You should be able to access the most important meal of the day no matter the time.
If you’re like me, then you 1) consider breakfast the most elite meal of the day and 2) don’t subscribe to the idea that it’s only for morning time. Nothing grinds my gears like going somewhere for food, at what we know as “lunch time”, only to discover that the restaurant or café have stopped serving breakfast for the day.
It is never too late in the day for scrambled eggs, or pancakes, or French toast in my eyes, and thankfully there are a few Dublin locations that agree with me on this point.
Whether you’re hoping to wrap your gob around a breakfast burrito, get cutting into a fat stack of pancakes as if they’re your wedding cake, or you’re one of those odd people who always opts for the porridge (look, to each their own), then these are the top Dublin spots that serve the ever lovely All Day Breakfast.
13. Vanilla Pod Eatery
Multiple locations, more info here
A café / restaurant that does brekkie any which way is The Vanilla Pod Eatery. Whether you’re a granola girl (can’t relate, but fair play to you all), a pancake enthusiast (now we’re talking) or go eggstatic for eggs (you’re talking my language) you can find all of it on this wide and varied menu, served all-day long.
With four locations, those on the southside are absolutely spoiled, whether they’re based in Dún Laoghaire, Leopardstown, Carrickmines, or Blackrock. Some of the prices are a little steep, but the staff are never anything short of sunny in disposition, the food is fresh and stacked high, not to mention they have some of the cutest mugs in Dublin – which isn’t a reflection on the food, but does have the tendency to put a smile on your face.
That said, the full Irish sits at €14.90, and includes sausies, bacon, a fried egg, black and white pudding, roast tomato, potato hash, mushrooms, and toast, which ain’t half bad.
Prepare to be waiting in a queue because VP famously doesn’t take bookings, and despite their years of service, they remain ever popular as a spot for some grub.
Smashed Chilli Avocado on Sourdough12. Beanhive
Dawson Street & Baggot Street, Dublin 2, more info here
Beanhive will always first and foremost be known as the café that does the insane latte art – a quick scroll on their Instagram is enough to have all the Insta and TikTok girlies heading to Dawson Street (or to Baggot Street at their brand new premises) to sip a coffee with Winnie the Pooh embossed in the froth, or a capybara, or a little frog beneath a toadstool.
Yet, they have another trick up their sleeve, and it’s just as worthy of being shouted about – they do a full Irish breakfast, morning, noon, and early evening, where you’ll get two sausies, two pieces of bacon, a fried egg, beans, your toast, and the option of a hot drink, soft drink, or juice, all for €16.
It comes in vegan and vegetarian variations too if you’ve gone off meat or dairy, but still want to feel the comfort of all this grease on a plate.
11. Howard’s Way
Churchtown, Dublin 14, more info here
Howard’s Way is the kind of unassuming café you’d easily walk by, but they do some of the home-iest and comforting food on the southside.
There’s nothing pretentious or over the top about Howard’s Way, just big plates of good food and reasonable prices. I’ve spent many a hungover morning here with my pals, never knowing for certain if that fried egg or hash brown will kill me or cure me, but all I can say is I’m still standing, and HW has a lot to do with it.
Not only does Howard’s Way do all day breakfast, their menu is huge. You have the pick of your poison, be that a full Irish, a fruity smoothie, or a stack of pancakes.
Plus they have a covered outdoor area, which is gorgeous on a hot day, but also cosy when the rain falls, complete with blankets and a full gazebo so you can take in the stormy weather without getting soaked.
Howard’s Way operates in Churchtown and opens every day until 5pm.
10. Lemon Jelly Café
Millenium Walkway, Dublin 1, more info here
Lemon Jelly might initially strike you as more of a pancake spot, or more specifically crepe spot, but they’ve been known to flip more than pancoga in their pans, also serving omettes all-day long, which positions them as an all-day breakfast kinda place in my mind.
While their breakfast and brunch menu is technically only available until midday, the lunch menu has two dozen variations of crepes, and nine different kinds of omelette, all served with toast, so we’ll let you be the judge on whether that counts as a spot of breakfast or not. The crepes start at just €5.50 too, making them a cheap eat in a city full of spenny ones.
9. Metro Café
South William Street, Dublin 2, more info here
Metro Café does an absolutely banging all day breakfast on the ever trendy South William Street.
They have all the usual suspects when it comes to the morning meal, but if you’re in dire need of an all-in f*** off breakfast, the only suitable option has to be the Metro Special. This hefty plate consists of scrambled egg, streaky bacon, cherry tomatoes, relish, alongside buttermilk pancakes absolutely dripping in golden syrup – it’s giving Denny’s vibes and we’re super into it.
Metro is a walk-in location only, ideal for impromptu wanders about town that naturally get your stomach grumbling.
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8. Urban Health
Ranelagh, Dublin 6, more info here
Urban Health feels more like you’ve stepped into a café in LA rather than under the bridge in Ranelagh, proving to be a nice escape from reality, one smoothie at a time.
If you love breakfast, but a full fry ain’t for you, then Urban Health has loads of wonderful veggie and vegan options, from acai bowls to tofu scramble to breakfast burritos. Every plate is packed full of colour from all the fruit and veg, and it’s the kind of place you’ll leave satisfied, but not absolutely bursting out of your jeans.
One for the yoga and pilates guys and girlies, what these dishes lack in grease, they more than make up for in flavour.
7. Ian’s Kitchen
Kimmage, Dublin 12, more info here
If you live or work in the Crumlin/Kimmage catchment area you’ll be familiar with the royal blue exterior of Ian’s Kitchen, and the permanent queue outside the door particularly on weekends. If you’ve often passed and wondered to yourself, is the queue worth it? I’m here to report it is, particularly if you order the buffalo chicken benny served up with juicy tenders from Ian’s first culinary venture, Cluck Chicken. While this spot might veer more into brunch territory, we’re including it anyway because it’s just that good. The crispy chicken eggs benny in their creamy hollandaise sauce will restore your faith in this more-ish midmorning mealtime.
