A lovely new addition to Dublin's North inner city (where pickings tend to be slim) Cobalt Cafe and…read moreGallery is housed in one of North Great Georges Street's beautiful Georgian-era buildings across from the James Joyce Centre, and definitely projects the appropriate 'old-world' vibe. I've no doubt the famous scribe himself would have felt right at home here. The interior has an authentic ramshackle feel with a dusty old piano, birdcage and various other bric-a-brac. A red rope prevents punters from exploring upstairs sadly. The cafe serves up a variety of no-nonsense fair, with homemade soups, tasty sandwiches and cakes all on offer at reasonable prices. I always admire somewhere brave enough to serve imaginative soup flavours outside of the crowd-pleasing chicken and vegetable bracket. A steaming bowl of Garlic soup was the ideal antidote to the damp afternoon outside on my visit. Cobalt also boats a lovely leafy-green garden area, the perfect urban escape if the weather is forgiving.

Came upon this little gem of a place after a bus back from the airport stopped far too early and we…read moretook a wrong turning. One of the hottest days of the year and we were dragging around a suitcase and in desperated need of a coffee having been awake since 6am. (Surely flights shouldn't go that early?) So in we went. It was a light, high-ceilinged room painted a refreshing Frenchish shade of light blue. Large plants in the corners, a piano, some interesting paintings and little flowers gave the place a vibe which was both elegant and relaxing. We only ordered coffee, however there was a range of yum-looking food available too, as well as an outside garden to enjoy it in. The price was reasonable, the service friendly and we were by no means rushed out afterwards. Will happily return.

Stopped in late Wednesday afternoon for a quick bite. This is the kind of place I like to be - one…read moreolder guy on his Macbook who has clearly been there all day (and probably most days); a young student camping out under a pile of philosophy books between visits just outside under the awning for a pensive existential smoke; friendly and laidback staff to make you feel invited (no pretense); hot tea and cold ale; eclectic furniture from where and whenever; excellent veggie soup (parsnip & mushroom); perfect tuna melt to warm yer insides; perfect hip hop to whet yer soul; perfect way to while away an afternoon. Good on ya, La Pausa.

This deserves 5 stars alone for brightening up the dreary north city centre. However, La Pausa…read moredoesn't stop there - it's a friendly, locally owned, neighbourhood cafe and the only one I've found where the beans haven't been burned to charcoal, hence a smooth coffee that won't have you running for antiantacids. Please do support this coffee shop - it offers a fantastic service and we want it to stay!

Gerry's has the best Irish breakfast in the whole of Dublin! The staff is great as well and the…read moreservice is exceptionally quick even when busy. The restaurant is fairly small and usually full so expect a wait if you go during normal breakfast times. They have three Irish breakfast options generously priced and even more generously portioned! They also have a number of daily specials, ranging from fresh cod to pork chips to lasagne, depending on the day. The printed menu is kind of small so be sure to check the daily specials board!

Only 9 Euros for a fantastic breakfast, a refreshing Apple juice, and a surprise allergic reaction!…read more If you have allergies please BE CAREFUL! Even if you order a nut-free dish, you might a nasty shock after your meal like I did. Cash only, two ATMs are down the street

We had lunch at the Fern House, a stunning restaurant with huge windows that overlook the gardens…read morebeyond. The ambience is as you might expect in a space such as this. Absolutely amazing. The food was OK. Actually the mains were fine. I had a risotto and my friend had a fish dish which was good. Our disappointment was in a goat cheese appetizer, which we believed to be a salad, but which turned out to be whipped goat cheese in a wine glass. Also, we were not thrilled with the dessert. Still, our server was extremely kind and helpful, and just sitting in that space is deeply restorative.

I come here with my Mom every time I come home to Ireland. The food is kind of 'Irish…read morecountry-style' with a healthy edge. But they have an amazing selection of the most 'wholesome' cakes so it's not that healthy! Then there is the shopping in the store outside the cafe and walking the gardens. It's a whole experience and worth every moment (and all the € you will happily part with!

What a cute cafe! If you're staying close by at one of the hostels - Jacobs, Isaacs, Spire, this is…read morea short walk away from any one of them and I'd highly recommend stopping by for a quick breakfast. The cafe is very pretty, with plenty of different art pieces and decor hanging on the walls and cool furniture. It's quite small inside, with maybe a little more than 10 tables. If it's nice, you can also opt to sit on the small patio. It was a bit chilly when we were in the city, so we decided to sit inside. They have a small menu - you get to choose from a few variations of the Irish breakfast, scones, and breakfast sandwiches. My friend and I both got bacon breakfast sandwiches with the hashbrown and split a plain scone with butter and jam. We were both surprised at how large the scone was and were glad we ended up just sharing one. Even between the both of us we couldn't finish it. The breakfast sandwich was rather large as well and very filling - it hit the spot perfectly! We also got lattes which did the trick of waking us right up! The service seemed very rushed and scattered, but honestly we didn't really mind. We got our food very quickly, so we were in a great mood and left with happy bellies. Overall, if you're into cute cafes, good coffee and want to satisfy that Irish breakfast craving... come here!

