Cafe Irie

Grand little spot, quite unlike anywhere else in Dublin really.
Lots of plus points to it;
— Right in the middle of Temple Bar
— On the second floor, so if you get a window seat, you have a grand view of whatever shenanigans are going on along the street
— Also in the same building as Lucy’s Lounge. Get your vintage on, then get your Jamaican on. Score!
— Really nice relaxed vibe inside — decorated in the Jamaican hues, with lots of colourful art on the wall
— Great tunes — generally hip hop /​reggae, but not so loud that you can’t hear yourself think (This never used to be a consideration for me before. Hmmm… worrying!!!)
— Lovely staff, very friendly and attentive
— Free Wifi, and no pressure to get off /​head on home if you’ve finished your food /​drink
A few mediocre points to it;
— The food isn’t the cheapest. 5.80 for a sandwich, between 4 — 6 on a bagel
— I can’t comment fully on the food as I only ordered a bagel and cream cheese. But the bagel wasn’t toasted properly, and was served slightly haphazardly, so not entirely sure how the rest of the menu would fare.
— It’s a bit cold in there — not feelin too Jamaican with my coat still on dude!
Either way, it’s a fairly decent place to chill and grab a coffee /​tea /​whatevs. I will go back again and try something else from the menu, as I am keen to up my star rating for this one!

Really nice and welcoming place, but the food is SPAR /​CENTRA quality — we got a smoothie and we realized it was just an Innocent one, the orange juice was from a bottle (not freshly squeezed) and food, althought not bad, wasn’t fresh and nothing different from what you can taste in any other pub.
Quite a pity as it’s a really good place — if they served more homemade stuff (food, smoothie, juices, etc…) I would have definitely loved to come back.

There’s a scene in almost every zombie movie that reminds me of Temple Bar. Early on, a couple will be out gallivanting and spot a shambling, groaning character in a poorly lit and conveniently located alley-​way. «Just some harmless drunk» one will say to the other before getting their face eaten.
Temple Bar isn’t necessarily as dangerous as a zombie apocalypse, but it does start to resemble one after a certain hour. So it’s a good thing that there are places like Café Irie that let you escape. Access to the café is through a door so flimsy a newborn could reduce it to splinters, upstairs from a vintage shop. Getting above the action of Temple Bar makes this a pretty serene spot, the Rastafarian décor and wonky furniture only add to the charm.
Food-​wise, the choice is pretty good. Soups and sandwiches with some nice combinations. There’s a couple of desserts as well, but I think the place is more suited for lunchtime crowds. The friendly service and relaxing surroundings make it a good spot if you’ve time to waste in the area.

Great little spot tucked away upstairs of a vintage store.
The ladies that work there are super nice and the wifi is strong and dependable. The crowd is mixed from intellectuals to young American girls sitting for coffee to Irish locals looking to catch up with each other.
Try the chicken/​bacon/​avacado sandwich. SO GOOD. Packs huge flavor in a perfectly toasted brown bread. The tomato soup was a bit grainy, coulda used an extra pass through the china cap but all in all great flavors. One of my favorite places to escape the touristy madness of Temple Bar.

i love this little place
the staff are friendly, the cakes and coffee are great.
its got a good vibe and i really like the location in the heart of temple bar
its an oldie but a goodie

I only recently discovered Café Irie and was brought here by my sister. I always visit Lucy’s Lounge whenever I’m in town and have found Café Irie to be my new pit stop — I come to Lucy’s to do a spot of shopping and then have a nice cheese, tomato and pesto paninni upstairs in the café. This place is lovely, it really is. The atmosphere is nice and it feels homely — not your average café. There are very few cafes I have found where you don’t want to leave and Café Irie is one of them. I don’t have a bad word to say about this place really, apart from the fact that the food takes a little bit long to arrive and there is only one waitress. It is small but quaint but I wouldn’t suggest going here on a Saturday because it is unlikely that you will get a space to sit. It is a very intimate place and definitely one for the arty types. It is quite quiet apart from the sound of the odd person talking, reggae music and the sound of the tattoo needle etching away into people’s bodies upstairs from the café.
Overall, a great place to come for lunch. The food is nice and great value.

