The 10 Best Brunch Spots in Dublin (Where We'd Actually Go)

The most consistently excellent brunch in Dublin. Middle-Eastern-inflected plates, brilliant coffee, and a room that hums without ever feeling chaotic. We bring every visiting American here for their first morning in town.

The trade-off: No reservations. Saturday queues hit 30 minutes by 10am. Go early or go on a weekday.

A Liberties institution. High ceilings, communal tables, sourdough that takes 36 hours to make, and a room that feels more like a Brooklyn loft than a Dublin café. The shakshuka is iconic.

The trade-off: It's a 15-minute walk from St. Stephen's Green and the Liberties is still rough at the edges. Walk it in daylight, take a taxi back if it's drizzling.

A tiny Liberties café where the coffee is treated as seriously as the food. The brunch menu is short, seasonal and extremely well-executed. Locals queue out the door for a reason.

The trade-off: It seats maybe 25 people. On weekends the queue is brutal. Walk in at 8:30am or 2pm, never in between.

Set in the basement of the Little Museum of Dublin, Hatch & Sons serves an honest, modern take on classic Irish breakfast plates. The brown bread is house-baked. The smoked salmon is from Burren Smokehouse.

The trade-off: It's a basement, so the room is dim. If you want bright morning light, this isn't the spot.

A small, unfussy room run by people who clearly care. The menu changes constantly, the bread is excellent, and the coffee is taken seriously. This is the brunch spot Dubliners send their friends to.

The trade-off: Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Plan around it.

A bright, plant-filled corner café in the heart of the Liberties. The avocado toast is the version every American has been chasing: properly seasoned, on great bread, with a perfectly poached egg.

The trade-off: Tiny. Fits maybe 20 people. Take the coffee and walk five minutes to the Iveagh Gardens if there's no seat.

Brunch as a proper occasion. White linen, polished silver, a pianist on weekends, and a kitchen serving elevated takes on classic morning plates. The Eggs Royale is genuinely special.

The trade-off: It's pricey for brunch (€30-€40 per person). But you're paying for the room, the service and the occasion, all of which deliver.

A Portobello favourite with a name that says everything. The pancakes are the headline act: light, fluffy, properly American, served with real maple syrup and seasonal berries.

The trade-off: It's small and weekend-only mornings get packed. Tuesday to Friday is the secret window.

Less brunch, more coffee-with-a-pastry. Vice is one of Dublin's best specialty coffee bars. Tiny menu, immaculate execution, and a counter that takes its single-origin beans seriously.

The trade-off: There's almost no seating. Take the coffee to go and walk to the Grand Canal. Honestly, that's better anyway.

A gastropub that does Sunday brunch better than most restaurants do dinner. The room is warm, the cooking is serious, and the full Irish here is one of the city's best.

The trade-off: It's in Ballsbridge, a 15-minute taxi from the city centre. Combine it with the National Print Museum or a walk through the Bath Avenue Georgian streets.