WJ Kavanagh

Koptain Liverpool

I liked Kavanagh's pub but I didn't go there often for a few reasons.
Firstly I thought it was overly expensive (Mulligans is also but has become a bit cheaper recently I think). I hate the way they served 400ml glasses of certain beers with little apparent reduction in price to match. I remember one day feeling particularly annoyed at paying €5.70 for a half pint of Dr. Rudi, one of their own beers. This meant I was far more attracted to the likes of the black sheep which offers a range of pints for just over a fiver plus a loyalty card. If it doea reopen I'd advise them to be a bit more competitive with their pricing.

I'd also agree that the location wasn't the best. Mulligans is also out of town but it has a few other decent bars nearby whereas there are few decent bars near Kavanaghs.

Wurzelbert

i heard the folks running kavanagh’s off license next door are planning to re-open the place…when or if that happens i’ll certainly check it out…

slayerking

Koptain Liverpool wrote: »

I liked Kavanagh's pub but I didn't go there often for a few reasons.
Firstly I thought it was overly expensive (Mulligans is also but has become a bit cheaper recently I think). I hate the way they served 400ml glasses of certain beers with little apparent reduction in price to match. I remember one day feeling particularly annoyed at paying €5.70 for a half pint of Dr. Rudi, one of their own beers. This meant I was far more attracted to the likes of the black sheep which offers a range of pints for just over a fiver plus a loyalty card. If it doea reopen I'd advise them to be a bit more competitive with their pricing.

I'd also agree that the location wasn't the best. Mulligans is also out of town but it has a few other decent bars nearby whereas there are few decent bars near Kavanaghs.

Funny enough, I had the reverse opinion. Always though Kavanaghs was very reasonable - a range of cask ales all for a fiver was great value imo, I usually stuck to the cask as they always had stuff you wouldn't see elsewhere.
I always find The black sheep expensive for anything other their own stuff. And even then, all their own stuff is 5+.

Koptain Liverpool

slayerking wrote: »

Funny enough, I had the reverse opinion. Always though Kavanaghs was very reasonable - a range of cask ales all for a fiver was great value imo, I usually stuck to the cask as they always had stuff you wouldn't see elsewhere.
I always find The black sheep expensive for anything other their own stuff. And even then, all their own stuff is 5+.

Fair enough - I didn't try their cask ales although if it was €5 for a 400ml glass I wouldn't have called it great value. Yeah the black sheep is expensive for some stuff also I'll admit.

slayerking

Koptain Liverpool wrote: »

Fair enough - I didn't try their cask ales although if it was €5 for a 400ml glass I wouldn't have called it great value. Yeah the black sheep is expensive for some stuff also I'll admit.

Nope, cask was defo pints. They served the cask in the british style dimpled mugs. The 400ml glasses are only used for high alcohol stuff, every pub does it including the black sheep.

cormacjones

slayerking wrote: »

Funny enough, I had the reverse opinion. Always though Kavanaghs was very reasonable - a range of cask ales all for a fiver was great value imo, I usually stuck to the cask as they always had stuff you wouldn't see elsewhere.
I always find The black sheep expensive for anything other their own stuff. And even then, all their own stuff is 5+.

I think WJK, Mulligans and the Cottage Group (in Dublin anyway) are all pretty expensive. Sweetman's is the only place that's quite reasonable.

Dublin could really do with a few new entrants who compete on price.

The Loyalty Card for the Cottage Group helps, but I've heard they're discontinuing this.

Ravelleman

Since the last budget most craft beer pints are well over €5. Sweetmans, The Gingerman and Porterhouse are, for me, the best value places at the moment as you can normally get something for €4 - 4.50. I'd be quite disinclined to pay €5.50 for a beer from a brewery attached to the pub or group.

I paid €6 for a totally unremarkable cask ale in L. Mulligan Grocer last week, by the way. It was about 4.4%. I may be wrong but the days of the €5 cask pint may be gone.

BeerNut

Ravelleman wrote: »

I may be wrong but the days of the €5 cask pint may be gone.

The cask beers in the Bull & Castle are often €5.

Losty Dublin

BeerNut wrote: »

The cask beers in the Bull & Castle are often €5.

The Headline also has beers for under a fiver.

Ravelleman

In fairness, so does the Porterhouse. L Mulligan Grocer might be higher. Good to know about B&C - last time I went there they had nothing on cask.

sarkozy

snowblind wrote: »

Great place, but the location was unfortunate. Purely speculating, I would say the closure is a sign of that more than any other trend. Dorset Street is not really a great location for the young professional / neckbeard crowd who are according to my own studies the biggest target market for craft beer. Stoneybatter (Mulligans) is great for that, as is the SCR/Portobello (Headline).

Rathmines could be a good location for a new craft beer spot!

Ah now, in fairness, the Headline is my local pub so I get to observe a fair bit. My completely scientific census of the clientele would indicate an organic mix of all kinds of drinkers from the old Headline crowd to honest to goodness ordinary locals to grizzled callow beardies.

snowblind

Oh absolutely, I don't think a pub in Dublin would survive by attracting only scruffy shoe gazer types but also without gentrification and all that new hipness in the area, no way Headline would have ended up the way it is.

