Fifteen new openings in Dublin and five coming soon
- Ronan Doyle
- 1 hour ago
- 9 min read
Did somebody just cut a VAT rate in here or what? After a long, cold winter, where only stray dribs and drabs of new openings gave us anything to look forward to sinking our teeth into, since February there’s been a glut of new openings cascading across Dublin. While many of these may be existing operations expanding their footprints from the safety of a solidly bankable base, there are enough new and novel concepts cropping up to give you faith for better times ahead in 2026 – on our plates anyway, if not our news feeds...
Kin Dee, Leeson Street Upper
A sister site to Leeson Street’s Little Kitchen just three doors down, itself spun-off from The Vintage Kitchen now all a decade ago, Kin Dee sees the chefs who staffed Indo-Chine on the same site break from former owners Townhouse Leisure to deliver something different. Named for the Thai for “eat well”, the menu shifts focus from the Vietnam-centric prior operation, though still making space for some stops off there and in Malaysia across its purported thirteen signature dishes. Thai-style scotch egg with isan sausage, and beef rendang with sweet potato fondant are some of the more eye-catching options, while a keenly priced lunch menu with all starters for €9 and all mains for €18 is sure to grab attention in these value-strapped times.
Boco, Clontarf
Closing for a “mental health day” right after opening weekend goes to show the fevered anticipation awaiting the second sit-down site for BoCo, who wrapped up their fire truck hatch in Harry Byrne’s in Clontarf almost a full two years ago with promises of bigger things soon to come. Soon they were not, but bigger they are, and the old Pigeon House location has given way to a spacious second site for the popular pizza joint. Warm wall tones, wraparound banquettes, all-organic wines – it’s a much more grown-up affair than the Bolton Street original with its regular student crowds, but much of the menu has made it into the suburbs untouched for all your Neapolitan needs.
Tábla, Mount Merrion
Slotting into the space previously occupied by Little Mike’s in Mount Merrion, Tábla is a return-to-roots venture for Frenchmen Tanguy Gros Daillon and Thomas Loisel, who first met working in Piglet before the former moved to Allta and eventually Entrecôte – the less said about all that the better. While waiting for a wine licence that’s since arrived, the new bistro kicked off daytime café, takeaway, and Sunday roast service with various French favourites like cornichon-studded jamon beurre, bechamel-stuffed cordon blue, and Loisel’s Blasta Books-featured French onion soup. Dinner will kick off shortly now the cellar’s unleashed, and with suppliers like O’Reilly’s Butchers and Tartine Bakery on board we’ve got fingers firmly crossed.
