Shops / Restaurants / businesses you miss in Dublin

whiskeyman

Anyone remember 'Nude'?
I was just thinking about them the other day.
Used to be green cafes selling wraps, salads, soups and pasta boxes.
There was one of Suffolk Street and Baggot Street as far as I remember.
Suffolk Street branch was where The Counter is now:

I used to pop in at least once a week and treat myself to the carbonara pasta box for lunch. Was a lovely treat and break from boring sambos!
Closed down in 2010 during the recession - was owned by Bonos brother!
http://www.irishtimes.com/business/nude-cafe-closes-doors-as-crisis-curbs-healthy-appetite-1.673312

Seems as a shame as they'd probably have done well in current climate... given the likes of 'Chopped' etc... springing up everywhere.

Are there any other businesses around town that you miss / wonder where they've gone?

fleet_admiral

I miss the soccer shop/soccer city on George's street and Cathedral street
The Earl bakery on north Earl street too, Dennis used to look after the customers in there so well

whiskeyman

fleet_admiral wrote: »

I miss the soccer shop/soccer city on George's street and Cathedral street
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Ah Pat Chaney's Soccer Shop!
Would drag my Mum there when I was a nipper whenver she went into town. Knew I'd never get anything, but just looking at all the jerseys and soccer stuff was enough to keep a little football mad kid satisfied!
Closed down around 10 years ago I think.
Online stores must have ultimately killed it.

SB_Part2

Abbey Discs.

BeerNut

Il Primo. I'd kind of assumed it would be there forever. Used to love Bistro on Castle Market too.

spurious

Roches Stores - for so many reasons.

Speedsie

Roches stores for household stuff.

And for some odd reason I miss the Indian shop 'Shree' . There was one on Grafton St, and one in the Ilac centre.

cactusgal

+1 for Nude, they had lovely wraps and muffins.

A-wear, I loved shopping there.

mockingjay

The Metro Station Cafe & sandwich bar on Tara Street, it was the first time I ever tasted a freshly baked baguette - and the 'exotic' chicken tikka filler. Staff were lovely.

gabria

Tower Records at its old Wicklow street location. it was more like a grand living room than the new location
I don't remember Virgin megastore so well but I think this was class too

Red Kev

Virgin Megastore. I used to get lost in there for hours back in the 80's and early 90's. By the time I had the readies to spend in it, it had closed down. :rolleyes:

tara83

A-wear, I loved shopping there.[/quote]

A wear was a great shop, still miss it. It lost its direction towards the end

c1ans7even

Chinese Restaurant above Millmont House pub in/on Drumcondra Road..was amazing
Finding it very hard to find a chinese restaurant as nice anywhere in the city

Red Kev

Cafolla Cafe on O'Connell St, beside where Supermac's is today. Youi'd be hoping against hope your mother hadn't brought any sambo's with her when we were in the city centre shopping as the only place she was happy to eat was there. She had a lot of time for the Italians after living in London in the 1960's. I loved that place.

Donal55

The Dandelion market.

L1011

Second hand computer game shop under the loop line on Talbot Street. Only place that did second hand PC games. Old Peats - as soon as it moved it was screwed

blue_blue

Gruel on Dame Street.

odyssey06

Roches Stores... my first memory is of a christmas shopping trip there.
The Carleton cinema... for 1980s christmas party movie events.
And MacTuircaills... the site of so many occasions during my college years.

For more practical reasons, Clerys & Boyers.

And I miss the Screen cimena too.

Arbie

blue_blue wrote: »

Gruel on Dame Street.

And its big sister the Mermaid Cafe up the road

Boulevardier

Fan's chinese on Dame Street, and the Alpha cafe on (or just off) Wicklow Street.

vicwatson

Boyers

retalivity

The manhattan & gigs place in portobello.
Silks on earlsfort terrace
Seashell chipper on townsend st.

r93kaey5p2izun

Roches Stores and The Ritz cafe on Middle Abbey Street.

JupiterKid

Bewleys - it was a Dublin institution. Criminal that it closed down all of its coffee shops.:(

Arthur Daley

Clerys, the epicurean. The French bakery on moore st.

imme

Ariana Purple License wrote: »

Roches Stores and The Ritz cafe on Middle Abbey Street.

