Hello / bonjour / dia duit / ciao / whatever language you're feelin at the moment.
How're you?
Hope life is good.
This blog post has been a long time coming, I've been constantly chopping and changing it. It was going to be split up into a Part 1 and Part 2 and all different types of layouts, but I finally said feck it, I'll just do one (hopefully) good blog post and go with that.
And I've put off posting this 'Guide To Cork Food' for so long because I'm literally so-not-a-food-critic it's not even funny.
Like if it's edible there's a very strong chance that I'll eat it. I'm not trained in critiquing food in any way at all at all, so yeah sorry if my reviews like "it's class" or "really groovy" offend any actual food writers or food judges ahahahaah oh lord.
I've always wanted to do a post like this, and it was only since I've been back in college and talking to so many people that aren't from Cork, I've been like "Cork is actually class for food" so yeah I suppose if you're not from Cork and looking for cool places to get food/drink in the real capital of Ireland then I hope you find this guide useful!
And if you're from Cork then I hope you like the places that I've picked!
Andddd these are all my own opinions (obvs) so please keep that in mind.
And I haven't eaten in every single place in Cork (yet!) so if I've missed somewhere cool then please let me know!
(I still have to go to Good For The Soul, Twig Refill, The SpitJack, and Iyer's so they won't be mentioned in this post, but I hope to get to all of those places soon cuz they all look absolutely class!)
So without further ado, here is the Plant Powered Human Guide To Cork Food...
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Name: Good Day Deli
Location: Nano Nagle Place, Douglas Street, Cork City
Instagram: @gooddaydeli
About: I can honestly say that I always leave Good Day Deli in a better mood than I go there with (if that makes any sense). Like I can't actually put into words how much I love the whole GDD team, the food, the place, their ethos and approach to everything, and just everything they do. It really is the dream place. In case you're still not convinced, I've already written a blog post about GDD which you can read here. If you're in Cork and you haven't been to Good Day Deli yet, you need to go there now. Like stop reading this blog post and go there now.
You'll fall in love.
If you go here you have to get: Their menu is always changing with the seasons (yet another reason to love them) but if they have their lentil veggie burger then you have to get that. And their paprika fries. And a flat white with cashew milk. Yessss.
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Name: Soma Coffee Company
Location: Tuckey Street, Cork City
Instagram: @somacoffeecompany
About: Soma is pure class, like it's so so cool. So groovy and cool and everyone there is so sound. There are always good tunes playing (very important, if a café is playing bad music then you gotta leave girllll) and the concrete / wood / dark walls / lighting vibes make the place very Berlin-ish and you kinda forget that you're in the middle of Cork ahaha.
Top quality coffee, and they've actually started roasting their own coffee at the back of the café which is so cool to see (and smell). Everything about Soma is so funky and I promise you'll leave feeling very inspired and you'll probably want to learn all about coffee after going there.
I also did a full blog post about Soma, click here to read it.
If you go here you have to get: A flat white with oat milk. Yassss.
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Name: Bean Brownie Company
Location: Ballinlough Road, Cork / Farmer's Markets
Instagram: @beanbrowniecompany @mrbeanbrownie
About: I wrote one of my first ever blog posts about Bean Brownie (which you can read here) and I'd say when I'm typing 99% of my blog posts I'm eating something from Bean Brownie.
Like I love them so much.
The whole Bean Brownie crew are the soundest people ever and everything they make is beyond divine. Once you get your first Bean Brownie you won't be able to stop!
They're after opening a Bean Brownie Bakeshop on the Ballinlough Road and it's absolutely class so if you're a fan of their stuff at the farmer's markets you neeeeed to get to their café, it's amazing.
I actually can't say enough good things about Bean Brownie without sounding pure cheesy, but yeah they're absolutely class.
If you go here you have to get: A peanut butter and tahini cookie. Delishhhh.
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Name: Palmento
Location: Church Street, Douglas, Cork
Instagram: @palmentopizza
About: If I could have Palmento every night for dinner I would. Their food is next level.
They do Neapolitan sourdough pizza which is as good as it sounds, like you're transported to Italy as soon as you have a bite. The place is absolutely gorgeous as well, really cool furniture and lovely lighting, and really really good music and lovely people.
And of course the coffee is class as well!
If you go here you have to get: A pizza (obviously!) and an espresso. Yes yes yesssss.
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Name: The Bookshelf
Location: South Mall / The Elysian, Cork City
Instagram: @thebookshelfcoffee
About: Check out my blog post all about The Bookshelf here to fully understand how much I love the crew and their amazing coffee and food. And there's a new Bookshelf after opening in The Elysian and it's absolutely gorgeous with a seriously good coffee/food situation so now you have 2 Bookshelves to check out!
There's always good music on too so they really do tick all the boxes!
