Here are our Top Café & Wine Bar Recommendations in Dublin.
Brother Hubbard
Recently opened (2012) in the North of the City, Dublin 1, the Brother Hubbard Cafe is enjoying an incredible success thanks to its traditional menu, which offers delicious coffees with tasty sandwiches, cakes and biscuits. The Brother Hubbard is persistently accolade with awards such as the Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, the “Best Chocolate in Dublin” by Lovin’ Dublin 2015, the “Best Lunch in Dublin” by Lovin’ Dublin 2015 and the McKenna’s Guides “Top 100 Places to Eat in Ireland” 2014 and 2015.
3fe
Located in Grand Canal Dock, Dublin 2, this 1 star Michelin Café is an ideal meeting point for coffee lovers. Furthermore, 3fe is also a boutique where you can buy all the coffee listed on the menu as well as a large range of other coffee tools / accessories. How hipster are you?
Cake Café
Specialising in the design of tasty cakes and simple hearty plates, the Cake Café offers a perfect mix between the sweetness of their cakes and the temper of their delicious coffees. Furthermore, few minutes walk to the St Stephen’s Green, the Cake Café is ideally located for you to enjoy your trip in Dublin. Hidden away at the back of the ecologically focussed Daintree Building, and accessed from the Camden Street entrance of a stationary shop, this is one of Dublin’s best kept secrets frequented by locals.
Here’s a review from TripAdvisor of Cake Café by Padraic, owner of Fresh Eire Adventures :
‘’This is a great spot run by a few people who are clearly passionate about what they do - and it shows. I've seen reviews on here written by people who clearly just don't get the magic on offer. Let me explain. This is NOT a fine dining experience; it's a cafe. They specialise in cakes, tarts, buns, scones and breads. The name even suggests this. Coffees, teas, cold drinks. A cafe. They also offer some simple salads, and short orders. What they do, they do VERY well and in a super pleasant, friendly manner which is becoming more difficult to experience in Dublin. Cake Cafe is laid back and casual and they use a mish-mash of old fashioned crockery, teapots and cutlery. And it's good value for Dublin too. Sure, it's hip and trendy but not in an arrogant way and attracts a friendly clientele for the most part. Yes, it's a bit of a squeeze sometimes but then you'll never know who you'll strike up a conversation with! Service can be slow, and you might have to wait for a table, so don't come here on your 15 minute lunch break. Located off Wexford Street, in the Daintree Building, it can be a challenge to find the first time (you can walk through a paper/stationery store to get to the courtyard, or you can walk around and enter the building from the back)...it has a Alice In Wonderland appeal. If you are after something fast and devoid of character then go elsewhere; you're ruining it for them and for the rest of us!’’
Fallon & Byrne Wine Bar
Located on Exchequer Street, close to the famous Grafton Street, Dublin 2, Fallon & Byrne Wine Bar offers an unrivalled list of 600 quality wine choices. Wine is served by the glass (or bottle) and all bottles can be taken away. The wine cellar also offers lots of appetizers to accompany your wine degustation with a group of professional experts willing to help you choose the perfect wine for your meal. Fallon & Byrne’s Wine Bar’s offer of €1 corkage on all wines from the cellar shelves is available every Monday & Tuesday (except in December).
Here’s a review from TripAdvisor of Fallon & Byrne Wine Bar by Padraic, director and owner of Fresh Eire Adventures :
‘’Having dined in the main dining room a few times in the past, and having attended a wedding dinner there a few years ago, I have always been underwhelmed by the experience (forgettable plates, service lacking in charm and often efficiency). I recently had the opportunity to return for a pre-theatre bite and opted for the wine bar in the basement. Thankfully we did and were rewarded with a pleasant experience. A very buzzy space, with an outstanding wine list, the basement attracts an after-work, professional-looking crowd and the day we visited (a Wednesday) it was very, very busy. Expecting to be told there was no room, our server immediately presented two options to us; either at a circular bar (around a pillar) or at a table; we plumped for the latter. Explaining to our server that we had to be in and out in under an hour she immediately brought our menus, took our order and then returned with water, bread and our drinks order (the excellent house Sancerre; €8). Ten minutes later our main courses arrived - outstanding effciency! I had the Poached Flaked Salmon salad as a main. Perfectly cooked and served on a simple bed of crunchy gem lettuce it was incredible value at €13. My friend had the Lamb & Spinach Curry which he enjoyed - again, great value at €16. Service was friendly, well informed and entirely efficient. Couldn't have been better, in any way, in fact. Overall I'd say the experience in the basement far exceeded that of the restaurant and I'd have no hesitation in recommending it to my clients. The restaurant however I'll avoid. Visited July 2014.’’