But whatever about the socioeconomic changes, I'm sure we can all agree that it's a lovely spot, so it is.

crockholm

Did a bit of work on St. Georges Church a few years back,used to get a bite to eat in there at lunch time and sometimes a few pints Before heading home.Sad to hear.

TakeTheVeil

The Headline crowd has always been fairly sparse when I've been there/passed by, especially during the week. Portobello is too close to Camden street and ATG amongst others. I assume people are taking the walk and meeting friends down that way.

cormacjones

TakeTheVeil wrote: »

The Headline crowd has always been fairly sparse when I've been there/passed by, especially during the week. Portobello is too close to Camden street and ATG amongst others. I assume people are taking the walk and meeting friends down that way.

They could do with changing the exterior. You'd never guessed they served craft beers if you were going by it at pace. Just looks like any other identikit Irish pub.

drumswan

TakeTheVeil wrote: »

The Headline crowd has always been fairly sparse when I've been there/passed by, especially during the week. Portobello is too close to Camden street and ATG amongst others. I assume people are taking the walk and meeting friends down that way.

Was in last Thursday, couldnt get a seat after about 9.30

cormacjones wrote:

They could do with changing the exterior. You'd never guessed they served craft beers if you were going by it at pace. Just looks like any other identikit Irish pub.

There are two large sandwich boards at each door, and every external wall panel advertises craft beer or whiskey. Not much more they can do other than rebuilding the pub. Its most likely protected anyway.

nosietoes

I wouldn't be too worried about the Headline not being busy enough. Always is has a reasonable to large crowd at peak times. It was jammed for the rugby too!

Cask tap got installed yesterday too - yum.

peadar313

It was a nice place but prices had gone up too much. Casks that were €5 went up to €6 overnight and many drafts also shot up. Basically priced themselves out of the market.

c_murph

Kavanagh's is back in business under new management!

Thankfully the new owners are keeping the craft beer and quality food ethos in place - no sign of any Heineken.

Tar.Aldarion

hmm, but is the food the same, it was unreal before but i'd say that was due to the old owners and chef.

c_murph

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

hmm, but is the food the same, it was unreal before but i'd say that was due to the old owners and chef.

The new chef has worked at Chapter One, so I'm hoping for good things.

Menu certainly looks interesting and the kitchen should be going tomorrow.

Tar.Aldarion

Thanks must give it a try, last crowd were verrrrry accommodating to making vegan dishes for my gf etc, so hopefully this place won't be so bad. We'll definitely give it a visit.

menu up online? Ill have a look

strobe

c_murph wrote: »

Kavanagh's is back in business under new management!

Thankfully the new owners are keeping the craft beer and quality food ethos in place - no sign of any Heineken.

Cool! Must pop in today and take a look. Had become one of my favourite spots before it closed. Interesting though. If they're keeping the craft beer and upmarket (for a pub) food, then wonder what exactly they're gonna do different to the Mulligan's crowd to make it last when they couldn't.

Tar.Aldarion

Im not sure how it didnt last in the first place, was always packed when i was in

the beer revolu

strobe wrote: »

Cool! Must pop in today and take a look. Had become one of my favourite spots before it closed. Interesting though. If they're keeping the craft beer and upmarket (for a pub) food, then wonder what exactly they're gonna do different to the Mulligan's crowd to make it last when they couldn't.

It always amazes me when you often see a business fail and then see someone else do pretty much exactly the same thing in the same place. And they invariably fail.
I do hope these guys have some trick up their sleeve - I liked that pub and the food. I'd like to see it last.

strobe

the beer revolu wrote: »

It always amazes me when you often see a business fail and then see someone else do pretty much exactly the same thing in the same place. And they invariably fail.
I do hope these guys have some trick up their sleeve - I liked that pub and the food. I'd like to see it last.

Just seen on their twitter that they were showing the six nations. So must be hoping the addition of screens will get more people through the door? Will report back my findings of the place later anyway.

oblivious

the beer revolu wrote: »

It always amazes me when you often see a business fail and then see someone else do pretty much exactly the same thing in the same place. And they invariably fail.
I do hope these guys have some trick up their sleeve - I liked that pub and the food. I'd like to see it last.

They did not close due to lack of business, here is a statement from them

"Kavanaghs hasn't closed because of a lack of trade etc but because the owners felt they were spreading themselves too thin with Mulligans and the increasingly busy Brown Paper Bag Project. "

the beer revolu

oblivious wrote: »

They did not close due to lack of business, here is a statement from them

"Kavanaghs hasn't closed because of a lack of trade etc but because the owners felt they were spreading themselves too thin with Mulligans and the increasingly busy Brown Paper Bag Project. "

I don't buy that. Who goes to the expense of closing a profitable business while still in that trade?

BaZmO*

the beer revolu wrote: »

I don't buy that. Who goes to the expense of closing a profitable business while still in that trade?

How do you know it was profitable?

the beer revolu

BaZmO* wrote: »

How do you know it was profitable?

It is implied in their statement.