Coffee and Brunch in Drumcondra: Sit Down for Both
Coffee that comes with brunch: what is on the coffee bar, what to eat with it, and where to sit down with both in Drumcondra.
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If you’re looking for breakfast near Croke Park, Drumcondra is the easy answer. Our café is at 94 Drumcondra Road Lower, a short walk from the stadium, and on match days it’s one of the nicest ways to start the day: a proper sit-down breakfast, good coffee and no rush to the turnstiles.
This guide covers breakfast and weekend brunch, what to order, how to time it around throw-in, where to get a coffee on the way down, what we serve for lunch and later in the day, and how a concert night differs from a match day. It’s written by our own team at The Lovely Food Company, so the details come straight from the kitchen.
One thing worth saying first: we are a café seven days a week and a match day stop second. Whether there’s a game on or not, you’ll find us in the same place, with the same breakfast, the same coffee bar and the same seats outside.
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Croke Park sits right beside Drumcondra, and most fans who walk to the stadium pass through the area anyway. Drumcondra train station is on the same road as us, and Transport for Ireland describes it as the closest station to the stadium, about a five minute walk from the ground. Lots of Dublin Bus routes run along Drumcondra Road too.
That makes our café a handy meeting point. You can arrive by train or bus, meet the rest of your group, sit down for breakfast, and then walk to the ground without needing a taxi or a car park.
If you only want a coffee and a pastry to take with you, our sister café, Bread & Butter, is two doors away.
Most of the big fixtures at Croke Park fall at the weekend, which is also when brunch here is at its best. We open at 9am on Saturday and 10am on Sunday, and breakfast and brunch run until 1pm at the weekend, an hour later than on weekdays. That extra hour is the difference between a rushed bite and a proper sit down.
If you are after brunch near Croke Park rather than a full fry, these are the plates people come back for:
There is seating inside and out, so on a dry morning you can take a table on the path and watch the crowds build on their way down. If there are more than a few of you, book ahead and we will put a table together.
Breakfast runs until 12.30 on weekdays and 1pm at the weekend. These are the plates we would pick before a big day out:
We cook with Irish produce from suppliers we know by name. Our eggs come from Annalitten, a family farm in Castleblayney, County Monaghan, our sausages are award-winning P O’Connell sausages, and our black pudding comes from Dunnes of Wicklow. You’ll find the full breakfast menu, with allergens, on our menu page.
Curious about the fry itself? We wrote a whole piece on our full Irish breakfast, going through the plate one part at a time.
Plenty of people searching for a café near Croke Park are not going to a match at all. They are meeting someone off the train, filling an hour before a stadium tour, walking back from the Botanic Gardens, or just looking for somewhere in Dublin 9 to sit down with a coffee and not be hurried.
We are open seven days a week and the coffee bar runs all day. Sit in with a flat white and a scone, take one with you on the walk down to the ground, or settle in at a table for an hour. There is seating inside and out.
A few things worth knowing before you come:
More on the dogs, the families and both clubs on our Life at Lovely page.
A match day breakfast should feel like part of the day out, not a race. These seven tips help:
If your game starts late in the afternoon, you might prefer lunch instead. Our guide to lunch in Drumcondra goes through the all day menu dish by dish.
Every breakfast deserves a decent coffee. Our coffee bar serves espresso (€3.10), Americano (€3.65), cortado or macchiato (€3.65), and flat white, cappuccino or latte (€4.10 each). There’s also chai latte and matcha latte (€4.65), mocha (€4.20), hot chocolate (€4.15) and breakfast or herbal teas (€3.50). Oat or coconut milk is 50 cent extra.
In warm weather the iced Americano and iced latte are €5.20 each, and fresh orange juice is €4.15.
If you would rather eat on the walk, pick up a croissant (€3.60), an almond croissant (€3.65), a scone (€3.00) or a cinnamon bun (€4.25) from the counter.
Not every game is a morning game, and not every visit to Dublin 9 is about football. If you are looking for places to eat near Croke Park at lunchtime or later in the afternoon, our all day menu runs from the moment we open until we close.
The Lovely Granola, the American Style Pancakes and the House Sausage Roll come off the breakfast menu and are served all day as well, so a late brunch is always possible. There’s a dessert counter too, and the dessert menu changes, so ask your server what is in.
Feeding a group at home before or after the game instead? Our cold catering menu of sandwiches, wraps and salads starts at €9.95 a head, and the hot catering menu starts at €14.50 a head, both delivered ready to serve.
Croke Park is a concert venue as well as a stadium, and a concert day runs to a different clock than a match. Gate times and stage times are set for each event, so check yours on the Croke Park what’s on page and work back from there.
