Indian restaurant chain to open at Finn’s Corner in Cork city centre

South Indian restaurant chain Andhra Bhavan is to take up the redeveloped Finn’s Corner site in Cork city, opening a new outlet in September.

The restaurant is being opened by two friends from Hyderabad, India, Praveen Madire and Sainath Reddy, who already operate three restaurants in Dublin and one in Belfast.

They are taking over one of the most prominent sites in the city for their fifth restaurant which is in the final stages of preparation and fit out.

Andhra Bhavan will operate across the ground and first floor with seating for 65 people.

The Finn family had operated a sports store at the junction of Grand Parade and Washington St for four generations before it closed in 2020 and was subsequently redeveloped for restaurant/cafe uses on the lower floors and apartments above.

The operators said the opening in September forms part of their ongoing expansion in Ireland as they continue to introduce authentic South Indian and Andhra cuisine to new communities. They said recruitment will begin next month for a range of positions for the Cork restaurant, including front-of-house and kitchen roles. They also plan to open an international branch in Gurugram, India, in July.

“We are excited to bring Andhra Bhavan to Cork and become part of the city’s vibrant food scene,” Praveen Madire and Sainath Reddy said.

Singer’s Corner, on the other side of Washington St, has undergone similar change. The iconic alterations business closed its doors last year. Convenience store Gala is set to open at the location.

Also nearby is Bishop Lucey Park, recently reopened to the public after a two-year closure to facilitate a €7m makeover.

In February, it was announced that the adjacent St Augustine’s Church would close its doors permanently in July with no decision announced on what will happen to the building.