{"id":655275,"date":"2026-10-15T07:18:20","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T07:18:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/655275\/"},"modified":"2026-10-15T07:18:20","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T07:18:20","slug":"restaurant-review-dylan-mcgraths-latest-offering-delivers-an-expertly-executed-pizza-party-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/655275\/","title":{"rendered":"Restaurant review: Dylan McGrath\u2019s latest offering delivers an expertly executed pizza party \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fade St Tavern <\/p>\n

\ue9d9 \ue9d9 \ue9d9 \ue9d9 \ue9d7 <\/p>\n

Address: 6 Fade Street, Dublin 2, D02 NF77<\/p>\n

Telephone: 01 604 0066<\/p>\n

Cuisine: Pizza<\/p>\n

Website: https:\/\/www.fadestreetsocial.com\/tavernOpens in new window<\/a><\/p>\n

Cost: \u20ac\u20ac<\/p>\n

Dublin<\/a> now exists in a state of pizza superabundance. Look around \u2013 the city is rife with slice-joints and lousy with pies of almost every persuasion. If you stand still or even slow to a saunter within the precincts between Dame and Stephen Streets, it will likely just occur to you unbidden. You might dodge the Detroit-style squares at Dame Lane\u2019s Doom Slice only to run into Mani\u2019s airy Roman rectangles. There\u2019s a perma-line of tourists outside Bambino waiting for a New York slice.<\/p>\n

Beyond the city limits the middle-class suburbs too are being steadily colonised. Rathmines<\/a> lords Reggie\u2019s over the rest, Ranelagh<\/a> has both Rita\u2019s and a Sano. Clontarf<\/a> now has BoCo\u2019s wood-fired specimens to sate its pizza needs. So what\u2019s the deal?<\/p>\n

This most democratic of dishes has been repositioned in food culture over the past decade, traversing shifts in perception and quality. Junk-food status and stuffed crusts have given way to a digital discourse around provenance, fermentation-timings and leoparding. Pizza literacy rates have never been higher. <\/p>\n

The appeal to restaurateurs and food entrepreneurs is apparent too \u2013 there\u2019s dough to be made in those margins. <\/p>\n

Dylan McGrath<\/a>\u2019s Fade St Tavern opened in early July and occupies the ground-floor space in Fade St Social<\/a> on Fade Street that had been serving small plates. Electric deck-ovens are now turning out an ambitious three distinct pizza styles, one of which gives its name to the concept. The tavern style is associated with Chicago and distinguished by its thin crust and the manner in which it is served \u2013 cut into small squares. \u201cTavern-cutting\u201d made the pies go further at a point when their purpose was to keep the blue-collar workers drinking. They were often \u201con the house\u201d to keep you within it. <\/p>\n

On a recent Thursday, Fade St Tavern is heaving \u2013 there\u2019s a lot of youthful energy in the room and decibels to match. \u201cWhat\u2019s good?\u201d is commonly used as a salutation in Chicagoland but hereabouts the answer is \u201cpretty much everything\u201d. <\/p>\n

You are here for the pies but there\u2019s a concise list of appetisers and sides to round out the menu. Deep-fried lasagne is having a moment just now and the version here, constructed with braised beef cheek, makes a persuasive argument. It is profoundly savoury and sits in a carmine pool of gently piquant and fruity San Marzano tomato sauce. <\/p>\n

Our pizza pageant begins with a (red) tavern pie, topped with nduja, lardo and mozzarella, and finished with the sharp sheepishness of pecorino romano. The crust is crisp and light \u2013 it\u2019s the perfect thing to take the sting out of a round of strong drinks. Those will be serious cocktails, (\u20ac13.50-\u20ac16) developed with Dave Mulligan of Bar 1661 to sit at the centre of an impressive drinks programme. There\u2019s also a well-chosen wine list with plenty to interest, along with p\u00e9t-nats and orange wines<\/a> for those into that sort of thing. Bottles begin at \u20ac30 and top out at \u20ac65. The beer-inclined will find a comprehensive collection of suds and the alcohol-averse are unusually well catered for. <\/p>\n

If you have yet to try lambrusco (the once maligned, now modish sparkling Italian red) with pizza, prepare to have the scales fall from your eyes. We enjoyed a lambrusco salamino from Emilia Reggiano (\u20ac55) that was juicy and refreshing, bursting with sour cherry. <\/p>\n

\"DeliveringDelivering a pie at Tavern at Fade St Tavern. Photograph: Dara Mac D\u00f3naill \"TavernTavern pie at Fade St Tavern. Photograph: Dara Mac D\u00f3naill \"GrandmaGrandma pie at Fade St Tavern. Photograph: Dara Mac D\u00f3naill \"DaddyDaddy pizza at Fade St Tavern. Photograph: Dara Mac D\u00f3naill <\/p>\n

\u201cGrandma pies\u201d are a style most associated with New York<\/a> (and Long Island in particular), where first-generation immigrant nonnas would bake them in sheet-pans. Our white pie with artichoke and wild mushroom boasts an almost impossibly light and airy crust. It is inches thick \u2013 your brain is expecting foccacia\u2019s stoutness and chew, only to encounter an ethereally yielding structure of bubble and crunch. It\u2019s quite the thing. <\/p>\n

Grandma\u2019s remains are cleared to make way for \u201cthe Daddy\u201d. It\u2019s a New York style pie the size of a manhole cover, made on rye flour and with a natural levain. The pliant, nutty base showcases pepperoni, nduja and a tequila-spiked pepper and tomato sauce. This is a real showstopper. <\/p>\n

Bring friends and get a stracciatella gelato soft-serve to finish \u2013 it\u2019s a delight. Service is warm and casual without being careless. <\/p>\n

Dinner for four with wine came to \u20ac188 and we exited with two takeout boxes. <\/p>\n

Fade St Social has long seemed like a restaurant (or restaurants) in a state of perpetual flux, cycling through concepts, trying on trends. Pizza (done this well) seems to be a good fit. It\u2019s smart to go casual. In Dublin at least, it would appear that peak pizza has yet to be crested. <\/p>\n

The verdict: An expertly executed pizza party. <\/p>\n

Music: Handbag house, occasional \u2018bangerz\u2019. <\/p>\n

Food provenance: Fior di latte, Toonsbridge; potatoes, Ballymakenny; The Fresh Olive Co; Galloni Prosciutto; Italian Delicatessen.<\/p>\n

Vegetarian options: Multiple pizzas \u2013 marinara, pesto, cheese. Baby gem and radish salad. Fried potatoes.<\/p>\n

Wheelchair access: The Tavern is not accessible although the outdoor terrace is. There is an accessible bathroom in the main restaurant.<\/p>\n

\"FadeFade St Social on Fade Street in Dublin 2. Photograph: Dara Mac D\u00f3naill \"FadeFade St Tavern. Photograph: Dara Mac D\u00f3naill \"FadeFade St Tavern. Photograph: Dara Mac D\u00f3naill \"InsideInside Fade St Tavern. Photograph: Dara Mac D\u00f3naill <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fade St Tavern \ue9d9 \ue9d9 \ue9d9 \ue9d9 \ue9d7 Address: 6 Fade Street, Dublin 2, D02 NF77 Telephone: 01…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":655276,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[4507,110336,93,110337,631,61,60,709,4320,5861,5863,42415],"class_list":["post-655275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-dublin-2","tag-dylan-mcgrath","tag-entertainment","tag-fade-street-social","tag-for-you","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-magazine","tag-new-york","tag-restaurant","tag-restaurant-reviews","tag-your-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/655275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=655275"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/655275\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/655276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=655275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=655275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=655275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}