I loved this little, colourful café when we came here for lunch while visiting Temple bar. The girl that served us was lovely, food was great and prices too. I had a smoothie and a very tasty soup and my partner had a huge club sandwich with some salad and corn chips, and we paid less than 14 €. Excellent choice!

A friend of mine brought me here for coffee a few weeks ago and was so taken by the hidden gem that myself and the wife went for Sunday brunch. Great value (can quite remember exactly how much) and so nice I uploaded a pic and sent it to my mates to make them jealous!
Tasty coffee too.
Will be back
Om nom nom nom!

Café Irie is consistently one of my favorite places to go for a bite to eat. and by «Bite» i mean «oh god I can’t possibly eat another bite» because the portions are VERY generous.
Everything I have ever had here is gorgeous — I tend to favor the bagels. The club sandwiches, all three versions? (traditional, vegetarian, vegan) simply blissful.
The décor is warm and cheery and that is WHO I love this place in the winter — stepping out of the Dublin rain to a little slice of warmth and eclectic happiness. the smile spoons? Are made of win. As is the lovely fireplace with its not-​a-​fire sculpture.
it is a place that works great no matter who you go there with — just yourself, a group of friends, or a special someone — just as long as you’re out for a relaxed time! :)

I ate here with my Fiancé on our recent trip to Dublin. I am vegan and he somehow remembered stumbling across this little café with vegetarian food. I had the Vegan Club Sandwich. OH HOLY GOD. It was so good. Giant. We split it and it was still a ton of food. Whatever onion jam was on it was amazing. I wish I lived closer than 4,000 miles away from Café Irie!

A posh friend took us to Café Irie in our first year of college, then proceeded to tell us that we were pronouncing «Irie» wrong. We ditched her but continue to favour Café Irie, a small, Jamaican-​style, eclectically decorated haven.
According to
, in Rastafarian vocab «Irie» means «to be at total peace with your current state of being. The way you feel when you have no worries.»
Which is exactly how you are when you’re stuffing the BEST and most enormous club sandwich on toasted walnut bread into your gob, while sipping on a large café-​au-​lait and chatting to one of your closest friends.
«Everyting is irie mon…»

This student hot spot is best known for their interesting and creative sandwich combinations and they have vegetarian-​friendly (such as tofu) options available as well. Many breads to choose from to personalize your meal! They do deliciously hearty soups, deserts and amazing breakfast as well. The prices are very affordable. It’s always packed and if you go there you’ll easily see why.

Café Irie is located above one of my favourite shops in Dublin, Lucy’s. Lucy’s is a very unique shop selling oddly idiosyncratic clothes and accessories to the distinctive, chic city dweller. This attitude is carried through to an extent when it comes to the café upstairs. The décor is colourful and quirky, with mismatched ceramics, spoons that feature a smiley face on the handle and everyone is given a separate terracotta plate to place their used teabags on. It is these little things that are individual to the café that make it stand out.
I enjoyed a broccoli and goats cheese soup with tomato bread and lemon green tea which altogether came to € 7.55. The soup was delivered very swiftly and I found everything from the flavoursome goats cheese with a pleasing aftertaste to the zesty tea scrumptious. However, two of my friends that I was with both ordered the same pizza, the first arriving a tardy 15mins after my soup and the second arriving a whole 10mins after that. I had already polished off mine by the time they were tucking into theirs, creating a very disjointed eating experience. By their own admission the pizzas were yummy and substantial, with one of my friends asking if he could take two of his left-​over slices home in a doggy bag but I cannot help but feel disappointed by the disorderly way in which the food was delivered meaning the ensuing consumption was not coherent and hence the overall ambience at the table tainted. Other than that the lady waiting on the entire restaurant was sweet-​natured and relatively organized, considering she had four tables at once to wait on I wouldn’t doubt she was doing her best.
The eccentricity the café exudes is exceedingly charming and I wouldn’t hesitate to return despite the tardy pizza scenario owing to the food otherwise being markedly flavoursome and the general décor and ambience exceedingly groovy as well as on the same wavelength as the wide-​ranging idiosyncratic disposition of Temple Bar. Moreover, the chap on the table next to me ordered a club sandwich which looked as mammoth in size as I’m guessing it was in flavour making me want to go back pronto to devour one of my own.

