The best bars and cafés Cork

On Oliver Plunkett Street, An Bróg is a legend here in Cork. All generations mingle here during the day, leaving room for night owls and excited students after dinner. The atmosphere is very informal and mostly wooden, you don't go to An Bróg for the comfort or the decor, you go there to have a pint or two, or three, and party with your friends until late every day. The establishment regularly hosts live music sessions. The service is sometimes a bit slow.

Large and cosy pub, very pleasant at any time of the day. In the evening, live music welcomes you. You can also come here for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The food is hearty and of good quality. A pleasant address also in any season: one appreciates in the beautiful days its outside tables or to curl up in a comfortable sofa by cold weather. Perhaps that's why the pub is so popular on Sunday mornings with Saturday revellers looking for a cosy place to wake up!

Between two pints, a waitress picks from a pile of CDs, for choices oscillating between independent rock and jazz from the 1950s. The clientele here is as heterogeneous as can be: old-timers, students, couples... The bar, totally and deliciously faded, seems to have crossed the centuries, just like the owner who can sometimes be seen circulating between the tables to have a chat with the regulars. What do people come to look for in these places, which are often crowded at weekends? Above all, a friendly atmosphere unlike any other!

On the corner of Castle Street and South Market Street, this two-storey, semi-circular building has a festive atmosphere and is a great place to come for a drink. Young and old mingle daily on the ground floor terrace, which has a pub-like atmosphere, and on the upper floor, where you can dance to DJ sets on the weekends. You can listen to some current hits as well as the Stones, Blur, David Bowie or the Strokes... Pleasant retro-style leather armchairs overlook Corn Market Street.

An Spailpín Fanach ("The Migrant Worker") is a really nice pub and very typical of the city with its brick walls, its pleasant little corners and its fireplaces, you really feel good here. And for a long time since the establishment was founded in 1779. Quite quiet during the day, the pub fills up in the evening until it becomes really crowded sometimes. You can listen to traditional music every night except Saturday and eat typical pub food in a relaxed atmosphere.

Meades Bar 126 is a wine bar with a very pleasant, intimate atmosphere, featuring retro furniture, small round tables and candlelight. The wine list is excellent and not too expensive (between €5 and €6 a glass). You'll enjoy all this with the soundtrack of Neil Young, Bob Dylan and a host of flamenco tracks... A Spanish touch that's also reflected on the menu, as the establishment offers a host of delicious tapas throughout the evening. Cheese and charcuterie platters will also delight your taste buds.

Don't be fooled by the smallness of its entrance. If the adjective small is to be used here, it's rather to precede the word nugget! You'll be lucky if you get a seat upstairs or on the terrace, otherwise it's the takeaway option. In your right hand, you'll take one of their fabulous hot drinks, and in the other, a brioche-based delicacy. We recommend their cinnamon roll, served warm, the taste of which still haunts us. Waffles, eclairs, crêpes and other sweet treats await you for a... soft break!