Is there a more gloriously satisfying meal than brunch!? If there is, we've yet to find it! We're constantly returning to our post on Dublin brunch spots for inspiration (and to add a new favourites!), so we thought it was about time that we showed the rest of the country some love! Here, we've rounded up 30 amazing places for brunch in Ireland - whether you're looking for offbeat or traditional, healthy or indulgent, or experimental or comforting, there's a spot on this list to suit you. Ready for paleo-friendly power bowls, croissant french toast, and rave-worthy sausages? Let's take a closer look...
Brunch Spots in Belfast and Northern Ireland
1. The Pocket
Located in the University quarter of Belfast, The Pocket serve a seasonal menu alongside speciality coffee from 3fe. The menu changes monthly, but at the time of writing includes such gems as white eggs on toast, green eggs on toast, pea pesto avocado and a Buddha bowl made with your choice of pork or tofu.
Serving brunch Monday-Friday 8am to 5pm, Saturday 9am to 5pm and Sunday 10am to 4pm | thepocket.coffee | Queens Quarter, Belfast
2. The French Rooms
Not far from the Giant’s Causeway and the world’s oldest licensed distillery, the French Rooms at Bushmills offer a brunch inspired by French classics. Crêpes feature on the menu, as do croissants, slathered in Nutella or transformed into a croissant French toast, lightly fried in butter and topped with melted Gruyère and crispy bacon. Add a glass of Buck’s Fizz for maximum indulgence, or stick to the super porridge or the goodness grains granola.
Serving brunch Friday and Saturday 10am to 11.30am | thefrenchrooms.com | Main Street, Bushmills, County Antrim
3. Established
Better known as one of Belfast’s most fashionable destinations for artisan coffee, Established also serves an unmissable brunch. Check their social media feeds for weekend specials, and expect the unexpected - lately, they’ve been serving up hash brown waffles with miso and buttered kale, Matcha custard pie, and Turkish eggs with sourdough flatbread, za’atar, chili brown butter and fermented tomato salsa.
Serving brunch Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 3pm | established.coffee | Hill Street, Belfast
4. General Merchants
Based around local, ethically-sourced ingredients, this spot's Instagram feed is filled with pictures so vividly mouth-watering, you’ll either weep or book the next train to Belfast! Brunch options include the ‘Street Hawker’ (Chinese-style chili oil-scrambled eggs and crispy bacon on sourdough), Huevos Rotos (smashed fried eggs, chorizo and triple-cooked potatoes) and the Melbourne Breakfast, which features avocado, pickles and poached eggs piled high on Vegemite-covered sourdough.
Serving brunch Saturday and Sunday 8am tp 4.30pm | generalmerchants.co.uk | East Belfast, Ormeau Road and Forestside
5. McCartney’s of Moira
One of the oldest and best butchers in Northern Ireland, McCartney’s also run a restaurant where you can sample the so-called "best sausages on the planet". While they do offer a veggie breakfast and smashed avocado on toast, the menu predictably favours meat-eaters, with a sausage or bacon pancake stack, black or white pudding stack and the epic, 12-piece Butcher's Breakfast among their most popular dishes.
Serving brunch Monday to Saturday 8am to 5.30pm | mccartneysofmoira.com | Mainstreet, Moira, Craigavon
6. Lost and Found
A creative space where you can also get a ridiculously good coffee, Lost and Found serves pizza by night and brunch by day on Queen Street, Coleraine. Come for the good vibes, stay for the seasonal french toast with sticky figs, the brunch brioche with wild boar sausage, or Gubbeen eggs on sourdough.
Serving brunch everyday 9.30am to 3.30pm | wearelostandfound.com | Queen Street, Coleraine
7. Primrose Cafe, Derry
With two locations in Derry, one on Atlantic Quay and another on Strand Road, this popular spot boasts award-winning chefs and is a favourite with tourists and locals alike. Choose from avocado french toast, Elvis-style pancakes, an indulgent Prosecco Breakfast, or their unmissable homemade scones.
Serving brunch Monday-Saturday 8am to 5pm, and Sunday 10am to 5pm | primrose-ni.com | Strand Road and Atlantic Quay, Derry
Brunch Spots in Cork and the South East of Ireland
8. The Greenroom at Sage
The Greenroom does a killer breakfast menu during the week, but wait till the weekend if you want to go all-out with a traditional grill or the less-than-traditional Brunch Pizza (featuring black pudding, chorizo and Parmesan). Vegetarians aren’t neglected either - the Veggie Hash is made with chili jam, fried egg, rustic potatoes and gorgeously crumbly Ardsallagh goats cheese.
Serving brunch Sundays 11am to 3.30pm | sagerestaurant.ie | Main Street, Midleton, Co. Cork
9. The Castle Café
Located at a Cork landmark, Blackrock Castle, which dates back to the 16th century, the Castle Café serves some unusual brunch options, including ricotta pancakes with burnt pineapple and a veggie bake made with sweet potato, smoked Gubbeen and spiced chickpeas, served with sourdough toast and poached eggs.
