Blackrock gets two new openers, and Camden Street bids farewell to a cult favourite.
For the third consecutive week it is back to back openers in Dublin, a nice change from previous months where it’s a bit doom and glom with closure after closure. And while there is sadly one closure we have to address, a Camden Street go-to that will be sorely missed, one of our openers is going into that space shortly, so it won’t be empty for long.
So without further delay, here all the hospitality openers (and closure) you need to know about in Dublin right now.
Thindi
Opener
Thindi, an Indian chain of restaurants with branches in Dublin, Cork, Waterford, and Sligo, has just opened a new spot in Blackrock. The take-away spot comes from the same people as Camile, who focus on Thai cuisine, and they’ve become popular in the short time they’ve been operating, even winning Best Indian at the National Awards in 2022.
This is not the only opener on this list that has gone into the Frascati Shopping centre, but more on that later.
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Allta
Opener
Best known perhaps for its time as a carpark rooftop restaurant, based for a time on Trinity Street, Allta are no stranger to switching things up, and they are at it again with plans to open a new eatery, bar, and micro bakery in the heart of the Dublin docklands.
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Ruff Day
Opener
Malahide has recently welcomed a new café to its seafront, great if you’re in need of something to warm your hands in this chillier weather.
Ruff Day, which launched at the end of August, are pouring Upside Coffee, a North Dublin-based coffee roastery which has been in operation for seven years.
The coffee truck also sells a range of pastries and cakes, and they’re actually on the affordable side of things (unheard of in this county).
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Drop Coffee
Opener
This sweet little spot in Dublin 7 opened way back in August and is only coming to our attention now.
Set where the all-vegan bakery Bear Lemon used to be on Drumcondra Road, it’s nice to see another little indie hospitality business slot into the space. The team are carrying the flag for Bear Lemon, offering some incredible-looking vegan and gluten-free dessert options, some of which are hailing from the ovens of the wonderful Medialuna bakery.
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Musashi Blackrock
Opener
Onto our second Blackrock opener, Musashi, one of the most affordable spots for sushi in Dublin, has just opened within the Frascati Shopping Centre too this week, which is great news for lovers of Japanese cuisine in Blackrock.
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Wingman 4.0
Opener
Big news for the people of Clontarf looking for their burgers and wings fix; WingMan announced that they have launched their fourth food van, loaded up with all your menu favourites.
The new burger and wings van flew into Clontarf Rugby Club, and were open for collection over the past weekend.
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Jerusalem
Closure
It would appear that Camden Street restaurant Jerusalem have unfortunately closed their doors. The much loved restaurant have been open since 2009, and while they made no public announcement of their closure, their Instagram bio does confirm the news.
Lovin attempted to get in touch with Jerusalem about the closure, but their website and email address are no longer in operation.
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Diwali
Opener
Diwali, a Nepalese and Indian restaurant based on South Great George’s Street, have put up posters announcing their arrival on the old Jerusalem Camden Street premises.
When we reached out to Diwali to confirm the news, they said that they would continue to operate out of their original location, which has been open since 2007, and that Camden Street would be their second home.
No news so far on when exactly Diwali will open, but if the poster is anything to go by, we won’t have too long to wait.
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Zambrero
Opener
The devil works hard but Zambrero works harder. We literally only covered Zambrero’s 19th location opening in Cherrywood in last week’s round-up, but already we are onto their 20th instalment, opening on O’Connell Street on Tuesday 26th.
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Silk Purse
Opener
Silk Purse, from the people behind Spitalfields and The Pig’s Ear, initially teased its opening in 2022. It launched as a pop-up in July 2023, for organic and vegan soup business Love Hug Foods, and have finally opened as a café.
The Nassau Street space is serving Nespresso coffee, Bread 41 pastries and sourdough loaves, as well as sandwiches from their parent company and upstairs neighbour The Pig’s Ear, and of course Love Hug soup to dunk your sambo into.
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Little Pyg Terrace
Opener
Continuing with the Spanish-inspired trend we’re seeing sweep Dublin in recent months (there’s pil pil coming out our ears at this stage, and we’re by no means complaining), the Little Pyg Terrace opens with an offering of Spanish and Italian street food and an outdoor terrace boldly promising to be one of the best in Ireland.
Inspired by bars in the likes of Madrid and Milan, the new venue has been fitted with huge windows that slide open completely, and all food will be served through these windows to diners on the outdoor terrace, in the style of our continental cousins. As Storm Agnes pelts down and threats of tornadoes loom it feels strange to be writing about an outdoor dining space and large, completely open windows but rest assured – the terrace is completely covered and heated.
Little Pyg Terrace officially opens as of September 29th.
Know of any openers or closures that we’ve missed? Let us know at [email protected].
Header images via Instagram / Wingman & Twitter / Allta
READ ON:
– People behind The Pig’s Ear open new café serving Bread 41 pastries
– Malahide has a new seafront café to check out
– Get pierced, tatted and fed at the Dublin Tattoo Convention in the RDS this weekend
