- Captain Americas will serve its last customers on Sunday.
- The restaurant first opened in 1971 by Mark Kavanagh.
- The McKillen family acquired the site in 1993.
- The venue will reopen later this year as The Grafton Tavern.
- The new concept centres on Irish produce and all-day dining.
Captain Americas on Grafton Street has been preparing to close and rebrand later this year. The Grafton Street site will serve its final customers on Sunday before it reopens under the new name The Grafton Tavern.
Mark Kavanagh first opened the restaurant in 1971. The McKillen family acquired the business in 1993 and has owned it since then. The family cited changing consumer habits and developments in the city centre hospitality market as factors that affected the business. The restaurant was an important part of Dublin’s 1970s and 1980s culture, and earned international recognition as the place where singer Chris de Burgh launched his career.
The new venue will take inspiration from brasseries in Paris and New York with a focus on Irish produce and all-day dining.
The McKillen family shared “changing consumer habits and the evolving city centre hospitality market had significantly impacted the business in recent years.”
