Having opened just before Covid hit, sister venue of the iconic Pygmalion (but the very different) Little Pyg was originally robbed of the opportunity to cement their much-deserved position as a standout bar-restaurant among the Dublin dining scene. Ireland’s tallest restaurant-bar, Little Pyg, which covers the entire centre ground-floor of the historic Powerscourt Townhouse Centre in Dublin 2, are today excited to announce both secrets unknown until now, as well as a new co-head chef, just poached from Italy, and an updated menu in line with his arrival.
In addition to their exceptionally unique surroundings and visual impact, Little Pyg have put a highly unusual amount of time, energy and resources into ensuring they are, in their not so humble opinion, “the best dining experience in Ireland, at the best price”.
This extra effort can be seen in every facet of the venue and their offering. Take their now famous pizzas, for example. Each Little Pyg pizza chef is sent to Italy for one year, to train under the most famous pizza chef in the world, the ‘Godfather of Pizza’ Enzo Coccia, resulting in Little Pyg now offering Ireland’s only Michelin Guide pizzas. Their enormous pizza oven, which took over 14 men brought over from Naples to build, is made from the rock of Mount Vesuvius, and the dough of each pizza is left to ferment for 48 hours before cooking. One of their secrets, owner Paul McGlade Jnr claims, as to why their pizzas are so noticeably incredible.
When you peak behind the stunning interiors and foliage of this unique Irish bar-restaurant, there are so many fascinating layers that make this a truly top tier and “different” dining experience in Dublin. And today, for the first time, the venue are excited to finally announce the arrival of their new co-head chef Marco Ilii to both the Little Pyg team, but also to Ireland. Having just poached him from Italy. It took Paul McGlade Jnr over 5 months, and multiple trips to Italy, to convince Marco to move to Ireland and take up this position within the Little Pyg family.
The reason Paul was so eager to poach Marco was he knew Little Pyg’s pizza offering was next-to-none, but he was determined for the rest of their menu to “catch up” to the now Michelin Guide level of their pizzas. And Marco Ilii has done just that. His arrival to Little Pyg has seen exciting new additions to the menu, such as their new homemade meatballs, pumpkin risotto or their sumptuous ribs marinated in Guinness stout. The ribs being an example of how Marco wants to bring all of his Italian history and expertise to Little Pyg but always work in an Irish twist.
Speaking about his big move to Ireland and his new menu introductions to Little Pyg, Marco said:
“I’ve brought everything I’ve learned and love the most about Italian food to Little Pyg, but we’ve worked hard to make sure there is always an Irish twist. I won’t lie the weather was really holding me back from moving to Dublin, but it was the concept of Little Pyg that finally convinced me to move here. Paul and his team are really building something so different and special, and I’m excited to be a part of the team that will ultimately open this same concept all over the world, all having started here in Dublin”.
The reality of opening Little Pyg’s all around the world is not as far away as it seems, with the next one already confirmed to open in the Spanish capital of Madrid next year.
As much as we can praise the venue’s beautiful, almost rainforest-esque setting, their pizza quality, their cool and trendy vibe, it is the quality vs price ratio found in Little Pyg that is most noteworthy. With many Dubliners now struggling to live in one of the most expensive cities in Europe, Little Pyg were determined to keep their prices as “sound” as they possibly could. Paul states:
“With the ever-soaring prices of living in Dublin, I was determined to be as sound to our patrons, regarding all our prices, as I could possibly offer. We bring the best fresh ingredients in from Italy twice a week, all of our ‘Pygtails’ are made with the same ingredients as the cocktails made in any of Dublin’s finest 5-star hotels, and yet we are offering prices of 40-50% less”.
“Our Michelin Guide pizzas are all designed by the world-renowned ‘Godfather of Pizza’, but we still offer any 2 pizzas for only €28, 7 days a week”.
“A couple can come in here and have a bottle of wine, a starter and a main each, and even a few Pygtails, and leave with a bill of only around €40 each. There is nowhere else in Dublin you can do that and dine to the same standard, with these same surroundings. We’ve some of the best mixologists in Dublin and we are really noticing that local Italians who live in Dublin are coming here all of the time for our pizzas and Pygtails”.
“Our long-term business plan is to continue to give the best product and services to the consumer at the best price”.
Speaking about how the restaurant-bar changes in the evenings, Paul states:
“It is a completely different beast in here after 6pm. We play with the huge space of this historic building with lighting and always have the best disco-house tunes on. It’s a really buzzy atmosphere in the evenings and great for dinner and drinks with pals. We don’t close until very late at the weekends and there’s always an amazing party atmosphere”.
Starter prices start from only €7. Pizzas are any 2 for €28 seven days a week. Due to how thin they are, and the unique 48 hour fermentation process used, they are also 50% less calories than the average pizza of their size. Little Pyg’s delicious ‘Pygtails’ start from €10. The restaurant-bar is open for lunch and dinner every day and food is served until 10pm daily. This will be pushed out until 11pm throughout the month of December. Resident DJ’s are on every Friday and Saturday nights until late.