If you're ever in town and in need of a coffee then The Bookshelf if the place to go. Oooh and both places have classsss breakfast options (their other food is divine too obvs, breakfast is just my favourite meal of the day ahaha).
If you go here you have to get: A flat white with coconut milk and their avocado toast. So so good.
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Name: My Goodness
Location: The English Market, Cork City / Farmer's Markets
Instagram: @mygoodnessfood
About: Click here for my full blog post about My Goodness if you want to see how brilliantly amazing they are. They're all real life food magicians, like they're class. And so so sound, I love the My Goodness gang so much. Everything they make is so thought-through and environmentally friendly and it all tastes so delicious too, obvs.
Seriously, if you're from Cork and you haven't had something from My Goodness I actually don't believe you. They have kombucha on tap for feck sake! (I just love saying that, it sounds so cool!)
So yeah if you want to be amazed by how plant-based food can be so funky, check them outttt.
If you go here you have to get: A raw cake, and some kombucha or kefir, their mint/lime/cucumber kefir is the bombbbb dot com.
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Name: O'Herlihys Kinsale
Location: Kinsale, Cork
Instagram: @ohkcafe
About: Okay so I've only been here once but oh my god it was amazing. It felt as if I've always been there, if that makes any sense, like you can really feel the sense of community in the place. And everyone there is so sound and lovely. And the food is classssss, like it's proper next level like. If I lived in Kinsale I'd be going there literally every day for an aul coffee and slice of cake haha. If you're tempted to go there but the fact that it's in Kinsale is putting you off, trust me when I say it's so so so worth it. Like I genuinely can't describe how amazingly gorgeously brilliant it is there. Defo defo go there at some stage! (And if you live in Kinsale, I'm very jealous!)
If you go here you have to get: I was there for brunch and got the BEST smoothie bowl ever, so if you're there for brunch then defo get that. And their coffee is class. And treat yourself to a slice of cake while you're at it.
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Name: O'Neill Coffee
Location: Skibbereen, Cork
Instagram: @oneillcoffee
About: Just like Kinsale, I'm very jealous of anyone who lives in Skibbereen and gets to go to the absolute gem that is O'Neill's every day. I can't put into words how groovy and cool and cosy and inspiring this place is. Like, if you have no interest in coffee, spend the day here and your mind will be changed straight away. The last time I was in O'Neill's (during the summer, it's been too longgg, I need to get back soon!) I literally said to my mom that it's my dream café, it's just perfect like.
Obviously Skibbereen is class anyway, but it's actually worth the trek to Skibb just to go to O'Neill's, trust me it's class.
If you go here you have to get: A flat white with oat milk and a good aul slice of cake.
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Name: West Cork Coffee
Location: Roasted in West Cork, available in loads of different locations, check out the WCC website for more info
Instagram: @westcorkcoffee
About: You can't say that you've properly experienced the Cork coffee scene until you've had a cup of coffee roasted by West Cork Coffee. Tony Speight is an absolute coffee magician and his coffee is absolutely divine. We sat down a while ago and did a Chill Chats interview which is definitely worth checking out if you're interested! I'm probably a bit biased but WCC is without a doubt my favourite coffee. I signed up for 6 month coffee subscription on the WCC website and I'm not even joking it feels like Christmas every month when I get a fresh bag of coffee in the post, I love it! And of course the coffee is class. They serve West Cork Coffee in Good Day Deli so the next time you're there make sure to treat yourself to some WCC goodness.
If you go here you have to get: To be honest, all the coffee I've got from Tony has been class, sure treat yourself to an ol' coffee subscription, it's good craic.
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Name: Banana Melon Kitchen
Location: Loads of different places like Soma, The Rocket Man, OHK (keep up to date on BMK's Instagram)
Instagram: @bananamelonkitchen
About: I actually can't even put into words how incredible Suzanna Melinn's creations are. Unless you've been living under a rock, then you've definitely heard of BMK's tahini brownies. They're next level. Like. Oh. My. God.
BMK's plant-based delights can be found in loads of different places like Soma and OHK, that is if I haven't eaten them all before you get there ahahaha. And I'd highly recommend to keep an eye out for any Banana Melon Kitchen lunches/brunches/dinners/etc because they're seriously brilliant and you really shouldn't miss them.
Suzanna is also the soundestttt person I've ever met and she very kindly did a Chill Chats interview a while ago and it's defo worth checking out if you want to be inspired the queen of the kitchen.
If you go here you have to get: A tahini brownie obviously, and literally everything else that you can get your hands on. You'll be in heavennnn.
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(This shows how bad I am at blogging and technology-in-general, I don't know if this blog post is too long already, and I don't want to split it up into 'Part 1' / 'Part 2' etc, so the next few places are gonna be shorter and have less pictures, but I still love them all SO much.)
