Dun Laoghaire pub famine

Boulevardier

My friends and I were dismayed when we looked for a place in central Dun Laoghaire on Saturday for a drink and some pub food.

The Port house, which used to do very nice pub food, has packed up and allowed itself to be replaced by a fast-food chicken joint (still under construction). The Forty-foot was also closed. We found no new pubs in the area.

I am quite shocked that the 2 most accessible pubs near the seafront have both gone.

Tabnabs

Purty Kitchen has reopened and is doing good food and craft beers.

Larbre34

Is the 40 ft closed altogether or just that time of day?

Walters does nice food to go with a pint, I know its a few mins walk down the town though. You can get beer and wine in Maos but its not a place you would stay all afternoon

frash

Gilbert & Wrights up the other end is a good pub & you can bring over a take-away from Camille

matt-dublin

Buck Henry's in the shopping centre is quite good and serves good food too.

Gilbert and Writes, Walters, and i think two or three others towards the hospital.

I think Gilbert and Writes killed the 40ft, they said they were closing for renovations but its been gone a good while now. Sure the place was always empty on a Friday and Saturday. Lacked atmosphere and they stopped providing a food service in the latter months.

We were there on a Friday night after work, about 30 of us and they had no chef. They wouldn't allow us to order pizzas in so we left. We were pretty much the only people there.

Tis a pity because its a great location and has amazing potential.

Fratton Fred

There's Hardy's bar at the royal marine hotel as well.

Boulevardier

This was at about 6.30-7 on a bright and sunny Saturday evening, but I recall being on the Port House on a rainy day last summer and it was doing good business.

If they can't fill a pub with a sea-view such as the forty-foot, something is very seriously wrong.

Dunphy's near the cinema is not bad, but a group of very loud auld-ones have driven everyone else away on both occasions when I was in.

The busiest pub on the night was Baker's Corner. Packed.

Dun Laoghaire as a town really has died a death in general and because of that pubs have closed. I was shocked to see Weirs not there any more a week ago.

ted1

Lovely beer garden in front of Oliveto,

And the yacht clubs serves good pints

matt-dublin

ted1 wrote: »

Lovely beer garden in front of Oliveto,

And the yacht clubs serves good pints

Oliveto'a been closed for a couple of years now? It's the hen house now I think

ted1

It's also being reopened In a new premises for a few years, they've taking over one of the ground floor of the Kingston hotel

Directly across from the east pier

http://www.oliveto.ie/

uberalles

matt-dublin wrote: »

Buck Henry's in the shopping centre is quite good and serves good food too.

Gilbert and Writes, Walters, and i think two or three others towards the hospital.

I think Gilbert and Writes killed the 40ft, they said they were closing for renovations but its been gone a good while now. Sure the place was always empty on a Friday and Saturday. Lacked atmosphere and they stopped providing a food service in the latter months.

We were there on a Friday night after work, about 30 of us and they had no chef. They wouldn't allow us to order pizzas in so we left. We were pretty much the only people there.

Tis a pity because its a great location and has amazing potential.

Clever management

zagmund

Olivetos didn't do themselves any favours with that move. Well, they did and they didn't - the new location is great & the dining area is much nicer. Our kids used to love it in the old location and then one day they weren't there any more, so we assumed they had gone out of business. Only later did it transpire that they had moved to the Kingston Hotel.

They must have lost a fair bit of passing trade with that move - we've eaten there since, but I'm sure there are plenty of others who didn't find it.

z

Funkstard

zagmund wrote: »

Olivetos didn't do themselves any favours with that move. Well, they did and they didn't - the new location is great & the dining area is much nicer. Our kids used to love it in the old location and then one day they weren't there any more, so we assumed they had gone out of business. Only later did it transpire that they had moved to the Kingston Hotel.

They must have lost a fair bit of passing trade with that move - we've eaten there since, but I'm sure there are plenty of others who didn't find it.

z

Don't assume it was their choice to up sticks!

ted1

Funkstard wrote: »

Don't assume it was their choice to up sticks!

I know for a fact that it wasn't their choice, their land lord treated them
Very badly.

Larbre34

Dun Laoghaire is a peculiar one, apart from the general recessionary feel its fine to expect big crowds out enjoying sunshine and al fresco dining and pints on the deck when the weather is suitable, but thats not enough to sustain a business the other 340 days a year, so some places off the beaten track will suffer badly

However, failing to do good all round business in the 40 Foot is just negligence, its expensive, pretentious and soulless. Its opposite a DART and bus station and as has been mentioned has great views, even on a stormy day! It needs an old fashioned landlord to get into it and simplify it, furnish it comfortably, reduce the prices to something less than Stephens Green level, and provide a simple all day menu and promote the hell out of it with some incentives. Get a better cross section of drinker and put the focus on the customer

uberalles

Dun Laoghaire is a disaster for parking. I read they made 7 million in parking fines/fees in one year.

