It was a cool, dry 5c this morning in this Irish border town. It was St Patrick's day eve…read more We were in the town's 'legal quarter' near their courts where people receive the law rather than 'justice'. The two are rarely seen together and when they are often it's unintended. Unlike my Yelp friend Grey, who seems rarely to slow or stop, I arose early reluctantly on this morning, as I normally only do so to go on holiday, but I had agreed to assist someone negotiate a complex matter that once done with the dotted line signed (it was a dotted line) a human life saw a familiar world change utterly completely in a few seconds and I believe very likely for the better. We'll see. As we left the official task which took a whole 25 minutes we enquired about good coffee from our host, who pointed us to 23 Seats just a short walk away from our Roden place venue. We were assured it was wonderful. It was. The wall sign above the door reads 23 eats until you get close enough to see the S wedged into the front wall. They've done well if they have 23 seats. I doubt they could host 23 folks simultaneously. I didn't count them but it sure is a compact and bijou coffee place. It's within Dundalk town centre, with character and a soul; quirky music tastes, environmentally focussed, and vegans cheerfully catered for oh and I smile to confirm its pet friendly too. We only needed good coffee and that's what we got: we opted for one cappuccino and one flat white - €6 for both. We paid up front by card so we could just go when we were done. We had a table near the rear entrance and, as they were receiving a delivery, it wasn't pleasant as a chilly damp breeze came through the door left open. This is one of those places that are now rare to me as I really want to go back to explore their food selections as it's not a typical coffee stop - they think about the environment and they focus on meeting diverse customer needs. So five green stars. I'm not a vegan but if the ingredients are to my taste I couldn't care less about the label. Who wants chemical filled food of food coloured by derivatives from the crude oil and petroleum industry; I'd rather not. The staff too were charming despite the huge pressures small independent businesses and poorer families must faces for at least the next five years. We in the West are in a war economy between Wu flu and a lunatic white supremacist admired maybe emboldened by a (now thankfully) former US president; an autocrat with unfettered power, who has accumulated personal wealth and with his mongrel side-kick seems to think they can control 45 million people against their will with in humane force. I do not wish him well.

I have discovered the chai latte and an amazing pizza : CHEESE LOVER…read more I remember one waiter soooooo cool. An institution in dundalk !!!

This place is great!…read more Quick and friendly service (with a smile), delicious pastries, and great Chai Latte. There is a small patio outside to take in the sights and sounds while people watching. Can't wait to come back tomorrow morning!

Great coffee and friendly staff, a good spot to chill. The muffins are tasty also. What more could…read moreyou ask for!

Came here after hearing great great things from family in the area. We had the shakshuka and…read morecoffee. It was just amazing. And then we had desserts which was just out of this world. Stranfield we will be back

Vegetarian café with great food and ambiance (4.5/5 Green Stars)…read more We stopped here en route to Carlingford on a friend's recommendation and all three of us were very happy we did. The place is lovely - the café is filled with light and plants and the surroundings are beautiful. Mum is a picky eater but she relished the mushroom quiche and finished the entire piece even though it was huge! (Seriously - about three times the size of portions elsewhere.) My brother loved his herbed rice bowl and I liked the organic porridge with fruit and the pistachio plum cake. The only kink was that several items arrived much later than the food - the coffees, bread, and honey for my porridge (I had already finished my porridge by then). The store is filled with great stuff - fresh fruit and veg, and a good selection of some of the most ethical products. Weirdly, the Strandfield website contains no info other than an address, so you have to rely on reviews to get info in advance. The lunch menu is mostly comprised of sourdough pizza, salads (including a quinoa bowl and herbed rice bowl), and sandwiches - see menu photo. There are also lots of bakery items, including freshly baked scones, cakes and wheaten bread (which was really good - I bought one to take home). I'm giving Strandfield café 4.5 out of 5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact, for these reasons: · I didn't actually notice at the time but the menu is 100% vegetarian! · Strandfield uses free range eggs from their own farm. · My porridge was made with organic oats · Flowers and plants in the café come from Stranfield's own nursery · The grocer sources local and organic fruits and vegetables along free range eggs, and organic health foods · The store stocks a really good selection of ethical goods - I could do most of my shopping here if I lived here. · Strandfield would benefit from providing more info (on the website or menu) on ingredient sourcing.

Eight of us rolled up for coffee and cakes including two kids. We had just come from Easter egg…read morerolling and a mountain walk, so we already had eaten enough sugar to last us a week but the cafe's coffee waft was irresistible. Remarkably we were able to sit outside the cafe as the mid afternoon temperature had hit a balmy 17c, phew. We settled into the outside bench style seating. The coffees were really ace quality and the service quick and friendly. It's a very small cafe in a very small seaside town close to the Irish border and it's just a two minute walk down the street to the seafront and the mostly pebble beach with great views of the Cooley and Mourne mountains. The cafe was busy although I'd imagine it's the holiday periods and Sunday tourist trade that allows it to survive. I did look at the small harbour to see if the ferry boat was crossing from Warrenpoint in Northern Ireland but I couldn't see it. I think it's called the red star line run by a private family for most of my lifetime - a unique experience if you ever get the chance but it's possible that the relatively new Carlingford ferry has stolen much of its trade.

