One of the many positives of being a member of Republic of Work is that our hub is smack bang in the middle of the real capital, CORK. Our marketing executive Colin O’Brien, is Cork through and through. So, in this blog he will go through the best spots to grab a coffee, a quick bite to eat, a quiet pint (or multiple pints) and other things to do around the city. That’s the beauty of having our hub in the middle of the city, you have so many amazing places right on your doorstep.

Spots to Grab a Coffee:

1-  My favourite spot to grab a coffee around the city is definitely the Crush Brew Bar, located on 45 Barrack Street. This location is only a quick 10 minute walk from us here at ROW. It’s one of my favourites because the brew bar itself is very easy on the eye and has the coffee to back it up. 

They serve locally brewed coffee from ‘West Cork Coffee’ and also serve local business ‘Grumpy Baker’ products to accompany a coffee of your choice. The lads up there provide you with a friendly service and are always open to a chat. They have recently decided to spread their expertise by offering barista training to people that want to deal their hand in the coffee industry. They also have a second location down in the Little Island Sports Complex that is also a drive-through to help you grab a lovely coffee whilst on the go. In both locations they have started serving toasted sandwiches that would make you drool. All sandwiches are made with fresh produce from The English Market. 

2-  Another great spot to grab a coffee is Dukes Coffee Company on Carey's Lane, only a little stroll away from ROW. Dukes is a family owned and operated business that has been serving Cork since 2005, they offer all different types of coffee ranging from espresso shots to iced lattes. 

The team in Dukes always give you a warm welcome whenever you enter and have you leaving with a smile on your face - along with a belly full of lovely coffee and food. They have a breakfast/brunch menu that would have you salivating looking at it, and they also have a scrumptious lunch menu as well, full of ciabattas bursting with flavour. If you ever go to Dukes, more often than not you will bump into someone from ROW!

Places for Food:

1-  My first recommendation will be a spot that you need to go to for breakfast! That spot is Liberty Grill, based on Washington Street in Cork CIty, only a short 5/10 minute walk from our hub. They have a vast selection of items to choose from, these range from their breakfast crumble to their lil’ American Breakfast. You wouldn’t get your standard full Irish grease fest here, but believe me you wouldn’t be long missing it! My breakfast of choice would have to be the Eggs Benedict, I was never a big fan of this dish but I was convinced to try it one day and haven’t looked back since. I was at the front of the queue trying to get another. The venue itself is very sleek, with their signature blue and white outside, but you step inside to see stone walls and freshly polished wooden floors. You would know that this place is hot property because every time I pass it there’s queues out the door. Luckily they have integrated a virtual WalkUp queue to help minimise your waiting time.

2- My second recommendation would be a spot where you can head for a lovely lunch and the fact that it is only 60 seconds away from us here in ROW makes it even better. This place is called The Long Valley, and to me it is a hidden gem of Cork City. 

It is a family run traditional Irish pub located on Winthrop Street, just after the Vodafone Store across the road from the GPO. It’s a proper pub that serves the most beautiful pints of Guinness, but that’s not the reason I’m sending you here, the reason is their doorstep sandwiches and soup of the day combos. These combos are to die for, the spot itself is a proper pub as well, with a warm feeling whenever you go in there, the funny part of this pub as well, is that the toilets have no ceiling! The soup and sandwich meal would have you full to the brim but also wanting more. 

Grabbing a Pint (or Multiple Pints):

1- The first spots I would recommend come hand in hand with each other, both only a stone's throw away from ROW. With Electric sharing South Mall with us and Sober Lane just across Parliament Bridge. Both locations have just been recently refurbished with a brand new look. Sober Lane has a brand new interior with cosy booths and a leafy garden room, whereas Electric has taken this time to refresh its dining options, by bringing in an Asian Fusion restaurant and an Ohm Cocktail Bar. 

For me, Electric is a perfect venue to go and enjoy a few cocktails for yourself. The staff there are very energetic and put their love of making cocktails on show. I’d recommend heading to Sober Lane for your sporting needs, because a night in the courtyard watching soccer, rugby or GAA would have you counting down the days until the next match. They also have quiz nights over there midweek, which get quite competitive but are also very enjoyable, if you ever decide to venture out on a Sunday, they have a coin toss from 4pm-8pm which can result in free drinks and feeling a little worse for wear on Monday morning! 

2- The next spot that you have to try when you are in Cork is The Castle Inn, located on North Main Street, which is about 5/10 minutes from ROW. This is the epitome of a traditional Irish pub, they have 4 taps in there Guinness, Beamish, Murphys and Heineken. This pub has hands down the best pint of Guinness that I have ever had. What makes this pub even more interesting is that it has a sign that says ‘No Mobile Phones Allowed’ which shows just what kind of pub this is. It is a family run pub and is also the oldest pub in Cork dating back to the 1800s and maybe even older. Definitely the first spot I’d visit when coming to Cork. 

Things to do on a Relaxing Day:

1- Marina Market, would definitely be at the top of my places to go on a day that you just want to chill out with your friends or family. Situated along the docks of Cork, which is about 10/15 min walk from ROW. This place has a food stall for anything you could think of, joined with coffee and smoothie stalls to help quench your thirst and a few sweet treat stalls for those with a sweet tooth. There are loads of spaces to sit down and enjoy yourself, more recently they have introduced a beauty bar and there is a barber moving in there in the coming weeks. My personal favourite place to go down there would be Taylors for their breakfast bap, Hansum for their rotisserie chicken ciabatta, a kreole from Poulez-Vous and if I’m feeling a sweet treat I’d be heading over to grab a cupcake from Messy Buns. For the thirsty people, I would recommend a coffee from Guji, Alchemy or Sicilian Delights and if you want to grab a healthy drink I’d head to No Sin. There are enough vendors down there to fulfil your needs for whatever type of food you wish for.

2- The final place that I would recommend would be The Mardyke Entertainment Complex, based on Sheares St which is roughly a 15 minute walk from ROW. The reason I love this spot is because of how much it offers, you can choose from Bowling, Darts, Pool/Snooker, Karaoke, Pub Quizzes, an Arcade Bar and many many more to choose from. Honestly, I could stay there for the full day - if I wouldn’t be judged for it! The funny thing is I actually did once, it was Paddy’s Day, I watched the Ireland v England game, then got food in what is now the Holy Smoke (which is absolutely sensational) then went upstairs for bowling and pool. It was a great day all and all, I would definitely do it again.

Hope you enjoyed my recommendations, I could go on forever about places to go and things to do in Cork but I said I would keep these recommendations for places close to Republic of Work. I’d love to hear from you if you choose to go to any of these places and also if you feel I have missed any other hidden gems around the city. You can make contact with me through our social media channel @republicofwork. Proud to have ye all in Cork, one of the best places in Europe, as many people say ‘Irish by Birth, Cork by the Grace of God.’