This breakfast joint is really convenient if you're staying at the local hostels (Jacob's/Isaac's)…read more I happened upon it even with the minimal yelp reviews, but am so glad I found it. I came in pretty early at 10am and there was no one there, yet (more crowds came in shortly after). It was solely manned by one cook in the open kitchen, and one host/server. Since this was my first meal in Dublin, I obviously opted for the best of the best, the goliath of breakfasts, if you will. The Mega Irish breakfast (€9.90) came with 2 over-medium eggs, 2 sausages, 2 slices of bacon, 2 hash browns, 2 black pudding thingies (sorry I'm such an ignorant American...), half a tomato, cup of beans, and 4 slices of toast. Wow. I somehow managed to finish the whole thing, and mega it was. I skipped lunch due to the sheer amount of food. The highlight was the sausage - they were plump, super juicy and very flavorful. The coffee(€2.50) which I always drink black, was also pretty good. The cost was so reasonable given the sheer amount of food. The restaurant itself is pretty artsy (ha), with some nice work on the walls and an eclectic hodge podge of furniture. Definitely check out if you're staying nearby!

The Terrace Cafe was a welcome respite from the windy and rainy walk around the gardens my wife and…read moreI had just completed. They had quite a selection of yummy food options to choose from. My wife picked a quiche that came with three sides that she kindly shared with me. I opted for a bowl of tomato soup with cheese bread. Both dishes were warm and delicious. We thoroughly enjoyed our sides of Asian salad, fresh fruit and Greek salad with the latter our favorite. The combination of broccoli, feta cheese and dressing was addictive. My tomato soup was the best also full of flavor and very warming. The cheese bread was handy to sop up the remaining soup that escaped my spoon. The folks working there were quite friendly and helpful. The dining area had plenty of room and tables were quickly bussed whenever someone left. A great lunch spot.

Powerscourt Terrace is a nice little cafe establishment in the heart of Enniskerry…read more There are a few things which I wanted to note for anyone not local to the area attempting to navigate here: 1: you're going to have to follow signs, as you'll have basically have zero cellphone reception until you get into powerscourt directly. 2: you do have free wifi in powerscourt, but still no cell signal - at least from 3. The place has some nice choices as far as food - there are plenty of vegetarian options and effectively everything is designed around the concept of "main + 3 salads". I'm not saying do the sad vegetarian option of "you must have salad/you must get a cobb salad without chicken", either. This main + salads idea is a concept all over Ireland, essentially - a main course for one price, and a separate price for that main course with 3 sides. Sadly, the concept basically requires the salads - as you'll commonly find that the main course is a bit small, even for Euro sized meals. This doesn't mean you'll be missing anything, though - as thankfully the salads happen to be absolutely excellent. I happened to try an Edamame and Chickpea salad as one of the choices I had, and it was pretty well made. To complement that was a cooked broccoli, feta and tomato salad along with an asian inspired noodle salad - all of these went perfectly with the spinach quiche I selected. Wifey had the Edamame Chickpea salad as well, but chose a carrot salad along with an awesome lentil loaf - all complemented with an Elderflower drink. Meals are rotated, so I'm not honestly sure if you would see these same main course options as it probably rotates throughout any given day or week. I would suspect the salads probably stay the same, as I noticed the same options in Avoca/Arklow/Gorey at a number of restaurants as well. What does this all add up to? Well, it boils down to an experience like this: You have pretty good food choices that are pretty well made, which are noticeably pricey. All the while you eat these whether indoors or outdoors wasps are going to try to eat your meal with you, so I sincerely hope nobody going here has a wasp allergy. This goes on with hilariously terrible wifi coverage. It was 38 EUR for the two of us. So basically tourist establishment + pricey but nice food and nice places to sit. Oh, and make sure you don't mix it up with the fast food equivalent just next door to the actual cafe.

My first visit to Dublin, we were on our way to St. Patrick's Cathedral and happened upon Bite of…read moreLife to grab a snack. I ordered a green smoothie, a berry smoothie, and a slice of salmon quiche. Both were absolutely delicious. I genuinely would like to remake the quiche recipe at home because of how unique it was! The green smoothie tasted very natural and healthy. I would definitely recommend. For the rating, since I am obviously a tourist, I don't understand the politics of Dublin, but for some reason every store front had a lots of political flags. It was a bit unattractive for me as a customer, but otherwise really appreciated the food and services of the cafe. Also the prices were a bit surprising, we paid $35 for two smoothies, a slice of quiche, and a side of scrambleld eggs, and smoked salmon.

In a nice location to take your order to go as it's right next to St. Patrick's park. Menu seemed…read moreto have a nice variety of options from sandwiches to soups and salads. I ordered the XMas sandwich which was a solid choice & not something you can find everyday, the cranberry and stuffing hit the spot. I wasn't wowed by the coffee. Staff was lovely & the place is decorated in a cute quaint style. Would definitely stop by again to try other things from their menu.

We became obsessed with this cute coffee shop. We were staying at a place nearby, so everyday we…read morestopped by for breakfast. I think we tried almost everything on their breakfast menu. I think not only did we enjoy their food, but we also enjoy their incredibly friendly service. It is located in front of Kilmainham Gaol, so it is a good place to stop after visiting the infamous jail. Anyways, the scrambled eggs, bacon & toast and the honey ham sandwich were my favorite items. Every morning I got an espresso shot. Their coffee is Fairtrade and Rain Forest Alliance Certified.  5 stars. Highly recommended. Try one of their cookies.

You see both locals and tourists here. They make a killer mocha here and their sandwiches are…read morefilled with extremely fresh ingredients. Mocha and sandwich was only 9€. I got there right at 8am (at opening), and they only took about 5-7 minutes to get my order ready. And pretty much right at opening, a line starts forming. That's pretty much a good tell tale sign that this is a good cafe. Will visit again the next time I'm in Dublin since it's right next to the hotel I stay at. Oh... and free wifi.