AMAZING. This stuff was like crack, my good reviews are short and my bad reviews are long. Just…read morecome and eat this, location is kinda odd and out of the way (i even work in downtown)

Really excellent little tea/bakery/deli right on Ardee's main street! I had just missed a bus down…read moreto Drogheda so had an hour to kill and wandered into this place as it was the only sit-in place open at noon on the main street. Bright and airy and cute, large windows which allow lots of light in, and surprisingly quiet given the traffic outside. Perfect for quiet conversations or a bite for one. They have wifi if you wish but I got lost in the décor and feel of the place, not to mention the tantalizing menu descriptions! Prices are really reasonable (especially from someone living in Dublin) and I was well filled for lunch after a gourmet sandwich and a delightful Earl Grey + Blue Flower tea they offered. The staff were friendly and attentive without being overbearing, and the place is absolutely spotlessly clean but without an unpleasantly sterile feel - like your exceptionally clean mum's kitchen! Will definitely be back again if I'm able, excellent experience all around.

Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous. Why don't more people from Celbridge come here?! I don't get it! Maybe…read morebecause you can't access it from the main street in your car any more?! If I still lived in Celbridge, this is definitely somewhere I'd be frequenting a lot more.. eh.. frequently..!!! Or maybe it's the lack of online presence?! I can't find anything about the cafe on the Castletown House website for example?! Why?! So here's what ye do. Go for a whopper walk up along the river, go over to the obelisk and imagine what it would have been like to have been hanging out with the Connolys and Johnathan Swifts and the likes, get a bitta wind in your hair, then get yourself over into the Courtyard Cafe in the grounds of the wonderful Castletown House, and get the warmth back in you. Get a nice sambo or hot meal and a lovingly made hot chocolate and cake to finish. You'll walk home with a spring in your step, guaranteed.

Walked here for brunch, food was delicious, coffee outstanding and wait staff super friendly!read more

I love the people that work here, I come here with my friend every so often to get a drink and it…read morealways turns out amazing. Its also great for studying, while me myself havent tried it i know it would be great as I have seen people working on their laptops. The atmosphere is also amazing. 10/10

A pretty soulless place really within an out of town shopping centre, mostly but not all down to…read moreCovid & lockdown with folks behind masks. Let's hope this isn't the future. The coffee in paper cups wasn't great; these were poor-tasting cappuccinos, so despite all the expensive equipment, presumably great quality coffee beans, perhaps skilled roasting yet something must be missing for them to churn this awful stuff out. It wasn't worth the money. Worse still, last time we were here they had at least tables and chairs right outside the cafe but they were all stacked up inside by 3pm Saturday. I don't know if the tables and chairs had been outside earlier but it's just not good enough. All in all, it was so poor I doubt I'll go back again, maybe this is also why we were the only two punters in the place mid Saturday afternoon and nobody outside drinking coffee. I noted also that there weren't any bins outside to dispose of the paper cups equally unacceptable.

Four of us were in the nearby Canal Court hotel for our Sunday lunch when coffee was suggested…read more I thought it sensible to go next door to Grounded as I'd remembered that their coffee is ace and certainly well ahead of this hotel in quality but certainly not price. It has to be many years since I last had a coffee here, as I prefer other places that don't open on Sunday. I also identify its main customer base as the younger generation. I was surprised to find it almost empty on an early Sunday afternoon when my memory was that it was usually full. It's not a big place by any means and currently operates a one way system - one door in and a different door exiting. They are also only serving coffees etc in paper/plastic cups (even Starbucks have locked away the ceramics.) We had three coffees (cappuccino) and an iced drink. The coffees were ace and the service friendly. Our son wasn't impressed by his iced drink - he thought it insipid and watery. The piped music was great, but I must say I found the seating uncomfortable and the furnishings were as jaded as I now feel most days. Next time I want a Sunday afternoon coffee and I'm right next door I'll likely pop in but I'm afraid I do prefer a comfy seat.

Pretty darn good, this is where the young trendy things of Newry go to be seen (and you cant be…read moremissed with the glass windows!) Menu could be more extensive to suit its long opening hours, it really offers nothing in the way of hot food, apart from soup but what you get is good. Eco friendly and its all about fair trade and saving the rain forest in here. Great concept and well run, some of the staff are a bit way out looking but, hey I'm a geriatric so what the hell do I know about facial piercings? Sandwiches, bagels, paninis etc, and all day breakfasts

Everything about Craic'd Pot Coffee House is pretty perfect. Especially good coffee, ambiance,…read morevegan snacks and service from cheerful staff. Although their vegan offerings aren't huge, in terms of the usual vegan options in Armagh what is available here is good. Small range of vegan German Biscuits, chocolate and Rocky Road Tray-bakes. Haven't yet tried any savoury food, but there's a salad/ sandwich counter so I'm sure they could create a few vegan meals. Lovely coffee house in which to catch-up with friends or relax at a window seat and watch the sleepy, slow-moving streets of Armagh...