Min fee 2 euro by the boat to drop someone off. 2 euro for 2 mins or 59 mins OTT. And it 7 days parking fees in some places.

Go one minute over in the old SC and you could be looking at a huge increase aft 3 hours I think it is. I got scalded there once.

To me DunLaoghaire = OTT parking fees and I avoid it.

matt-dublin

well between the excessive parking costs and dundrum that's why the town is dead.

sure the top floor of the shopping centre only has 5 open units
main floor and basement also have 5-10 empty units too!

uberalles

matt-dublin wrote: »

well between the excessive parking costs and dundrum that's why the town is dead.

sure the top floor of the shopping centre only has 5 open units
main floor and basement also have 5-10 empty units too!

The council must be happy with their 7 million parking fees while the businesses get strangled from people going else where.

Ive a feeling Sunday is good for some businesses / market. Difficult to make 100% turnover in one day though for a lot of them.

joeguevara

Deleted User wrote: »

Dun Laoghaire as a town really has died a death in general and because of that pubs have closed. I was shocked to see Weirs not there any more a week ago.

Weirs has changed ownership and is now 'The Pier Inn'. George who owns Walter's, Noggin Inn, Ramblers and Scotts owns it. Great Pint in there and they have a great bar menu. Also do really well for carvery. Bit quiet at night but getting busier each week.

Cracking looking bar girls as well.

uch

uberalles wrote: »

Dun Laoghaire is a disaster for parking. I read they made 7 million in parking fines/fees in one year.

Min fee 2 euro by the boat to drop someone off. 2 euro for 2 mins or 59 mins OTT. And it 7 days parking fees in some places.

Go one minute over in the old SC and you could be looking at a huge increase aft 3 hours I think it is. I got scalded there once.

To me DunLaoghaire = OTT parking fees and I avoid it.

That's Dún laoghaire Harbour Co. parking, not DLRCOCO

ted1

uch wrote: »

That's Dún laoghaire Harbour Co. parking, not DLRCOCO

irrelevant.

Oliveto/Kingston Hotel is my choice at the moment when the weather is dry, could sit outside looking at the view with a pint all day.

Used to love Gilbert and Wrights but getting a bit sick of it now just because I over did it probably

policarp

Boulevardier wrote: »

My friends and I were dismayed when we looked for a place in central Dun Laoghaire on Saturday for a drink and some pub food.

The Port house, which used to do very nice pub food, has packed up and allowed itself to be replaced by a fast-food chicken joint (still under construction). The Forty-foot was also closed. We found no new pubs in the area.

I am quite shocked that the 2 most accessible pubs near the seafront have both gone.

The amount of pubs,hotels and clubs that have closed in the Dun Laoghaire vicinity in my lifetime amazes me. . .

grimm2005

matt-dublin wrote: »

well between the excessive parking costs and dundrum that's why the town is dead.

sure the top floor of the shopping centre only has 5 open units
main floor and basement also have 5-10 empty units too!

and that's even before you look on the main street where there are more "to let" signs then open businesses! It's sad really, Dun Laoghaire could be a great local alternative to a night out in town but anytime we're out there we always end up in Walters because it's the only bar that stays open late on a weekend!

zagmund

[deleted]

frash

grimm2005 wrote: »

and that's even before you look on the main street where there are more "to let" signs then open businesses! It's sad really, Dun Laoghaire could be a great local alternative to a night out in town but anytime we're out there we always end up in Walters because it's the only bar that stays open late on a weekend!

Gilbert & Wright's does too

uch

ted1 wrote: »

irrelevant.

How can it be irrelevant when they are two separate enteties ?

zagmund

uch wrote: »

How can it be irrelevant when they are two separate enteties ?

It's irrelevant to the public who just know they have to pay "the man" to park their car. They don't care who they have to pay.

From the point of view of the council, rates payers & the harbour company it's relevant, but most people here aren't in that grouping.

z

patrickbrophy18

Walters, Gilbert & Wrights and nearby Purty Kitchen appear to be doing well. However, the more prominent venues such as 40 Foot and Scott's don't seem to be doing so well while Paparazzi's (Paps, Party House or Platinum) has been gone for well over a year. I'm not too sure about Hardy's Bar. Then again, it is owned by the Royal Marine Hotel. In this particular instance, I wouldn't tie this down to poor or overly priced parking as people are generally discouraged from driving with ANY alcohol in their system:eek:.

