvements to Caerphilly since the regeneration project started, and we're really excited to be part of it and bring something fresh, new and modern to our hometown."