Portlaoise café to close after only two months

A PORTLAOISE restaurant is to close down after only two months in business.

The Fort Café & Bistro, which opened on 17 July in the Dunamaise Arts Centre, announced the closure today ‘due to personal circumstances’.

Run by award-winning chef Sorin Olinici, who previously worked at the Midland Park Hotel, the team said the decision was ‘ not a reflection of the café’s performance or potential’.

Making the shock announcement on the Dunamaise social media page this morning, Chef Sorin said: ‘After a great deal of careful thought, we have made the difficult decision to close The Fort Café & Bistro due to personal circumstances.

‘Since opening, the café has been warmly welcomed and very well supported by the local community. This decision is entirely personal and is not a reflection of the café’s performance or potential.

‘I am sincerely grateful to the our Fort Café team and the team at Dunamaise Arts Centre for all their support and encouragement and to every customer who visited, supported us and made our time here so special.

‘With heartfelt thanks, Sorin and The Fort Team.’ 

When the café opened on 17 July, the large ground floor restaurant space in the Dunamaise had been vacant for almost a year.

The theatre café space was previously occupied by R32 Artisan Bakery and Coffee Shop, which opened in early January last year but closed after only six months, despite very positive reviews.

Chef Sorin began his career in a family business about 20 years ago and was well-known to local diners as head chef at the award-winning Kelly’s Steakhouse, at the Midland Park Hotel in Portlaoise.

Known as a talented chef who thrives under pressure, he previously worked at Batoni’s in Emo, a consistent winner of Best Restaurant titles. He also led the team that won the Best Casual Dining in Laois award as head chef at Kelly's.

When R32 opened the bakery café, the restaurant space at the Dunamaise had been vacant since October 2022, when the highly popular Caffe Latte closed after 23 years in business.

At the time, Caffe Latte owner Ken McPherson decided to consolidate his catering businesses, while continuing to run another successful Caffe Latte outlet in nearby Lyster Square.

The café space remained empty for more than two years until the opening of R32 in January 2025 but the revival proved short-lived, when the Hungarian family team behind the venture decided to close after only six months.

The series of closures is a major loss to the town centre, where the theatre café has been a popular meeting place and community hub for decades.