Clondalkin becoming a magnet for foodies

CLONDALKIN is gaining a reputation as a tourist and culinary hotspot with new ventures boosting the D22 suburb’s profile.
Healthy oriental delivery franchise Camile Thai Kitchen is the latest to declare its interest in opening a restaurant in the town before the end of the year.
Camile Thai marketing manager Daniel Greene revealed: “Clondalkin is high on our list of targets in the Dublin area and we are actively seeking potential franchise partners here. It’s an exciting opportunity to be part of a profitable, fast-growing brand with a proven track record.”
Meanwhile the Happy Pear’s first Dublin premises at the new Round Tower visitor centre has helped boost its profits by more than a third.
The visitor centre, developed by South Dublin County Council and opened in June, had already clocked up 25,000 visits in by the middle of August.
The vegan business, run by Wicklow twins David and Stephen Flynn (below) who have been fondly dubbed the ‘Jedward of food’, last week reported a 40 per cent increase in revenue to date this year compared to 2016.
The café is located on the site of the seventh century round tower where monks operated a dispensary in the village in the nineteenth century. The interpretive centre has won wide praise and the site’s restoration is hailed as a triumph for the council.
Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald, whose constituency office is just metres away, said: “There is a clear increase in tourist numbers around the village since the centre opened and the economic benefits are being felt by surrounding
businesses.”