Known for their viral-y dishes of frothy pancakes and ornate hot chocolate, the team also have fresh takes on classic dishes, such as monkfish tacos, banana bread french toast, and poached salmon potato cakes, all of which make this place well worth a visit, and all of which is available to order all day long.
6. Póg
Multiple locations, more info here
Naturally anyone heading to Póg probably only has one thing on the brain – pancakes. It’s what they’re known for, they’re good at it, and it’s nice to be able to waltz in at any given point in the day and know you can get a stack to your table within 20 minutes of ordering.
However, Póg is anything but a one trick pancake flipping pony – we were recently raving about their inclusive afternoon tea offerings- and another thing they’re great at is their all-day brekkie menu.
You can get your acai bowls, your avo toast, even strawberry cheesecake French toast (oui oui). But they also do a full Irish board – yes, your fry comes on a board in a much classier way than that episode of Come Dine With Me (although possibly not as iconic). Bacon, black pudding, spicy beans, gourmet sausages, fried eggs, grilled halloumi, sourdough – it’s got a €17 price tag, which is up there in cost, but that’s what you’ve gotta pay for a board.
5. Keogh’s Café
Trinity Street, Dublin 2, more info here
This central spot opens until 6pm every day, and serves breakfast throughout. With the exception of pancakes, Keogh’s very much stays within the breakfast sphere as opposed to branching into brunch, serving three different kinds of Irish fry (full, mini, veggie) as well as an omelette, granola, porridge, breakfast bap, and of course an ole reliable, eggs on toast. While you may be able to whip it up in a jiffy at home, I’m definitely an eggs on toast kinda gorl at heart.
There’s something about the way your food is plated up, the tableware, that feels incredibly homey, although we’re sure you have a slab of Kerry Gold and not just a teeny rectangle on rotation at any given time.
Keoghs Cafe is open well into the evening too, none of this closing at 3 o’clock nonsense, so you could feasible be tucking into your fry after your 9-5 – someone alert Dolly.
4. Del Río’s Café
Marlborough Street, Dublin 1
If you’re looking for an all-day breakfast that won’t break the bank, look no further than Del Río’s Café in the city centre.
Each of their breakfast offerings comes with complimentary tea or coffee, and their most expensive dish, the big breakfast, is just €10, for which you get 2 bacon, 2 sausages, 2 eggs, pudding, beans or mushrooms, as well as your toast.
The ultimate greasy spoon in Dublin? We think so.
3. Mad Yolks
Smithfield, Dublin 7 & Rathmines, Dublin 6, more info here
Mad Yolks does one thing, and one thing well. Egg baps. You’d be surprised how much this has become a trend in recent years, and though we’re slower than normal on the upkeep (Dublin normally loves to jump on the next big thing and then produce 10 of them, doughnut shop style) Mad Yolks is waving the flag for egg sambos that Egg Slut raised in LA back in 2011.
And to go back on my earlier statement that they do one thing, and one thing well, they also do some cracking hash browns and if they ever wanted to start up a restaurant with those as the sole purpose, we’d be in first in line.
2. The Cheeky Piglet
Fumbally Court, Dublin 8, more info here
A Lovin favourite, The Cheeky Piglet is a godsend as one of the best Dublin spots serving All Day Breakfast. Many a day we’ve wandered in for some hash browns (some of the best in all the city, and we don’t say that lightly), some eggs, a full Irish, a ham and cheese croissant – as a team, we’ve steadily made our way through the majority of the menu now honestly, and it’s always incredible.
Plus the staff at Cheeky are some of the loveliest and most welcoming that you’ll find in the city, not least of which is the café cat that you may or may not be lucky enough to witness upon your visit, which can be the making of your lunch hour when work is getting on top of you. Add in that Cheeky is a dog-friendly café, which its loyal customers have certainly made the most of, and you’re in for nothing but feel-good vibes.
Tucked away into Fumbally Court, Dubliners would be wrong to not take a gander inside this breakfast haven.
1. ALMA
Portobello, Dublin 8, more info here
ALMA is one of my favourite places to get breakfast or brunch in the city, and it happens to be served all day long. My recommendation is always the poached eggs, which are unlike any poached eggs you’ve ever experienced.
I am an egg fiend, and I do not subscribe to the idea that they can only be enjoyed before 11am. It matters not what time you’re digging into those yolks, they’ll make you happy morning, noon, or night. What Argentinian restaurant ALMA does to poached eggs is nothing short of visionary, and as someone often disappointed in poached eggs (vinegary, uncooked, phlegmy, you know the kind I mean) this dish is one I dream of more often than I care to admit.
Simply called Alma’s Poached Eggs, the dish comes with two free-range poached eggs, smashed avocado, garlic portobello mushrooms, feta cheese, and salsa criolla on organic Tartine sourdough – piled high, like a little volcano, whereby the feta replaces the lava (and they do not cheap out on the feta, I’m happy to report).
Of course, ALMA is also known for their pancakes, vegan hummus toast, and the Choripan Argento, an Argentinian-style sausage on sourdough, so if I somehow haven’t sold you on the eggs, there will undoubtedly be lots of things for you to enjoy.
We hope in the future there’ll be more spots in Dublin sorting us out with an All Day Breakfast, not just these absolute GOATs. Time is just a construct after all, and it is 2024. When will we throw off the shackles of regimented meal times and be able to enjoy some eggs benny at 5pm everywhere? I hope it’s soon.
Have we missed out on any All Day Breakfast spots in Dublin? Let us know at [email protected]
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