Marc and Conor Bereen, the brothers behind Dublin restaurants including Coppinger and Orwell Road, are collaborating with a Dutch hotel group to open a new restaurant on Capel Street in Dublin 1.
The Bereen Brothers Group will launch Onóra, which they describe as an “all-day neighbourhood restaurant” in new aparthotel The July in October.
This venture is the first for Bereen Brothers where the business will not own the restaurant, thus removing an element of the financial risk that always accompanies such investments. As well as Coppinger and Row Wines in Dublin 2, and Orwell Road in Dublin 6, the brothers own Charlotte Quay in Dublin 4.
“The process of opening a new restaurant is so amazing,” said Marc Bereen on Tuesday. He is “super-excited” about operating on Capel Street, which he said has a range of established world food outlets and a great “vibe” but no restaurant like Coppinger, the fashionable Mediterranean outlet the brothers run on Coppinger Row across the Liffey.
Onóra will have a separate entrance to The July, which will span 105 studios and apartments, with Bereen seeking to “create a restaurant that stands alone, separate to the hotel”.
The glass-fronted outlet located across from Pantibar will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with the kitchen headed by Co Down native and 2024 MasterChef: The Professionals competitor Lauren Shimmin, who previously worked in restaurants in Co Tyrone. Shimmin has been part of the Coppinger team for the past couple of months.
Lauren Shimmin and Marc Bereen outside The July on Capel Street, Dublln 1
The menu aims to celebrate Irish produce “through a European lens”, featuring dishes such as salt cod croquettes and mussels with fries for lunch and whole grilled brill with capers and brown butter for dinner. Music will be turned up as dinner ends to make way for evening drinks.
As in Coppinger, there will be a strong cocktail focus, with guests to be welcomed for small plates and smaller spends as well as bigger-budget outings.
Prices are likely to be similar to those in Coppinger, where snacks start at about €4, starters at €16 and mains at €28.
“You don’t need to come and spend a fortune,” said Bereen.
With 50 seats inside and a further 25 in its outside space (ready “to blossom” next summer), Onóra will allow for a “buzz”, said Bereen. It will also have private dining spaces suitable for meetings or celebrations and a coffee hatch with pastries.
Onóra’s interior design comes from Dubliner and The July head of design Caitriona McGachy and London interior studio Fettle. It includes influences from famed designer Eileen Gray, whose likeness inspires “the character” Onóra.
Having been seduced by Capel Street, Bereen said he and his brother would “love to do something ourselves” in the area at some point too, with his “ears always open” for properties that offer value for money.