Best Coffee Shops in Dublin: A Visitor’s Guide to the City’s Top Cafes
If you are visiting Dublin and you love a great cup of coffee, you have landed in exactly the right city. Dublin has transformed itself over the past decade into one of Europe’s most exciting specialty coffee destinations, and the best coffee shops in Dublin can hold their own against anything you will find in Berlin, Melbourne, or Copenhagen.
I was a true coffee addict before moving to Ireland and explored all the cafes I could find visiting Dublin.
This guide covers the cafes worth going out of your way for, whether you want a precise single-origin pour-over, a century-old institution with stained glass windows, or a neighbourhood spot that feels like a local secret. Every entry has been checked for current status, and a note is included where things have changed.
- Best Coffee Shops in Dublin: A Visitor's Guide to the City's Top Cafes
- What Makes Dublin's Coffee Scene Special?
- The Best Coffee Shops in Dublin City Centre
- Best Cafes in Dublin for a Longer Visit
- Best Coffee Shops in Dublin Neighbourhoods
- Iconic and Historic Coffee Spots Worth Visiting
- Dublin's Specialty Coffee Roasters
- A Quick Note on Dublin's Coffee Scene
- Finding the Best Coffee in Dublin
- FAQ: Best Coffee Shops in Dublin
What Makes Dublin’s Coffee Scene Special?
Specialty coffee refers to coffee sourced from specific farms or regions, roasted to highlight the natural flavour characteristics of the bean, and brewed with precision. It sits at the top end of the quality spectrum and is judged on a 100-point scale by the Specialty Coffee Association, with scores above 80 qualifying for the designation. Dublin has embraced this approach wholeheartedly.
According to a 2025 survey of 1,000 Irish adults commissioned by Java Republic and conducted by Amarach Research, 76% of respondents identify as coffee drinkers, and nearly half say they drink more coffee now than they did ten years ago. The city has a thriving ecosystem of independent roasters, skilled baristas, and cafes that take sourcing seriously. For a visitor, that means excellent coffee is easy to find once you know where to look.
These coffee shops are all personally taste tested by myself as an addicted coffeephile.
The Best Coffee Shops in Dublin City Centre
3fe Grand Canal Street
3fe (short for Third Floor Espresso, its original location) is arguably the café that put Dublin specialty coffee on the international map. Founded by Colin Harmon, a four-time Irish Barista Champion, 3fe roasts its own beans and has been a benchmark for quality and consistency for over a decade. The Grand Canal Street location is their flagship, a beautifully designed space where the coffee is taken seriously without the atmosphere feeling precious or unwelcoming. They also have a second location on the North Circular Road in Phibsboro.
If you only visit one dedicated specialty coffee shop during your time in Dublin, make it this one.
Address: 32 Grand Canal Street Lower, Dublin 2
Tucked on Drury Street near the George’s Street Arcade, Kaph is the kind of place regulars return to every single day. The focus is on carefully sourced beans and well-executed espresso drinks, with baristas who know their craft and are happy to talk you through what is on the menu. The space is small and stylish, and it gets busy quickly on weekday mornings, which is a reliable sign of quality in any city.
Address: 31 Drury Street, Dublin 2
Clement and Pekoe on South William Street takes a slightly different approach: rather than working with a single roaster, they curate beans from multiple specialty roasters and offer an unusually wide selection of teas alongside their coffee. The result is a calm, thoughtful café experience that suits anyone who wants to linger over something excellent rather than grab and go. A second branch can be found on Blessington Street in Dublin 7.
Address: 50 South William Street, Dublin 2
Vice Coffee is housed inside Wigwam, a venue and bar just off O’Connell Street, and the combination sounds unlikely until you actually visit. Since 2013, this multi-roaster espresso bar has been sourcing from some of the world’s finest roasters, including Square Mile, Round Hill, and Irish favourite 3fe. Their house speciality Irish Coffees have earned genuine acclaim and are worth ordering even if you normally skip them. The atmosphere inside Wigwam is eclectic and fun, the staff are knowledgeable, and the coffee is genuinely superb.
From a personal perspective, the Irish Coffee here is one of the best versions of the drink you are likely to find anywhere. The beans going into the espresso are chosen with the same care as any specialty pour-over, and it shows.
Address: Inside Wigwam, 54 Middle Abbey Street, Dublin 1
Smithfield is worth visiting for Proper Order alone. This is a focused specialty coffee operation that keeps the menu tight and the quality high, with knowledgeable staff who will guide you through the current offering without making you feel like you need a coffee qualification to order. It sits in a lovely part of the city that many visitors miss entirely, which makes it feel like a genuine local discovery.
