PUBS PLANNING ON opening in Phase Three must serve a “substantial meal”, costing at least €9.
The announcement was made by Fáilte Ireland yesterday, finally giving some clarification to publicans and restaurateurs across the country.
With businesses clamouring to get punters back into their premises, what does a €9 meal look like across the country?
To find out, we’ve collected a list of pubs and restaurants from a variety of locations all across Ireland.
As expected, city-centre Dublin has main courses that are generally over the €9 mark, but the price begins to drop as you move into the suburbs – with some businesses potentially having to consider upping the prices to comply with Phase Three guidelines.
Further afield from Dublin, prices continue to drop and you can get a lot more for a lot less. Moving into the tourist hotspots in places like Galway and Kerry, prices begin to creep back up to be comparable to Dublin.
Dublin
In city centre Dublin, you’ll find €9 doesn’t stretch far: in the Brazen Head, the cheapest main is a seafood chowder for €12.50. Lunch sandwiches will set you back a tenner, with plenty of additional sides available, like chips for €5 or mash for €4.
In Temple Bar’s Old Storehouse, the menu offers up an array of main courses for more than the requisite €9. A 10oz sirloin steak will set you back €24.95, while their cheapest options are a grilled chicken burger, chips and wings or seafood chowder for €14.95.
Elsewhere in the city, arcade bar Token is offering up burgers, hot dogs and tenders for less than €12.50. All their burgers are €10.50, except the Vegan Big Mac which costs €12.50. Sides, however, at a maximum of €8 won’t quite make the cut.
Outside the city in suburban Dublin, The Beachcomber in Killester has bar bites that don’t quite hit the €9 mark, unless you’re looking for nachos at a tenner, or €14 if you want to add prawns. Toasties start at €7 but add soup or chips and that’ll add up to the €9 target.
On the southside in The Old Mill Tallaght, the most expensive item is a 10oz fillet steak, which will set you back €25.50. The cheapest option on the menu is a mango and chicken salad, costing €12.80. Early-bird menus’ offer either two or three-course meals for €17.50 or €20.50 respectively.
Beyond the capital
In Kildare, the Crookstown Inn offers a half roast for just €6.50, which doesn’t meet the €9 minimum. Their most expensive meal, the catch of the day, will only set you back €12. Most of their sandwich menu won’t reach the €9, even with a side of chips added for €3.
The Cloch Ban in Wexford is well served by the new rule, as its main courses start at €9, with baked chicken breast, breaded scampi and lamb casserole for a tenner. All the above also come with chips and salad, for no extra cost.
In Louth, Dooleys of Edmondstown have options for punters. The cheapest option is a goats cheese tartlet at €12.50, available on the vegetarian menu. On the other hand, the most expensive option is a 10oz fillet steak at €29.95.
In tourists hotspots across the country, prices are higher compared to other parts of the country. In the Dingle Pub, most appetizers cost just under €9, with mussels and nachos at the higher end of the scale at €9.95. Salads start at €9.50, with a Tiger prawn salad setting you back €17.95.
In Cosy Joe’s in Westport, all 12″ Italian pizzas will set you back €12.95. Only their club sandwich is above €9, with all others a euro or two behind.
These rules are set to remain in place throughout Phase Three, only being removed when all pubs open their doors on 20 July at the beginning of Phase Four.
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