In the case of 40 Foot and Paparazzi's, both venues where a rip off in terms of admissions fees charging upwards of €10 per person for entry and the price of a pint being north of €6. I don't even think they were full pints given that they were served in those plastic glasses. Not to mention the fact that Paparazzi's made you put your coat into the cloak room regardless of the temperature outside. In this particular instance, I wasn't even in the main part of the nightclub and I was already down €15 (non-refundable:mad:).

The rather rough and rowdy clientele in some of Dun Laoghaire's pub's are certainly a big turn off for anyone who intends on having a semi decent night out. Then again, this applies to any place with some semblance of a nocturnal atmosphere. Anyway, that's just my opinion!

matt-dublin

Pint of heino was always €5 in the 40 foot.

I don't think you would even break 5.70 in town so you're exaggerating a bit on the pint price.

40ft only charged entry into the club, not the pub. The food used to be decent and reasonably priced.

Slaps was a sh1thole and has probably been closed 2-3 years now. It closed purely because it was a sh1thole

ted1

uch wrote: »

How can it be irrelevant when they are two separate enteties ?

Because the relevant part is the cost of parking in dun laoighre not who gets the actual money.

In the post your replying to the poster simply gave out about the price of parking not who was faciliting it.

What difference does it make if its two separate entities.

And your point is also incorrect in that there are three companies involved in the parking outlined by the poster, the third being dun laoighre shopping centre.

Tabnabs

Actually uch is right regarding the parking, he originally highlighted the following

uberalles wrote: »

Min fee 2 euro by the boat to drop someone off. 2 euro for 2 mins or 59 mins OTT. And it 7 days parking fees in some places.

This is indeed overseen by the Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company who have the most draconian parking charges (0900-2000, seven days a week). It's also incorrect as there is a long drop off/pick up are in front of the ferry terminal where don't pay to park (but are watched to avoid abuse of area).

Dun Laoghaire has many parking suppliers and there is value to be had if you know where and when the rules apply.

Mick Murdock

I've never been anywhere that's so utterly dead at night. Good to hear that Gilbert & Wright is doing well - have only been in there in the evenings and never at the weekend. Closest thing to a decent pub in Dún Laoghaire.

A lot of the other local pubs could take a leaf out of their book. Good staff, decent pints, nice decor and good music. It's not difficult.

The Pier Inn (Weirs) is nice enough. Good staff and nice food. Would never consider going there at night though. Severely lacking in atmosphere. Nice selection of beers though.

Buck Henry's is not really my cup of tea. Grand for something to eat or a drink during the day.

Good thing I'm off the drink for a bit!

grimm2005

frash wrote: »

Gilbert & Wright's does too

Really? Anytime we've been out there we always start getting kicked out around 12am meaning we have to head down to Walters if we wanna stay out later.

frash

grimm2005 wrote: »

Really? Anytime we've been out there we always start getting kicked out around 12am meaning we have to head down to Walters if we wanna stay out later.

I was kicked out around 1:30am a few Fridays ago.

Mind you we were among the last there & I did have a few too many

Mick Murdock

The Guards don't seem to be as strict about opening hours in Dun Laoghaire as they are in a lot of other places. Quite a few pubs serve after hours without much hassle. Walters seems to be the only pub with a 2am licence.

Exclamation Marc

Yeah it's sad to see the decline of Dun Laoghaire alright.

Ever since the Festival of World Cultures was cancelled for overspending (how anyone can overspend on a non-revenue festival is beyond me), things have gone drastically downhill in terms of nightlife.

The Hen House is probably going to suffer now as well when Nandos opens in September, so expect another closure as it seems to be suffering now anyway.

40 Foot closing as someone mentioned is a disgrace. It's an absolutely top notch spot and only needed someone with a good brain to go in, manage and promote the place well. It seemed like a place stuck in the boom, with higher prices than needed, painfully overpriced cocktails, random quality food and little in the way of promotion. It seemed to be happy to wait for customer to come in as opposed to going and chasing them.

ted1

FireballPitcher wrote: »

Yeah it's sad to see the decline of Dun Laoghaire alright.

Ever since the Festival of World Cultures was cancelled for overspending (how anyone can overspend on a non-revenue festival is beyond me), things have gone drastically downhill in terms of nightlife.

The Hen House is probably going to suffer now as well when Nandos opens in September, so expect another closure as it seems to be suffering now anyway.

