Application made to turn Reidy's Vault Bar into a restaurant

Hospitality operator Son of a Bun has applied to convert Reidy’s Vault Bar on Western Rd in Cork city into an eatery.

The planning application, lodged under the company name NALGEC West Ltd, seeks to carry out various internal alterations, including layout reconfiguration and removal of existing internal fabric.

Permission is also sought for change of use “from former public house to restaurant”.

An existing rear gallery will be removed and reinstated as part of the proposed works, while a new rear annex housing a preparatory kitchen is also planned at the location of the existing rear yard.

Roof works are also proposed, including the installation of rooflights and the raising and boxing of a section of the rear roof. 

Minor alterations are proposed to the front of the protected structure, including repair and painting and installation of a new entrance awning and signage. The bar was sold earlier this year just shy of its €600,000 guide price, via Rob Coughlan of Cohalan Downing to “established hospitality operators”.

The planning application reveals the link to Son of A Bun via a Companies Registration Office search.

It will be the second Cork city venue for husband-and-wife team Niall and Amanda O’Regan who opened their first Cork Son of a Bun burger restaurant on MacCurtain St in 2015 in the former Crowley’s music store premises.

The new Western Rd venue, at 15 Lancaster Quay, has already undergone a clear-out with the entire contents put up for sale by auction last month, including the impressive 30ft d-end bar counter with ornate back-fitting and a striking clock.

A former bonded warehouse, it had operated as a bar for several decades, run by the Reidy family, who have a long involvement in the city’s licensed trade, and who continue to own and operate the popular Le Chateau bar on Patrick’s St.

Plans for a new burger venue at the site add to a sizeable hospitality offering on Washington St/Western Rd, where popular restaurant venues include Liberty Grill, Café Paradiso, and The Spitjack, while Dwyers of Cork is a gastropub. Footfall is strong, thanks to proximity to both Cork city centre and to UCC, slightly further west on Western Rd.