Ristretto

Lovely coffee place inside Merrion Shopping center. During the morning they have a breakfast menu that is traditional and not expensive. The lunch menu is basically salad — something I enjoyed, since I believe I am on a diet.
Tables for 2 people are for one person. One single person cannot seat alone in a table for 4 people. I’m not crazy, it just happened twice that I was having a coffee by myself and I was asked to move to a smaller table. Unnecessary I would say, the place is not that busy.
Anyways, the waitresses are lovely and work fast. The croissant is actually big — another good thing =)

We were here again for afternoon lunch on the Saturday before Christmas week but were bitterly disappointed to find that the kitchen closed at 3pm and there was no more hot food available.

This location used to hold a greasy-​spoon that always smelled bad, hence I had never gone into it. Thankfully at some stage last year it closed up and this place rose up to take its place.
Working near here, I occasionally stop by to grab a coffee and a scone on my way to work. The scones are delicious, and are just every so slightly warm. I think they actually may be the best scones I’ve ever had! They serve Ariosa coffee, and its decent enough.
Occasionally I treat myself to a take away sandwich for lunch. 5 stars for freshness of ingredients and generosity of fillings. Nothing terribly creative, but the ham tastes of ham and the cheese tastes of cheese rather than orange plastic that has been doused in potato starch to stop it from caking.
I had an omelet for breakfast a few months ago, I recall it being nice enough. I’ve sat in for some lunch a few times, its usually quite tasty. Only once was I not 100% happy with the food. Had some sort of pasta dish that was a bit bland and uninspiring.
They do daily lunch specials, the prices are reasonable, the staff are really friendly, and the counter has an array of homemade cakes and treats that will leave you breathless (and heavier).