Brunch in Cork City

Brunch, part breakfast part lunch, all delicious. Like weekend mornings in a sun-filled kitchen with family and fresh-squeezed orange juice. Sausage or bacon sizzling in a pan on the stove and the family dog sniffing around everyone’s feet to try and get a sliver of the scents in the air. That is what I think. In later years, it would be university cafeterias or pancake houses, but there is something uniquely memorable about family food. My parents would serve their pancakes up with dabs of butter between each layer and topped with warm Vermont maple syrup, usually from a stockpile given to us at Christmas by New Englander friends. I wish I could pull you all back in time for a moment to sit in the dining room for brunch. Sometimes there would even be bagels with cream cheese and lox or hash browns. Cereal is rarely the main event. Far too… to the point. Brunch is a meandering meal, not one that is efficient or to the point.

Here are the restaurants and cafes in Cork offering special weekend brunch menus. Yes, some are even open early mornings or on Sundays!

You can also contact me on Twitter @BrunchCork if you’re on the go and can’t read this blog post but need a recommendation.

UPDATE: I’ve created a Google Doc list of all Cork City restaurants which offer brunch (or brunchy breakfasts) so I can keep it updated more easily. There is a dedicated Brunch in Cork page on this blog so check it out for the most up-to-date restaurant information and hours.

The list in this post was accurate as of February 2012

View Brunch in Cork in a larger map

• Fenn’s Quay – CURRENT BRUNCH in CORK PROFILE
  Breakfast (menu) and brunch (menu) on Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. until 3-ish
  Breakfast and Lunch Mondays through Fridays.
  Early Dinner and A La Carte Dinner Tuesday though Saturday.
  No. 5, Fenn’s Quay, Sheares Street, Cork City Centre (located one street north and one street west of the Courthouse)
  (021) 427 9527
  Menu includes fluffy pancakes, eggs Benedict, eggs Florentine, fresh-baked breads/croissants/scones, and scrambled eggs. Their Hollandaise sauce is Pasteurized (great for pregnant ladies). I love this place because of its warm neighborhood feel. Linger over the morning newspaper and enjoy starting the day on your terms at your pace or meet up with friends and tease them about the crazy stuff they did the night before!
• Duke’s Coffee Company  – CURRENT BRUNCH in CORK PROFILE
  Breakfast daily specialising in coffee and food that goes well with coffee.
  Carey’s Lane, Paul Street, Cork City Centre
• Liberty Grill
  Brunch 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays. Breakfast weekdays.
  Washington Street, Cork City Centre
  (021) 427 1049
  Like Fenns Quay, their Hollandaise sauce is Pasteurized (great if pregnant).
• Idaho Café  – CURRENT BRUNCH in CORK PROFILE
  Mondays through Saturdays from 8:30 a.m.  to 6:00 p.m.
  Caroline Street at Maylor, Cork City Centre
  They offer suspended coffees.
• The Sextant
  Brunch (menu) on Sundays from 12 Noon to 3:30 p.m.
  Weekday breakfasts (menu) from 10 a.m. to 12 Noon also
• Brick Lane
  Brunch Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 3pm
  North Main Street, Cork City
  

• ButterCup Cafe
  Sat brunch: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm. Breakfast weekdays.
  19 Dominick Street, Shandon, Cork City
  (021) 455 1888

