Thursday 14 December saw the opening of a new high-end bar in the basement of St Stephen’s Green’s Hibernian members’ club, in Dublin, by publican Alan Clancy.
The 9 Below bar represents the end result of a four-year venture by Clancy, who also operates the Oak, Xico and 37 Dawson Street in the capital, as well as controlling the group behind Leeson Street’s House nightclub, NolaClan, reports The Irish Times.
As much as €800,000 is thought to have been invested in the new development, which is being marketed as a new concept on the Dublin bar scene, where customers will generally be required to make reservations and table service will take precedence over ordering from the bar.
The capacity of 9 Below is approximately 80 people, but, due to the inability to instal a kitchen in the listed structure, the venue cannot serve its own food, and has consequently entered into a partnership with an outside provider to serve sushi if requested by group bookings.
Commenting on the inspiration for the venue, Clancy said, “The bar that we are opening this afternoon is based on a concept of emulating the five-star service of the top hotels and restaurants around the Stephen’s Green area.”
He explained, “When we were developing the concept, we looked to see what was missing in this area. We saw a gap to extend the five-star experience to a bar setting. We’d be hoping to attract guests, for example, for pre-dinner or post-dinner drinks from the best restaurants around, like Peploe’s or Shanahan’s. We also want to develop relationships with the five-star hotels nearby, such as the Merrion.”
