Temple Bar

SUNDAY 13 APRIL 2025

Myself and a group of friends met up for a meal at Luigi Malones once a week for about seven years (2000 – 2008) so I was a bit upset when I discovered that the restaurant’s final day was today.

My favourite restaurant Eatokyo On Capel Street closed at the end of January and I expect further bad news about another restaurant within the next month. I should also mention that Desi Crew on South Richmond Street has also closed a few weeks ago. Note: Eatokyo in Temple Bar has survived and is doing very well.

The establishment of the Luigi Malones brand in Ireland can be traced definitively to 1997. Multiple sources confirm that the first restaurant under this name opened in Stillorgan, a suburb of Dublin, during that year. This marks the formal beginning of the restaurant chain within the Irish market. My family home was in Stillorgan but I have no recollection of the restaurant in Stillorgan.

In 1999, a significant strategic move occurred with the relocation of the Dublin operation from Stillorgan to the heart of the city’s cultural and nightlife quarter, Temple Bar. The new premises were located at 5-6 Cecilia Street , occupying two floors and a mezzanine level within a building noted for its historical significance, with records dating back centuries. This relocation positioned the restaurant prominently within a high-footfall area, catering to both locals and the significant tourist traffic in Temple Bar.

The brand identity cultivated during this period centred around the motto “For Food – For Fun – For Friends!”. The menu concept drew inspiration from international travels, aiming for broad appeal with a mix of cuisines. Core offerings included popular Italian-American style dishes such as freshly made pasta, pizzas, and Buffalo wings, alongside signature desserts like their Toblerone Cheesecake.

Interestingly, promotional materials on the restaurant’s own platforms reference an earlier connection to Munich, Germany, specifically mentioning serving Fischer’s Helles beer there in the late 1980s. The narrative states, “When Luigi’s moved to Ireland, we brought Fischer’s with us”. While this detail forms part of the company’s self-presented story, potentially relating to a prior venture by the founders or a conceptual origin, it does not alter the documented founding date and location of the Irish Luigi Malones chain. The consistent reporting across various sources points to Stillorgan in 1997 as the inception point for the business entity analysed in this report. The phrasing used regarding the move to Ireland further suggests that the Irish operation, starting in 1997, is considered distinct from any previous activity in Munich.

Cork Branch

The expansion into Cork occurred in 1999, coinciding with the move to Temple Bar in Dublin. This suggests a period of significant growth and investment for the brand. The Cork restaurant was established at 1-2 Emmett Place, a prime city-centre location directly opposite the Cork Opera House.  

Described as one of the largest restaurants in Cork , the venue became known for its distinctive interior decor. Notable features include a large, two-sided clock reportedly originating from St. Pancras Station in London, serving as a centrepiece around the bar area. There is also an anecdotal belief that one of the propellers from the historic Vickers Vimy aircraft, flown by Alcock and Brown on the first non-stop transatlantic flight, is displayed within the Cork restaurant , adding to its unique character.  

The Cork branch successfully established itself and has demonstrated considerable longevity. It remained operational following the closure of the Dublin branch in April 2025. As part of the Dublin closure announcement, it was confirmed that the Cork restaurant would honour any outstanding gift vouchers issued by the Dublin location. The restaurant maintains an active presence, listed on various dining platforms with current operating hours and contact information readily available. It appears integrated into the local dining scene, mentioned in contexts ranging from family outings to general restaurant discussions.

Limerick Branch

Luigi Malones also operated a branch in Limerick City. It was situated in a prominent location on O’Connell Street , opposite The Royal George hotel , in premises that historically housed a Woolworths store and, even earlier, the original site of a local bank. Like its sister restaurants, the Limerick venue was noted for its decor and catered to a broad audience, including families, with specific meal deals and kids’ menus advertised. Its presence is confirmed by mentions in online forums discussing Limerick dining options around 2006.  

However, the Limerick expansion ultimately proved unsuccessful. The restaurant ceased trading in January 2011. News reports from June 2011, discussing plans by another restaurant group to take over the vacant unit, explicitly state that the Luigi Malones closure occurred in January of that year due to “financial difficulties”.  

The failure of the Limerick branch represents an important data point in the chain’s history. Occurring more than a decade before the Dublin closure, it demonstrates that the brand was not immune to financial pressures and that profitability challenges existed within the group well before the difficulties experienced in Dublin in the 2020s. This suggests that factors beyond localised issues, potentially related to expansion strategy, operational costs, or specific market conditions in Limerick at the time, could impact the viability of individual branches within the chain. It serves as an early indicator that the group’s financial health was not uniformly robust across all locations or throughout its entire operational history.

The closure of the Luigi Malones restaurant in Temple Bar on April 13, 2025, marked the end of a 28-year trading history at that location. Over the years, it had become a well-known establishment, described as “iconic” or “beloved” and frequented by various groups, including long-term patrons and visiting students.

The closure announcement released by the restaurant operators presented a clear narrative regarding the decision to cease trading.  

Primary Catalyst – Street Works: The immediate and decisive factor cited was the impact of extensive street works undertaken directly outside the restaurant premises in early 2025. The announcement expressed “deep frustration” that the business had been “effectively barricaded” for three months.

Critically, these works significantly overran their initially communicated schedule; the operators stated they were told the project would take one month but it ultimately lasted over three. This prolonged disruption directly caused turnover to “plummet”. The resulting financial loss was described as “the straw that broke the camel’s back,” making continued trading impossible without damaging stakeholders. This explanation was consistently reported across multiple news outlets covering the closure.
 
Contributing Factors: Alongside the acute impact of the street works, the owners acknowledged underlying pressures. These included the “gradual but general decline in trade in Dublin City Centre for various reasons known to myself and others compounded by “inflationary pressures that have made it impossible for our operation to trade at a profit”. This aligns with broader commentary on the challenges facing the hospitality sector, with the CEO of the Restaurants Association of Ireland noting the “razor-thin margins” in the industry when commenting on the closure.