Cafe Gusto

Food here was really good. We had an extended lunch for four with salads, good coffees, and desserts, all of which were excellent. Space is at a premium and you’re perched on high stools at counters or small tables which could be an issue for some people with kids, or lots of shopping. Café was busy which is simply because the food is so good.

Excellent little café/​restaurant. Nice coffee and lovely food. The lamb was delicious.

a nice place, always packed for lunch, with good pitas and pastries… for friday and saturday they have a wine and Mediterranean food, really tasty and good atmos,

I often meet friends and family here on my lunch break. I’m not much of a coffee drinker so I won’t comment on that but their selection of sandwiches is really nice. The food is very affordable and absolutely delicious, whether I’m getting a turkey and cranberry sandwich or a hummus/​cous-​cous wrap.
Their muffins and milkshakes are pretty good as well (though if I could improve something, I’d make the milkshakes a bit thicker).

It’s hard being a coffee shop in Cork. The market is smaller than Dublin, good trading locations are even harder to find and most of the large coffee chains have entered the market here.
So it’s a relief that somewhere like Gusto has flourished. Located on Washington Street, the glass façade is a bit of relief from the usual indie coffee dungeon. Plus it’s great for a spot of people-​watching!
The coffee is a delicious blend, and the staff are helpful and friendly. Foodwise, Gusto really excels. It has the usual selection of pastries and cakes, as well as a great lunch/​dinner menu and selection of wine.
Gusto is also one of the few Cork cafes to stay open well into the evening. Thank gosh.

CAFE GUSTO 17.08.10
Café Gusto is more than just a café, more than just two cafes as it is found in both Washington Street and Lapps Quay.
What makes it different is its attitude, easily seen in its tweets and Facebook pages. «We are the glass half full type of people.» Like that in these recessionary times.
The post Celtic Tiger era has led to a whole load of gloom but you won’t see that at Gusto or its sister restaurant the Liberty Grill (also in Washington Street), both of which by the way serve top class food and drink.
I was strolling up there the other day and called into Gusto for a cup of their excellent coffee and who should I meet but Marianne, my twitter mate.
And what was she doing? Helping out a visitor to the city. Marianne and partner Denis do this as a matter of course.
Denis recently said to me that we have a great product in the city and county, lots to see and do «but it can be hard to find them if you are plonked down in the middle of it».
And that’s where the friendly attitude of Denis and Marianne and their staff come in. They go out of their way to make visitors welcome and Gusto has a rack of informative booklets available.
They also use the internet to help out and are always willing to plug events that liven up the local scene as you’ll have seen with their efforts on the Lee Swim and Paddy Games to mention just two.
Obviously Denis and Marianne are not the only two in town with this pro-​active attitude. But we need more of them. After all, the more we pull together, the further we will go.
And the payoff? Well, have a look at this from a globe trekking LA foodwriter
CAFE GUSTO
Café Gusto — so good they built it twice, first in Washington Street (Singers Corner) and also at the Lapps Quay Boardwalk (see pic).
Called to Washington Street lunchtime today and enjoyed my snack which consisted of a hot gorgeously crispy Bocadillo, filled with a Caprese (Mozarella du Bufala, basil and plum tomato). Partner helped herself to a Focaccia Farita filled with a juicy Tuna Salad (with plum tomato, red onion, cucumber & a little mayo).
I had a large Americano while she had a medium one; both were superb. The «sandwiches» cost a fiver each and the total came to less than € 15.00.
Staff were informative and friendly but the service was a little less than perfect in the sense that the coffee was served well before the eats and there was even a noticeable gap between the Focaccia and the Bocadillo.
But I would nonetheless recommend the place strongly. The food is excellent and so is the coffee. Next time though, I might have a glass of water with the meal and then get the coffee and linger! By the way, all the seating here is of the high stool variety.