Dublin Area —
Cafés & Coffee Shops
Four of Dublin's many cafes are (clockwise, from upper left) Butler's Chocolate Cafe;Cafe Bell; Lemon Cafe; and Juice.
There are literally hundreds of cafés and coffee shops (or "Tearooms" as they are often called) in Dublin's Fair City. Here are a few of my favorites:
Beshoff, 7 Upr. O'Connell St. (tel. 872-4400), a long-time fast food favorite with Dubliners, it specializes in "fish-and-chips" in an informal mid-city setting. Open daily for lunch and dinner.
Blazing Salads, 42 Drury St. (671-9552) is a wholefood/vegetarian deli, juice bar and bakery, ideal for healthy take-out meals and snacks for picnics. Choices include roasted vegetable pizzas, buckwheat and vegetable burgers, pita sandwiches, soups and make-your-own salads.
Butler's Chocolate Café, 24 Wicklow St. (tel. 671-0591), is just a block from Grafton Street. Run by the famous Irish Chocolate company of the same name, it's a perfect stop for a snack or pick-me-up in the midst of shopping. The menu is sheer heaven for chocolate lovers — fudge shakes, cakes, brownies, truffles, and dozens of varieties of handmade chocolates. Beverages range from sinfully rich hot chocolate to coffee, tea, or cappuccino. Several other branches have been opened around the city including 51 Grafton St., 9 Chatham St., and 18 Nassau Street, directly opposite Trinity College.
Café Bell, Clarendon St. (tel. 671-8466), is a "coffee shop in a church," situated in the cobbled courtyard of St. Teresa's Church, just off Grafton Street. With indoor and outdoor seating, it's an ideal stop for homemade soup, open sandwiches, stuffed baked potatoes, salads, pastries, pies, etc. Impromptu music is often on tap, too.
Café Fresh, S. William St. (671-9669) is a vegetarian café on the top floor of the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre (accessible by stairs or lift). The menu offers three different homemade vegetable soups a day plus salads, juices and more.
Juice, 73-83 S. Great George's St. (tel. 475-7856). Claiming to be Dublin's "original" juice bar, this trendy café is one of the city's growing number of vegetarian restaurants. The menu offers a wide array of freshly-squeezed-before-your-eyes fruit and vegetable juices, as well as international organic food, smoothies, wheatgrass snacks, coffees/teas and wines. Open daily for lunch and dinner.
Hard Rock Café, 12 Fleet St. (tel. 671-7777). Like its sister cafes all over the world, this Dublin branch displays lots of music memorabilia – from a pair of Bono's sunglasses, to a favorite shirt of Elvis’s, a pair of Paul McCartney’s “Beatle Boots,” and a jacket worn by Madonna. The cuisine is fast food-American, backed up with an atmosphere of cutting-edge music and videos. The shop sells the usual Hard Rock collectables, t-shirts, teddy bears, and souvenir pins – many of them with Irish designs. Open daily from noon till late.
Kilkenny Café, 5-6 Nassau St. (tel. 677-7066) is situated on the 1st floor (upper level) of the Kilkenny Shop, overlooking the playing fields of Trinity College. Even though housed in a shop, it draws many non-shoppers because the food is so reliably good. The self-service menu offers modern Irish and traditional Irish cuisine such as homemade soups, salads, quiches, casseroles, home-baked breads and cakes. Traditional lamb stew is a specialty.
Lemon Crepe & Coffee, 60 Dawson St. (tel. 01-672-8898), and 66 S. William St., Dublin 2 (tel. 01-672-9044), offer a change of pace from the usual Dublin fare – by serving almost four dozen varieties of crepes (sweet, savory or vegetarian) and a dozen types of Belgian waffles, with indoor/outdoor seating. Open daily, hours vary.
Leo Burdock's, 2 Werburgh St., just off Christ Church Place (454-0306). Established in 1913, this is Dublin's oldest take-away (take-out) "fish-and-chip-shop." Buy it here and have a picnic on a bench in the "Old City."
Nude, 21 Suffolk St. (tel. 672-5577), means "unadorned" at this café, with buffet-tray service and a spartan décor of cafeteria-style tables and backless benches. But the "nude" food is the big attraction — from pure vegetable soups and salads to just-squeezed juices and natural spring waters, along with freshly baked breads. Or choose sandwich wraps made to order. Open daily
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