The 10 Best Cafes in Westport!

While Ireland does boast the best pubs in the world, we can’t drink all the time!

Even though we sometimes do try 🙂

So in between wine and whiskey, we now and again pause to enjoy a cappuccino or maybe even a panini if we’re feeling crazy!

Below is a list of the best cafes in Westport which cater to all tastes, budgets, occasions and vibes.

Whether looking for a hangover cure with a big dirty fry and plenty of tea

a healthy start to the day so you stare Croagh Patrick in the face and run up that beast like Brave Heart himself, this list has you covered.

So (in no particular order) below are the 10 best cafes in Westport.

Quick Tip

Below each cafe I have added a quick list of what they do best. This way you can quickly decipher which cafe will best suit what you are looking for depending on your situation. I hope it helps 🙂

1. The Leafy Green

A lovely little cafe which takes relaxing – seriously!

They pride themselves on their music selection and it shows. Tune after tune massaging my ears helping the shoulders relax while I enjoyed my healthier than usual breakfast of porridge, salad and coffee. I even ended up staying longer than I was supposed to as I was simply so relaxed. So I bought the paper and enjoyed a ‘sugar free’ chocolate cookie.

A perfectly balanced cafe with regards space. Just the right amount to feel like you have you’re own little world and yet close enough to help conversations flow between the patrons.

Sitting in the cafe a while gives you the feeling you are apart of the space, smiling at staff and fellow customers while little life interactions take place around you. Someone holding a chair or the baby wandering about. Everyone feels like they belong – a nod to a great cafe, which helps strangers feel comfortable to chat over their morning coffee.

The homemade furniture, wood, plants, local crafts, local art, chalk boards and colourful cushions and blankets all come together to make you feel right at home.

The cafe receives plenty of natural light and their food is far above the standard of a “cafe”.

I feel when food has to be healthy (like actually healthy) the skill and creativity of the chef must go up. The chef can’t ‘hide’ behind a much loved ham and cheese toasted panini 🙂

Leafy Green lives up to this challenge with a great menu, tasty, healthy and filling.

With dishes such as Salmon and Goats Cheese and Beef and Guinness Casserole you can see this is no ordinary cafe and so if you are looking for a healthy starter, main or even dessert! this is the cafe for you.

Leafy Green's Best Bits

Cosy & Comfy
Homemade
Very Healthy!
Tasty
Great Tunes
Strong coffee
Great wifi
Good cafe to work in

2. Christy's

It couldn’t be more Irish if you beat it with a big stick.

If you’re Irish, its fun, if your a tourist, its an experience.

The cafe exudes banter, craic and a positive outlook which all stems from the owner himself – Christy.

I ordered Boxty (A traditional Irish potato pancake) with Irish rashers (Bacon) when one of the locals jokingly said.

“Just don’t order it on the Monday, eh Christy”

“Shut up you, don’t mind em” says Christy

“Why wouldn’t I order the Boxty on the Monday” I asked.

“Well, Boxty is hard to make” Christy says. “It takes patience and skill and when your hungover as hell after a session it might not be my finest” 😀

I could see from the twinkle in his eye Christy probably couldn’t make bad Boxty if he tried, having been making it for decades, but as the place suggests, he’s messing, the Irish a way and its beautiful.

It’s something I missed terribly on my travels. Random occurrences of wit and banter which happen throughout the day from everyone and anyone you meet.

The old style and seating arrangement of the cafe allows everyone to chat and feel close.

Irish traditional music plays low in the background with two elderly lady’s sitting beside me tapping their feet.

I tucked into my Boxty and rashers. It’s the sort of dish you’d enjoy immensely after a long hike.

“Do you have any honey?” I asked Christy as he checked up on me.

“She’s at home” he replies and nudges me.

“Where you from yourself?” he asks

“I’m from Donegal”

“Ah that explains the Honey :)”

Exactly! What does that even mean! I love it!

Christy's Best Bits

Irish
NO Wifi
Place to Read
Heart, Unique, Original, Genuine
Boxty
Trad music

3. Mocha Beans

Yes, it is beside a Tescos, but don’t let that fool you.

Only a 5 minute walk from the town centre, Mocha Beans is definitely the spot for a hungry group.

A large menu, top notch coffee and a larger premises in general, it would make for a good choice if you have a hungry group of 4 looking for a place to get a nice lunch on a busy Saturday or Sunday.

No, it doesn’t have that cosy, Irish vibe you might find in the town, but Mocha Beans is were locals will go for lunch everyday – It’s that kind of place. So the food, quality, portions and speed of service is bang on!

It also has a cool table in the middle of the cafe which can sit 12 if you had a BIG gang.

Mocha Bean's Best Bits

4. The Quay Cottage Diner

What an interesting and unique place this is!

A cottage mixed with a diner? How could this be?

Well The Quay Cottage Diner has pulled off just that. Youthful music, interesting art and pop colours blend with historical and traditional architecture to offer a very cool and unique vibe.

