Closed, open, outdoor dining, closed, takeaway, twirl it all about. This year and this tricksy virus is keeping us on our toes!

We are opening our doors in December with safety at the forefront of our minds for our guests, staff and community. Coronavirus is still a risk and we aren't taking any chances when it comes to people's health, so we really appreciate you being patient with us at this time. We are operating limited days and with a reduction in seating to 30% of previous capacity, as well as abiding by all government guidelines. This means that the maximum size of table we are permitted to serve is six people. This is a government mandated limit, and the guidelines prohibit multiple table bookings for the same party. Much as we would love to host a long table feast to rival the Medici wedding, our hands are tied. Thank you for understanding.

Sorry for the information overload below, we promise we are more chill in person! 

Arrival
On arrival we will check you in and take contact tracing details if we haven’t already. This is a new regulation, we aren’t trying to snaffle your digits!
The new guidelines require guests to wear face coverings on arrival and departure and when not seated, which includes when going to the bathroom or otherwise moving around the building, so channel your inner fashionista and rock your favourite patterned or printed mask. Bee keeper outfits or vintage scuba helmets also welcome!

We have drastically reduced the number of tables in the restaurant and we are staggering seating times to limit both the number of people who are on-site at any one time but also arriving and leaving, as our Victorian fronted bar has only one entry/exit. This does mean that we would ask you to assemble your entire group before entering to reduce the bottleneck at the door. Please observe the social distancing markers when waiting though we are all well used to them at this stage! 

We will all be wearing face coverings so please don’t be alarmed. We have beautiful linen masks from our neighbours at Irish Linen House. We will be wearing masks at all times. 

Sitting at your table 
The pub may be colder than normal, as we will be periodically opening the doors to assist with ventilation and will have the extraction on also. The music will be at a minimum.

It may feel like a gaping chasm between you and the next table so as sad as it is not being able to easily chat to your neighbouring table, it is for safety reasons. We will look into Victorian ear trumpets if this presents too much of a problem though we like to think the privacy allows for the hatching of secret plans! Where the 2m distance has not been possible we have made structural changes, so there are a few more 'private' tables than there were previously, with panels and upholstering. Speaking of upholstering, everything is freshly recovered, with fabric that has been treated to allow it to be sanitised between seatings. We have strict sanitisation and cleaning protocols and timers galore. 

There are sanitisers on each table, filled with medical-grade sanitiser from the lovely Wicklow Way Wines, and everything has been sanitised before your arrival. 

Table service
We still have loads of lovely craft beers, a cracking wine list, spirits to beat the band and plenty of non-alcoholic options, but we would ask that you order from us at the table, instead of the bar. Please don't approach the bar, Stewart our barman startles easily! We are operating in ‘zones’ so the same people will be taking care of you for your whole visit.

A lovely meal
We are channelling our mid-90s Masahiro Hara energy with QR codes on the tables for the menu but will have printed single use copies of the menu (on post-consumer recycled paper from our pals at Klee) if you prefer and we are of course happy to make a recommendation for beers, wines & other libations. We will be asking you to keep your serviette and cutlery between courses, and we are happy to drop down extra serviettes. Our menu is slightly reduced and we have tweaked some dishes to enable us to comply with the timings required under the new guidelines (less than 2 hour seatings). 

Bathrooms 
In the bathrooms we have a 'one in, one oot' system, new sensor taps installed, along with 'hands-free' door handles. 

We have made loads of other tweaks behind the scenes, done hours of training, hand washing drills and 'bubbled' ourselves in teams, and are really now just ready to welcome you back. The place hasn't been the same without you! 

PS It should go without saying, but we will say it anyway: If you have any of the symptoms associated with COVID, please stay home and visit us another time, we will not be charging a cancellation fee so while we would love to see you, we would prefer you stayed safe.