The insiders’ tip among the many cafés in Dublin is somewhat hidden, south of the centre. An excursion to the former Jewish quarter is always worthwhile. There you can stumble upon a tourist-free Dublin where everything seems to be growing and changing. The Cake Café is tucked away in the courtyard of the ecologically friendly Daintree Building, named after the Australian rainforest. The courtyard isn’t quite as green as a rainforest, but nonetheless the Cake feels like a little oasis in Dublin. Each of the tiny tables is decorated with a different coloured flowery plastic tablecloth, while the rest of the space sports wooden chairs, tiled floors, a white wooden bar, and the dishes of the day alongside clever sayings scribbled on framed slate tablets. Flags hang in the courtyard between the plant-covered pergola and the café, beneath which stand a couple of little tables. The bathroom is decorated with children’s drawings, and the toilet flushes with rainwater. The whole café is refreshingly colourful against the usual Dublin backdrop. Only the best regional, organic ingredients are used at the Cake, and everything is baked fresh on-site in the open kitchen, through to the afternoon, when the bar is almost breaking under the weight of so many delicious cakes. The coffee and tea are also very good here. In fact the Cake team can hardly put a foot wrong, whether it’s pancakes, or the porridge with orange peel and roasted hazelnuts, or any of the various egg dishes with delicious Moyallon bacon. And for those who never want to be without cake again, the café offers baking lessons for 55 Euros.
Pleasants Place 62
Dublin
phone: +353 1 4789394
sunday closed
mon - sat 10.00 am - 5.00 pm
