New year, new destination! This was my first ever trip to Ireland – for a business trade mission in Cork, south of the island. An option was to get there direct by flying from Edinburgh; instead, I thought I’d kill two birds by paying the country’s capital a visit also, so I chose the Aberdeen-Dublin route with a train commute once west of the UK border.

It was a busy agenda but by skipping hotel breakfasts and squeezing in a late coffee or two, I was able to visit a few cafes in Cork; sadly, the itinerary was too tight to do the same in Dublin, which, admittedly, is more likely to feature in a foreigner’s travel plan – but I suspect that also means there will be a few guides online to draw inspiration from.

Cork is a charming city with lovely architecture – some historic, some modern – dotted about a very walkable radius in pockets of land in between the two channels of the river Lee. It has a cool, hip vibe about it, which may be due to the abundance of young people walking the streets at all times of day and evening (it hosts a university as well as colleges and academies of arts, dance and theatre). Or it may have been the weather that made it so, which I had lucked out on apparently, as I was blessed with glorious sunshine throughout my stay. That apparently uncommon aura gave credence to the countless outdoor seating areas available at coffee shops, bars and restaurants – on my visit they were very enticing indeed, but even in worse weather I can see the appeal of colourfully decorated, fairy-lit beer gardens and roofed patios nestled within the narrow alleyways connecting the larger roads.

So, if you have a few days to spare while in Ireland, you would not go wrong committing one of those to exploring Cork – especially if your calling is not stout, but the other dark brew.

The Bookshelf Coffee House

I headed to the Bookshelf after a savoury breakfast in Café Velo across the second channel south, which proved not what I had in mind that morning – and so needed an extra perk-me-up before a busy day of meetings.

When I located it, I was instantly charmed by the surroundings; you walked into an old townhouse staircase and through wooden doors in an angled wall which reminded me old Polish kamienica. The interior gives the name justice: it’s narrow and compact, but with an upstairs area and plenty of wood throughout, complete with a stylish decor.

The counter was at the far end from the entrance I used on South Mall, and as I approached, I noted there was another door from the side – catering for heightened traffic at that time of morning. Despite that, I didn’t struggle finding a seat downstairs by the window, once I had ordered my mocha and an almond croissant for later from their irresistible fresh baked display.

The barista who took my order was possibly new as he was a bit all over the place, but the two colleagues behind him making the coffees were in full control to assist me with my receipt (that printed under the counter; btw a note that all places I visited employed a modern payment system with small contactless iPad-like screens) – I suspect they were the owners or managers.

I didn’t wait long for my coffee to be served, beautifully presented and of a substantial size. The concoction was perfectly blended and silky throughout – however, it was really sweet! The croissant was definitely being left for later. Overall though, an enjoyable and generous cup of cocoa goodness.

Soma Coffee company

It had been, indeed, a busy day of meetings and talking, and there was more to come at a networking reception that evening; so I thought a coffee wouldn’t go amiss to tide me over before I headed back to the hotel to freshen up. I took a windy route back – extended more than originally intended – to glance over the abundant café options that popped on my Google Map when searching for high-star venues. I bypassed a few, having set my trajectory on Soma, highly regarded by a few search engines. Sadly on this occasion, it was hindered by road works, which concealed the entrance in a side road and you needed to look out for the banners behind renovation vehicles that advise it is “Business as usual”, an arrow pointing to the destination.

The interior was a stark contrast to the sunny outdoors, clad in blacks and dark woods, emanating that cool, “I don’t care” vibe. It’s bigger than it seems from the outside with an elongated shape past the counter in the narrow corridor, leading to slightly more open sitting area used by quite a few young patrons to work away on their laptops.

There were three sizes of mocha to choose from and knowing I had consumed quite a lot of sugar already, I opted for the small one and sat myself at the raised bar area at the far end of the actual coffee bar/counter.

The staff were rather aloof here, with that same feeling of “I don’t really care, I just work here, but I’m also very good at it”. And that cool confidence transpired in the efficient execution of all drinks, mine included. I saw the chocolate being dissolved in my cup straight after ordering. Soon after the – little, by comparison with my other Cork experiences – drink landed in front of me, with a side offer of a teaspoon which I declined and then double guessed. “Will it need stirred again?”

I trusted my instinct to give it a taste without mixing, and I was right – the chocolate was mostly dissolved and the flavour was captured in the brew, without making it overly sweet. However, it was creamy and very rich in a different sense, almost overwhelmingly so, leaving me a bit lightheaded! It also had an acidic twang – I think maybe from the type of coffee they used – and a hint of something aromatic which I couldn’t out my finger on, but my nose reacted to from the roof of my mouth.

