Capital cafes
The best casual eateries in Dublin
As with other capital cities, the prohibitive rents in Dublin’s prime areas, which can only be afforded by the multiples, has driven young entrepreneurs and chefs to explore alternative fringe locations, says Lucinda O’Sullivan. The result is a cafe society that’s alive and well, with cool cafes doing great eclectic food, ranging from breakfast to brunch, with all-day menus and end-of-week dinners, too ALMA
Saturday brunch was chock-a-block when I whirled into Alma on the South Circular Road. It’s a new, family-run Argentinian cafe where dulce de leche pancakes (€10) and huevos a caballo (€13) — steak, chimichurri, eggs, and kale — seemed popular at a communal table. Bacon-wrapped Gorgonzola prunes (€3.50); along with tahini and anchovy kale, chickpeas, and poached eggs (€11); plus a cuppa (€2.50), went down a treat. alma.ie
BOWLS BY KWANGHI CHAN
Kwanghi Chan’s new Bowls cafe on Marlborough Street is inspired by the post-war Hong Kong cha chaan teng ‘tea restaurant’ cafes. Brunch choices included traditional congee rice porridge. Broths, side bowls and signature bowls (€2.50€13.50) featured roasted aubergine on charcoal in oyster sauce; and wok-flamed prawns with Hong Kong XO sauce. I had fabulous pork and chive potstickers (€6.50) from Chan’s northern Chinese grandmother’s recipe; a Macanese egg tart (€2.50); and a Coke (€1.50). bowls.ie
BREAD 41
Installing a stone mill from New American Stone Mills at their organic on-site bakery, Bread Nation, on Pearse Street, allowed chef and baker Eoin Cluskey to produce sensational breads. The spacious, oh-so-cool cafe section, Bread 41, does a compact menu of mouthwatering takes on traditional dishes. Its porridge has burnt honey caramel, poached pear and toasted nuts (€4.50); while toast comes with organic whipped butter and oriel sea salt (€3.70) — for an extra €1.50, you can add nut butter. I’m addicted to the mushrooms on toast (€10.50). The mushrooms are served on Shackelton 7 Seed toast, and come with polenta, thyme, ketchup, blue cheese, house pesto, and are topped with a fried egg. Lunchtime sees terrific sandwiches (€6.45-€8.50) such as porchetta, Provolone cheese, rocket and pickles; or black pudding and date brown sauce — to which you can add an egg. breadnation.ie
GERTRUDE
Loved-up millennials and young couples with babies were enjoying the Saturday brunch when I was in Gertrude on Pearse Street, the latest offering from Colin Harmon of 3fe coffee. Colourblocking is the decor style here — almost urban nursery school — with nice white napkins, and eclectic food from head chef Holly Dalton. The fare includes the Dirty Gertie ‘full Irish’; Tonkatsu pork sandwich; and seared lamb tartare — all €12 or under. I had duck-filled bao buns, which came with green chilli relish, scallion and teriyaki sauce (€12). gertrude.ie
GROUNDSTATE
It’s easy to see why Andy Joyce and Mark Quilty’s Groundstate cafe is so popular. It’s bright and airy, you can bring your pooch, and the weekend brunch menu hit the nail on the head with an eclectic croque
madame, which takes you from Pearse Street to Korea, as it featured Bread Nation sourdough, Higgins thick-cut ham, Dijon mustard, a Parmesan and Irish white Cheddar bechamel, a crispy fried egg and kimchi (€12.80). Bayveen had delicious French toast (€10) — rustic sourdough soaked in citrus-spiked creme
anglaise, served with sweet labneh, plus a tart fruit compote, topped with fresh berries. I tried La Resaca (€12.50), which means ‘for the hangover’ — a big bowl of refried beans, paprika-roast potato, fried egg, salsa verde, salsa and wilted greens, topped with aioli and pickled onion. groundstated8.com
INDUSTRY