Serving brunch Tuesday to Sunday 9.30am to 12pm | castlecafe.ie | Blackrock Castle, Blackrock Co. Cork
10. Salt
Serving the very best of local produce, Salt’s brunch menu is full of thoughtful new interpretations of classic dishes - La Lyonnaise sees poached eggs paired with caramelised peaches and smoked lardons in a salad, breakfast tacos are perked up with kimchi, and The Starving comprises a brunch cassoulet stew, salsa cabbage and fried egg. Oh and let's not forget the Insanity Waffle, which comes decked out with banana, chocolate sauce and Chantilly cream.
Serving brunch Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 3pm | saltcork.ie | Victoria Road, Cork
11. Café Velo
This cycling-themed café sources its food from local suppliers, and coffee is hand-roasted on site. Brunch options include tandoori-spiced roast chicken, the Jack McCarthy Rasher Sandwich, a Classic American cheeseburger and a veggie-friendly pickled beetroot salad with Ardsallagh goats cheese and pumpkin seeds.
Serving brunch Saturday 8am to 4pm and Sunday 9am to 16pm | cafevelo.ie | George’s Quay, Cork
12. Bobo at the Glucksman
Located inside the limestone, steel and timber-formed Glucksman Gallery on the campus of University College, Cork, Bobo is an artisan pop up café with an offbeat yet appetising brunch menu, which includes Tostada Andaluz with Jamon Serrano, tomato and garlic, and chili tempeh with beans, patatas bravas and beetroots.
Serving brunch Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm and Sunday 12pm to 5pm | glucksman.org | The Glucksman, University College Cork
13. Good Day Deli
This Cork hotspot specialises in healthy, sustainable food, seasonably sourced from local producers and created with a nod to the South Pacific heritage of one of its owners. Expect power bowls, organic oats topped with fruit and drizzled with honey, poached pear pancakes with coconut Mascarpone and an incredible salmon Eggs Benedict, topped with a salad of edible flowers.
Serving brunch Saturday and Sunday 10am to 5pm | gooddaydeli.ie | Nano Nagle Place, Cork
14. The Sextant
Cosy, friendly and a little bit eccentric, this bar does a great Sunday brunch complete with Bloody Mary and espresso martini cocktails. The menu leans toward comfort food, including steak sandwiches, chorizo-baked eggs, homemade French toast and the much-loved hash of the day.
Serving brunch Sunday 11am to 3.30pm| thesextant.ie | Albert Street, Cork
15. Liberty Grill
Liberty Grill's brunch menu really offers something for everyone. While some dishes are inspired by moreish New England cuisine (think crab burgers, Eggs Royale and maple-fried banana), there are also veggie and vegan options, including a blackened tempeh burger, a falafel burger and a salad made with halloumi and dukkah-coated butternut squash.
Serving brunch from 8am Monday to Sunday | libertygrill.ie| Washington Street, Cork
16. Hook & Ladder
Part of a hybrid café, cookery school and home store, Hook & Ladder’s brunch menu is approximately 50% virtuous superfood dishes – homemade granola or vegetarian sandwiches made with mashed avocado, beet hummus and poached eggs – 50% hangover-soothing decadence - caramel-infused french toast, warm fluffy waffles, or slow-roasted BBQ pork on a toasted blaa.
Serving brunch Monday to Sunday | hookandladder.ie| Tramore Road, Waterford, Sarsfield St., Limerick, Corbally Road, Limerick and Castletroy Shopping Centre, Limerick
Brunch Spots in Wicklow and the The Midlands
17. The Donkey Shed, Newbarn Farm
On a farm run by a family of horticulturalists, The Donkey Shed serve a great lunch or dinner made with farm-fresh ingredients, but their breakfasts, which include french toast, omelettes and club sandwiches with bacon and homemade smoky mayo, are also well worth a visit.
Serving brunch Monday to Sunday 9am to 12pm | newbarnfarm.ie | Ashbourne, Co. Meath
18. Miller & Cook
Branching out from their origins as a bakery, Miller & Cook now serve a brunch that's focused on locally-sourced ingredients. This means gorgeously moreish options including Mexican eggs with spiced beans in tortillas, chorizo and potato hash, pork belly tacos and a vegetarian breakfast with sweet potato and quinoa cake, poached eggs and avocado smash.
Serving brunch Saturday and Sunday 8.30am to 4pm | millerandcook.ie | Pearse Street, Mullingar
19. Pigeon House
Known for deceptively simple cuisine showcasing locally-produced ingredients, Pigeon House’s brunch menu has something for everyone. You'll have to choose between burgers (Black Angus beef or buttermilk fried chicken with crushed avocado), home smoked salmon, and the signature Pigeon House Grill with black pudding and streaky bacon.
Serving brunch Saturday and Sunday 10am to 4pm | pigeonhouse.ie | Delgany, Wicklow
20. Eastern Seaboard
Inspired by New York delis but based in Drogheda, Eastern Seaboard offer not brunch, but a "Breakfast of Champions" that runs till 1.30pm. The menu is full of unexpected twists on the classics - there’s Annagassan smoked salmon Benedict, ham hock with fried eggs, and the irresistible-sounding apple monkey bread with whipped cream. You can pair that with a cocktail, including the Rum Rabbit Rum (pressed carrot juice, ginger and coriander).
