Lucinda O’Sullivan’s restaurant review: Little Washer is a clean winner – a new Glasnevin gem with a moreish menu and charming service

Little Washer is one of those little gems that would be more likely found in the shadows of the Vatican up some back street in Rome rather than in the shadows of the Holy Faith Convent in suburban Glasnevin. It’s the new mini-me version of The Washerwoman next door, which has been on the go for almost a decade and which, on my visit, had provided what I felt was a pretty graceless experience. However, I was perhaps unlucky back then, or maybe the crew involved improved their manners after my review, for it settled in and has been a very popular spot down the years.

Little Washer in Glasnevin, a sister establishment to The Washerwoman, is a fab addition to the area, says our critic Lasagna, embedded with a smoked oyster ragu. Photo: Lucinda O'Sullivan Little Washer is one of those little gems that would be more likely found in the shadows of the Vatican up some back street in Rome rather than in the shadows of the Holy Faith Convent in suburban Glasnevin. It’s the new mini-me version of The Washerwoman next door, which has been on the go for almost a decade and which, on my visit, had provided what I felt was a pretty graceless experience.

However, I was perhaps unlucky back then, or maybe the crew involved improved their manners after my review, for it settled in and has been a very popular spot down the years. Both are sister restaurants and suburban outliers of the excellent and ever-popular Winding Stair, Woollen Mills and Legal Eagle, which are all based Liffey-side in the city centre — still firmly north of the river — and all under the direction of a superwoman of the hospitality industry in Dublin: Elaine Murphy. Join the Irish Independent WhatsApp channel Stay up to date with all the latest news.