Lets visit infamous this post pub oasis of yesteryear. The site at 23 Harcourt Road had form even before The Manhattan Café. In the 1940s, it was Tony’s Café, run by Anthony Tighe, who made the courts more than once for dodgy practices. For example he was accused in 1941 of selling porter late at night without a licence (he swore he was only “treating” customers), and sued again in 1952 by the Performing Rights Society for letting unlicensed music be played. Shocking stuff! The Woods family took over in 1954, rebranding it The Manhattan. Under the iron rule of May Woods, known to all as Aunty May, the café became legendary. By all accounts I could find May was part doorman, part matriarch. You couldnt just stroll in , you had to “pass muster.” Regulars knew that if you acted the maggot, you’d be barred from food, which was the ultimate punishment. Staff like Bernie, who worked there for decades, became fixtures as much as the faded wallpaper and lethal stairwell to the toilets. The menu was classic post pub delicious junk. The Works (sausages, bacon, eggs, chips, fried liver, baked beans), mixed grills, toasties, and endless tea poured from heavy pots. Rumours persisted of late-night wine served under old licensing loopholes, but a pint of milk in a glass bottle was more likely. Prices were cheap, portions enormous. And its clientelle, apart from gee-eyed locals, was stellar. U2 dropped by in the 1980s, Bon Jovi’s band too. Acts finishing in JJ Smyth’s or the Baggot Inn often wound down here. Bibi Baskin, Mick Lally, Richard Harris, Joe Dolan, Ulick O’Connor, even Dickie Rock. Personally after a few jars if I bumped in to that lot I`d probably shag them all but leave Bibi wanting. A young Charles Haughey was spotted there, long before his diet consisted solely of champaign drank out of the skulls of county council estate children. Niall Quinn met his wife Gillian in The Manhattan at half-three in the morning. He knew she was the one when she shared a scrap of “hairy bacon” from the floor. By the 1990s, The Manhattan was one of the last true all-night eateries in the city, sharing the twilight trade with places like The Gigs Place and Topo Gigio. But stricter licensing laws, changing habits, and the slow creep of gentrification spelled its doom. The café finally closed in the late 2000s, likely around 2009. The building went derelict, and in 2019 Dublin City Council blocked a €1.4m sale for office development, citing its cultural heritage. Some councillors even called for the famous “M” sign to be preserved in the Little Museum of Dublin. By 2024, the site was demolished, probably to make way for offices or student housing. Thanks to @neilbodl and @RareIrishStuff who inspired this a while ago 🍻 SOURCES Irish Independent: “When stars ended Dublin nights with fine wine or baked beans” independent.ie/life/food-dri… Come Here To Me!: “The Manhattan and other late night eateries” comeheretome.com/2012/09/11/… – at Dublin City, Ireland