The sign for the Ritz is still on the building in Abbey Street, saw the sign a few years ago,
A red 'RITZ' letters on the front of the building and wondered what the 'RITZ' was.

There's a couple of pics of the outside of the cafe in the City Council's photo archives some of which are online, just search.

I miss the Screen Cinema, as someone has already said.

Collie D

imme wrote: »

I miss the Screen Cinema, as someone has already said.

I was in the Savoy earlier in the week and I see they've moved the bronze usher statue that stood outside the Screen into their foyer.

imme

Collie D wrote: »

I was in the Savoy earlier in the week and I see they've moved the bronze usher statue that stood outside the Screen into their foyer.

Is the bronze usher in the Savoy now?

Felix Jones is God

Pilau Pinang Malaysian restaurant on O'Connell Street, it was above Burger King, a litttle jewel I loved visiting...It is now a sushi place I believe

Collie D

imme wrote: »

Is the bronze usher in the Savoy now?

Yup. Unless they have always had one too and I have just never noticed him.

imme

Collie D wrote: »

Yup. Unless they have always had one too and I have just never noticed him.

=D I think there was only ever one of them.

This got me thinking of the real life ushers, well more ticket collectors that they had in the Screen, older guys in dickey bows, they were there until 7/8 years ago.

You'd buy you ticket after queueing and then join another queue for the particular film you were going to.

These old codgers would marshal the queue and take your ticket.

The crowds of people ho used to go to the Screen back then.

alastair

imme wrote: »

=D I think there was only ever one of them.

This got me thinking of the real life ushers, well more ticket collectors that they had in the Screen, older guys in dickey bows, they were there until 7/8 years ago.

You'd buy you ticket after queueing and then join another queue for the particular film you were going to.

These old codgers would marshal the queue and take your ticket.

The crowds of people ho used to go to the Screen back then.

The statue was based on one of the actual ushers in the Screen. I remember him there in the 80's, and was obviously enough of an icon of the cinema to warrant Vincent Browne, the sculptor's attention.

r93kaey5p2izun

imme wrote: »

The sign for the Ritz is still on the building in Abbey Street, saw the sign a few years ago,
A red 'RITZ' letters on the front of the building and wondered what the 'RITZ' was.

There's a couple of pics of the outside of the cafe in the City Council's photo archives some of which are online, just search.

Yes I see the sign when passing which keeps it in my mind I suppose. Tour America is there now. The staff were so nice there. There's such a lack of casual dining options (aside from McDonald's etc) open in the evenings these days. And everywhere is so small and overcrowded. The Ritz had plenty of space and you could go in after finishing shopping.

Cathmandooo

Kitchen complements, originally on Chatham Street for decades, moved to a bigger premises on South Anne Street, which was great, much easier to browse everything but a bit pricey which I'm guessing was it's downfall when it closed a few years ago.

miamee

A few of the posts here have reminded me of the cafe in Roches Stores way back inthe 80s. The only thing I remember about it is if we were lucky, we'd be brought in there for a bowl of ice cream after a hard day's shopping and it came in a metal bowl. I must have been really young cos I remember feck all else about it except the place seemed vast and kinda dark (dimly lit). I might have dreamed it for all I know, must ask my mam.

Eggonyerface

miamee wrote: »

A few of the posts here have reminded me of the cafe in Roches Stores way back inthe 80s. The only thing I remember about it is if we were lucky, we'd be brought in there for a bowl of ice cream after a hard day's shopping and it came in a metal bowl. I must have been really young cos I remember feck all else about it except the place seemed vast and kinda dark (dimly lit). I might have dreamed it for all I know, must ask my mam.

That's brought back some memories. I seemed to be there every week. I can still picture the route, in through all the make up stands, up the escalator and the cafe was on the left.

I remember the toys and computer games being downstairs too, I used to love when there was a new lego catalogue out

5rtytry56

Peats of Parnell Street. Branches for a short included Dame street. No "Sell Up" script nonsense from the cashiers like another electronics store.