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Name: Douglas Farmer's Market
Location: Outside Douglas Village Shopping Centre, Cork, every Saturday
Instagram: @douglasmarket
About: Defo my favourite farmer's market, there's just such a good vibe here and I love it there every time I go.
If you go here you have to get: Go to Bean Brownie, My Goodness, The Rocket Man, and Arbutus Bread. Trust me, you won't be disappointed!
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Name: Naturally Nourished
Location: Mahon, Cork
Instagram: @naturally_nourished_cafe
About: Such a class place, I really need to go here more often! NN do the most amazing health-focused food and there are loads of vegan/veggie options too. They also have their ridiculously delicious protein balls stocked in their café as well as the Quay Co-Op, the Cinnamon Cottage, and a few Centras too!
If you go here you have to get: A protein ball (obvs) and their peanut butter/banana toast is classss, I could eat that for days.
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Name: Sicilian Delights
Location: Magazine Road, Cork
Instagram: @siciliandelightscoffee
About: I'm actually in love with this little café it's far too cute like. I'm studying Italian in college and every time I go here I always plan on chatting in Italian when I'm ordering a coffee or whatever but I always panic and just end up being like "Hi, um, can I, um, have a single espresso yeah thanks." ahahaha. But seriously though, the coffee/food/vibes here are all so cool and I'd really recommend checking it out.
If you go here you have to get: I always get a single espresso and pretend to be Italian, it's good craic like.
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Name: Malay Kitchen
Location: South Main Street, Cork City
Instagram: @malaykitchen_corkcity_kinsale
About: This absolute gem of a place has a full vegan menu and does the most amazing food. So amazing, delicious, full of flavour, so filling, and brilliant portion sizes too! Seriously, the next time you're in the mood for some class Asian food, check this place out.
If you go here you have to get: Their pineapple fried rice is so good, defo give that a go.
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Name: Orso Kitchen & Bar
Location: Pembroke Street, Cork City
Instagram: @orsokitchen
About: I've only been here a few times but it's so cool, the place is tiny (but in a good way) and the food is always divine. I think they do coffee courses here too so definitely check that out if you're interested.
If you go here you have to get: I forget what it's called but it's a baked sweet potato with a choice of 2 salads and it's class.
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Name: Café Gusto
Location: Washington Street
Instagram: @cafegusto
About: Such a gorgeous little café, I've only ever been there for breakfast but they do the most banginnnn porridge, it's so so nice. And they have freshly squeezed orange juice which is groovy too. And a lot of veggie/vegan options too which is cool. And everyone there is so sound.
If you go here you have to get: The porridge!!! And a coffee, obvs.
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Name: The Kino
Location: Washington Street, Cork City
Instagram: @kinocork
About: I've only been here once or twice but there's a lovely atmosphere and it's a really really cool space. There are always loads of different events and shows etc going on so check them out if you're interested!
If you go here you have to get: A flat white with one of their non-dairy milks (they have a few!).
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Name: The English Market
Location: Princes Street, Cork City
Website: englishmarket.ie
About: The English Market needs no introduction. I actually just had an idea that I might do a full blog post about it sometime soon, so I won't say too much about it now! And I have to apologise, the photo I took is so bad, I know ahaha. I planned on taking a better one but I panicked and ended up with this gammy one.
But yeah The English Market is class. It has so much history and character and charm.
You haven't fully experienced Cork until you've been here.
If you go here you have to get: Anything from My Goodness (yummm), there's an amazing chocolate stall, a really cool whole-food/veggie/vegan shop, and defo check out if there's anyone in the Startup Stall!
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Name: Umi Falafel
Location: Academy Street, Cork Ciy
Instagram: @umifalafel
About: Check out my blog post all about Umi Falafel here to fully understand how class this place is. If you're in the mood for absolutely delicious and authentic food then you neeeeed to go here. Everyone there is so so sound as well, it's really worth checkin out! And they're 100% vegetarian with loads of vegan options.
If you go here you have to get: Definitely some combination with falafel & hummus. I love their baba ghanoush as well oh my god it's class. And they have basboussa (which is like a semolina cake) and it's so good.
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Name: Koto
Location: Carey's Lane, Cork City
Instagram: @kotocork
About: Really cool place and they have a full vegan menu too which is groovy. Brilliant food as well and really good portion sizes!
If you go here you have to get: I think I got the 'Zinger Tofu' which was rice/tofu/pineapple/cashew nuts/veg/sesame seeds and it was class.
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Name: Loving Salads
Location: Academy Street & Washington Street, Cork City
Instagram: @lovingsalads
About: If you think salads are bland and boring, trust me when I say that you'll change your mind as soon as you have 1 foot in the door of Loving Salads. Check out my full blog post to see why Loving Salads is so amazing. And their whole menu is so full of colour, flavour, texture, and just amazingness. Seriously, check them out the next time you're in town. So many veggie/vegan options too which is very groovy.
