If you are planning a trip to Dublin’s fair city this year, here are some spots to keep in mind A lot of Dubliners will tell you with a laugh and a wink, that they don’t know why visitors come here. There must be something in the indelible charm of the place that causes visitors […]

2 years ago

Get jottin’ these down for your next weekend escapade There’s a highly meme-able scene in season 1 of The Bear, whereby Carmy who has returned to his family’s sandwich joint after a storied career, is spitballing ideas with his sous chef Sydney. When the topic of brunch comes up, he turns to her and says, […]

2 years ago

For the folks with alarming screentime figures Those of us of a certain vintage will remember the pre-smartphone world when dial-up internet was the only way we could play The Sims, when phones had aerials and you had to look people’s numbers up in the Golden Pages. Back in those days, you could genuinely be […]

2 years ago

The perfect new spot to head to if you’re looking to flex your creative muscles ⁠ As anyone who has tried to pursue pottery as a hobby will tell you, there are ample courses for beginners but virtually none for advanced or experienced potters in this city. Those with a bit of experience on the […]

2 years ago

Begorrah catering for the tourist market has some uncomfortable kickbacks We’ve all seen them, some of us have even been inside them, and others have gone so far as to hand over a week’s worth of wages to have a pint in some of these faux Irish bars. For most of the city’s inhabitants, these […]

2 years ago

Get smoking Dublin’s foremost food festival Big Grill, has announced they will be bringing their smoke show across the Irish Sea. To celebrate its 10 year anniversary, organiser Andy Noonan will be bringing the festival to the award-winning Five Points Brewing Company in Hackney, East London on the 8th-9th of June. Promising two days of […]

2 years ago

It’s what they call a perfect storm, hospitality owners are reporting low margins coupled with ever-rising costs, making doing business in this country increasingly challenging. So challenging, that the Restaurant Association of Ireland [RAI] estimated that 200 restaurants, cafés and other food-led businesses closed in the last three months, with nearly 4,664 direct jobs lost […]

2 years ago

The pint of plain is now the UK’s most popular pint – but are we exporting more than some gulps of porter these days? Pull up a bar stool in London, Edinburgh, Manchester or Dublin these days and you will see a pretty similar sight, pints of Guinness in various stages of consumption. Now, the […]

2 years ago

The funeral details for well-known homeless woman Ann Delaney who died while sleeping rough in Dublin city centre have been confirmed. Ann Delaney, 47, who was originally from Dromagh, Crettyard, Co Laois, died at around 9am on Sunday. Ms Delaney, who is thought to have worked as a nurse in a Dublin hospital prior to falling […]

2 years ago

It’s time for pizza by the pi-load and pastel de nata by the truck-load to make way for some new supremes As we bid farewell to 2023, the year that will no doubt go down as one of the longest in history, here at Lovin we’re looking to the future. As people who follow the […]

2 years ago

The Sunday Roast Club is where it’s at Much like many Millenial pursuits, seeing my friends has been something that I’ve had to plan ahead of time, jot into my calendar app and book well in advance. Over the years I’ve found that the concept of a club has been a very beneficial way to […]

2 years ago

2023 has been an exceptionally challenging year for hospitality to say the very least Rising energy bills and the bite of the cost of living crisis has unfortunately meant that many incredible businesses have had to close their doors this year. As the year draws to a close, we’ve taken some time to highlight some […]

2 years ago

Some more spots to add to your ever-growing notes app list in 2024 It’s been a funny aul year for hospitality in the city, with closure numbers of established and beloved businesses growing at an uncomfortable rate. These closures are not to be swept to the side, these are livelihoods, futures and legacies that have […]

2 years ago

Christmas is coming and the Lovin Dublin team are a-drafting their Christmas lists If you are in need of some Christmas present inspiration, look no further than the Lovin team’s carefully crafted list of items they dearly want. Take this list with a lil pinch of salt, we aren’t genuinely expecting an electric car to […]

2 years ago

Michael D Higgins leaves his role in 2025. Conor McGregor has signalled his intention to run for the Irish Presidency in 2025. The MMA fighter, who is reportedly being investigated by the Gardaí for incitement of hatred following the Dublin riots in November, has written to his Twitter/X followers about his “potential competition”. The 35-year-old […]

2 years ago

Another all-important studio space has closed in Dublin On my commute into work, I pass a space that used to house Block T in Kilmainham’s Bow Lane. The site is in various stages of being cleared for building, the bright mural from Dublin graffiti artist Decoy, is disassembled with each passing day. Planning permission has […]

2 years ago

Sunday dinner won’t be the same for D7 locals We’ve copped a bit of flack the last while with our coverage of hospitality closures in the city, with a particularly sarky follower contending that we had turned into an “obituary page for Dublin businesses”. This complaint is probably valid, we have been covering a lot […]

