Onóra brings a new neighbourhood restaurant to Dublin’s Capel Street

Dublin’s ever-evolving food scene is about to welcome a rather lovely new arrival. Onóra opens this October on Capel Street, promising an all-day neighbourhood restaurant where Irish produce, European influences and relaxed hospitality come together under one roof.

The restaurant will sit at the heart of The July Dublin, the Amsterdam-born hospitality brand’s new aparthotel, but the intention is very much that Onóra should have a life of its own. Developed in partnership with Dublin hospitality group Bereen Brothers, the team behind Coppinger, Charlotte Quay, Orwell Road and Row Wines, it has been conceived as somewhere for Dubliners as much as hotel guests.

Northern Ireland-born Head Chef Lauren Shimmin will lead the kitchen, with menus centred around Irish produce and the seasons, interpreted through a European lens. Lunch sounds particularly tempting: salt cod croquettes, mussels with fries and roast porchetta with salsa verde are among the dishes already promised. Come evening, things become a little more indulgent. Expect Carlingford oysters with shallot vinaigrette, silky tagliolini tangled with sweet crab, chilli and lemon, and whole grilled brill finished with capers and brown butter.

The interiors have been created by The July’s in-house design team, led by Dublin-born Caitriona McGachy, alongside award-winning interior studio Fettle. The design will include subtle references to influential Irish designer Eileen Gray, together with a collection of local artwork, giving the space a sense of place without resorting to the obvious. It all sounds considered rather than overdone, a restaurant designed to shift naturally from coffee and lunch through to dinner, cocktails and a livelier late-evening mood.

Written by Claire Bloom

Photography courtesy of Onóra