I'm a regular in this cafe. The manger Diana came in and I asked her when are the toilets going to…read morebe fix which are out of order since last Summer. She sort of grunted at me, I told her elderly customers are having to walk to the hotel to use the toilets... she kept walking and I followed her. I told her I will email FSAI to complain and her reply was do whatever you want. That's a reply from a manger who has no customer and social skills Do you know Diana it is the law to have toilets when you having seating inside and outside. She hasn't a clue on how to be a manager. I have sent in a complaint about this so called manger Diana.

Apathetic staff that's not particularly attuned to immediately acknowledging the arrival of…read morecustomers. Sandwiches are pre-made but can be toasted. However they will be toasted with all vegetables intact so the lettuce will become mealy and limp. The sandwich bread is tasty and well toasted, and the salami is good and the cheese plentiful and melted. Americans was very good as well. Both set me back about 10 euros.

Breakfast that hits the spot…read more Popped in with a few lads from work for a bit of breakfast, five item breakfast with toast, and coffee for €9.85. I got two poached eggs, two bacon, and a hashbrown. It was A1, top of the pops everything cooked to perfection, and the toast was rustic, crunchy, and light, washed down with a caramel cappuccino. Superb spot for food and coffee. Staff are efficient and polite, place is clean and well kept.

Working in a business park you don't have many options (or any options) if you want to step out of…read morethe office over lunch to grab a quick coffee or sandwich, or so I thought. My colleague introduced me to Java, a hidden gem of a coffee shop and restaurant. With a variety of sandwiches made fresh each day they are wrapped and ready to go if you're in a hurry. If you want to take a break from the office, Java has tables if you're interested in sitting in. Although the sandwiches are a bit pricey (at roughly €6-€8 for a take away sandwich on bread), I hear they are worth it. It is quite busy around lunch time, between 12-1:30pm so I'd plan accordingly. If you just want to sneak away for a coffee and a sweet, they have an array of mouth-watering sweets such as rocky road, gingerbread and shortbread cookies, cupcakes and scones, all which look like they have been baked in house. I had a latte and a slice of rocky road and it was heaven. Unfortunately I think that I have picked up a bad habit as I can see a trip to Java in my future most mornings. And if you're up for supporting Irish businesses, Java roasts their own beans which they sell to a handful of coffee shops in town. I can't wait until my next trip as I think I'm going to buy my own beans and see how they taste in my French press!

Lovely food & cakes Nice staff…read more Never too busy Good for quick stop coffee + treat Would love if rough idea of calories dispayed

By chance, I was on my way to Boots in Rathmines when I walked in front of a shiny new storefront…read morefor The Natural Bakery, and I was instantly seduced by their gorgeous storefront. This is the third location for the popular bakery. The first opened in Kilmainham, and with lines of people waiting to buy bread and sweet baked treats, the owner, Luke Creighton, followed his success with a site in Donnybrook and now (lucky, lucky us!) in Rathmines. I hadn't heard of this burgeoning chain, but after seeing the new Rathmines location, I'm curious to see the others. I wasn't kidding about the luscious display in the window (I'll have to go back and take a photo of the storefront soon!), but I was even more impressed when I walked in the store. The space is narrower than it is long, and they've made the most of it with the left side featuring clean, sleek, bread-filled shelves that invite the eye to inspect seed, fruit, and grain filled loaves, rounds, scones, and much more. If you can't tell, I really appreciate beautiful bread, and I couldn't believe the reasonable prices. More on that in a moment. It honestly took me a few minutes to turn around and see what most people would probably find the most enticing: the dozens of sweet treats behind the long "bar" where the loveliest people await your sweet wishes. The Natural Bakery serves coffee and has a generous, raised seating area at the back of the shop where weary shoppers, families, gossiping friends and just anyone who can imagine an excuse to stop and have a coffee and a pastry might enjoy a break with the most beautiful, fragrant view of the shop and the street beyond. I honestly don't know how they managed to do it, but The Natural Bakery folks created an environment that feels like a specialty boutique shopping experience, a relaxing respite served by quick staff who nonetheless seem laid-back, and an intoxicating sensory experience with delights for the eye, sense of smell, and taste. Actually, I even liked the music! To give their wares a try, I chose a huge berry and nut-laden scone for €1.60, and an equally-laden sourdough baguettes with cranberries for the ridiculous price of only €2.00. A full loaf of sourdough bread packed with cranberries, if I could possibly have found use for it (I just might go back in the morning and buy one for an early meeting that I have tomorrow), was only €4.00. I think good bread might generally be cheaper here in Ireland than it is in the U.S.A., but this still seems like a great price to me. The Natural Bakery makes their own breads and pastries. The Rathmines store is served by the ovens at their Donnybrook location, which is perhaps a 15-minute drive away. As someone who worked as a baker, I honestly admire what The Natural Baker offers customers. I know how difficult it is to produce beautiful bread and consistent pastries, and I know what a challenge it is to do it every day. To do all of that, to have a shop that is truly inviting, and to have staff that does them even more credit.... I truly don't know what to say. I hope the standard continues because I have family planning to visit, and this is one of the "must visit" places in Dublin that I plan to share.

