While Dublin’s pubs are iconic, the city’s cafe culture has flourished in the past decade, offering coffee aficionados a diverse array of expertly crafted brews and delicious pastries.
Photo courtesy of Proper Order Coffee (via instagram @proper_order_coffee_co)
Dublin’s pubs might have a legendary reputation, but over the past decade the city’s cafe scene has evolved to offer serious options for coffee enthusiasts too. A stroll through this compact city reveals a diverse mix of coffee shops—from trendy third-wave joints to bright, family-friendly spots, where queues form for Sunday brunch rituals. Here’s a selection of favourite haunts where the pastries and plates are as well-executed as the hot drinks.
Daddy’s Dublin
Photo courtesy of Rachel Naismith
In Dublin’s residential inner suburb of Rialto, Daddy’s describes itself as a provider of ‘comfort food’ (per their Instagram bio), but its allure extends well beyond this strapline. Awarded Food and Wine‘s Café of the Year in 2021, Daddy’s shares space with a popular pub, The Circular Bar. Upon entry, you’ll find a sunny deli offering fresh eggs, homemade jams, ceramic mugs, and fancy granola. Here, you can grab an excellent coffee and pastry to go, or venture into the roomy, wooden-clad back room, where seasonal brunch plates, salads, and tarts are served to large groups and families before the evening’s pints are pulled. Daddy’s proper Irish fry-up is prepared with premium produce and good seasoning.
Flower & Bean
Flower & Bean is a good choice for those with young ones in tow. With a chic play area for kids, cheerful staff, and large windows, it’s an ideal spot to unwind for a couple of hours without feeling like you’ve overstayed your welcome. As you step in, you’ll notice a wall lined with specialty coffee equipment, a testament to the excellent coffee they serve—whether it’s a creamy flat white or an aromatic pour-over, you’re in good hands. Their baked goods are equally enticing, with options ranging from rich treats like brûléed custard doughnuts and sticky walnut coffee cake, to daintier fruit tarts and date-filled energy balls.
Fable Bakery
Photo courtesy of Fable Bakery (via Instagram @fable.bakery)
An ideal pit stop if you’re in the centre of town, Fable Bakery is a tiny micro-bakery, located next to Trinity College and famous chiefly for two things—buns and flat whites. The cheery staff serve up buckets of coffee to hungry tourists and students alike from an equally cheery green hatch. Their coffee comes from Imbibe, an Irish roasters known for its organic, high-quality beans. As for the buns, which you will end up purchasing even if you have no initial intention of doing so (they just smell so good!), the classic cinnamon, intricately folded into a pretty knot, is fragrant and light. But more seasonal offerings such as blood orange and mascarpone or rhubarb and crème diplomat tend to steal the show. If you’re very hungry, buy one of their savoury buns too (tomato and pesto) for a big hit of umami.
Cloud Picker
Photo courtesy of Cloud Picker (via instagram @cloud_picker)
Cloud Picker, one of the city’s pioneering establishments in the third-wave specialty coffee movement, set up Dublin’s first micro coffee roasters back in 2013. Since then, they’ve been meticulously hand-roasting beans to order at their roasters, all while prioritising sustainability efforts. As well as supplying beans to many of the city’s restaurants and cafes, they also have their own minimalist coffee shop staffed by dedicated baristas. While a handful of tempting pastries grace the counter, the focus here is truly on catering to coffee geeks and aficionados, with an extensive array of pour-overs, espresso-based drinks, cold brews, and more.
Tiller and Grain
Photo courtesy of Tiller and Grain (via instagram @tillerandgrain)
Another award-winner, Tiller and Grain in leafy Dublin 2, clinched the ‘best café’ award at the Irish Restaurant Awards two years ago. Run by Clair Dowling, an Ottolenghi graduate, it is known for its vibrant, nutritious salads and strong coffee. The premise might seem virtuous, but the food here is hearty and satisfying, lovingly prepared with zingy dressings and colourful produce that puts veggies at the forefront and celebrates local ingredients. Alongside their hot drinks are handmade bakes inspired by global influences, such as yuzu curd tarts and hibiscus loaf cake packed with flavour. The menu shifts according to the seasons.
Two Boys Brew
Photo courtesy of Two Boys Brew (via instagram @twoboysbrew)
Another stalwart specialty coffee hub, Phibsborough’s Two Boys Brew has been around since 2016. The two behind the enterprise, Taurean Coughlan and Kevin Roche, were inspired by the coffee scene in Australia, where they both worked in Melbourne coffee shops. Despite the moody grey awning, their Dublin spot embraces a certain Aussie carefreeness—with a walk-in-only policy and plenty of greenery. In the best Antipodean tradition, they have stellar brunch plates too, including classics like avocado toast and Turkish eggs, as well as funkier options such as pork eggs Benedict and Asian-inspired bean bowls with crispy rice crackers. The atmosphere is genuinely warm and welcoming; Taurean and Kevin are dedicated to celebrating everyone who walks in. As members of the community themselves, they have made a conscious effort to be LGBTQ+ friendly and provide a safe space for all.
The Fumbally
Part event space, part café-deli, The Fumbally embodies a friendly Irish community vibe with a young clientele in a pretty space bright with fairy lights. It’s a large venue with tall, industrial-looking ceilings and a menu of trendy bites and sips that are becoming more commonplace in the funky Liberties area—think kombucha, sourdough, and even homemade sunflower milk in the coffee. Yoga classes and cooking workshops take place here on weekends, and on Saturdays, you can expect throngs of yuppies enjoying their focaccia sandwiches and virtuous overnight oats.
Elliot’s
Photo courtesy of Elliot’s (via Instagram @elliots_dublin)
Chic and understated, Elliot’s is a coffee shop and micro bakery that offers some of the city’s most cutting-edge bakes. The selection is small, seasonal, and thoughtful—all pretty colours and temptingly glossy. The spiced plum brioche is richly aromatic and luxurious with butter and nutty spelt flour; their Maritozzi (a Roman sweet bun) is perfectly browned, dusted with bright green pistachio, and filled with seasonal jams. Each time you visit the options shift, but nothing is a bad choice. Unsurprisingly, the coffee matches the quality of the bakes. Be warned, things sell out quickly here, so get in early.
Proper Order Coffee
Another spot for those who take their coffee very seriously, Proper Order Coffee employs expert baristas who have won several competitions and stocks all the coffee-related gadgets you could imagine. Despite their excellence and expertise in preparing coffee and sourcing beans, the atmosphere is relaxed and unpretentious, thanks to the welcoming staff and the interesting, daily-rotating coffee menu. A specialty is espresso, and they often offer uniquely flavoured lattes, such as orange spice, which are well-balanced and not overly sweet. There are pastries from No Messin’, including a delicious hot honey and sun-dried tomato focaccia.
The Morning Bakery
Photo courtesy of The Morning Bakery (via Instagram @themorningbakery)
Portobello is a hotspot for coffee shops with its tree-lined paths, parks, and the Grand Canal. It’s filled with well-heeled families and feels fairly quiet despite its proximity to the city centre and its comprehensive range of places to eat and drink. The Morning Bakery, formerly a brunch spot run by the current owners, has a small takeaway coffee hatch as well as some tables and chairs for a longer visit. There are plenty of sourdough-starter bakes (cinnamon buns and chocolate swirls), simple cookies, and viennoiserie (if you get there early before they sell out), all paired nicely with coffee from KB Coffee Roasters, a Paris-based roaster. It’s chilled and not overly fussy— a true neighbourhood joint.