Because concerts are usually evening events, the useful window with us is lunch and the early evening rather than breakfast. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday we are open until 11pm, and from 6pm the café becomes The Lovely Wine Bar. Those three nights are the easy ones: eat before the gates open, or come back afterwards for a glass and something to share while the crowds clear.
On a Sunday, and from Monday to Wednesday, we close at 4pm, so plan to eat with us earlier in the day. Either way the all day menu is on from the moment we open, and the same walk that works for a match works for a concert.
One practical note: evening events bring far more people onto Drumcondra Road than a midweek afternoon does. If you want a table before a concert, book it.
Our normal opening hours are:
Most of the big games at Croke Park are at the weekend, so that is when people look for breakfast near Croke Park the most. On a Saturday we open at 9am, which suits an early start. On a Sunday we open at 10am and serve breakfast until 1pm, so for an afternoon throw-in there is plenty of time. Hours can change around big events, so a quick call before you set off never hurts.
Match days are often family days. Our Little Adults menu is served all day: sausage and scrambled eggs with toast (€7.50), sausage and crispy baby potatoes (€8.50), or two little pancakes with strawberries, banana and Nutella (€7.50). A babyccino is €1.50, and so is a puppuccino if your dog is part of the crew.
For a group, booking is the best way to sit together. Let us know how many are coming, and ring us if it’s a bigger crowd. For something larger again, the café is available for private hire in the evenings, for up to 30 guests seated or 30 to 40 standing, which suits a club outing or a family get together after a game.
On Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings from 6pm, our café becomes The Lovely Wine Bar. After a Saturday game or an evening concert, it’s a relaxed place to talk over the result with small plates, sharing boards and wines by the glass chosen with our local wine shop, Pinto Wines.
Start with smoked almonds (€5.50) or Nocellara olives (€4.50), add bruschetta (€8.00) or chicken liver pâté with toasted bread (€9.75), then share a board: the cheese board (€14.50) with Wicklow Brie, Smoked Gubbeen, Cashel Blue and mozzarella, the charcuterie board (€17.00), or The Michael Board (€23.00), our mix of Irish cheeses and cured meats. Wine flights are an easy way to try a few side by side.
Walk-ins are welcome. See the wine bar menu, or read our guide to small plates in Drumcondra.
The best part of having breakfast near Croke Park is the short walk afterwards. From our door you can simply follow the crowds to the stadium. Croke Park’s own travel page lists the bus routes that serve the stadium, including the 16 and 41 that run along Drumcondra Road.
Drumcondra train station has commuter and InterCity services and sits on the same road as us, so it’s easy to arrive by train, have breakfast, and walk on to the game. Extra trains are often laid on for event days, so check before you travel.
If you have time before or after, the National Botanic Gardens and Griffith Park are both a short walk from us as well. We wrote about that morning in our guide to the Botanic Gardens and brunch.
The Lovely Food Company, at 94 Drumcondra Road Lower, Dublin 9, is a short walk from the stadium. We serve breakfast until 12.30 on weekdays and 1pm at the weekend, seven days a week. Our sister café, Bread & Butter, two doors away, is there for coffee on the go.
Yes. Breakfast and brunch run until 1pm at the weekend, an hour later than on weekdays. We open at 9am on Saturday and 10am on Sunday. The American Style Pancakes (€14.50), Eggs Benedict (€14.95) and Avocado Toast & Eggs (€13.50) are the ones people order most.
Yes. The Lovely Food Company is open seven days a week at 94 Drumcondra Road Lower, a short walk from the stadium. The coffee bar runs all day, there is seating inside and out, and dogs are welcome.
It’s a good idea for the bigger games, as Drumcondra gets busy. Use the Book a Table button on our website or call us on (01) 830 9549.
We open at 9am on Saturdays and 10am on Sundays. On Saturdays we stay open until 11pm, and on Sundays until 4pm.
On Thursday, Friday and Saturday we are open until 11pm, and from 6pm the café becomes The Lovely Wine Bar, with small plates, sharing boards and wines by the glass. Walk-ins are welcome. On Sunday and from Monday to Wednesday we close at 4pm, so come to us earlier in the day.
Yes. The Vegetarian Irish (€15.50) comes with free range eggs, vegetarian sausage, halloumi, vine tomatoes, garlic roast potatoes, a portobello mushroom sauté and sourdough toast.
Yes. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings from 6pm we run The Lovely Wine Bar, with small plates, sharing boards and wines by the glass. Walk-ins are welcome.
Whether it’s breakfast near Croke Park before a game, brunch on a quiet Sunday, a coffee on the way past or a glass after a concert, we will see you on Drumcondra Road. To book a table, use the button on this page or ring us on (01) 830 9549, and have a look at the full menu before you come.
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Monday - Wednesday: 10am - 4pm
Thursday - Friday: 10am - 11pm
Saturday: 9am - 11pm
Sunday: 10am - 4pm