Address: 7 Haymarket, Smithfield, Dublin 7
Located near Tara Street DART station, Shoe Lane Coffee punches well above its size. It is a small café serving excellent espresso drinks and rotating filter options, and it is particularly well placed if you are arriving into the city by train or heading to nearby Trinity College. The baristas here are consistently recommended by locals.
Address: 7 Tara Street, Dublin 2
Beanhive on Dawson Street combines strong coffee with a full food menu, including a solid full Irish breakfast, which makes it a practical choice for a proper morning stop. They source from local roasters and the atmosphere is warm and relaxed. Dawson Street itself is a pleasant stretch close to St Stephen’s Green, so it fits naturally into most visitor itineraries.
Address: 26 Dawson Street, Dublin 2
Best Cafes in Dublin for a Longer Visit
Brother Hubbard on Capel Street is an award-winning café with a reputation that extends well beyond its coffee. The all-day menu draws heavily on Middle Eastern and Mediterranean influences, the brunch dishes are genuinely excellent, and the space has a warmth that keeps people coming back. The coffee, made with their own house blend, is a strong supporting act. There is also a second location on Harrington Street in Dublin 8.
Address: 153 Capel Street, Dublin 1
The Fumbally in Dublin 8’s Liberties district is a community café in the truest sense. It uses locally sourced ingredients throughout, serves 3fe coffee, and operates with a genuine commitment to sustainability. The space is light-filled and characterful, the food is thoughtful and seasonal, and it draws a loyal crowd of regulars. As of 2025, it has reopened and is trading Tuesday through Saturday. It is wise to check current opening hours on their website or social media before visiting, as they can vary.
Address: Fumbally Lane, The Liberties, Dublin 8
The Cake Cafe occupies a lovely Victorian building on Pleasants Place in Dublin 8 and leans into its quirky charm without overdoing it. The cakes and pastries are the headline act, but the coffee, sourced from local roasters, is genuinely good. It is a calmer, more residential alternative to the city centre spots and gives a sense of how Dubliners actually spend weekend mornings.
Address: The Daintree Building, Pleasants Place, Dublin 8
Two Boys Brew in Phibsborough serves a diverse brunch menu alongside well-made coffee, and it has built a loyal local following since opening. The neighbourhood itself is worth exploring, and this is a good base for doing so. It sits close to 3fe’s second location, so Phibsborough has become something of an unexpected coffee destination on the north side of the city.
Address: 375 North Circular Road, Phibsborough, Dublin 7
Best Coffee Shops in Dublin Neighbourhoods
Two Pups on Francis Street in The Liberties is a small, lively café with a strong identity and genuinely good coffee sourced from local roasters. The space has a creative energy that reflects its location in a part of the city known for art, antiques, and independent culture.
Address: 74 Francis Street, The Liberties, Dublin 8
One Society on Lower Gardiner Street is a sleek, modern specialty café that suits anyone staying on the north side of the city or heading to or from Connolly Station. It focuses on specialty coffee with a clean, contemporary approach and is a consistently reliable option in an area that has traditionally been underserved by good independent cafes.
Address: 1 Lower Gardiner Street, Dublin 1
Iconic and Historic Coffee Spots Worth Visiting
Bewley’s opened on Grafton Street in 1927 and has been a cornerstone of Dublin life ever since. The building is beautiful, with Harry Clarke stained glass windows, multiple floors of seating, a working bakery on the premises, and a lunchtime theatre that runs upstairs. The coffee is made from beans roasted in-house, and the range runs from classic espresso drinks to speciality blends. Coming here is less about tracking down the most cutting-edge single origin and more about experiencing a piece of genuinely living Irish history.
Address: 78-79 Grafton Street, Dublin 2
The Bank is housed in a converted Victorian bank building on College Green, directly opposite Trinity College, and it delivers on the promise of that setting. The interiors are grand, the coffee menu is extensive, and the food is solid Irish fare. It is a strong option if you are visiting Trinity or the area around Dame Street and want somewhere with a sense of occasion.
Address: 20-22 College Green, Dublin 2
The Tram Cafe on Wolfe Tone Square is exactly what it sounds like: a coffee shop operating out of a beautifully preserved vintage tram. It is the kind of idiosyncratic, only-in-Dublin experience that makes for a better story than a standard café visit, and the coffee itself is well made. Worth a short detour.