It’s a difficult one to judge – the coffee was beautifully made, silky smooth and full of intriguing flavour, but for once I felt slightly assaulted, and by such a small cup! And with that in mind, it was quite pricey for what you get in Cork… Undeniably, though, they know their coffee in this place.

Dukes coffee company

This was now morning number 2 and I did better research for my breakfast – or so I thought. Dukes seemed to offer an alternative to my staple avocado on toast in the form of my all-time favourite: pancakes with bacon and maple syrup; except that it did not, at least not at the time when I arrived at 8:30am. The lovely server who has busy with morning setup advised regretably that breakfast started at 9am, which would have been cutting it short for my first meetings at 9:30am. However, since I was already there, I decided to partake in a coffee tasting at least.

The mocha was of a substantial size with a lovely latte art on top and some spots of either chocolate or coffee which actually filled me with confidence; I had seen the server stir the chocolate in when she started preparing my drink so I expected it to be well dissolved.

In taste, the drink was very smooth, without overwhelming flavours. In fact, it was probably more on the milky side, which may be due to the temperature, which was just below perfect for drinking. It was still pleasant and I happily finished the whole cup in rapid time – but it was probably the most mellow of the bunch. To be fair, I prefer that over too sweet!

Bean & Leaf

I had walked pass this place probably 3 or 4 times, which – considering how short this stay was, is something! It’s located on the corner of Grand Parade – a central street, judging by the name and the monuments; and that’s probably what makes it super busy in day time, at least when I was there. I had my chance for a last coffee visit after my dinner at the gorgeous The River Lee Hotel (highly recommended for food and service, and I risk a guess that the rooms are equally as nice!), where I waived the dessert but on my way back to my lodgings developed a sweet tooth. Bean & Leaf was still open after 8pm so I swerved that way.

It wasn’t just open – it was still buzzing with evening traffic, some patrons seemingly just settling in for a session with the laptop or an armchair chat with a mate. The young service was a bit indifferent – possibly tired after another full-on shift (do I remember my Starbucks days…!) but well fitting in the ambience which had that cool and hip vibe (do we spot a trend?) topped with an eclectic decor of everything and nothing.

My mocha was big, with nice latte art on top of seemingly thin milk layer, however. That proved to be the case, and the liquid underneath was also pretty hot ,so I had to pace myself as I dissected the flavours. I was surprised to taste something like aniseed, or another herbal flavour that continued with drinking until the last sip. Except for that oddity (which was, however, quite pleasant!), there weren’t any other strong flavours, making it a pretty decent after-dinner choice in the end!

Conclusions

OK, so maybe it’s not helping that all these venues scored the same on my list… or read it as your invitation to partake in Cork’s coffee scene at ease as you’re likely to enjoy wherever you choose!

A few parting words on other venues I had or tried to visit:

Cafe Velo – more of a diner than a hip breakfast cafe that I was looking for, even though they seem to be one of (many, I should add!) coffee roasters in Cork, which attracted me to it in the first place. Sadly, the Americano wasn’t the best – I had to milk that one!

Three Fools Coffee – a stones throw from Bean & Leaf but you may miss it if you’re not looking for a glass pavilion in the middle of the Grand Parade! It was listed as highly rated on Google – and it was also packed c. 4pm on Wednesday; there was seating outside but by this point is was mostly in the shade, so I gave it a miss – but suspect it’s worth a punt!

Cafe Gusto – this is where I ended up for my breakfast on Wednesday – and yes, with avocado on toast again, but here I had the fresh option with feta and mint. It was lovely and I kind of regretted pairing it with an Americano as I should have done another review of this small, open space, offering freshly-made (and fresh tasting) morning food; but let’s just go by the fact that the black coffee was very good also, suggesting their other brews have a great starting base!

Cafe Marius – located inside The English Market which would usually put me off automatically – and, to be fair, I only appreciated its location when I stood at the gates with Maps pointing inside. This was my second Wednesday breakfast destination (after Dukes) and since it had great reviews and won awards, I thought I’d give it a chance – alas, the stall was vailed in darkness, despite online opening time of 8am. That afternoon I was passing by again, so I gave it another shot – no luck! It was one of the few venues all wrapped up. The Market itself, however, was great – full of fresh produce and intriguing condiments and a shopping centre I would certainly frequent if I had one in my neighbourhood!

Have you been to Cork and visited any of the above – or somewhere else? Share your experience in the comments!