Restaurant Review: Dublin's Dunmore offers up a taste of the traditional
The interior of Dublin's Dunmore
- The Dunmore
- 196 Rathmines Road Lower, Dublin 6, D06AY77
- TheDunmore.ie
- Mon-Friday: 12 Noon - 9.30pm; Saturday: 12.30-10pm; Sunday: 12.30-9pm
Nostalgia can be a dangerous thing. It likely wasn’t better in the olden days, whatever your memory is telling you. That first restaurant your parents took you to seems good in hindsight but probably overcooked the steak and vegetables.
And yet I can completely see the appeal of an old-fashioned bar-restaurant like the Dunmore, which opened in Rathmines in late 2023 in what was previously a large, long pub called The Bowery.
It has a nostalgic feel, but in a good way. There are lush booths and soft lighting, but they kept the high ceilings and bare walls, softening them with decent-quality original art.
The Dunmore is from a family team — brother and sister Clifden and Louise Foyle also run the Strand Inn in Dunmore East.
In the kitchen is Josef Cervenka who is ex-Asador, and general manager is Neil Kenna, who you will recognise from his stint as barman on First Dates and various Dublin restaurants such as Luna.
We visited on a Sunday evening and found a palpable buzz in the restaurant with families, birthday parties, and groups of friends all raising the volume.
That volume was raised further when staff gathered to sing happy birthday to some lucky/unlucky diners on two occasions, and somehow this was charming rather than annoying.
A glance at the wine list revealed bargains, so cocktails (all €14) were in order and suited the atmosphere. The Dunmore’s twist on the Negroni was to add Bologna’s Amaro Montenegro to ramp up the bitterness further and it worked — balanced, bitter, refreshing.
My ‘Angels Abyss’ melded rum, amaretto, Pimm’s, and cherry syrup and was sweet but somehow also refreshing, a very solid beginning.
The menu is a mix of seafood and meat and takes full advantage of their charcoal oven. As it was Sunday there were all-day roasts on offer and a shorter menu, but we didn’t feel overly restricted.
Kilmore Quay crab claws (€18) sat plumply in a rich pool of garlic-herb butter and couldn’t have been improved upon. And of course, we mopped up the butter with the crusty, doughy house-made sourdough.
Duncannon mussels arrived overflowing in a large bowl and had been flavoured with fragrant sweet sobrasada and dotted with briny samphire. The mussels themselves could have been plumper but still tasted good.
Clam and prawn linguine (€23) was actually flawless, with perfectly cooked al-dente pasta, lots of clams and juicy prawns, and a flavourful creamy sauce. It revived (nostalgic) memories of a meal in Bologna 15 years ago.
Fish of the day (€31) was monkfish from the charcoal oven sitting on crushed baby potatoes with pickled cucumber and fennel to add piquancy.
The monkfish was a tad overcooked (those ovens get hot) but still worked quite well thanks to thoughtful saucing. Hand-cut chips (€5) were disappointing — no good ever comes from leaving the skin on, and they need to be properly double-fried.
The Dunmore’s wine list is accessible and relatively comprehensive, despite fitting on a double-sided page. At the higher end are names like Yves Cuilleron, Tignanello, and Château Labégorce plus (almost) affordable Burgundy and Spätburgunder. A more descriptive list would be useful.
At the entry level, there are eight wines by the glass and carafe, with bottle prices starting at a mere €30. It is genuinely rare to see so many options under €40.
I guarantee customers will order a second bottle if they feel they are getting value. The always reliable Le Caveau is a supplier, and their Caminante Tempranillo (€30) was a cheery, bright, juicy unoaked rioja.
Desserts have a (very) traditional focus with chocolate fondant, sticky toffee pudding, and baked cheesecake on offer. I went deep into nostalgia and ordered the apple crumble (€10).
This proved just a little too traditional and was rather bland. I’d love to see a Nordic twist with some cardamom added, or perhaps an Italian twist with some amaretto biscuits — a kitchen like this can do better.
The Engineer wisely opted for a dessert cocktail (another idea worth reviving), and her Rum Old Fashioned was nicely balanced with sweet caramel rum flavours offset by both orange and chocolate bitters.
The Dunmore is focusing on the classics and is all the better for it. With excellent staff and a clearly talented kitchen, there is much to love and plenty to create nostalgia. I think they are there for the long term.
- Food: 7.5/10
- Drink: 9/10
- Service: 9/10
- Ambience: 8/10
- Value: 8/10
