It just has to get 5 stars really. There is something so endearing about this café. It's not huge, it gets incredibly packed and it seems like there is no chance of somewhere to sit, there are lines to order....however these are things to be ignored! The Farmgate has an enviable position overlooking the English Market. If you sit on the stools at the bench lining one side you have a bird's eye view for excellent people watching. The lines move quickly and the staff will not only bring your food to you, but will also help to find you a seat so navigating the throngs of happy diners is not an issue. Incidentally, I was in here on Saturday and had to wonder if there was insanely strict hiring process. ALL the waiters were really really friendly and helpful as well as rather good looking! It definitely helps the ambience. The food is good quality, fresh food cooked well. It's feelgood food for me-comfort food made with fine ingredients. On Saturday I had pea and mint soup with brown bread and shared lemon tart. Both were gorgeous. The coffee came with free top-ups and we stayed longer than we should have! The menu changes daily and seasonally but generally has full meals, sandwiches, soups, scones and the most gorgeous cakes. A more formal restaurant is across the way, connected by the landing. I do plan on visiting there sometime too. If I can manage not to be distracted by the big cake display again... read more

I come for coffee and stay for the people watching! Am never disappointed! If you ask when paying, they'll give you a WiFi card that'll give you 20mins free WiFi access. Also, don't be shy about asking for a coffee refill - they'll always oblige. read more

If you can only eat at one restaurant in Cork, this is probably where you should come. Farmgate has been doing farm-to-table since waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay before it was cool. The atmosphere is decidedly old school, with French jazz records playing and very professional waitstaff. The menu is small and highly dependent on what's available from the market downstairs. Oh right, I forgot to mention that its on the mezzanine level of the English Market, which is one of the best public markets in the world. Anyway, the food in the restaurant section of Farmgate is a little pricy, but you can eat a reasonable meal here. The smoked and pickled seafoods are a top pick as is the fish chowder. They also have outstanding complimentary Irish soda bread. For a less formal meal, you can eat at the counter service portion of Farmgate on the other side of the courtyard. read more

It's often packed out in this spot, so choose your times wisely. I adored the seafood chowder & brown bread.

This place is amazing. It has the best location in Cork, overlooking the central area of the English Market. The food is traditionally Irish, fresh and delicious. During my visit, I had a toasty made with mushroom and cheese and a potato leek soup. If you are visiting Cork, you have to go to this place! read more

Weird menu, I'm not a picky eater, but there was nothing I really liked. Sausages, dried fish, some other weird crap. It is upstairs from the English market, and it was really really hot. Not my kind of place. I am sure the food is fresh but there are a lot of other options. read more

We had an excellent Irish breakfast here- it's on the top floor of the English market and the map on yelp isn't accurate just FYI. Great atmosphere and food! read more

Fresh and delicious food. Small group decided to eat while at the English Market in Cork so we went upstairs to Farmgate. Enjoyed butternut squash tart, watercress soup, and spicy chicken sandwiches along with cappuccinos. The food was so fresh. Definitely try the tart. Excellent. I would love to go back! Nothing like fresh food! read more

If you're in Cork, you need to check this place out. My boyfriend and I came here for our first meal after landing in Cork, and we loved it! The lamb stew was superb, the best I've ever had. The seafood chowder, bread, and potatoes were delish. Wish that we had gone back to try the breakfast. read more

Grotesquely overrated. A tiny overpriced menu, and always crowded. This place is a tourist trap trading on its location in the English Market. Avoid. read more

Great stop to eat. Best breakfast we had in our trip. Irish breakfast meal and fruit scone was to die for. read more

Farmgate Cafe - Irish Near Me - Cork, Colorado

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I came here with a large group and the staff was very friendly and accommodating. I got the goat cheese salad and it was so good! Really, one of the best meals I ate while in Ireland! read more

This has got to be one of the great places to have breakfast. You sit on a balcony overlooking a busy, and picturesque, market so it feels like the open air even though you're indoors. Have a healthy breakfast or an unhealthy one or confuse yourself with a mixture, read the papers on offer, and lounge for an hour or two. There's even a public table where you can start up conversations with complete strangers. And if you lounge around long enough the lunches aren't bad either. read more