BeerNut

Mention of Gruel above reminded me of Dublin Brewing Company, whose beer they used to sell. Had a great tour of the brewery on North King Street in 1997 and used to regularly get through lots of Revolution red ale and Maeve's Crystal Weiss.

daisy123

I really liked the Amnesty Cafe in Temple Bar. They had great sandwiches and many a cuppa with pals there in my college years. Really reasonable price too!

miamee

There used to be a great little italian restaurant at the top of Grafton Street/on St. Stephen's Green, I think it was where Insomnia is now. It was cheap and cheerful as far as I remember and had some great nights there with a particular college friend

CPSW

Ariana Purple License wrote: »

Roches Stores and The Ritz cafe on Middle Abbey Street.

Thumbs up for the Ritz, brings back a lot of fond memories of going into town on Christmas Eve with my Dad and sister when I was a kid.  We would always get our Beano/Dandy annuals in Easons, followed by burgers and chips in The Ritz.  Always look at the sign passing by now reminds me of my Dad who is no longer with us.

Corruptedmorals

Roches Stores. I knew the layout very well. Right in front of the doors were the posters and accessories, to the immediate left was the sweet counter. Right by the escalators on the left was some sort of information desk with the customer service desk just past them. Upstairs the cafe was on the left (the tiny milk jugs are particularly vivid) and shoes were straight ahead. Used to love the swingset in the basement.

A-Wear, Dandelion Bar, Le Croissanterie in the jervis.

Speedsie

Coffee Inn on Anne St.

athtrasna

Have been racking my brain for the name of the place but there was a cafe/restaurant before Zeba on South William Street, their colours were green and black. They did simple food well and wine was half the price of anywhere else in the area.

I also miss the backstage wine and cocktail bar on parliament Street.

I'm sure there are loads of others too!

John_Rambo

Arthur Daley wrote: »

Clerys, the epicurean. The French bakery on moore st.

These, The Stone Wall Cafe, Habitat, Foko, Rasher Byrnes, The Mermaid cafe.

ixoy

Epicurean Food Hall and, in particular, 'Ugly Duckling'. And they replace it all with a bloody Dealz.

Fond memories of the Virgin Megastore - huge DVD collection yes but I reallyt recall browsing all the the RPG books - Warhammer / Warhammer 40k, D&D / AD&D and more. That and seeing the counter that sold gasp! shock! condoms for the first time outside of a chemist.

I'll echo Deli-o-Delhi too. Very tasty and a great price.

Bonza Pies - Enjoyed going to them in the Ilac until they abruptly vanished. Thankfully The Pie-Man cafe in Temple bar has helped fill the gap.

HeidiHeidi

BeerNut wrote: »

Il Primo. I'd kind of assumed it would be there forever. Used to love Bistro on Castle Market too.

Loved these two places - although you'd want your wits about you in Il Primo not to let Dieter flog you some mega-expensive wine

There was another place opposite Bistro - Les Maison des Gourmets, I think - that used to do the most AMAZING boeuf bourgignon and French onion soup - I used to stagger home with multiple paper takeaway cups full of both for the freezer - I was distraught when it closed down :mad:

spurious wrote: »

Roches Stores - for so many reasons.

At least a couple of times a year I'm stuck for something random and think - "if only Roches was still here" - there was nothing you couldn't get in there!

athtrasna

That's just reminded me that there used to be (I'm pretty sure???) a Roches upstairs in Stephens Green centre?

Dick Turnip

blue_blue wrote: »

Gruel on Dame Street.

Saw the thread title and came in to mention Gruel. Loved that place. Think they got screwed by upward only rents early enough into the recession. An Italian pizzeria went in after, I went in once but wasn't impressed. Not sure what's there now.

Also +1 for nude - loved the stew in a bread bowl!

newacc2015

ixoy wrote: »

Epicurean Food Hall and, in particular, 'Ugly Duckling'. And they replace it all with a bloody Dealz.

Ugly Duckling is now at the Georges Arcade though.

I loved the Epicurean Foodhall, but IMO it was past its time. Hopefully something similar can be created when the new market open in the Fruit market just off Capel St. minus the generic food places that slipped in the Epicurean Foodhall towards the end

Passenger

newacc2015 wrote: »

Ugly Duckling is now at the Georges Arcade though.

That one closed in July too.