• Fresco Bistro
  Brunch (menu) from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays and from 12 Noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays.
  Lower level of Lewis Glucksman Gallery, UCC Campus, Cork City
  (021) 490 1848
  Tables are in demand (reservations available by phone) and a stroll around the gallery afterward is a good excuse to eat something decadent. Evidently (and not surprisingly), it serves up the best food on UCC campus hands down. For peek inside their kitchen, check out the appetite-inducing video of the food as photographed by Neil Danton. Great location for art lovers.
• Crawford Gallery Café
  Brunch from 9:00 a.m.  to 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays. Breakfast weekdays.
  Crawford Gallery, Emmet Square, Cork City Centre
  Great location for art lovers. 
• Cafe Serendipity
  Breakfast/brunch from 8:00 a.m. Tuesday through Sunday
  Palace View, Western Road (opposite the River Lee Hotel), Cork City Centre
• Gwen’s Crepes
  Brunch menu from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays as well as Mondays through Fridays (regular menu after that)
  French Church Street, Cork City Centre
  Morning menu includes French omelets as well as their usual and large traditional French crepes.
• O’Flynn’s Gourmet Sausages
  Breakfast Daily
  Winthrop Street, Cork City
• Yellow Sub
  Breakfast daily
  Grand Parade & South Mall Junction, Cork City
• Nash 19
  Brunch from 8:30 a.m. on Saturdays. Breakfast Monday through Friday.
  Princes Street, Cork City Centre
• SoHo
  Brunch (menu) on weekends.
  Grand Parade at Washington Street, Cork City Centre
  Great if there’s a match on – have you seen their TV collection?
• 6ix
  Brunch (menu) on Sundays from 12 Noon with Disco DJ
  6 Bridge Street, Cork City
• Castle Cafe
  Brunch (menu) from 10 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays
  Blackrock Castle, Blackrock, Co.Cork.
• Serendipity Cafe
  Breakfast/Brunch from 8 a.m. on Saturdays.
  31 Palace View, Western Road, Cork City
• Bodega
  Brunch and lunch (menu) from 10:00am on Saturdays and Sundays.
  Corn Market Street, Cork City Centre
  
• Amicus
  Brunch (menu) from Noon on Sundays
  Paul Street, Cork City Centre
• Woodford
  Breakfast (menu) from 10:00am to Noon on Saturdays
  and Noon to 4pm on Sundays.
  Paul Street, Cork City Centre
• Cornstore
  Brunch (menu) on Sundays from Noon to 4pm
  Cornmarket

SPECIAL HOLIDAY BRUNCHES

• Orchids Restaurant at Hayfield Manor
  Serves a weekly special Sunday lunch (sample menu) and even more Special Gourmet Brunch a few times a year (Mother’s Day, Easter, Father’s Day, Jazz Festival).
• Greenes Restaurant
  Only open on Sundays for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Jazz weekend, and holiday weekends. Would be great on a sunny day if you grabbed a table by the waterfall!

WEEKEND LUNCH

• Ballymaloe Cookery School
  Though not in Cork City, is a notable destination serving lunch at 1:00pm with a regular menu on Saturdays and a special buffet on Sundays (details). The school offers a Brunch Cooking Course too. I went to Saturday lunch here for my birthday in 2009.
• Café Paradiso
  Lunch (menu) from 12 Noon to 3:00 p.m. on Saturdays.
• Market Lane
  Lunch from 12 Noon or 1 p.m. on weekends.
• FarmGate Restaurant
  Lunch from 12 Noon to 3:00 p.m. on Saturdays.
• Paradise Creperie
  French Church Street, Cork City

I link to their brunch or weekend morning menus whenever possible. Because you probably came here for information, I’m adding all the mouth-watering brunch photos to the end of this post. PLEASE NOTE: This post only lists the weekend hours. These establishments also have weekday hours which you can learn about by clicking on the restaurant name to visit their website. To help you locate the nearest spot to you, I’ve placed as many of these restaurants (or their host hotels) in a custom Google BRUNCH IN CORK Map. There’s also an @BrunchCork Twitter account and Brunch in Cork Facebook page devoted to this exact topic!

Brunch can be for friends to catch up after a busy week or a time for family to gather, especially for holidays like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Easter, Jazz Festival weekend or some such special occasion. But I like brunch any weekend!

Be sure to follow me on Twitter and Facebook for all the latest tasty updates.  

Brunch in Cork Google Map
@BrunchCork on Twitter
Brunch in Cork on Facebook

And now for those yummy photos I promised you… (there are MANY)

 

Did you know I design knitwear and published a book? Bake Knit Sew is available in paperback and ebook versions from select retailers (full list).

 eBook via Ravelry, $16 

 Paperback, €16