Vegan
International
Italian
Organic
Raw
Salad bar
Juice bar
Take-out
Bakery
Catering
European
Breakfast
Bookshop and all vegan cafe serving breakfast, lunch, desserts, coffee and tea. Opening times may vary during Jan & Feb, call ahead before visiting. Shop available for hire for private parties or seminars and can plan your event for the day. Reported open July 2020. Open Mon-Sat 10:00-16:00. Food is often gone by 2:30pm.
22 Reviews
First Review by Finola
chrisdemon
Points +170
Vegan haven - Edit
Lovely friendly owners, the stew was absolutely fantastic, so full of flavour, lovely atmosphere and lots of books to peruse, what's not to like? 😀
Read moreGuest
Giulia27
Points +210
Magic - Edit
The stew is just perfect.
Read moreWe also had a great toastie and a really nice piece of cake.
Guest
SarahNiamh
Points +244
Most charming bookcafé - Edit
Everything was amazing; food, atmosphere, owner, music, decorations. We loved it! They even had boardgames, so we played a game of chess in between our lunch and our coffee/cake. Everything was vegan and mostly organic. Had the stew which was filling, tasty and heartwarming. My boyfriend had the smørrebrød which was equally delicious! Come early if you want the full menu. Big recommendation for this place, hope to be back!
Read moreGuest
clefairyt
Points +305
Vegan treats in a device free bookshop - Edit
A small menu of vegan sandwiches and stew, we arrived just before 2pm and so there weren’t many options left. Arrive earlier if you’d like the full menu choice!
Read moreThe sandwiches we had were simple but well crafted. The cakes stood out as were really good. We especially liked that organic ingredients are used where possible.
We liked the relaxed setting eating in the centre of the bookshop, where we could browse the shelves. We also welcomed that the space was device free (hence no photos!).
Updated from previous review on 2024-07-16
Pros: Relaxed setting in the bookshop, Great cakes, Only fully vegan place in the area
Cons: Menu often mostly sold out by 2pm
Guest
brookie457
Points +464
Fantastic stew - Edit
Wonderful experience this bookstore/café. Great energy, fantastic service with delicious vegan menu. 
Read morePros: Stew
Guest
Deborahrose
Points +26
Flavorful food in an atmospheric bookshop - Edit
The menu is small but delicious. Enjoyed a simple but super flavorful vegetable soup (lightly spiced with paprika and topped with lots of fresh herbs and sautéed mushrooms which can be excluded if you’re not a mushroom fan) and a veggie sandwich made with rustic bread and two different types of pesto. Also enjoyed a chocolate peanut butter dessert and good coffee. There is a sunroom in the back and a long table in the middle of the shop so plenty of space to eat even with customers browsing the bookshelves around me. Charming space and friendly owner, I’d happily eat here again!
Read more(A previous review was negative about toilets but everything was very clean when I was there)
Guest
BeckyC
Points +864
Very cute - Edit
Such a lovely vegan cafe in a second hand bookshop. The stew was delicious, the sweet cherry cake tasted like a cherry bakewell and the coffee was perfect. Definitely worth a visit.
Read morePros: Completely vegan, Delicious , Cute atmosphere
Guest
vege2017
Points +70
Don't miss this restaurant - Edit
Excellent tasty vegetable stew. Delicious coffee & desserts. Unique book lined restaurant.
Read morePros: Wonderful food among bookstore shelves.
Guest
veganark
Points +182
Speaks volumes! - Edit
Ate there yesterday for breakfast. Friendly welcome from the owner. The place is full of out-of-print and antiquarian books.
Read moreAny vegans travelling through West Cork need to support this place. Not many fully vegan cafes around.
Updated from previous review on 2023-09-02
Pros: Friendliness, Quirkiness!, Food was good too!
Cons: What’s not to like?!
Guest
Vegan-ista
Points +673
Bookstore and vegan cafe - Edit
Our party of 4 arrived at around 2, sadly too late for lunch menu - very little food was left. We shared two really flavorful small sized sandwiches. How we wished there were more savoury options for our lunch. Would love to have tried the soup and other very positively reviewed savoury options from other Happy Cow reviewers. We also tried the swedish cherry cake which was good but some felt it was on the bland side. The bookstore is interesting and the outside covered seating area was nice with lots of flowers but the seating was not the most comfortable (and the toilet window opens to the seating area which was not so hygienic).
Read morePros: Tasty sandwiches
Cons: Have to get there early for full menu options, Location of the toilet
Guest
Paperclip
Points +168
the best dish I’ve had in ages. - Edit
This was an unexpected gem.
Read moreServes coffee, cakes, wraps and vegan food.
