Luncheonette

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I met some friends here for lunch. Not the easiest place to find either if you’re not familiar with the NCAD campus but we got there in the end after wading through a talk that was on upstairs.
The choice of food on offer was decent but where this place wins is on price and quality. I went for a roast ham sandwich and a coffee, came to just about a fiver. The sandwich was massive and really tasty.
Perfect for simple, cheap and cheerful lunch breaks.

The lunchonette is a great place for a cuppa tea and a chat at any time of the day, although it can get quite busy and packed at lunch time. The prices are fairly good, 2euro for porridge, 2euro for a brownie, 1euro for a tea or coffee. The sandwiches are about 4euro. Every day the lunchonette changes their menu. Ham and cheese toasted sandwiches to gourment beetroot burgers. Delicious!
The décor is very modern with low lighting, dangling teacups and bottles over the tables. I do find it get quite cold though.
Very simple lunchonette with great prices and I would recommend you take a visit. :)

Best and cheapest coffee in the city.
I love the simplicity of their seasonal menu, different soup and sandwich almost everyday. I think my favorite sambo so far, wasn’t even a sambo, it was a wrap with butternut squash and whipped feta. And the cakes, oh the cakes, always so yummy! You can just tell they are using the freshest of produce, they even have their own allotment.
The space is amazing, one of those places you would love to have a session in!
The staff are all lovely even when they are run off their feet.
I’d love this place to open later in the evenings. But for now I will keep coming for the amazing coffee and everything else.

I am obsessed with Lunchonette! It has to be one of Dublin’s little hidden gems in terms of cafés. They are located in the canteen/​basement of the National College of Art and Design.
Their menu is ever changing, and can be found on their Facebook page daily, and is emailed to students of the college daily.
It is vegetarian friendly and you can request vegan alternatives too, which is something very important to me when I look for a café to have lunch or just a lovely morning coffee.
Their beetroot burger is absolutely amazing, and the recipe was suggested by one of the students, hence he name «Aoibhinn from Sculpture’s Beetroot Burger», which is a lovey touch.
You can see into the kitchen of the café, and see all of the food being prepared in the mornings.
They serve breakfast until 12, and then they serve lunch from 11 onwards.
My go to is an almond milk latte, it’s only € 2.10 which I find extremely affordable.
You can get a coffee and something sweet for € 3!!!
If you want to make a day of coming here, you can also check out some of the great student held exhibitions within the college, such as the Yellow Box exhibition space, and the NCAD gallery always has new and exciting exhibitions displayed too. Definitely worth a visit!

Love it here! Such a cozy place to eat or catch up with friends, i would recommend it to anyone! Such a great addition to Thomas street

I came in here one sunny afternoon to meet a friend, a former NCAD student. I wouldn’t have typically tried this place out as I’d see myself as trespassing but no one passed any heed! Its located in the cosy basement of NCAD. The adventurous menu is a one pager, with two veggie options, and a choice of delicious baked goods. You queue up to place your order, and as you wait you can see all the goings on in the heart of the kitchen through the old arches behind the till, which is a glorious bit of theatre!
I had a gorgeous bowl of spiced split pea and barley broth with spinach (€ 3), and a flourless dark chocolate and butternut squash brownie (€ 2). € 5 for both is fantastic value imo, considering a student’s budget, and a vast improvement on the unhealthy rice and chips I was used to in UCD. The place is buzzing with students and lecturers, eating, chatting and working together on projects. The interior is aesthetically pleasing, as is the presentation of the food — communal wooden benches, exposed brick and upcycled light fixtures. The soup is served in weighty rustic bowls, the sandwiches cheerfully wrapped in brown paper, like something out of an Enid Blyton novel, the food is gratefully gulped down with big hearty mugs of tea.
When I find myself near Thomas Street again, I’ll certainly be calling in here! After eating your fill, if you can spare the time, its great fun to while away an hour or so people watching in the square of NCAD, some art students are like birds of paradise!