I’ve always been a big coffee person – for a lot of my college life, I was pretty sure that if I got a cut, I’d bleed pure caffeine. Becoming a parent has not helped with lessening my caffeine levels; in order to keep up with the toddler it is recommended to be running on fumes and coffee beans! Due to this necessity, I do spend quite a lot of time trying out different places to find “my” coffee place. Somewhere that can make the perfect cup to wake me up in the morning. It’s not just about the coffee though, the service can make a serious difference (much nicer to be perked up by a nice personality as well as the caffeine hit) so I’ve definitely got a few places earmarked as “favourites” in this little city that I now call home.
First on my list is one that I’ve frequented for quite a few years at this stage, and I’ve definitely mentioned before – Cafe Gusto on Washington Street. Reasonably priced and delicious coffee for the most part – as well as very tempting pastries and cake treats which I can definitely recommend! When I have child-free time, I like to sit in the window seats and people watch while sipping my latte, watching the world go by. Really friendly staff, and wifi that works to boot. They’ve also got a (smaller) store down on Lapp’s Quay, but my heart lies with their Washington St location as for many years it was my go-to-work-need-to-wake-up coffee. Their menu is available on their website, as is more info about their opening hours and specials.
It took me far too long to find this absolute gem of a place. Cork Flower Studio on Douglas Street isn’t a coffee shop as such (the name somewhat gives it away), however it has become one of my favourite places to grab a morning takeaway coffee on the creche drop off route. It’s a bit of a hodge podge mixture of a shop, with beautiful flowers, wonderful crafts being sold, some absolutely gorgeous and quirky greeting cards, artisan chocolates and lots of other little things. There is always something new to look at while waiting for my coffee and having the chats with the very lovely staff. I’m a Butterscotch latte woman, absolutely lovely! Definitely recommend this place – though watch out, you’ll fall in love with some of the beautiful crafts and may leave with your purse a lot lighter than you thought!
A recent discovery of mine has been De Calf cafe in the Cornmarket Centre – located downstairs from TK Maxx, I was pleasantly surprised to check out just how good the coffee was – delicious every single time, and I have been back a lot. There is a serious problem I have with this place though – the desserts look so incredibly appetising that it is taking some serious willpower on the days where I don’t relent and wind up getting one of their amazing Flapjacks or Caramel Slices. On top of all of this, they’re reasonably priced and buggy friendly to boot – what more could one ask for? I’ve spotted that they do brunch as well as some gorgeous lunch options so will be back to try those out, but as a coffee spot, it’s a definite gem.
A favourite of mine since I moved to Cork has been the Web Work House – it’s gotten a lot bigger over the last few years, I practically lived here as a student, as did every student who needed to get an essay done at the last minute. I’m a big fan of the hot chocolates here; there’s a great variety of teas and flavoured coffees, and in recent times they’ve started serving hot food as well. This place will always hold a special place in my heart as it is where I met Himself for the first time. They’ve also got great free wifi, which has definitely improved since my student days, so as a work base I found it great when we didn’t have internet to set up in a corner with my laptop, my coffees, and get some work done. Not staring at Pinterest blankly, not at all. Really friendly staff as well, which is always a great asset to a place! Definitely recommend checking these guys out.
Lastly, I wouldn’t be able to have a piece about my favourite coffee places in Cork if I didn’t mention Butlers, on Oliver Plunkett St. When I lived in the city centre, this was on my walk home, which made for a lot of “Just A Quick Coffee” stops. Buggy friendly, delicious hot chocolates and lattes, and a free chocolate with every hot drink – I find it difficult to walk past without picking up a coffee from here. While yes, Cork does have the fabulous O Conails, Butlers wins on the buggy accessiblity (and the lattes) but it is a close contender.
So, those are my top 5 picks for Coffee Shops in Cork – it’s become a massive coffee scene of late with new coffee shops (including some of the bigger international chains) but these are the few I’ll go back to time and time again.
What are your favourite places to go for coffee in Cork City? Any recommendations, or feelings on the places I’ve mentioned? Let me know in the comments below!
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If you’ve liked this, you may like to check out my list of Buggy Friendly places in Cork City!
Aaaaaaaw, you’re making me all nostalgic for Cork now. I used to live there and I always loved Gusto so I’m very glad it’s still there. I remember really liking Amicus and a chocolate place down a laneway opposite to Opera Lane I think, is it O’Conaill? I think a trip to Cork may be needed soon!
Ah yes, there’s no hot chocolate like that of O Conails, and their brownies are incredible too! Definitely worth a revisit!
Love reading up about small coffee shops versus the big chains. Thanks for sharing.