I had coffee with oat milk and a veggie stew which was absolutely delicious. Definitely the best dish I’ve had in ages.
The bookshop is good too.
Guest
yumyum22
Points +542
Fantastic vegan food in West Cork - Edit
We drove quite a distance to come here, and it did not disappoint.
Read moreThe shop/café has a lovely smell of books and fresh cooking.
We got a meal deal of stew and sandwich. Both delicious and wholesome. The overwhelming good flavours came from the fresh ingredients, with some tasty pesto on the sandwich.
About 13.50 euro for that - well worth it compared to processed foods in other cafes who may save you a couple of euro, for something much less tasty.
Some nice books on the shelves, including a lot you won't ever find again.
Pros: Fresh food, Books in shop
Guest
yannick__ka
Points +1281
nice location with cozy atmosphere - Edit
We stopped here on our way to cork for lunch. We had the XXL-Sandwich which was amazing and the smorrebrod. We thought the smorrebrod was a little bit to expensive, but it was tasty. The seats are in the middle of the book shop which was really cool, so you can look for some books while you wait for the dishes.
Read morePros: friendly staff, tasty food, cozy place
Cons: bit expensive
Guest
watcools
Points +25
Great music en nice stew - Edit
Great music en nice stew
Read moreGuest
CQDaughter
Points +178
Incredible food! - Edit
Amazing place - the food is absolutely delicious, really blew us away. Such amazing flavours and textures… the mushrooms on toast is life changing!!
Read moreGorgeous wee place with friendly service and so many books to choose from. The owner is lovely and an inspirational woman!
Hugely recommend - it’s a must visit!
Guest
piglet_enthusiast
Points +516
Fantastic & cozy café + bookshop - Edit
This is a real gem of a bookshop/cafe. Found an amazing book while having their excellent coffee and super tasty treats. Great food and super fun literary theme, can't recommend enough.
Read moreThe only con is how many people ask the beleaguered owner if they serve cow's milk 😅
Pros: Literary themed beverages and food, Great coffee and tasty snacks , Friendly staff
Guest
LanaJago
Points +37
Lovely vegan options in a great relaxed environment - Edit
This is a great vegan cafe with delicious food. The person who served us was really friendly and gave us lots of information about the food on offer. Highly recommend 👍
Read morePros: All vegan!
Guest
lillafrost
Points +300
Delicious and cozy in West Cork - Edit
This fully vegan cafe should definitely not be missed if you’re in the area. The staff is lovely and the atmosphere great, enjoying your meal surrounded by interesting-looking books. I had the stew, which was delicious, followed by a yummy snickers bar and a “fancy coffee”. Would return in a heartbeat!
Read morePros: Super yummy food and sweets, Unique and lovely atmosphere , Terrific staff
Guest
brizmofent
Points +56
Perfection - Edit
An oasis in West Cork. Worth traveling for. We had the Hungry Caterpillar lunch each (which is a smorrebrod plus small stew) followed by vegan dessert. The cafe is a beautiful space, very relaxing. Newspapers, books, jazz playlists and great food.
Read morePros: Entirely vegan, Clean and bright, Books and the New York Times
Guest
TopaTopa
Points +89
Must Stop! - Edit
This place is a gem! The food is so delicious - vegan or not - everyone will love it. My husband and I ordered one of everything to share and we were not disappointed. The portions are good size, the food is fresh and full of flavor. The desserts are fantastic too. Very reasonable for the price. I highly recommend eating here.
Read moreLocated in a bookstore, the tables are communal and the staff is friendly. A lovely place to enjoy breakfast and lunch.
Pros: All Vegan, Everyone, vegan or not, will love the food, Delicious, fresh food
Guest
MarthaFrances
Points +70
You will never want to leave!! - Edit
Visited here with my family, for lunch.
Read moreThe walls are covered with books!
There is a lovely small menu. We tried all the dishes, I had the vegetable and mushroom stew, topped with vegan cheese and pesto. Really nice big portion size and absolutely delicious! We shared the caramel slice and the choc cherry cake,both beautiful. Looking forward to coming back!
Pros: Lovely atmosphere, Delicious Food
Cons: None!!
Guest
Finola
Points +34
A Gem Of A Find - Edit
Dropped in for lunch with my family on a recent visit to skibbereen. A small but beautifully formed menu. Between us we tried everything on the menu- no one was dissapointed. The open open sandwich, baked potato and hot pot were all delicious. The cakes and coffee were a delight. How lovely to sit and eat surrounded by beautiful collectable books (most for sale).
Read moreA gem of a find and we will be back!
Pros: Delicious food, Relaxing atmosphere , Surrounded by books!
Cons: Not close enough to my home!!
Guest
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