If you go here you have to get: Definitely a large tub of a mix of their salads, ooh and they do the most amazing black bean and quinoa (I think) curry which is so warming and filling and delicious.
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Name: Liberty Grill
Location: Washington Street, Cork City
Instagram: @libertygrillcork
About: Absolutely gorgeous place with the most amazing food and soundest staff ever. They have a full vegan menu and there are always new specials every once in a while which are always divine. It's a lovely spot for dinner, and they genuinely have something on their menu to suit everyone, like literally it's so cool.
If you go here you have to get: What I got the last time was an oven baked stuffed flatbread and it was so so nice. I think it was a special so it's probably gone now. But oh my god you have to get the 'San Fran Salad', genuinely one of the nicest salads I've ever had in my life, and the tempeh is sickkkkk, so so good.
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Name: The Rocket Man
Location: Princes Street, Cork City / Farmer's Markets
Instagram: @therocketmancork
About: I'm absolutely kicking myself that this is the only proper picture that I have of The Rocket Man cuz it doesn't do them justice at all! Their food is so full of flavour, it's so colourful, and it genuinely just warms your soul like. They also stock loads of cool brands in their HQ on Princes Street, like NutShed's treats and Banana Melon Kitchen's heavenly snacks.
If you go here you have to get: Defo a mix of their salads, and you have to get a tub of their beetroot hummus to take home because it's so good it's not even funny. I literally eat it straight off the spoon ahahaha.
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Name: Napoli
Location: Monkstown, Cork
Instagram: @napoli_cafe_monkstown
About: This is an absolute gem of a café, it's so so gorgeous and you actually feel as if you've been transported to Italy. It's class. It's in a lovely place as well, like if it's a nice day you can go for a stroll after you've had your coffee and just chill out. Such a lovely café, definitely worth checking it out.
If you go here you have to get: I usually go for a single espresso or a flat white with soy milk. Both are classss.
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Name: Ó Conaill Chocolate
Location: French Church Street, Cork City
Instagram: @oconaillchocolate
About: If you know me at all you'll probably know that if I could live off one thing for the rest of my life (apart from bread, coffee, and smoothie bowls) it'd be dark chocolate. Like I'm a dark chocolate fiendddd haha. And Ó Conaill Chocolate do the most amazing bars of chocolate and hot chocolates too. Their café is so cool too, there's always a nice buzz there.
If you go here you have to get: The last hot chocolate I got there was a mix of 70% and 90% dark chocolate (or something like that) with almond milk and it was so class like. And of course you have to get a bar of chocolate for the journey home too. Staying hydrated is important but you definitely gotta stay chocolated.
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Name: Quay Co-Op Vegetarian Restaurant and Wholefood Store
Location: Sullivan's Quay, Cork City
Instagram: @quaycoopcork
About: If you're ever in the mood for a good hearty filling meal then you need to go here. Seriously savage food and such a cosy place. They're 100% vegetarian with loads of vegan options, and they stock loads of Irish brands, so they tick all the boxes tbh. Defo check them out the next time you're around town.
If you go here you have to get: They always have lovely curries on the menu, and definitely treat yourself to one of their lovely desserts, I had a slice of their chocolate avocado tart the last time I was there and it was lovely.
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So there we have it, the Plant Powered Human Guide To Cork Food.
And like, what I love about all of the places I've mentioned is that (apart from all their absolutely class food) is that they're all Irish cafés/restaurants/companies/businesses so whenever you go there you're helping support local businesses which is so much better for those businesses and for the environment.
Eating locally is something I'm extremely passionate about as it just makes so much more sense to me. Like, why bother going to a large chain restaurant to get shitty food (ahaha) when you can just as easily go to a lovely little local café/restaurant/stall, get absolutely delicious food, support a local business, and feel good.
So yeah, if you'd like to start supporting local businesses but don't know where to start, go to one of the places I've mentioned and you're good to go!
If you're still reading this blog post: thank you so so so so much.
It genuinely means so much!
Thank you for the constant support, and I'm sorry about posting less blog posts, I just want the ones I end up posting to be really good quality and hopefully not a waste of your time.
If you've been to any of the places that I've included in my PPH GTCF then let me know what you think of them, and if you have any suggestions of places I need to go to next then defo give me a shout either by sending me an email to plantpoweredhuman@gmail.com or chat to me over on my Instagram.
Feck I just realised this is my 2nd last blog post of the year (my next blog post will be going up on the 30th of December) so I know it's really early to be sayin it but MERRY CHRISTMAS!
See ya on the 30th of December.
Eat your veg.
Be kind.
Big big love,
Darragh
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