Located in the former Delgany Inn, this stylishly renovated complex houses complementary businesses in one place – The Delgany Grocer, Firehouse Bakery and, upstairs, The Pigeon House café-restaurant – that have banded together to make The Delgany a go-to destination.
The Delgany Grocer (01 287 7105: email: delganygrocer@gmail.com) is much more than just a ’boutique grocer’, the aim here is to offer a reasonably priced alternative for the weekly shop, with an emphasis on good-quality, seasonal and local items. They carry a good selection of well-sourced pantry staples, an excellent range of fresh fruit and veg, meat from the local Farrelly’s Butchers, Irish cheeses, Irish-made fresh pasta and more. It's a super place and has come on a lot since opening. Sister businesses equally worth visiting in in Dublin are Get Fresh Rathfarnham (01 4937148) & Fresh Avenue, Ballinteer (01 552 1835).
Patrick Ryan’s brilliant flagship Firehouse Bakery caught the national imagination when it opened on Heir Island off West Cork in 2012 and this very welcome bakery café was its first mainland outpost, where you’ll find artisan breads and pastries for sale and pizza along with other simple but very tasty fare served in the cafe. As on Heir Island (where there’s also a bread school; classes at both venues are very much in demand) the pizza oven is at the heart of the open plan operation, where you can watch the bakers at work producing their superb sourdough breads and other treats while enjoying the fruits of their labour. There’s also outdoor seating on a small patio where you can relax in fine weather and a branch has since opened in Wicklow Town.
Upstairs, The Pigeon House (01 287 7103; www.thepigeonhouse.ie; email: delgany@pigeonhouse.ie) opened in October 2014 and fans of the former Downstairs @ Gilbert & Wright in Clontarf were pleased to find chef Brian Walsh had relocated here. Here you can expect not only his appealing modern cooking (backed up excellent, well motivated front of house staff), but also the very reasonable pricing that that has always been an especially attractive feature of his meals.
Located just a few minutes’ drive off the N11, The Delgany is a terrific place to know about when visiting beautiful County Wicklow, or to visit as a destination in its own right. Unsurprisingly it’s a big hit with locals, so it’s a good idea to book ahead if you want a meal here.
