The Ivy spreads to Dublin for first Irish restaurant

The Ivy Collection has confirmed plans to open its first Irish restaurant in Dublin this year.

The Ivy Dawson Street will launch in the One Molesworth building this summer, marking the first overseas opening for the Richard Caring-owned spin-off brand.

Its all-day food offering will be overseen by Ivy Collection executive chef Sean Burbidge, previously of Gordon Ramsay’s Petrus, and head chef Nick Lentini. Dishes will range from locally-inspired plates such as Dublin Bay prawns and Dungarvan oysters, to shepherd’s pie; crispy duck salad; and a chocolate bombe.

The restaurant will seat 200 covers, including a 36-cover private dining room, with floor-to-ceiling windows and a 24-cover central onyx bar.

While the original The Ivy in Covent Garden may be notoriously difficult to get a table at, Ivy Dawson Street manager Jamie Belton says the Dublin brasserie will offer a "touch of glamour", while welcoming guests "anytime, whatever the occasion".

The Ivy launched 1917 and was bought by Caring alongside five sites in the Caprice Holdings group for more than £20m in 2005.

Its first spin-off Ivy Market Grill opened in Covent Garden at the end of 2014, followed less than five months later by a second in Chelsea.

The Ivy Collection now operates 27 sites nationwide, with more in the pipeline.