24 Nov 2025
With the hospitality sector facing unprecedented challenges in recent years, it takes a brave man to open a new independent restaurant just a few days before the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget.
Ibéros, a new counter-style restaurant inspired by the tabernas of Spain and Portugal, is located at 8 George Street, in premises previously occupied by Ology Brasserie and Number 8 cocktail bar, and opens for business tomorrow (Tuesday).
The venture is the brainchild of Sean Hughes, owner of Dylans at the Kings Arms, also in George Street, and The Boot Cantina in Market Place.
Joining him at the Iberian-inspired venue are Sam Jones, ex-general manager of Noble Rot, and head chef Tom Cormie, formerly of Public House Group, Noble Rot Lambs Conduit Street and JKS.
Clad in overalls and splattered with paint, Sean was helping to put the final touches to the restaurant ahead of this week’s launch party when we caught up with him to find out why he thought the time was right to add another string to his bow.
“A lot of people do say, ‘are you crazy opening at this time?’ It’s one of the worst times nationally for hospitality but we have two businesses in St Albans which we have put everything into and we’re here already so why not open another?
“I think it’s a really exciting time for hospitality in St Albans with lots of new openings over the past year and more to come – we want to be part of that and help to build a foodie destination which people come to from London rather than the other way round.
“Obviously we hope that things will eventually settle down – this is investment for the future of our company and we believe that future is still in St Albans. We want to make sure St Albans remains a great place to go and eat out, full of independent restaurants and that’s why we’re still fighting the Government on business rates because business rates are still too high. Tax on hospitality is still too high and you know, looking forward we need to address things like VAT and make sure there is some room for investment into our industry.
“We have, with MP Daisy Cooper and the Save St Albans Pubs campaign, been campaigning hard on tax reforms from the Chancellor.
“I’m worried about alcohol duty, and I really think that the Government needs to look at the price of alcohol in supermarkets and stop absolutely hammering pubs and restaurants are they are generally selling it cheaper than we can actually buy it ourselves.”
He explained what customers can expect from Ibéros and why it will stand out among the city’s extensive eateries: “This is offering something very different and exciting. It’s basically years of work and ideas which have gone into this place, inspired by the love that Tom and I have for Spain. It’s a big financial investment for us, with more than £350,000 of private money going into it, so we want it to be good.
“Hopefully that will come through in the cooking, and I’m actually really excited to get back into the kitchen with Tom and cook food from the Pyrenees all the way down to Cádiz, Lisbon and Porto, as it’s such an incredible area for food and cuisine.
“It’s a casual dining experience, so if you spot a seat you come in, sit at the counter, order a perfect plate of ham, some picos and a bottle of Rioja. Simple ingredients, but beautiful ingredients. We’ve got a superb team here, headed up by Sam, who is overseeing Dylan’s as well, and there’s no one better to do it, so we’re very lucky to have him on board.
“We have an incredible head chef in Tom who shares my love for this style of cooking, and luckily we agree on things most of the time! We’ve also got a beautiful private dining room upstairs which will be opening in 2026, and I can’t wait for that!”
So what’s next for the burgeoning Dylan’s empire? “Well we always have things in the pipeline for the Dylan’s group, and there will be some very exciting news about The Boot in the next couple of weeks.
“Maybe there is another plan on the horizon, but for now we just want to get Ibéros open and show you what we’ve done.“
