A Coffee Guide to (south) Dublin
From a Dublin gal ❤️
Oh hey, friends!
I realized that I’ve given recommendations for London and Galway but haven’t touched on my home city, the best place to be, Dublin. I have ventured around many a coffee shop and bakery in the south part of Dublin city and the surrounding areas. And I have a fair amount of experience in the industry so I feel I can justify telling you all where to go or where I would go :) I still of course don’t know or haven’t visited all and every coffee shop in the surrounding Dublin area. So, to clarify; these are my favourites and where I tend to venture again and again over many many years.
This is mainly going to be a coffee guide. We’ll go into brunch and cafes and bakeries another day cause otherwise, this list will just get wayyy too long. Now, FULL DISCLAIMER, I have worked in some of these places but I wouldn’t have worked there if I didn’t think it was great. So, without further ado, here we go.
3fe Coffee
3fe is a sacred space in specialty coffee in Dublin and Ireland, to be frank. One of the first specialty coffee shops and roasteries in Ireland and has led the way for the industry here. I have always always loved 3fe, for years. If you ever wanted a great cup of coffee, you were without a shadow of a doubt, directed to 3fe. Now, the littlest bit biased here cause I’m lucky enough to be working in one of the seven locations at the moment. But 3fe will always be a top-tier coffee place for me. They have a massive range of beans and the all-day brunch menu is exactly what you need on a lazy weekend morning or any day to be honest. They are a no-fuss place when it comes to coffee. Simple drink options to showcase the bean itself. Coffee is what is important here. Taste it and enjoy it. Solid, reliable, can’t go wrong.
Hatch Coffee
Hatch was my first coffee home. I worked there for a little bit over 2 years and it was the best thing I ever did. The beginnings of all my coffee making skills came from the wonderful women of Hatch. A woman-owned small Irish business in Dublin became a ‘bustling hub’ over the dreaded pandemic years and has grown and grown and is still as busy as ever. Serving silky smooth flat whites with 3fe coffee and some excellent sweet treats (the cinnamon swirl is awarding winning if you didn’t know) and a tasty brunch offering in the Blackrock location (the micro kitchen in there was my home for many months). It’s a hub and a staple for so many in Blackrock and Glasthule. I was first introduced to my go to on-shift drink in Hatch “the smac” - single shot macchiato. And that has continued on and will continue forever. If you haven’t tried, you should. And if you do go to Hatch, tell the girls I say hi :)
Cloud Picker
Cloud Picker is another incredible coffee shop and roaster in Dublin. They are nestled on the very busy Pearse Street, across from Trinity and down the road from the ever so well-known Bread41. They serve some incredible coffee and man, do they know their stuff. LOTS of specialty drinks too.. Vietnamese Iced Coffee is a favourite. It is also perfectly situated for me and my gym (shoutout to The Workshop <3). I have spent many a Saturday there, pre-workout and post-workout, with some of the best people. 1000% worth a trip. The little courtyard out the back is the perfect place for a relaxing cup and a treat or a toastie.
One Kinda Folk
One Kinda Folk has very quickly become my local coffee shop. On my days off it is my go-to. They have two locations; Dartmouth Road and Leeson Street. The original - just down the road from Dartmouth Square, is tucked behind the ivy-covered wall next to YogaDublin, it is the cosiest and sweetest little set up. And the stunning sun trap, is perfect for sitting outside, sipping on an iced coffee, chatting away to your bestie (pictured above ❤️). They opened a gorgeous sit-in location on Leeson Street last year, upping their offerings with some insane focaccia sandwiches and many a sweet treat. The staff, the vibe, the quality, everything. It’s a fav for a reason.
The Morning
The Morning, just off Camden Street, on Pleasants Street is another one of my favourites on a day off. The coffee and bakery combo of this place is near perfection. Pre-pandemic they used to have a great sit-in brunch menu (name also changed from Meet Me in the Morning to The Morning, in case anyone is confused). Do I miss the green eggs? Yes. But now, it is one of the most ideal places to sit with a book or with your favourite people, people watch with the sun streaming in, sipping on a gorgeous coffee and snacking on a pastry. This is probably one of my favourite bakeries in Dublin as well and I feel sometimes quite underrated. Very calm, very chill vibes. 10/10 :)
This is in no way a definitive or exhaustive list. I am forever and always looking and searching for new cafes. I will inevitably add to this list and probably do an updated post. But for now, these are my top five. Going out for a nice coffee is one of my favourite hobbies. Seriously, thank god I work in the industry, or else quite literally ALL my money would be spent on coffee in some way or another. And if you don’t believe me, you can look at my camera roll. A good 80% of it is pictures of coffee plus or minus a pastry.
So, if you are a fellow coffee shop visitor, gimme your feedback, what are your favs? Where else should I be going? Help me keep that list going.
Enjoy those flat whites.
Ruth
xoxo
I would add Vice to the list - at the original 3fe location and maybe shoe lane (they brew full circle coffee, we get it for home these days)