Address: Wolfe Tone Square, Jervis Street, Dublin 1
Dublin’s Specialty Coffee Roasters
Understanding where the city’s cafes get their coffee helps make sense of the scene. The three most influential roasters operating out of Dublin and supplying many of the cafes in this guide are:
3fe (Colin Harmon’s roastery, supplying cafes across Ireland and beyond), Cloud Picker (a single-origin specialty roaster), and Proper Order (roasting on-site at their Smithfield cafe). Each takes a distinct approach, and buying a bag of beans to take home is one of the most flavourful souvenirs available in the city.
A Quick Note on Dublin’s Coffee Scene
Dublin’s independent cafes have faced real challenges in recent years, including rising commodity costs and high operating expenses. Global coffee bean prices saw increases of up to 70% in 2024, according to reporting by the Irish Examiner, with further rises recorded into 2025. Several beloved spots have reduced hours or temporarily closed.
The practical advice is to check opening hours before visiting any café, particularly for smaller independents. Most update their hours on Instagram and Google. Despite the pressures, the quality of what Dublin’s best cafes are serving remains genuinely world-class.
Finding the Best Coffee in Dublin
The best coffee shops in Dublin span a wide range, from century-old institutions to focused specialty bars that would not look out of place in any major European city. Whether you gravitate toward 3fe’s precision roasting, the community warmth of Brother Hubbard, or the living history of Bewley’s Grafton Street, you will not struggle to find an excellent cup.
The city’s coffee culture reflects something broader about how Dublin has evolved: confident, cosmopolitan, and increasingly sure of its own identity. If you have a morning free, pick one café from each area of the city and walk between them. That is as good a way of getting to know Dublin as any guided tour.
FAQ: Best Coffee Shops in Dublin
What is specialty coffee and where can I find it in Dublin? Specialty coffee is coffee that scores 80 points or above on the Specialty Coffee Association’s 100-point scale. It is sourced from specific farms, roasted carefully to bring out the unique flavour characteristics of the bean, and brewed with precision. In Dublin, you will find excellent specialty coffee at 3fe, Proper Order Coffee Co, Vice Coffee Inc, Kaph, and Love Supreme Coffee, among others.
Which is the most famous coffee shop in Dublin? Bewley’s Grafton Street is the most historically significant, having operated since 1927 and serving as a genuine Dublin institution. For specialty coffee specifically, 3fe Grand Canal Street carries the most weight internationally and is consistently regarded as a benchmark for quality in the Irish coffee scene.
Are Dublin coffee shops expensive? A flat white or espresso-based drink at an independent specialty cafe in Dublin typically costs between 3.50 and 5 euros in 2025, reflecting both the quality of the ingredients and the general cost of operating in the city. This is broadly in line with comparable cafes in London, Amsterdam, or Sydney.
What areas of Dublin have the best concentration of good coffee shops? Dublin 2, covering the city centre including South William Street, Drury Street, and the Grand Canal area, has the highest density of good independent cafes. Dublin 8, which includes Stoneybatter, The Liberties, and the area around the Fumbally, is the neighbourhood scene to explore if you want a more local atmosphere. Smithfield in Dublin 7 is also worth a visit.
When do Dublin coffee shops open? Most specialty cafes in Dublin open between 7.30am and 9am on weekdays, with later starts at weekends. Many independents close by 4pm or 5pm and are not open for evening service. Some, including The Fumbally, are closed on Sundays and Mondays. Always check current hours before visiting, particularly for smaller independent cafes.
Is there a coffee culture scene in Dublin beyond individual cafes? Yes. Dublin hosts the Dublin Coffee Festival annually, which draws roasters, baristas, and enthusiasts from across Ireland and internationally. The Irish Barista Championship is held regularly and has helped produce world-class competitors. The city also hosted the World of Coffee event in 2016, which was a significant moment in establishing Dublin’s international reputation within the specialty coffee world.
What is the best coffee area to visit if I only have one morning in Dublin? Head to the stretch between Drury Street and South William Street, where you can visit Kaph and Clement and Pekoe within a short walk of each other. From there, the walk to Proper Order in Smithfield or 3fe on Grand Canal Street is manageable and takes you through some of the most interesting parts of the city.
Start Planning Your Trip
👉 Public Transportation in Ireland
👉 Answering all your travel questions about Ireland
👉What to pack for your Ireland trip
👉 Northern Ireland Public Transportation
👉 Exploring the Troubles taking a Black Taxi Tour
👉 Global Food Guide Cuisine & Food Culture
Join 5,519 Ireland travellers in my Ireland Uncovered Facebook Group and 1,897 on my XYUandBEYOND PAGE