New restaurant opening at landmark city centre site
The site of the new restaurant at Finn’s Corner(Image: Elle O’Leary Kelleher)
An international Indian restaurant chain is expanding into Cork, getting ready to open at a landmark corner of the city centre.
Andhra Bhavan, known for its authentic South Indian cuisine, is set to open on the ground floor of Finn’s Corner. The Grand Parade unit has been empty for years. It had formally been home to a sportswear and drapery shop run by generations of the Finn family for almost 140 years until it closed in January 2020.
The restaurant chain, which has been in Ireland for three years, says it is on track to open in September and is excited about its first Cork location.
Andhra Bhavan, the new Indian restaurant opening on Finns Corner(Image: Elle O’Leary Kelleher)
Marketing director Paul Guy told Cork Beo: “The decision to open in Cork has been driven by the strong demand we have seen from the local Indian community and food lovers across Munster. There are approximately 8,000 people of Indian origin living in the wider Cork region, many of whom regularly travel to our Dublin restaurants to enjoy authentic South Indian cuisine. We are excited to finally bring that experience closer to them.”
The Indian restaurant chain, which has successful Irish branches in Dublin and Belfast, promises “the best South Indian dishes”, with everything from aromatic Veg Biryani to Chicken Tikka Masala and Gutti Vankaya Curry on the menu. They also pride themselves on being “pioneers of authentic South Indian breakfast.”
Some of the food available from Andhra Bhavan(Image: andhra bhavan)
Andhra Bhavan has been highly commended by customers, having won Diners’ Choice and TripAdvisor awards, and is a ‘Recommended’ choice on Restaurant Guru.
For the real foodies, they also have a live chat counter – an interactive experience where you can watch top chefs prepare fresh, aromatic chaat favourites directly in front of you.
There are big changes in the area, as the junction of Grand Parade and Washington Street sees plenty of new openings. Gala is set to open a new shop at the former Singer’s Corner unit, while up the road, hundreds queued to get a glimpse inside Danish-owned retailer Normal, which opened in the Queen’s Old Castle on Daunt Square at the long-vacant former Argos site.
The high-profile Finn’s Corner property has been carefully redeveloped in recent years. There are seven stylish luxury apartments on the upper floors, including a penthouse apartment with incredible views of the city, so it’s only right for a fancy new food business to move into the ground-floor unit.