Six New Openings, A Reopening, A Refurb, and Two Coming Soon

A 3fe favourite returns, Artybaker open a third venue, and the owner of Tartine takes it back to the start with a new micro-bakery - here’s everything you need to know about the latest openings (and reopenings in Dublin).

Russell Street Bakery, Dublin 1

Tartine Organic Bakery founder Thibault Peigne has opened a micro-bakery just a stone’s throw from Croke Park (where Rossa Crowe's bakery 'The Lady From Shanghai' used to be). Russell Street Bakery sourdough breads, scones and pastries we're told rival any in Dublin right now, and we’re loving the cool and cosy look of the place with boards of baked goods stacked temptingly in the window. Good news here for coffee nerds too: they’ve invested in the best machinery with a custom Sanremo Café Racer, while the coffee itself comes from D8’s Imbibe.

Artybaker, Sandymount

Artybaker are not stopping still as they open their third branch in Sandymount, just four months out from setting up shop in Kimmage. All of their breads and pastries are made on site in the newly fitted-out kitchen, and we can only imagine the smell. Fresh loaves and baguettes are laid out to the side with a full store-width counter piled high with pastries and cakes opening up before you as you come in the door. Their limited February special Ferrero Rocher croissant is all the reason you need to get down and check it out before the end of the month.

Fairmental, Grand Canal Street Upper

A natural next step for chef Valentin Ivancenco, who first starting experimenting with fermentation during lockdown before launching a series of products that have cropped up on dishes all over Dublin, Fairmental brings his full range of sauces, kefirs and kombuchas direct to customers, together with a small menu of salads, bowls and wraps. Pitched as a deli and lab, the new venture is focused on the positive gut and brain benefits of fermented foods. We love the wall of supplier shout outs, with the likes of Ring’s Farm chicken and Glenmar Seafood among the providers namechecked. Read our two minute review here.

Be Sweet, Clarendon Street

A boutique, design-led confectionary brand available in retailers like Avoca since 2014, Be Sweet expanded onto the café scene last week with this Clarendon Street space straight across from Powerscourt Shopping Centre. Inside and out the décor is heavy on florals, ferns and feathers with an eye to offering an escapist getaway in the city centre - or maybe they're just courting the Instagram crowd. For the moment it’s just coffees, cakes and chocolate on offer but hot food options are coming soon. Four-legged friends are also welcomed.

Pawn Shop, Dame Street

It’s been a long road to opening for new cocktail bar Pawn Shop, which took over the Dame Street space that played home to Berlin Bar until its closure under the cloud of that infamous covid controversy - the new owners reckon that incident might have played a part in delaying their licence so long. It’s a dive bar vibe with the re-fitted space sporting neon-lit cabinets of pawned jewellery and electronics along the walls, and Mexican food truck Órale are taking up a permanent residence, after a few successful popups while the bar was wrangling its way through the courts.

The Storyteller, Grand Canal Street Lower

Hot on the heels of their Arnott’s opening, the team behind Griolladh have gotten into the pub trade, reopening Becky Morgan’s on Grand Canal Street under the new name The Storyteller. The polished black lamps and heavy focus on Guinness give it a classic Dublin pub vibe that extends to the all-wood interior, more refreshed than revamped from the previous venue. The food menu is strictly on the casual side with “snacks and shares” - colour us intrigued by the fried cacio e pepe - aged beef burgers, prawn banh mis, and Caesar salads. They're serving drinks until 23.30 seven days a week.

Gertrude, Pearse Street

It was starting to feel like 3fe’s much-loved brunch spot might be permanently shut after its pandemic closure never lifted, but we’re glad to see Gertrude back in business with a reopening announcement out of the blue last week. They’re starting slow with service from 11:00 to 16:00, Friday through Sunday, and the menu has been revamped. It’s no surprise to see granola, pancakes, eggs and avocado toast, but more standout items include a short rib hash, fennel and blood orange salad, and bacon and treacle-stewed beans. Quick counter bites are also available for the coffee-and-croissant-to-go crowd.

Brickyard, Dundrum

After being closed for the past few months for renovation, Dundrum gastropub Brickyard has just reopened. It's had a full refurb, complete with a new brick wall running through it (no more questions about why it's call what it's called), and they've got some new dishes on the menu, including tender stem broccoli pakora with coriander chutney, mint yoghurt and fermented jalapenos, and 10-hour braised iberico pork cheek with mustard mash and caramelised onion gravy. Brickyard opens for food and drinks seven days a week.

Coming soon...

Eleven, Loughlinstown

The latest addition to a restaurant stable that includes 777, Dillinger’s, The Butcher Grill and Amy Austin, details are thin on the ground so far for Eleven, but it's promising a wood-burning grill, cocktail bar and live jazz once it opens upstairs in Whelehan's Wines in Loughlinstown.

La Gordita, Montague Street

We’ve been patiently (and sometimes impatiently) waiting for La Gordita since first reporting it as on the way last year, but with a licence granted last week it’s got to be close. Anna Cabrera and Vanessa Murphy’s Las Tapas de Lola has become a Dublin institution since opening a decade ago, and the couple’s new Bodega-style bar round the corner is named after their pet pug.