Cafeography
Dublin · Rathmines & Ranelagh

Cafés in Rathmines & Ranelagh

Rathmines Road's roasters and Ranelagh's village cafés, just over the Grand Canal on the Luas Green Line.

Photo: Selim Karadayı, Pexels License

Rathmines and Ranelagh sit just south of the Grand Canal. Rathmines became a township by Act of Parliament in 1847, later took in Ranelagh, and joined the city in 1930. Its town hall clock has four faces that often disagree, so locals call it the Four Faced Liar.1 Ranelagh, once a village called Cullenswood, is named after pleasure gardens opened in 1766 and modelled on the Ranelagh Gardens in Chelsea.2

Rathmines Road Lower is the café spine on one side, with Creed Coffee Roasters, Alpha Espresso, Bark Coffee and Grove Road at No. 1 by the canal. On the other, Ranelagh's main street has 3fe at The Triangle, Dime Coffee Co. and Er Buchetto, and One Kinda Folk is round the corner on Dartmouth Road.

Local tip: Sunday coffee here takes planning: 3fe at The Triangle is closed on Sundays, while One Kinda Folk on Dartmouth Road opens at 09:00.

At a glance

28Cafés listed
3With opening hours
07:30Earliest opening
16:30Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: 3fe The Triangle, from 07:30 (Mon–Fri 07:30–15:30 · Sat 09:00–16:00).
  • Closes latest: Er Buchetto, until 16:30 (Mon Closed · Tue–Sat 09:30–16:30 · Sun 10:00–16:30).
  • Most listed streets: Rathmines Road Lower (7), Ranelagh (6), Rathgar Road (3).
  • Most common features: wheelchair access (25%), outdoor seating (21%), smoke-free indoors (18%).

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Coffee chains in Rathmines & Ranelagh

Getting there

The Luas Green Line, opened on 30 June 2004 largely on the route of the old Harcourt Street railway, stops at Charlemont, Ranelagh and Beechwood.3 The Ranelagh stop is on Ranelagh's main street, across the road from the arts centre, which shows work by local artists and holds regular open calls.2

Rathmines Library, on the Rathmines side, opened on 24 October 1913 with a grant of £8,500 from Andrew Carnegie. From the 1930s the area was known across Ireland as Flatland, for the big Georgian and Victorian houses split into rented rooms for junior civil servants and students.1

Prices along Rathmines Road

Some of the lower specialty prices in Dublin are out here. In August 2026 Nick's Coffee on Ranelagh Road charged €3.30 for a flat white and Creed on Rathmines Road Lower €3.60 (it charged the same at its Pearse Street café), while Grove Road Cafe asked €4.10 and 3fe at The Triangle €4.25.4

On Rathgar Road, at the southern edge, Tribe D6 charged €3.80 and Ernesto's €4.20.4

Ranelagh village

3fe's Triangle café opens 07:30–15:30 on weekdays and 09:00–16:00 on Saturdays. One Kinda Folk on Dartmouth Road opens at 08:00 on weekdays and 09:00 at weekends, and Er Buchetto at 55 Ranelagh closes on Mondays.

Urban Health on Fields Terrace is a health-focused café with a long list of vegetarian and vegan options and allergens clearly marked.5 It has outdoor seating, as do Er Buchetto and Fallon & Byrne on Castlewood Avenue. Two Fifty Square is in William's Park, off Rathmines Road, and Bark Coffee at 270 Rathmines Road Lower.

Rathmines landmarks

The green copper dome of Mary Immaculate, Refuge of Sinners Church replaced one lost to fire in 1920; it had originally been meant for St Petersburg. Holy Trinity, the Church of Ireland church designed by John Semple and consecrated in 1828, is built of black calp, a local limestone that darkens in the rain.1

The Stella Cinema on Rathmines Road is a restored art deco picture house with plush velvet seats and table service while you watch.6

Sources

  1. Rathmines, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Ranelagh, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Green Line (Luas), Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. The Flat White Index: Ireland (café prices logged August to October 2026), The Flat White Index, accessed October 2026
  5. The Best Places To Eat In Dublin For Vegans And Vegetarians (Maggie Fagan, updated February 23, 2024), All The Food, accessed October 2026
  6. The best neighborhoods in Dublin, Lonely Planet (Fionn Davenport, updated April 8, 2026), accessed October 2026
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In Rathmines & Ranelagh, also browse: Specialty coffee Outdoor seating Wi-Fi

FAQ

Rathmines & Ranelagh cafés: questions

How do you get to Ranelagh from Dublin city centre?

Take the Luas Green Line from St Stephen's Green to the Ranelagh stop, which sits on Ranelagh's main street opposite the arts centre; Charlemont and Beechwood are the stops on either side. The Green Line opened in 2004, largely on the route of the old Harcourt Street railway.

Where is the cheapest specialty coffee in Rathmines, Dublin?

In August 2026, Nick's Coffee on Ranelagh Road charged €3.30 for a flat white and Creed Coffee Roasters on Rathmines Road Lower €3.60. Tribe D6 on Rathgar Road charged €3.80, Grove Road Cafe €4.10 and 3fe at The Triangle in Ranelagh €4.25.

Why is the Rathmines clock in Dublin called the Four Faced Liar?

The clock tower of Rathmines Town Hall in Dublin has four large faces that often show different times, so locals call it the Four Faced Liar. Rathmines was a separate township from 1847 until it joined the city of Dublin in 1930.

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