2 years ago

Sad news from Smithfield Square One of Dublin’s best lunch spots, and undoubtedly the funniest venues in the county, Thundercut Alley has unfortunately closed. Although we pride ourselves on keeping a hawklike eye on the comings and goings of hospitality spots in the city, this one, unfortunately, slipped through the cracks, as the announcement came […]

2 years ago

Get some incredible home cooking from a wonderful Dublin business and support the invaluable work of the Palestinian Red Crescent Lovin Dublin are delighted to partner with Rathmines’s wonderful Shaku Maku for their Palestinian Supper Club on Thursday, December 7th. The family-style supper club is in support of the invaluable work done each and every […]

2 years ago

The use of Merrion Square North for future Dublin Marathons’ is being examined In a joint statement, Dublin City Council and Dublin Marathon addressed the controversy over the race’s starting/finishing line situated in Merrion Square North. Following this year’s event in October, the National Transport Authority hit out at traffic disruptions caused by the annual […]

2 years ago

A Sinn Féin TD disputed claims made about Varadkar by Musk. Elon Musk has taken to his social media platform X, formerly Twitter, to criticise Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. The tweets come following the knife attack outside the Gaelscoil Coláiste Mhuire in Parnell Square East on Thursday that left three children and their adult carer injured and the subsequent riots […]

2 years ago

A five-year-old girl remains in critical condition. The six-year-old girl who was injured in the stabbing attack in Parnell Square East in Dublin on Thursday has been released from hospital, according to reports. She was one of three children who were casualties in the knife attack which shocked the nation, which occurred shortly after 1.30 pm outside […]

2 years ago

The CEO of Arnotts has confirmed that thanks to ‘teams working through the night,’ they will open their store today. On Thursday evening, violence and looting broke out in Dublin in the wake of a knife attack that resulted in five people – including three children – needing hospital care. Garda cars were burnt out, […]

2 years ago

The violent protest was sparked this afternoon following an incident in the North city centre Several nightclubs, restaurants and bars have closed in the wider city centre tonight amid safety concerns for staff and patrons. Footage of escalating tensions began to be seen on social media following the attack outside a Dublin primary school at […]

2 years ago

Breaking news A number of people including children have reportedly been attacked in an ongoing “serious incident” in Dublin City centre. The incident happened outside Gaelscoil Coláiste Mhuire on Parnell Square East, as children were coming out of school at around 1.40pm. According to the The Irish Times, a man attacked a group of people, including […]

2 years ago

December is coming in hot, and the calendar is filling up quicker than santy’s sack Scratching your head wondering what to do with yourself this month other than stuffing your gob full of turkey and celebrations? We gotchuu, here’s our top picks for December, yanno yourself the things you’d want to be booking right about […]

2 years ago

A dying breed of bar While regular pubs can open at 10.30am, Dublin still has a handful of bars that have secured a special license which allows them to open from Monday to Saturday at 7 am. Originally geared towards sailors, dockers, market traders, fishermen and hauliers, now they are frequented by revellers, shift workers, […]

2 years ago

Truly slim pickings for housing these days Ironically located on Long Lane, off Camden Street, this little house is actually a complete accident. Reflected in its number, the little house sits beside 19 and 20, 19A is the only house in the row of redbrick terraces with a letter attached to it. Built in the […]

2 years ago

An unlikely coupling of cocktails and curry Cocktails being sold in a Pakistani restaurant are one thing, but some of the best cocktails in the city being shaken up in a Pakistani restaurant are quite another thing entirely. It’s something that speaks to the fusion between Pakistani and Irish cultures happening in Kinara Kitchen that […]

2 years ago

Irish-born, London-based Sean McGirr has just been announced as Sarah Burton’s successor in the fashion house McGirr’s new role comes after the head of the brand for the last 13 years, Sarah Burton, took her final bow at Paris Fashion Week passing the metaphorical baton to the Dubliner. This marks a new era for the designer […]

3 years ago

Just shows you it’s hard to beat the home of the black stuff Dublin’s Guinness Storehouse has been named Europe’s Leading Tourist Attraction in 2023 and Europe’s Leading Beer Tour Visitor Experience in 2023 at the World Travel Awards. The awards which took place in Batumi, Georgia, last month saw the home of the black […]

3 years ago

This strongly Italian small plates restaurant is slicing through the cut and thrust of Ranelagh’s hospitality scene This place is popular and if you don’t believe me I’ll show you my booking email which flew into my inbox roughly three months before the dinner in question. By dinner, I mean 3.30pm, a twilight time between […]

3 years ago

Enter sp00kie season in style by getting booking some deliciously brilliant events in the Fair City Scratching your head wondering what to do with yourself this month? We gotchuu, we’ve hand-picked a list of what to book in Dublin this October: 10. Bram Stoker Festival Friday 27th October – Monday 30th October, more info here  […]