This place has a real cosy atmosphere… it has a huge menu with a enormously huge selection of wraps and paninis… sandwiches too.
There are not many words to describe the coffee… and perhaps it depends on how much you want it though many people would argue that this place does some of the best… it is siply delicious.
While it is a little tucked away up above the hustle and bustle… you can find yourself in a nice spot looking down over temple bar and all the stuff that happens there… which can be nice after a long day shopping

Café Irie is a delightful spot to escape the noise of Temple Bar. Located above the eccentric clothing store Sesi, there’s only about 10 tables but it’s never too packed and if you’re lucky, you can sit by the window and people watch.
What makes this café so charming is the staff and décor. The people who work here are very relaxed and you never feel pressured to leave. The café is decorated with artfully mismatched plastic tables clothes. Posters advertise local events and add colour to the yellow walls. There’s even a tacky Christmas tree that blinks in the corner fireplace. In short, the café has tons of personality which is what keeps people coming back for more.

Jo really summed up the atmosphere of the place with her review. It’s a quirky little place, little being the operative word.
A friend took me here for lunch, the view of the noise mecca that is Temple Bar is excellent if you can get a window seat.
My sandwich on ciabatta bread was very tasty and reasonably priced, the coffee was large and strong. The wooden floors are well worn and the place has a lived in character.
I did feel like I was playing a game of sardines at times. I am all for brother and sisterly love but sometimes I don’t want to hear about a stranger’s drama or feel the need to consciously lower my voice for privacy sake.
Great place to chill alone or if you are fluent in sign language.

Hmmm, while it’s nice to see cafes with character springing up around town the concept only works if there actually is some character. The day I dropped by it was a touch too quiet to be relaxing as everything we said could be heard by the people awkwardly perched on the other side of the café. Maybe it’s better on a crowded day.

Cute, brightly coloured café in the heart of Temple Bar. Set upstairs above clothes shops (not the easiest to find!), this café offers friendly service, yummy, generous meals and a laid-​back setting.
Try the pesto chicken salad — fresh, healthy, and big enough to share. The pesto is very good, and the walnuts are an interesting addition. For dessert you can’t go past the carrot cake, which is also served in large portions.
This is the kind of place you could imagine sitting for an entire afternoon, breathing in the serenity while the madness carries on in the Temple Bar cobblestones below.
We appreciated the extra touches of smiley-​faced spoons (like something you would have used as a child), sweets on departure and the posters of Dublin goings-​on on the walls.
They have some coffee & cake/​lunch & coffee specials that are great value for money if you’re there before 6pm.
Take a good book along and settle in for an afternoon of ‘me’ time.

You’ll spot this place from the little chalkboard outside, it can be easy to miss as it is a tiny little place above a shop. The paninis are so good and there are plenty to choose from. The cheesecake is a must-​have for dessert and if you like hot chocolate, this place offers one of the best I’ve found in Dublin complete with marshmallows and a flake on the side. The staff are helpful and the atmosphere is relaxed and friendly. Get in before the lunch time rush though because this place fills up fast, and deservedly so!

Having decided to walk to the Temple Bar area for breakfast on a Sunday morning at about 9:30am, not a single restaurant was open yet. Just as we were about to give up hope we were approached by a man in the street directing people to Café Irie for breakfast and I’m glad he did.
Café Irie is not an obvious restaurant to come across as not only is the building quite small but the restaurant was also up a flight of stairs and the advertising outside was none existent. However the building is pink which should help you find it. It must be a Dubliners secret because when we got there it was packed.
Good selection of food, a breakfast menu and a restaurant menu. Me & my other half both ordered a bagel with bacon, scrambled eggs and Ballyamloe relish. It was huge so unless you have an enormous appetite I would recommend sharing — but it was delicious all the same and set us up for a day of Guinness drinking. So I thoroughly recommend.