Private club on St Stephen’s Green to open to public for first time

The rarified atmosphere of the formal dining room at The Stephen’s Green Hibernian Club in Dublin 2 will be shaken up a little when The Chophouse Gastro Pub moves in for a seven-week residency in October.

The collaboration will open up the private members club’s diningroom to reservations from non-members. Lunch and dinner sittings will be available and bookings will open on September 1st for the residency, which will run from October 2nd to November 17th.

Kevin Arundel, chef/proprietor of The Chophouse, in Shelbourne Road, Dublin 4, and a senior member of his kitchen team, will work in collaboration with the club's executive chef Wayne Neville to deliver menus that "will reflect The Chophouse, with a few club classics reinvigorated".

Special events

According to Arundel, the idea of doing the residency came from him and the club's general manager Ray Mooney, after The Chophouse was involved in putting on special events for members. "We thought, why not open up the beautiful room to a wider audience?".

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The club, whose members are encouraged to regard it as “their home in the city”, has been open at No 9, on the north side of St Stephen’s Green, since 1840. The dining room, furnished with antiques, has five sash windows overlooking the Green and features marble fireplaces and ornate ceiling plasterwork by the Lafranchini brothers, whose work is also evident at Carton House and Russborough House.

Lunch and dinner menu prices for the collaboration have not yet been finalised, but Arundel says customers can expect the “same pricing structure as The Chophouse, no more expensive”. The Chophouse in Dublin 4 will continue to open seven days a week during the residency.

Dress code

While it may be open doors for this collaboration, diners should not expect to rock up to No 9 St Stephen’s Green in casual clothes and let loose too much – a dress code will be in place, and behaviour will be governed by “club etiquette and house rules” .

The club’s website reveals that the dress code “for gentlemen is jacket and collarded shirt”, and “equally suitable smart attire is required for ladies”.

Nor is it likely that food lovers will be posting images of their dinner on Instagram: “The taking of photographs and videos in the Club is prohibited without the permission of the subject(s) and, in that circumstance, should be done discreetly. The posting of such photographs or videos on social media requires the prior written permission of the General Manager or Honorary Secretary.”

Bookings open on September 1st and further details of the menus and prices will be made available at thechophouse.ie and sghc.ie.