Discount tarts! (4/5 green stars) I had a good experience at…read moreHansel and Gretel last week. The most exciting thing, I have to admit, were the discounted mini tarts at the end of the day - only €1.75 each! These would cost $6 or $7 each where I live in San Francisco, plus you can feel relatively guilt-free about buying a few as you're helping to avoid food waste! I bought three and especially liked the raspberry tart and the pear-raspberry. Had an oat milk flat white too (made with Ariosa coffee beans) and thought it was very good. The server was very friendly and helpful too. I'm also giving Hansel and Gretel Bakery & Patisserie 4/5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact, based on the following: Good quality baked items made from fresh ingredients; Coffee beans are from local micro roaster, Ariosa, which has some direct trade and organic offerings; pantry items for sale that support progressive local food companies; Hansel and Gretel has run bake sales to support charitable causes; discounted items at the end of the day helps avoid food waste. Items for improvement: Would be nice to see some vegan items - pastry and cakes made with vegan butter such as Naturl'i (available at Dunnes Stores) is just as good as pastry made from butter. It would also be good to see some tables in or outside the café that would then allow them to use ceramic cups instead of disposable cups. More vegetarian and vegan savory items would be good too (it was close to the end of the say so perhaps hard to judge). Please join the Green Stars Project movement by including an ethical rating with your own reviews!

Quaint little shop! No seating, but delicious pastries & breads! Very nice, clean, tiny shop!read more

Let me start by saying this is one of the only bakeries/cafés in the area that opens at 7 a.m. and…read moreeven at 7 a.m., it was packed. I tried several pastries, both sweet and savory, and they were all really good. The savory pastries especially stood out, so definitely don't skip those. My only regret is that I waited until my last day in Dublin to come here. If I had discovered it sooner, I probably would've been back almost every day!

Everything was absolutely fantastic! They have fresh savory…read moreand sweet options. I accidentally dropped the top dollop of the croffin and the staff member was very kind to replace it with a new one, which was not necessary but VERY much appreciated! It was very clean, organized, and well run/managed. They have two restrooms and have water available as well. We enjoyed this place so much we went twice (which we try not to do) during our Ireland road trip! Tried the onion and the potato savory pastries and they were perfect! Their chocolate croissant was also wonderful. Very buttery and flaky. Food: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Ambiance: 5/5

Since this was the last stop on Anthony Bourdain's visit to Dublin, I had to try it. This sausage…read moreroll was super flavorful and the flakey pastry dough was perfect. I highly recommend this tasty treat.

Pros - tasty scone -…read morefriendly cashier - tasty scone came with butter and jelly Cons - gave me the wrong scone - they didn't have cream for the coffee

Amazing donuts! They are all so beautiful as well. The one I had was delicious. Had to give them a…read moretry.

Holy Moly, I had one of the best vegan doughnuts! I think I must have walked past a couple of these…read morethroughout the city, so I finally decided to have a sweet well deserved indulgence. I loved the fact they were sourdough donuts and that they also had a vegan section. And not just one or two vegan flavors, but 6!!! Thank you!! I ordered the vegan blueberry crumble and a chai oat milk latte. The donut had a generous amount of light creamy blueberry flavor filling and the glaze on top was lovely. Not overly sweet. I enjoyed the chai latte as well. Limited seating inside. Friendly service.

Very good donuts. Many made from sourdough, some cake style too. Many imaginative flavors, and so…read morebeautiful. So far we have tried the Coffee & Walnut (coffee filling, coffee glaze, walnut coating) and Dubai, described as "A delightful fusion of Middle Eastern flavours, filled with crunchy, toasted kataifi pastry & rich pistachio cream topped with our handmade ganache & sprinkled with crushed pistachios!" Some of the more outlandish varieties include the Strawberries & Ice Cream Birthday Cake as well as some of the specialties for Easter, brightly decorated with bunnies, easter eggs, and the like. The coffee is very good too, prepared espresso-style (so order an Americano for a plain black coffee). Add to that reasonably prices, friendly service, a cheerful room, what more do you need? Be prepared for a moderate wait though; this place can be busy.

Went here to get several donuts for bday boy. Small but cozy shop with plenty choices of donuts…read more Services are very nice & friendly. We went here near to the closing hr therefore only a handful of donuts choices. Great prices and very tasting. We enjoyed it a lot.