Serving breakfast Saturday and Sunday 11am to 1.30pm | glasgow-diaz.com | Bryanstown Cross Route, Drogheda
21. The Green Barn
A new, family-run business that’s part-restaurant, part-shop, the Green Barn is just off the M9, and just inside the gates of Burtown House and Gardens. Ingredients are grown on-site, with the rest coming from local farmers. Choose between wild Atlantic salmon with scrambled egg and red Russian kale, walled garden asparagus with cured ham, or homemade hazelnut and cranberry granola with organic yogurt, all while sipping on homemade elderflower Prosecco.
Serving brunch Wednesday to Saturday 10am to 12pm| burtownhouse.ie | Burtown House, Athy, Kildare
Brunch Spots In the West of Ireland
22. The Buttery, Limerick
This popular spot offers bottomless Prosecco on weekends and Thursday nights, but the food is the real draw - expect chorizo scramble, huevos rancheros and stacks of wonderfully fluffy, American-style pancakes with streaky bacon.
Serving brunch Saturday and Sunday 10am to 4pm | thebuttery.ie | Bedford Row, Limerick
23. The Galleon
With 53 years in business, The Galleon don’t strictly serve brunch – it’s a breakfast menu, technically speaking – but their organic porridge, American-style waffles with Pancetta, avocado and fried eggs, and Galleon Catch’(smoked salmon with scrambled eggs and wilted spinach on sourdough) make it worth showing up that little bit earlier in the morning.
Serving breakfast Monday to Sunday 10am to 12pm| thegalleonrestaurant.ie | Salthill, Galway
24. Cupán Tae
With branches in Galway and Westport, Cupán Tae is both a tearoom and a restaurant. Their afternoon tea, served with earl grey-infused biscuits, homemade scones and cakes, is not to be missed, but if it’s brunch you’re craving, try their signature smoothie bowl with cashew butter, roasted coconut, strawberries and homemade granola, or their smoked salmon and roasted Parmesan potato bundle, with Connemara smoked salmon, pan-friend asparagus and hemp seeds in Matcha butter.
Serving brunch Monday to Sunday 10am to 6pm | cupantae.eu | Quay Street, Galway and Bridge Street, Westport, Mayo
25. Sweet Geranium
With a decadent brunch that's served all day, this Leitrim eatery serves Eggs Benedict, Eggs Florentine, and the lesser-spotted Eggs Arnold (smoked salmon and hollandaise on homemade toast).
Serving brunch all day Monday to Sunday | sweetgeranium.ie | High Street, Drumshanbo
26. Dela
Boasting calming, eclectic interiors, this restaurant on Galway’s Dominick Street sources as much of its food as possible from their farm in Moycullen. During peak growing season, the plot-to-plate time for their greens and eggs can be mere minutes! Brunch options include eggs several ways, the Dela Fry, a breakfast pork burger and a breakfast burrito with organic greens and coriander-lime salsa. They even brew their own craft beer.
Serving brunch Monday to Thursday 11.30am to 3pm, Friday and Saturday 10am to 3pm and Sunday 10am to 4pm | dela.ie | Lower Dominick Street, Galway
27. Ard Bia at Nimmos
Overlooking the River Corrib, Ard Bia's brunch includes a wonderful range of vegan and vegetarian options, including the Hippy Fry (crispy quinoa cakes or gibbon chorizo with sweet potato hash), as well as the Ard Bia Fry for omnivores. There’s also White Hag craft beer, and coffee from Anam, an independent roaster based in Kilnefora, Co. Clare. Book a table at this gem as early as possible as it’s always busy.
Serving brunch Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 3pm | ardbia.com | Spanish Arch, Galway
28. Knox
Known for their tapas menu, this popular all-day eatery is located close to the Wild Atlantic Way. Mediterranean influences show in the Knox Spanish Brekky, which includes chorizo, baked eggs and potatas bravas, and the BALT, a sandwich made with award-winning cured bacon from Sheerins of Ballymote.
Serving brunch Saturday and Sunday 12am to 4pm | knoxsligo.ie | O’Connell Street, Sligo
29. The Gourmet Tart Co.
The front of this French-style bakery-turned-restaurant is filled with mouth-watering cakes, macarons and pastries, but save room for their brunch menu, which features shakshuka, Eggs Royale, English muffins with rashers and poached eggs, and that tried-and-tested French classic, the ham and cheese croissant.
Serving brunch Saturday 7.30am to 1pm and Sunday 7.30am to 6pm | gourmettartco.com | Salthill and Galway City
30. Tasty Station
A restaurant with a killer view of the Atlantic ocean, located a mere 15-minute drive from the Cliffs of Moher, Tasty Station lives up to its name with a brunch menu that includes breakfast burgers, homemade quiche, and pancakes with maple syrup and bacon or Nutella and whipped Mascarpone cream. Sadly, they're closed during the winter months but this menu is worth waiting for.
Serving brunch from March to September | tastystation.ie | Lahinch, Co. Clare
Featured image credit: The Pigeon House, Delgany
Hungry for more? You'll find our list of the Best Brunches in Dublin right here.