I wrote about the chic lifestyle store Industry on Drury Street a few years back, but now they have a great little cafe doing Ottolenghi-style Mediterranean salads, soup, and a daily hot pot, such as Persian meatballs (small, €7.50/large, €9.75) for the carnivores, and one for vegetarians (€6.75/€8.95). Choose two, four or six salads (€4.75/€7.75/€9.75) and, if you wish, add on chargrilled chicken, salmon or falafel, at €4.25. I had falafel served with beetroot hummus and two salads, roast cauliflower with currants and tahini, and couscous. I also indulged
in fabulous lemon, poppy seed and pistachio cakes. industryandco.com
KOFFEE + KALE
On our Sunday-morning visit to Koffee + Kale, on the corner of Hill Street, near Gardiner Street, the display was full of pastries and ciabatta sambos, including Moroccan-style lemon chicken The full-Irish was €9.95, with smaller combos at €4.95. Bayveen had avocado on toast, with chilli and lime on sourdough (€5.50); while I had sweet potato rosti with smashed avocado and a petite poached egg (€6.95); with a honeycomb latte (€3.40) and a mocha (€3.95). facebook.com/koffeenkale
LILLIPUT STORES
On the tiny old Dublin side street of Rosemount Terrace, off Manor Street, is another picture-pretty gem, the black-fronted Lilliput Stores — a deli with a cafe to the rear, which now opens on Thursday and Friday evenings for small plates and Aperol-style cocktails. The breakfast bap (€6.50), served with free-range crispy fried egg, house-made hot sauce, garlic aioli and either Higgins black pudding or smoky bacon seemed to be going down a treat all around us. We had mouthfuls of pleasure by way of protein bliss balls (€2 each) — the flavour combinations included cacao, goji and walnuts; and salted-caramel chocolate.
MOOZ
The dinky little Mooz, on Stoneybatter’s Manor Street, is an absolute treasure trove of Italian goodies, ranging from olive oils and deli fare to sweet treats, custardstuffed doughnuts, truffles, amaretti and nougat. A Pizza Wannabe, topped with black olives, green chilli, red peppers, and porcini mushrooms (€5.50) was ace, as was an antipasto platter, which was lavished with Italian artisan cheese, charcuterie, olives, bread and dips and salad (€15.95).
NUTBUTTER
Nutbutter, a plant-based restaurant on Forbes Street, near Grand Canal Dock, is so shiny and cool with its swinging chairs, geometric-design tables and wicker seats, that it almost squeaks. Breakfast, which is served from 7.30am to 11.30am, includes almond butter and banana toast (€4.50); or avocado and cashew nut bowls (€8.95). This is followed up with an extensive all-day menu of bowls (€6.95-€14.95) including poke bowls, warm grain bowls or various salad bowls. From 5pm to 9pm, they do a quartet of late plates (€12.95€14.95) from which I had a delicious rainbow pad-Thai plate with brown rice, kale, peanuts, chicken, a coconutty sauce, spaghetti beets, cucumber, beansprouts and carrots (€12.95).
ONE SOCIETY
Located on the corner of Gardiner Street and Summerhill is the latest cafe sensation, One Society, which, to put it mildly, was jointed on our visit. Serving breakfast and lunch, plus pizzas and wine in the evenings, it has all the necessary decor features to keep the urban bruncher and muncher happy. Daytime dishes (€4.50-€14.90) range from organic oats with home-made pineapple, cinnamon and vanilla compote, to shakshouka baked eggs, to brisket and greens — or, indeed, Italian-style porchetta slow-roasted in the pizza oven and served on rustic bread or flatbread, with rocket and lemon oil drizzle. Meanwhile, we departed with a fabulous American-style pancake with nutella and sliced banana (€6.90) to share.
THE GREEN BEAN
You can’t get more hipster-hot than The Green Bean cafe, tucked away in a couple of sheds on Lee’s Lane in Dun Laoghaire, which also incorporates the Slaughter House vintage clothing store. There’s a counter and the de rigueur mismatched stools, and for €5.50 (add coffee for an extra €1.50), you can eat chunky sambos such as a BLT; tuna melt; pastrami & Swiss; or the excellent falafel wrap with beetroot, hummus, spinach, cucumber, chilli sauce and sun-dried tomato, which I went for. Stews, soup, smoothies, sweet bites and good coffee, all at good prices.