S3947 37 Dawson Street

The last outlier for me on Dawson Street, the usual presence of a bouncer in the door here sets off one of my dislikes about pub - having to pass someone to get in - so it ended up becoming the last visited for that reason. Of course, now you have to sign in with someone to get in to a pub; so it doesn't really matter - but the bouncer wasn't on yet when I arrived anyway.

A branch of the NolaClan/House group, this was a bar and restaurant in normal times but is currently only operating as a bar. I hadn't realised this, and had signed in / been seated before it became apparent - so pints were followed by a trip to Burger King on Grafton Street instead. I suspect this isn't the plan for the future, but the premises has only recently reopened after Lockdown closures.

This isn't my type of pub, but that means its probably perfectly tuned for those who it does suit - a design heavy cocktail bar in the city centre has a specific audience, and I'm not it. List tick obtained, and I would go back if I had a reason to.

This bar originally opened in the mid 2000s as "Ron Blacks". This incarnation closed in ~2010 and reopened as 37 Dawson Street in 2012; but Ron Black - who I don't think owned this pub - continued working in 37 in the whiskey bar until 2018.

Ron Black was however the owner of S0010 Dawson Lounge, Dublin's smallest pub a few doors up, a pub which many people still call Ron Blacks.

Edit: It appears that this premises was opened by the Thomas Read Group, who at that stage also owned the Dawson Lounge. It was sold by their receiver to become a branch of the Gaucho restaurant chain - which didn't happen.

1017192 Zanzibar Locke

"Hot white walls, black shadows, the aroma of strange Eastern spices" - or so began the text written on the front of the Zanzibar nightclub / cafe bar which formerly occupied the quayside portion of the site of this hotel.

Opened in 1998 with a then groundbreaking (for Dublin) interior, Zanzibar survived until the crash, and then had a short afterlife as a "beach club" nightclub. Dublin's night-time temperatures being absolutely perfect for beach attire, as we all know!

The building then sat derelict for quite some time, before being stripped back to its facade, and a substantial branch of the Locke Living hotel chain built between it and the Lotts behind.

During much of the early stage of construction, the name given for this hotel was to be the Ormond Locke; but either potential confusion with the forever-delayed Ormond Hotel rebuild down the road, or a decision that the Zanzibar name was more interesting lead to opening as the Zanzibar Locke. The hotel opened in December 2020, having only days of public service before the country returned to lockdown, so my visit wasn't really that late after reopening.

The public bar element of it is a stylishly designed, spirit-led bar and restaurant called Baraza. It is relatively low-lit, but not sufficient to cause black shadows; and my whiskey didn't smell particularly Eastern, so it's probably for the best that the old inscription is gone. 

A limited selection of beers is offered along with the cocktails and spirits, but its very much more of a post-dinner drink type of place than a hotel-with-a-pub like some other city centre hotels.

1017216 Dockers

A Pet Shop Boys of a pub, in that its name seems somehow wrong without "The" in front of it, Dockers is one of the longest closed pubs to reopen in Dublin in recent years, having closed for demolition in 2005 and only end up being saved by a recession. Presumably the change in use profile and further densification of that end of the Docklands also encouraged its eventual owners to decide to renovate it as a pub.

This premises was nearly ready to go in December 2019, but had not opened by mid-March 2020; which is why it instead opened in October 2021.

Operated by the L'Estrange Group, a substantial pub operator with no website and very little presence, the pub has been extended and is quite different to what went before. Its very modern while deliberately trying to look old - the interior design feels like that of a Press Up venue, but just done better. 

Food offerings are basically just pub toasties done fancily, and the drinks offering is decent - six Irish craft taps instantly tell you that you aren't in a Press Up venue!

The pub got busy-ish by the end of my trip here, which started just after 5pm on a mid week evening, so there are signs that when normal (or close to normal) office occupancy returns, it will be rather busy just like its neighbouring pubs. 

November 2021 Licence Update

The file released at the start of November is the first of a new year, so has a huge amount of spurious removals, so none are listed here.

Additions

1017216 - Dockers, Sir John Rogersons Quay - a reopening but on a new licence

1018000 - Beckett Locke Hotel, Mayor Street - new hotel

Reapperances

S1491 Coopers Corner, Bow Bridge - former Murrays pub, sold a year or so ago. New name is on licence file, owners seem to be the same as S1994 Killinarden House. Not open yet as far as I'm aware

Revisited Pubs October 2021

Not a lot of pubs visited, old or new, in October due to being busy and also hobbling around like a 70 year old due to a knee issue - physio derived exercise regime should help

1016228 The Mayson

S0153 The Ferryman

1001412 Bord Gais Energy Theatre

N0006 Brew Dock