Cornucopia has been around since 1986 and is a Dublin institution for healthy, vegetarian food. They also cater to vegans, and people on gluten free, raw food, or low-sugar diets, with numerous codes listed after each dish on the menu (v, gf, etc.). Over the last few years they've improved and expanded, with nice seating upstairs and a more efficient counter space so the process of lining up, ordering food and finding a seat is now easy-peasy! Overall: Best Healthy Comfort Food Ever!
I had the Health Special (€11.95) that's advertised outside. It was an amazing meal and I thoroughly recommend it - not just for the health benefits but also because it's a great way to sample their amazing food. For 12 Euro you get a small soup (actually fairly big), salad greens plus your choice of two other salads, raw crackers (or bread if you prefer), vegan pâté, and a glass of green juice. For soup, I chose the sweet potato, butterbean and roast garlic and it was most delicious. Salad #1 was garlic potatoes with roast hazelnuts in vegan mayonnaise - this was truly amazing. It looks just like an everyday potato salad but it was the best I've ever had! The hazelnuts and vegan mayo really elevated it. Salad #2 was baked tofu, rice, arame, and scallion dressed in mirin and tamari - this was as good as or even better than the potato salad! The green juice was refreshing and light; nicely decorated with a sprig of celery. A great way to detox after a few nights out in Dublin. Having said that I did top off the meal with a glass of wine! (An organic Italian Montepulciano d'Abruzzo for €5.75 that turned out to be good also.)
I'm giving them 5/5 "green stars" for social and environmental impact. Kudos of course for being such a longstanding vegetarian restaurant, demonstrating to countless people over 30 years that meat isn't necessary for an enjoyable meal. They use local and organic suppliers for fruit and veggies whenever possible, and their dry goods (beans, rice, lentils, etc.) are also organic. They use Fair Trade coffees and teas, organic milk, and free-range eggs for all cooking and baking.
They don't generate a lot of waste and recycle and compost the majority of whatever is generated. They re-use plastic containers wherever possible and encourage customers to bring in their own take-away containers. If you take food away but don't bring a container, they provide recyclable or biodegradable containers and biodegradable forks and knives. My only complaint was that their pate was served in little plastic containers even though we were eating in house, although they are at least recyclable. Their electricity is wind-generated, provided by Airtricity and they use natural gas for all cooking. They also have a bike-to-work scheme for employees.
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