Upmarket steak restaurant chain Hawksmoor has completed “the biggest flagship food and beverage international letting in the country,” according to CBRE Dublin.

The 20-year lease on the Clarendon Properties-owned building will see the landmark building at 34 College Green, Dublin 2, become a Hawksmoor restaurant in the spring of next year.

And the opening could provide a welcome boost to the beleaguered Dublin hospitality sector, which has seen a spate of restaurant closures across the city during and post-pandemic.

After a protracted search for a suitable location in the capital, the restaurant chain settled upon the former National Bank building opposite the main entrance to Trinity College Dublin, most recently occupied by U.S. fashion retailer Abercrombie & Fitch.

The project will focus on the restoration and fit-out of the 14.2K SF ground floor, which is expected to cost in the region of €4M, according to The Irish Times.

Hawksmoor already has restaurants in London, Edinburgh, Manchester and New York, and the Dublin restaurant will be its 12th outlet.

“We’ve been coming to Dublin for years, always keeping an eye open for a beautiful space. We can’t wait to open Hawksmoor in what we think is the most hospitable city in the world,” Hawksmoor co-founder Will Beckett said in announcing the planned Dublin opening.

Hawksmoor was established 16 years ago in London by Will Beckett and Huw Gott and its chosen Dublin site is owned by Paddy McKillen and Tony Leonard’s Clarendon Properties. McKillen’s son, Paddy McKillen Jr, heads the Press Up hospitality group, which owns restaurants, hotels and bars across Dublin.

Hawksmoor added that the drinks menu in Dublin will feature an Irish version of the ‘world’s coldest martini’ featured on its cocktail list in New York.