Good coffee in Dublin. Sounds straightforward, right?
It’s not. Stale coffee. Burnt coffee. Coffee that tastes a little bit like soap. Machines that are never cleaned. Restaurants and cafes that otherwise play a blinder serving undigestable brown liquid that’s in its own special seventh taste category.
It’s hard to send it back. “Excuse me, but your coffee is indescribably awful for reasons that I cannot fathom because I think they only exist in another dimension.”
Ah, thank God for the Italians. You’ll always get a good coffee from the Italians, because to serve you anything less would hurt them as much as it would hurt the Japanese to serve you a bad meal. And in Enoteca Delle Langhe, in Dublin’s “Italian Quarter” (also known as the Millenium Walkway), you’ll find what I reckon is one of the best coffees in Dublin.
There’s not a hint of bitterness in their coffee, which is served warm rather than scalding hot, just like in Italy. My pal Roisin had a cappucino (€2.40); I had a latte (also €2.40). This was smooth, sweet, and happy. We also split a ginormous plate of profiteroles, oozing with cold fresh cream and even more proper chocolate./ As desserts go (by and large, mediocre to nice, and also overpriced in most cafes), this was something very special indeed, and good value at €4.50.
Service was… Italian. And the interior is very warm and welcoming; we grabbed the two big couches. Roisin says they do an excellent antipasti platter. Clearly they care deeply about their food so I’ll definitely try a proper lunch or dinner sometime. For now, it’s a refuge for coffee in a city of bitterness and hate.
Readers, where’s particularly outstanding for coffee? Tips from Dublin and all around Ireland are welcome.