3 years ago

No word on whether they do drip drop coffee These last few weeks openers have been coming thick and fast in the city. So fast in fact that some of them can slip through our fingers, much like how August sipped away like a bottle of wine. A sweet little spot in Dublin 7 opened […]

3 years ago

The all-new digital art experience opens in the Central Plaza on Wednesday, September 20th A little slower than other cities when it comes to hosting cutting-edge events, Dublin has recently caught up with the international trend of immersive experiences the last while, fresh off the back of the FRIENDS Experience announcement yesterday and the Van Gogh […]

3 years ago

The land of saints and scholars has some choice words when it comes to rebuffs Talking about things like our feelings, emotions and past traumas g’luck. But when it comes to slagging people we really excel. This phenomenon might have something to do with all the unexpressed thoughts we carry around with us each and […]

3 years ago

Saving Dublin nightlife one club night at a time The steady decline of club spaces has been much discussed, with closures coming thick and fast in the last few years with rising rents, COVID setbacks, high insurance and a plethora of other issues organisers have had to reckon with. A recent report from District Magazine […]

3 years ago

A welcome addition for fans of the new wave of Dublin wine bars, this refreshing opener is what the city has been crying out for without even realising  Set the scene  The address listed for Bar Pez is ripe for confusion, and flailing interpretation. In some kind of brain fuzz, I had convinced myself that […]

3 years ago

Wave goodbye to Summer and give Autumn a firm handshake with the coming of September Scratching your head wondering what to do with yourself this month? We gotchuu, we’ve hand-picked a list of what to book in Dublin this September: 10. Arlo Parks Tuesday, September 5, The Olympia, more info here Catch the twice Grammy-nominated, […]

3 years ago

Europe’s biggest BBQ & Food Festival is back with a bang for four days of fun, smoke and grease Fanning the flames in the leafy environs of Herbert Park this week will be a festival dedicated to the ancient art of cooking over the fire. This year the organisers (the people that brought you Me […]

3 years ago

Europe’s biggest BBQ & Food Festival is back with a bang for four-days of fun, smoke and grease between 17th–20th of August Fanning the flames in the leafy environs of Herbert Park this week will be a festival dedicated to the ancient art of cooking over the fire. This year the organisers (the people that […]

3 years ago

O’Connor flew to fame with her hit single Nothing Compares 2 U in 1990 Legendary Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor has sadly passed away at the age of 56, The Irish Times has reported. The Dublin native had a career spanning over three decades, with 10 studio albums and her single Nothing Compares 2 U was named the […]

3 years ago

Dublin’s latest quayside destination The quays have gotten a good bit of love in the last few years with incredible hospitality businesses like Happys, Copper + Straw, Kakilang and loads more breathing new life into the quayside. Now there’s a triple threat of a business to add to their lineup, Kyodai Izakaya, which operates as […]

3 years ago

Dublin’s largest park has a lot of surprises Many have walked past this seemingly ordinary collection of rocks during their strolls around the Pheonix Park and not even known it was a 4,500-year-old dolmen. Known as the ‘Knockmaree Dolmen’ is so named for the small ridge on which it stands on the Upper Glen Road, […]

3 years ago

Welcome to the Lovin Roundup, our weekly glance at Dublin’s main hospitality news including openers, closures and everything in between. This week we’ve seen our fair share of comings and goings in Dublin, from two exciting new Spanish-inspired openers, the launch of an exclusive pop-up and some closure orders. If you’re looking for a quick […]

3 years ago

A welcome addition for fans of the new wave of Dublin wine bars  While many who are forced to spend too much time on Daft.ie would argue that Dublin is in its flop era, those following the series of impressive new openers in the city would beg to differ. Joining that anointed list is Bar […]

3 years ago

Dubliner humour at its finest Many people would walk by this unassuming plaque on the left-hand balustrade of O’Connell Bridge and assume that it was a memorial for some great historic figure who worked tirelessly for the good people of Dublin. But this standard-looking 6 x 8 inches bronze plaque is dedicated to a fictitious […]

3 years ago

TBF there’s nothing like a cheeky fry and a pint at 3AM In cut and the thrust of the news cycle, we are all looking for the best, the top and the overperforming, mediocre and middle-of-the-line just don’t cut it. That’s why when it came to our attention that Dublin Airport sell the most amount […]

3 years ago

The site is believed to be a mass grave and has been described as the ‘Christ Church of the northside’ The remains of over a hundred people have been uncovered off Capel Street during the archaeological excavation of a city centre hotel development. During the construction of a new hotel situated between Abbey Street and […]

3 years ago

One for all the guys and gals this Summer We all know and love them, the people in our lives who have an obsession with that bottle of that oh-so-famous Provence rosé. Well luckily for them, there’s just the event for them to throw their glad rags on and head down to, as the world’s […]

3 years ago