Dublin in the early 80's

peckerhead · 21-10-2016 7:19am

Stoogie wrote: »

Blakes is what the aforementioned Swiss chalet became. I remember when the first mc Donald's opened.

I got my first job in the first MacDonalds. Back when Blakes was still the Swiss Chalet.

Got my first 'roide' there, too, off a co-worker (two years older than me, the durty hoor!).

Did your mam tell you there was no underage sex in the 80s, too?

amtc · 21-10-2016 10:19am

I was brought to Wendy's as a treat when small. Unfortunately I had never seen sugar in a pourer thing before and assumed it was salt so poured it on....I was heartbroken!

Declan2364 · 07-09-2023 10:49am

Anyone remember the name of a restaurant on Dame Street near the corner of the turn up to Sth Georges street.. Mainly steak / chicken and burgers. I think it had an American mobster theme going on.

Hotblack Desiato · 12-09-2023 1:28am

Rick's.

Flinty997 · 12-09-2023 3:04am

There were definitely restaurants around in the 80s. I can remember being dragged to a few now and then. Berni Inn was one.

Don't know about celebrating graduation from college. But since people went out to restaurants for lesser occasions I can't see any reason why they wouldn't.

Peregrinus · 12-09-2023 4:27am

People went out to restaurants much less frequently than they do now and, in relation to prices and incomes, dining out was much more expensive than it is now. In Dublin, at any rate, the restaurant trade was to a significant extent oriented towards the business market — "business lunches" were definitely a thing for marketing and networking purposes, and business customers were not so price-conscious.

JupiterKid · 18-09-2023 4:58am

Eating out was a rare treat for most people back then, and most certainly for children of which I was one back in the early 1980s.

We did have McDonalds, KFC, Burger King (opened on Grafton St. in ‘81), Burgerland and The Swiss Chalet out in fancy Stillorgan which had a bowling alley too which was very cool and American to us kids, we really did look up to the US of A back then, we thought that life was ideal over there.

One other thing about the early ‘80s was seeing all the punks, boot boys and “youth” around Dublin city centre which a bit intimidating to a little kid! 😶😳

Sime random photos of dear old dirty Dublin in the early 80s. Lots of urban decay and dereliction, lots of vibrant youth culture!

odyssey06 · 18-09-2023 9:48am

I was watching The Way We Were... was looking back at "how we used to eat."

Tom Doorley mentioned Mirabeau restaurant in Sandycove that was open in 1970s and closed in early 1980s.

Anybody know if the building is still there? Is it still a restaurant?

It was run by Sean Kinsella.

Mentioned in this article as is the famous Manhattan.

https://www.independent.ie/life/food-drink/when-stars-ended-dublin-nights-with-fine-wine-or-baked-beans/36333147.html

Gloomtastic! · 21-09-2023 12:14pm

Student in the 80’s, living in a bedsit in Rathgar. Big treat for me was to walk into Burdocks beside Christchurch for cod and chips. They only opened when the boats came in with fresh fish so sometimes you had to go elsewhere.

There was two queues outside the door. One for paying customers and the other for people waiting for the free crispies - bits of batter that fell off the frying fish.

Most of the paying customers would ask for the crispies as well, they were amazing. 😋

Mike Litoris · 21-09-2023 4:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121137800#Comment_121137800

You can still get those crispy bits. We drive in every now and then as a treat. Still the best around.

Ash.J.Williams · 21-09-2023 4:57pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121124443#Comment_121124443

Rough as it was I would sell a limb to be back there 🤣

Ash.J.Williams · 21-09-2023 5:06pm

The op is kinda right , there were restaurants but eating out wasn't like it has been since the 2000s

The Chinese on dame Street and the Irish place on oconnell St have been there since the rising 🤣

Gloomtastic! · 21-09-2023 5:09pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121139246#Comment_121139246

Really? Catholic Church was all-powerful, still dictating policy while behind the scenes they were buggering children with impunity. Haughey and his FF cronies robbing the country blind, again with impunity. The Startdust massacre, where the perpetrators ended up with IR£500K compensation while the victims got nothing. Liffey stank (how they managed to survive the Liffey swim without dying, I've no idea). I could go on. No thank you.

Anyone else heading into Burdocks to try and get some crispies?

odyssey06 · 21-09-2023 5:11pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121139300#Comment_121139300

And the Liffey it stank like hell... I think there's a song in that :)

miamee · 21-09-2023 5:19pm

The only 'eating out' I remember in the 80s was if I was brought into town with my mother to go shopping, we'd usually go to Thomas Street and Meath Street. If it was just myself and Mam I might get brought to Mannings for my lunch - what a treat! If any of my siblings were with me, forget about it. Starve til you get home 😂

Flinty997 · 21-09-2023 5:27pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121139233#Comment_121139233

Oil fired now, used to be coal I think. Changed the taste. Used to pop in for crispy bits a very long time ago. Been years since I was near the place..

Flinty997 · 21-09-2023 5:29pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121139300#Comment_121139300

Don't be fooled into thinking the worlds perfect today just because you're not aware of things that will come to light in the future.

orangerhyme · 21-09-2023 5:31pm

Eating out was definitely a treat on special occasions.

It's true that people had money to drink but not to eat out.

Our culture was very different to European countries like Italy or Spain where eating out was done frequently by every class of person. We're still catching up on European countries but we've improved immeasurably in terms of options. But in Italy you can still get a top class pizza for 7 or 8 euros. In Spain you can have beer/wine and a few tapas for under 10 euros.

Nowadays we're more similar with eating out affordable and a regular occurrence.

You can eat a meal now for the same cost as an hour of minimum wage work (just about), so times have changed.

I remember hearing Americans eating out for breakfast and thinking it was the height of extravagance.

Ireland has changed so much in just a generation. There was an inflection point some time in the mid to late 90s. It hit Dublin first and then spread to the rest of the country.

Despite our problems we are a great little country with a lot to be proud of. What's been achieved in a generation due to the hard work of millions of people.

Dublin in the early 80's

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