5 openers and 2 closures to be aware of in Dublin this week

July 16, 2024

Never a dull moment for hospitality in this city

It’s been a busy week for hospitality news in the city, with our social channels chockablock with new openers, from Padel studios to matcha pop-ups. So buckle up and jump on in as we take you through all the openers, closures and food news of the week:

OPENERS

Chilangos Irlanda, South Circular Road, Rialto

Opened on July 3rd, on 568 South Circular Road where the Rialto Bridge Cafe operates, both businesses seem to be running in tandem with Rialto Bridge Cafe closing at 3pm and Chilangos Irlanda opening at 5pm. Anyone who has dined in Rialto Bridge Cafe knows they have some incredible Mexican breakfast options so it’s unsurprising that the street food menu in Chilangos Irlanda looks top-notch. It’s a varied menu, with items you might not have seen in this fair city before, options like pambazos, tostadas alongside the more familiar tacos and gorditas. We can’t wait to swing by and check this colourful little spot out!

The Lotus Eater, Nassau Street (where the Pig’s Ear was)

After an incredible 16 years and a Michelin Bib Gourmand thrown into the mix, The Pig’s Ear has called it a day “for now”. But the spot on Nassau Street hasn’t been gathering dust, it’s been reimagined as a casual dining restaurant called Lotus Eaters. Inspiration for the menu has been pulled from the dishes encountered on the owner’s travels, with a special nod given to the majesty of wagyu burgers. The Pig’s Ear officially finished up service on June 15th, the team took a break to refresh and kicked off service for Lotus Eaters a few days later. Fitting on one-page, this is an Asian-inspired menu dominated by small plates and customisation. You’ll find soba salad, oysters and a grilled scallop with pig head for starters, with customisable Japanese-inspired omelettes, wagyu burger and maitake mushrooms for mains with a short and sweet dessert menu of yuzu parfait and burnt chocolate cheesecake.

The Matcha Bar, (2nd floor) Powerscourt Centre

For all our over-caffeinated clean-living pals, enter the Matcha Bar on Saturday, July 13th—opening in the perfect location for a matcha bar, the very bougie Powerscourt Centre. Aside from developing her own matcha recipes, owner Elle has been on a journey that took her over to Japan, to source the very best matcha. Starting out as a pop-up location, but judging by the commotion it’s making on TikTok Dubliners are very excited about this particular opener.

Cat You Cafe, Ringsend

A dinky new cafe is opening up in Ringsend on Friday July 12th. We know very little about it apart from they’ve got a better indoor plant collection than us and they will be serving up Ground Work Coffee. BRB trying to figure out the ‘Cat You Cafe’ reference…

House of Padel, 5 Old Belgard Road, Cookstown Industrial Estate

 Contrary to popular belief, padelling is not a sport designed by the Simpsons character Jasper Beardsley to encourage Vietnam-war-era discipline amongst the younger generations. It’s a very popular sport, a hybrid of tennis and squash, and has experienced exponential growth in recent years due to its accessibility to all levels of players from beginner to advanced. Dublin is getting its first indoor dedicated padel club, called the quite Gucci-coded ‘House of Padel’. Located on Old Belgard Road, the club will have indoor padel courts alongside a state-of-the-art sauna, ice bath plunge pools, and a health food bar and will offer yoga & pilates classes to all levels. The club is open to Padel enthusiasts, athletes, and newcomers.
Read more here.
« Toward The Past: Dublin woman who climbed 32 peaks in 32 days takes on Mont Blanc for charity
Toward The Future: Liffey Street works expected to finish by late August »