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Café Gusto

Big ideas are at work in this little designer coffee bar near Singer's Corner, which specialises in gourmet rolls, wraps and salads, either to go or to eat on the premises.

The brainchild of Marianne Delaney, former manager of The Exchange on George's Quay, and her Ballymaloe-trained partner Denis O'Mullane, who take pride in sourcing the very best quality ingredients - small is indeed beautiful here, where coffee is made by baristas trained to master standard, using 100% arabica beans from the Java Roasting Company.

The same philosophy applies to the food in this tiny café, in a short menu ranging from Simply Cheddar (freshly baked Italian bread filled with Dubliner cheese, beef tomato, white onion & Ballymaloe relish) to The Flying Bacon (filled with chicken, bacon, Emmenthal, honey Dijon, lettuce & tomato).

Food prices are not much more than supermarket sandwiches and the extensive range of coffees, teas, herbal teas etc is keenly priced too. A breakfast menu lays the emphasis on healthy options.

Great value, popular local meeting place - if only there were more like this.

*There's another café beside the Clarion Hotel on Lapps Quay, and a sister restaurant Liberty Grill, on Washington Street (see entry).

Air conditioned. Seats 20. Open Mon-Sat, 7.45 am-6pm. Closed Sun, bank hols. No Credit Cards.

Directions:

On corner of Washington Street & Grand Parade.