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08th Feb 2023

93 places in Dublin you didn’t know were owned by the same people

Emily Mullen

Sister restaurants, cousin cafes, bar buddies, call it what you want but a surprising number of spots in Dublin are owned by the same people

Knowledge is power when it comes to the hospitality scene in Dublin, clout can come in the form of knowing a variety of things. From what to order on a menu, guessing the secret ingredient, the history of the place, be that the chef, what was previously housed there or sister restaurants. With that in mind and to help arm you with some know-how here are some surprising (and some not-so-surprising) food and drink businesses that are owned by the same companies/individuals:

17. The Bernard Shaw

Thanks to DCCs insistence on building hotels at all costs, this spot has had a tumultuous time in Dublin, but the latest relocation to Cross Gunn Bridge has proved to be a fortuitous move. Bodytonic who are behind ’em, run and operate a couple of different bars, venues and cultural spaces around the city:

-Clanbrassil Street’s MVP
-Phibsborough’s The Back Page
-Hogan Place’s The Square Ball

-Middle Abbey Street’s Wigwam
-Dún Laoghaire’s The Lighthouse

16. The Big Romance 

The little slip of a boozer on Parnell Street has recently partnered with Whiplash beer to open an exciting new bar:

-Smithfield’s Fidelity

15. Whelan’s

Pubs don’t get more iconic than Whelan’s, chances are the inhabitants of this city have a tale that ends on the beloved sticky floors of the place. Owned by the Mercantile Group who own loads of other class spots dotted around the city:

-George’s Street’s NoLIta

-George’s Street’s The George

-Dawson Street’s Café en Seine

-Trinity Street’s Pichet

-Wexford Street’s Opium
-Camden Row’s The Crafty Fox

14. SOLE

Frequented by Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde during their noteworthy trip to Dublin (Vico bath cans anyone?), this spot on South William Street is a romantic, glitzy and knockout spot for a seafood-centric dinner. There’s a nice Game of Thrones Song of Ice and Fire motif happening with its sister restaurant, which focuses on meat and…

-Dawson Street’s FIRE

13. Mister S 

One of the finest restaurants in Dublin (in my opinion) thankfully the team behind Mister S also runs another quality spot:

-Dawson Street’s Featherblade

12. Michael’s 

Owned by the frustratingly non-eponymous Gaz Smith, this beloved neighbourhood spot out in Mount Merrion has a couple of M-names in the mix:

-Mount Merrion’s Little Mike’s
-Blackrock’s Big Mike’s

11. Bonobo

This Northside beacon has been slinging delicious pizzas and serving crisp pints to absolutely delighted punters for quite a while now. They’ve recently replicated the secret sauce recipe on the southside, with a new spot:

-Rathmines’s Kodiak

10. Woollen Mills

This iconic Dublin cafe come restaurant has had a distinct style and grace since most people remember. Luckily the people behind it haven’t just restricted it to one premises, thankfully opening it out to others:

-Glasnevin’s The Washerwoman
-Ormond Quay’s The Winding Stair

-Liffey Street’s The Yarn, Pizza + Booze (which is temporarily closed)

 

9. Beef & Lobster 
A stalwart of the Dublin food scene, it’s no surprise that the company behind Beef & Lobster have a couple of spots dotted around the city, northside burbs and beyond. Here’s a list of the sister venues:

Dublin
-Temple Bar’s Cleaver East
-Donnybrook’s The Donnybrook Gastropub
-South William Street’s Pink Restaurant
-Malahide’s Ribeye Steakhouse
-Malahide’s Bon Appetit

Louth
-Drogheda’s Bryanstown Social

8. 777

This cult-favourite contemporary Mexican joint on George’s street is owned by the same company that run some of Dublin’s most-beloved spots.

-Drury Street’s Amy Austin

-Ranelagh’s The Butcher’s Grill
-Ranelagh’s Dillinger’s

7. Lucky’s 

This spot on Meath Street is much beloved by NCAD students and hip residents alike. The team behind this new-kinda bar which dots its walls with contemporary Irish art and keeps its interior scandi sparse, also own two more D8 spots:

-Rialto’s The Circular (which houses The Other Hand Bar)

-Thomas Street’s The Magnet

6. Coke Lane Pizza

This might be a bit of giveaway ‘cos of the name, but the makers of arguably some of the best pizza in Dublin have a couple of spots:

-Lucky’s Coke Lane Pizza (Meath Street)

-The Circular’s Coke Lane Pizza (Rialto)

-Temple Bar’s Southpaw

5. PYE Dundrum

The newly opened supremely dog-friendly spot out in Dundrum has a couple of other quality bars to call its sister:

-Smithfield’s Oscars Cafe Bar
-Stoneybatter’s Barbers Bar
-Phibsborough’s Doyles Corner

4. Mr Fox

This upscale Northside institution has recently opened a sister restaurant over on the Southside which has proved to be a great success.

-D’Olier Street’s D’Olier Street

3. Fade Street Social

One of the city’s warmest of welcomes comes from Fade Street Social, a restaurant that quietly drums away a great trade, without drawing too much attention to itself. This isn’t the only spot run by celebrated Irish chef Dylan McGrath, who operates two fantastic restaurants just a rustic stone’s throw away:

-George’s Street’s Rustic Stone
-George’s Street’s Brasserie Sixty6

2. Platform Pizza

Not strictly in Dublin but in a very Dublin-adjacent spot, Bray. The Duggan family behind Platform Pizza own an incredible amount of spots in the town:

-Bray’s Martello Restaurant and Bar
-Bray’s Harbour bar
-Bray’s Frank Duff’s
-Bray’s Joe’s Chicken (temp closed for the Winter)

1 Wowburger 

A behemoth of the Dublin hospitality, hotel and indeed the office space scene for better or worse Press Up owns a staggering amount of spots in the city and beyond. Typically named after a posh gyals name, in recent years the team have branched out and chosen a wider variety of names… buckle up here they all are:

-Harcourt Street’s Sophie’s

-Dime Coffee (various locations)

-Wagamama (various locations)

-Ranelagh’s Layla’s

-North Wall Quay’s Ryleigh’s

-Camden Street’s Rice Chinese

-Baggot Street’s Mom Chicken

-Captain Americas (various locations)

-Elephant and Castle (various locations)

-South Richmond’s Street’s Doolally

-Temple Bar’s Tomahawk

-Camden Street’s Mama Yo

-Temple Bar’s Roberta’s

-Grand Canal Dock’s Mackenzie’s

-South Anne Street’s Isabelle’s

-Rathmines’s The Stella (cinema and diner)

-Percy Place’s Angelina’s (deli + restaurant)

-Stephen’s Green’s The Grayson

-Wellington Quay’s Workman’s Club

-North Wall Quay’s The Bottle Boy

-Aungiers Street’s Lucky Duck Pub (+ Cocktail Rooms)

-Temple Bar’s The Curious Mister (in The Clarence)

-Wicklow Street’s Mary’s Bar & Hardware Shop

-Temple Bar’s Anne’s Bar and Hardware

-Temple Bar’s Vintage Cocktail Club

-Baggot Street’s Thomas Rody Maher’s (Maher’s Pub)
-Ranelagh’s Americana Bar (at The Devlin)

-Thomas Street’s John’s Bar & Haberdashery

-Dawson Street’s Peruke & Periwig

-Wellington Quay’s Bison Bar & BBQ

-Clonskeagh’s Ashton’s Gastro Pub

-Lucan’s The Foxhunter

READ ON: 10 best places to work (or study in) when you find yourself in Dublin city centre