About 30 metres from Castlecomer Square, Sara Jane Condon’s delightful coffee shop is now a few doors down from its original location and in larger, brighter premises, which is helping her excellent business to thrive.
A smart glassed frontage with potted shrubs invites passers-by into a charmingly designed room where retro white tiles line the food area and there are simple polished tables with plain bentwood chairs, an antique clock and mirrors, bookshelves and low pendant lights. It has a pleasantly old-fashioned feeling, with low classical background music creating a relaxed ambience and newspapers and books to browse.
If you’re looking for breakfast, there’s a vegetarian option as well as the traditional full breakfast, and a very good coffee and tea selection too.
Daily lunch specials are displayed on a blackboard and they serve a dozen types of sandwich on a choice of breads, baps, wraps and bagels, all at well under five euro. Or you can have a homemade soup of the day, omelettes, warm salads, and various other options.
But the big attraction is Sara Jane’s baking skills, and everything is baked in the café. Try a dessert - a gluten free chocolate brownie or a lemon meringue cake, perhaps - or a freshly baked mixed berry scone with cream and homemade jam, and take time to enjoy it with a really good cup of coffee.
Everything is beautifully presented and served by local waitresses. The cooking is simple but it is a delight - and so is Sara Jane’s smile as she greets new arrivals from behind the counter. With that and the smell of fresh coffee and home baking, what more could you ask for - real Irish hospitality at its best.
