Cafe culture: 10 great places for tea in Dublin
Had enough of Guiness? No neither have we. But if you fancy tasting some Dublin culinary culture that doesn;t revolve around the black stuff, then Been there local Fiona HIlliard has some fantastic stops for you to chill out in and enjoy a good bit of cake with your craic
1) Wall & Keogh
Picture: Wall & Keogh, Dublin
Portobello's Wall & Keogh lay dormant for 40 years. But it was tea that revived this former painting and decorating shop. Big glass jars full of pungent, organic loose leaf tea.
From the chilled out beats on the sound system to the interesting, eclectic
furnishings, these days owner Oliver T. Cunningham likes to keep things cool and classy.
Tea is something of an art form at Wall & Keogh. They take their time over blends, the whole infusion process can last between 3 to 15 minutes - the perfect excuse to sit back and have a game of chess or just enjoy the background music, most probably mixed by owner Oliver himself. It's that kind of place.
A large pot of tea will set you back €4 and homemade cakes include rocky road, lemon slice, banana cake and brownies.
Should your tea break run into a lazy lunch, (it happens) there's sushi on standby to sate your appetite. And another thing, when the weather is fine, you can take your picnic out back and bask in the sun-dappled canal bank location.
wallandkeogh.com/
45 Richmond Street South, Portbello, Dublin 2
+353 (0)1 475 9052
Google map: http://bit.ly/MnyQtj
2) Brother Hubbard
Picture: Brother Hubbard, Dublin
Capel Street is having a bit of a moment, and it's places like the recently opened Brother Hubbard that are playing a central role in this new found trendiness.
Don't be fooled by the clean lines and utilitarian styling of Brother Hubbard, already this café is becoming as famous for the friendly manner of owners Garrett Fitzgerald and James Boland as it is for its delicious cakes, coffee and tea.
Tuck into their freshly baked cinnamon and walnut rolls, oven-warm scones and chocolate brownies. Alternatively, you won't feel guilty about trying one of their wheat- and dairy-free seed slices. The coffee is Has Bean, provided by Dublin’s 3FE, while the tea comes from none other than Wall & Keogh.
http://brotherhubbard.ie/
153 Capel Street, Dublin 1
+353 (0)1 441 1112
Google map: http://bit.ly/KW9Jku
3) Clement & Pekoe
Picture: Clement & Pekoe
South William Street's Clement & Pekoe is a veritable Aladdin's cave of loose leaf tea and coffee. The black tea caddies and art deco chandeliers certainly lend an air of eastern promise and decadence, but it's the carefully selected teas and coffee beans that really elevate Clement and Pekoe above the competition.
The owners are husband and wife team Dairine Keogh and Simon Cummins and they pride themselves on sourcing the finest pickings from around the globe whether it's leaves, blends, herbs, tisanes or freshly roasted single origin beans.
Choose from their selection of Black Tea, Green Tea, White Tea, Fruit Tisane,
Herbal, Oolong, Puerh and Rooibos and they'll be only delighted to advise you on the best combinations to suit your taste and brew your chosen tea exactly to your liking. When the sun is shining, grab a seat out front on their picnic bench and enjoy one of their cooling iced teas including: Turkish apple, mango, or finest Ceylon tea, all served with ice, lemon and fresh mint. Oh and don't pass up on their delicious scones.
www.clementandpekoe.com/
50 William St S Dublin 2, Ireland
+353(0)87 637 0123
Google map: http://bit.ly/KW9XZ4
This is an extract from Fiona's blog. You can read about more great spots for tea by following this link: www.traveledits.com/the-dublin-edit/ten-great-places-to-have-tea-in-dublin/
* Fiona is our Been there local for Dublin. You can follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/FionaHilliard and read her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/trails/been-there-locals.jsp.
Meet more of our locals here
Picture: Wall & Keogh, Dublin
Portobello's Wall & Keogh lay dormant for 40 years. But it was tea that revived this former painting and decorating shop. Big glass jars full of pungent, organic loose leaf tea.
From the chilled out beats on the sound system to the interesting, eclectic
furnishings, these days owner Oliver T. Cunningham likes to keep things cool and classy.
Tea is something of an art form at Wall & Keogh. They take their time over blends, the whole infusion process can last between 3 to 15 minutes - the perfect excuse to sit back and have a game of chess or just enjoy the background music, most probably mixed by owner Oliver himself. It's that kind of place.
A large pot of tea will set you back €4 and homemade cakes include rocky road, lemon slice, banana cake and brownies.
Should your tea break run into a lazy lunch, (it happens) there's sushi on standby to sate your appetite. And another thing, when the weather is fine, you can take your picnic out back and bask in the sun-dappled canal bank location.
wallandkeogh.com/
45 Richmond Street South, Portbello, Dublin 2
+353 (0)1 475 9052
Google map: http://bit.ly/MnyQtj
2) Brother Hubbard
Picture: Brother Hubbard, Dublin
Capel Street is having a bit of a moment, and it's places like the recently opened Brother Hubbard that are playing a central role in this new found trendiness.
Don't be fooled by the clean lines and utilitarian styling of Brother Hubbard, already this café is becoming as famous for the friendly manner of owners Garrett Fitzgerald and James Boland as it is for its delicious cakes, coffee and tea.
Tuck into their freshly baked cinnamon and walnut rolls, oven-warm scones and chocolate brownies. Alternatively, you won't feel guilty about trying one of their wheat- and dairy-free seed slices. The coffee is Has Bean, provided by Dublin’s 3FE, while the tea comes from none other than Wall & Keogh.
http://brotherhubbard.ie/
153 Capel Street, Dublin 1
+353 (0)1 441 1112
Google map: http://bit.ly/KW9Jku
3) Clement & Pekoe
Picture: Clement & Pekoe
South William Street's Clement & Pekoe is a veritable Aladdin's cave of loose leaf tea and coffee. The black tea caddies and art deco chandeliers certainly lend an air of eastern promise and decadence, but it's the carefully selected teas and coffee beans that really elevate Clement and Pekoe above the competition.
The owners are husband and wife team Dairine Keogh and Simon Cummins and they pride themselves on sourcing the finest pickings from around the globe whether it's leaves, blends, herbs, tisanes or freshly roasted single origin beans.
Choose from their selection of Black Tea, Green Tea, White Tea, Fruit Tisane,
Herbal, Oolong, Puerh and Rooibos and they'll be only delighted to advise you on the best combinations to suit your taste and brew your chosen tea exactly to your liking. When the sun is shining, grab a seat out front on their picnic bench and enjoy one of their cooling iced teas including: Turkish apple, mango, or finest Ceylon tea, all served with ice, lemon and fresh mint. Oh and don't pass up on their delicious scones.
www.clementandpekoe.com/
50 William St S Dublin 2, Ireland
+353(0)87 637 0123
Google map: http://bit.ly/KW9XZ4
This is an extract from Fiona's blog. You can read about more great spots for tea by following this link: www.traveledits.com/the-dublin-edit/ten-great-places-to-have-tea-in-dublin/
* Fiona is our Been there local for Dublin. You can follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/FionaHilliard and read her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/trails/been-there-locals.jsp.
Meet more of our locals here
Send your feedback or queries to been.there@guardian.co.uk