40 Foot closing as someone mentioned is a disgrace. It's an absolutely top notch spot and only needed someone with a good brain to go in, manage and promote the place well. It seemed like a place stuck in the boom, with higher prices than needed, painfully overpriced cocktails, random quality food and little in the way of promotion. It seemed to be happy to wait for customer to come in as opposed to going and chasing them.

The world culture festival was one weekend, I doubt that has any affect. The over spending was on Gardai overtime.

Nandos is an over priced fast food place, I don't think it would affect the hen house, especially as they ate down the pavilion and benefit from passing traffic

reprazant

FireballPitcher wrote: »

Ever since the Festival of World Cultures was cancelled for overspending (how anyone can overspend on a non-revenue festival is beyond me), things have gone drastically downhill in terms of nightlife.

More and more security was demanded for the license. The last festival they ended up being forced to spend most of what was ear marked for the next years festival on security for that years one. Council then pulled the plug on it.

Bits_n_Bobs

reprazant wrote: »

More and more security was demanded for the license. The last festival they ended up being forced to spend most of what was ear marked for the next years festival on security for that years one. Council then pulled the plug on it.

Not too sure I follow this Who was demanding security for what licenses?

Hootanany

Has The Gastro Pub Co gone I really liked that place?

reprazant

Bits_n_Bobs wrote: »

Not too sure I follow this Who was demanding security for what licenses?

No idea, the gardai or the courts I presume. That is what I was told by someone who worked for the festival. You need a license to hold a festival/outdoor concert. As far as I know, you must apply to the courts to get said license. For example, many restrictions were placed on the gigs in the Phoenix park there recently.

The residents complained about noise and general anti-social behaviour to the gardai who demanded that the organisers curb drinking outside of licensed premises.

Each year, the garda and security presence increased dramatically. Never really noticed any increase in anti-social behaviour though. It always seemed to be in good spirits.

matt-dublin

Hootanany wrote: »

Has The Gastro Pub Co gone I really liked that place?

Yeah there's a nando's going in there

Bits_n_Bobs

reprazant wrote: »

Each year, the garda and security presence increased dramatically. Never really noticed any increase in anti-social behaviour though. It always seemed to be in good spirits.

Rather surprised - whenever I went to it the festival seemed very family orientated. I can understand the need for some additional Garda presence due to increased traffic etc. but nothing substantial. Regardless - a shame to see the initiative dropped. I presume the money is being used by the County Council for worthwhile projects like pop-up shops, redeveloping roundabouts etc....

coylemj

Bits_n_Bobs wrote: »

I presume the money is being used by the County Council for worthwhile projects like pop-up shops, redeveloping roundabouts etc....

installing cycle lanes where they're not needed and will hardly ever get used and widening footpaths to make the place even more hostile for people with cars without providing any visible benefit to pedestrians.

ted1

coylemj wrote: »

installing cycle lanes where they're not needed and will hardly ever get used and widening footpaths to make the place even more hostile for people with cars without providing any visible benefit to pedestrians.

Don't forget parking spaces for staff...

Tabnabs

ted1 wrote: »

Don't forget parking spaces for staff...

And a creche nextdoor

Chinasea

coylemj wrote: »

installing cycle lanes where they're not needed and will hardly ever get used

Totally needed. Completely overlooked by most of the CoCo's. People moan about parking, but if there were proper infrastructures put in place for cyclists we wouldn't need to drive everywhere. DLRDCC when refurbishing the town hall a few years ago, although they did a nice job, neglected to erect ANY bicycle stands outside - which is an example of the 'car is king' mentality, common place in this cyclist-unfriendly country of ours. Same 'oversight' too was the non provision of a cyclist thoroughfare in Lwr Georges Street when they made a hames of that too.

ted1

Chinasea wrote: »

Totally needed. Completely overlooked by most of the CoCo's. People moan about parking, but if there were proper infrastructures put in place for cyclists we wouldn't need to drive everywhere. DLRDCC when refurbishing the town hall a few years ago, although they did a nice job, neglected to erect ANY bicycle stands outside - which is an example of the 'car is king' mentality, common place in this cyclist-unfriendly country of ours. Same 'oversight' too was the non provision of a cyclist thoroughfare in Lwr Georges Street when they made a hames of that too.

The location of the dart and bus are also.a reason, not just the car.

Chinasea

ted1 wrote: »

The location of the dart and bus are also.a reason, not just the car.

Yeap, public transport totally needed but as any of us know who use it, it can be in adequate and imo, if you can get from A to B safely on a bike I can only see 100% positivity in this under utilised mode of transport, in this every increasing congested world.