Good quality, ''home-cooked' food is on offer at this cafe. The menu isn't hugely fancy or ornate, but honest-to-goodness tasty food that is just right on a winter's day (or any day, given the Irish weather) read more

Great spot to have lunch while checking out the market or shopping high street. Specials are the way to go. The soup, potato leak, was excellent. Steak special also very good. Top it off with an Irish coffee. read more

This review is just based on customer service from the owner- not the food. We heard wonderful things about the market place (lovely!) and this cafe. I was grabbing a gift for a friend downstairs and when I arrived upstairs in the cafe, the owner was yelling at my husband to leave her restaurant. He had a sausage in his hand from another vendor. Of course it's understandable when restaurants only want u in their dining area with their food, but rather than calling security for goodness sakes and yelling at him, she could have given him a moment to speak and realized that her very own manager told my husband it was alright to finish his sausage there on the stairs outside the restaurant and that we did indeed plan to eat there! As He was trying to explain to her she was just yelling at him to "please LEAVE please LEAVE!!" She could have at least said, "i understand the mgr. said _, but unfortunately we require that all outside food be eaten downstairs. wed love to have u dine with us when u are finished with that meal." My husband and i have both had a lot of professional experience in customer service and are global travelers. We understand that there are differences between cultures, however Ireland and the US are not worlds apart. For the owner: a good restaurant is not just about the food, but the experience and service u provide- including to difficult customers or customers who may not be aware of your rules! By listening to the customers needs (which the mgr. did- thank u!) rather than jumping to conclusions, you can work to provide a harmonious experience for all parties involved which of course will benefit the growth/maintenance of ur business!!. Also, My husband would have picked up he pickle he dropped if you only gave him a chance and I would have returned to eat our lunch there but was afraid someone would spit in our food. To everyone else: don't bring food from an outside vendor unless u are purposefully trying to cause a disturbance. Other than this, Cork has been pretty neat! read more

Over-priced and over-rated. The food is good not great. It's a bit of an institution that's trading on an era when mediocre food was the norm and it stood out from the rest, but thankfully things are changing. If you eat here you'll get decent food but nothing exciting. read more

There's nothing quite like an open air market - the hustle and bustle, the smells of fresh produce, the vibrant buzz of conversation and haggling. Unfortunately, they don't tend to put sit-down cafes in open air markets, but in the covered stalls of the Old English market, the Farmgate cafe is as close as you can get to absorbing the atmosphere of a real market, without the inevitable mud and rain that traditionally accompany them. Situated on an elegant balcony overlooking the fountain below, the Farmgate is one of the best people-watching spots in the city. And being so close to all the produce traders in the stalls underneath them, the majority of their food is made with organic ingredients, as fresh as they would be at the proverbial farm gate - they do a mouthwatering range of home baking, as well as some tasty fresh salads and sandwiches for lunchtime, at practically market prices to boot. And if you get bored of watching the shoppers below, they have a range of newspapers available to read through while you sip your (excellent) coffee. A trip to Cork isn't complete without a visit to the Old English Market - so grab lunch upstairs while you're there! read more

Came out of the terrible rain, soaked, with 7-year old in tow at 4:20. No food "except what's on the counter", despite the fact that the man in front of me asked about a sandwich and was told they had sandwiches for sale. No soup, except the lady who came 15min after us and happily received a chowder. Maybe it was 'no hot food for Americans' day at the cafe, but either way staff was rude and made for a sad experience we drove through traffic and walked through rain to get to (made a special trip to experience this place). After haggling, I was allowed to order the ham sandwich, which is supposed to be toasted with onion/ham/cheese, but got that standard fare: thin, cold ham with butter and stale bread. I almost cried as I watched everyone around me with deliciousness in front of them. Got treated like just another tourist. read more

Had the Shepard's pie - was good but wasn't completely blown away by it. Great atmosphere. The market was incredible!

Our favorite place for lunch (no dinner). Good excellent tasting food supplied fresh from the downstairs market. Call to reserve or you may not finder à spot. read more

Nice fresh food, you can tell the owners take pride in the selection and making of the dishes. Good buzz and atmosphere although it can get very busy. I have been many times and have never had a bad experience. my only problem may be that the food is too 'traditional' for my taste but I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone in cork. read more