Checking out the food at two recently reopened pub premises, our critic faced both feast and famine with great food in one and boot leather in the other
Roast beef, seasonal vegetables, roast and mashed potatoes, sage and onion stuffing at McCloskeys of Donnybrook. Photo: Lucinda O’Sullivan
For what seems like forever, Ireland was famous – not for the grub, but the pub – where the extent of the culinary fare was usually the ‘auld ham sanger’. It all changed in the 1990s as many took on the mantle of ‘gastropub’, serving restaurant-quality food in a relaxed pub atmosphere. The diehards couldn’t stand the idea of food aromas sullying the enjoyment of their pint, but most were in favour. Nowadays, good pub food is a given, but with the economic turmoil of recent years, over 2,000 pubs have closed in the last two decades, so it’s been nice to see some of these premises reopen recently.
One such spot is The Libertine Lounge & Lodgings, which just opened in Dublin 8’s former Headline Bar, a landmark building at Leonard’s Corner, on the South Circular Road and Clanbrassil Street crossroads. With “14 boutique hotel bedrooms” due to open shortly, it’s now owned by the Kinsella family, who also have the long-standing Kilronan House on Dublin 2’s Adelaide Road, Newgrange Lodge, Co Meath, and Lismar Guest House in Dundalk.