The Quay Cottage Diner with regards its menu – is a diner!

They serve up shakes, local beers, pancakes and all the favourite foods you would expect from a diner while of course specialising in burgers.

But, and it is a very big but! 🙂

This Diner before it was a diner was a fine dining restaurant! And the chefs which ran that fine dining restaurant are the very same chefs which now run this diner!

So… you can massively see the influence of a much higher standard of food on the menu.

Yes, they have updated the decor to make it feel more like a diner, but these burgers are damn goooood!

Those little touches of flavour and in general a higher standard you can feel and see throughout the service, ordering and of course food.

My simple and common choice of avocado and poached eggs just had that little extra bit of oomph.

Not the usual poached on hard sourdough bread, it had a softness to the whole dish that I feel comes from an experienced chef with a bit of panache.

Plus, you can’t beat the location. The Quay Diner is, (you guessed it) located on the Quay which is a beautiful 20 minute stroll from the town. You can either

a) Stroll along the Greenway.

or
b) Enter the Westport House grounds from the town entrance and exit on the other end of the grounds – right next to the Diner! Amazing.

And if like me, you like to work up to your brunch or breakfast and not simply walk straight into the first cafe you see outside your hotel, then the Quay Diner is your perfect spot. Stroll out, enjoy a delicious brunch, grab a coffee to go and walk it off. A perfect start to the day!

The Quay Cottage's Best Bits Dine

A lovely, lovely walk or stroll, maybe even a gander if so inclined
They sell beer, wine and spirits 🙂
Amazing coffee!
Great f**kin tunes!
Great food
Right by Westport house
Outside seating overlooking the Quay
Wifi
Easier place to park than in town
Good Wine List (selected by fine dining chefs remember)
Very comfy! I mean that, the seating and set up is perfect
Best place to work
Great for big groups

5. O’Cees Coffee Shop

Right in the heart of town you have the cheap and cheerful O’Cees Coffee Shop, the perfect spot for people watching.

I’ve added O’Cee’s Coffee Shop to the list as it will be the perfect choice for a certain situation or certain traveller.

While it is simply a cafe in a shopping centre, it is also smack bang in the middle of town and it’s big. On busy lunchtimes on busy days Westport can be a hard enough place to get a table, especially if your a big gang, so O’Cees cafe might just suit.

O’Cees Coffee Shop does what it does and does it very well. It serves great food in large portions at very reasonable prices. If you’re starvin Marvin after surfing all day or a big sweaty mess after hiking the reek, this might be just the place 😉

You can sit in at a big table and order big dinners, shakes, pots of tea, cakes and it won’t break the bank. And don’t get me wrong, the food is amazing! It’s just not fancy. So if your on holidays it may not be perfect; but, if on a family trip with hungry kids or just back from Sea Stack climbing, O’Cees on the Octagon could be just what you’re looking for.

Yes, the cafe is part of a Shopping Centre (bit grim) but it is also part of a Shopping Centre! (handy!) So if hungry but also need to grab supplies for outing number 2! Perfect!

O’Cees Best Bits

Bang in town!
Big Portions
Great Value for money
Amazing Cake Selection
Ice Cream & Treats
Suitable for Families
Suitable for Big Gangs
Wifi
Handy if you need to stock up on travel items

6. Ring's Bistro

Their tagline is ‘Where the locals eat’ and I can see why.

I wasn’t able to capture much footage of Ring’s Bistro as it so packed for the entire 2 hours I was in there!

Ring’s Bistro is straight up Irish Breakfasts done right. And don’t be talking to me about English breakfasts – muck 🙂

Ah no, only joking 🙂

But here in Ireland, we do pride ourselves on our breakfasts. It’s no cuisine secret. Simply put it’s our Irish ingredients. Our sausages, bacon, pudding, breads, jams, butter, milk and tea is up there with the best in the world and when you put all that locally sourced loveliness together on a plate, it is like a symphony of taste notes.

Everything Irish,

Everything top notch

And when mixed in with great Irish soda breads, honey, Irish tea – Ah jesus! My mouth is watering all over me keyboard.

So while Ring’s Bistro has a great selection of many dishes, they do a mean Irish breakfast (old school – the fry) and definitely up there as the best Irish fry in Westport. And it’s great value.

So if you have a long day ahead of you (ie) Climbing that big ole holy mountain, this may be just the place to get that 1000 calories deliciously into you before you head off!

It will put a smile on your face.

Ring's Bistro Best Bits

Hearty
Irish
Full Irish Breakfast
Pots of tea
Lively
Real Deal
Great Value

7. The Creel Cafe

Situated along the beautiful Quay over-looking the bay, the Creel Cafe has location ticked as one of its selling points.

A fine, big cafe with plenty of seating the Creel can cater to big groups and families well. It has a great atmosphere with plenty of warm light streaming in the large windows. Whether the sun is shining or it’s bucketing rain, enjoying your coffee by their big windows is a relaxing experience.

If like me, you like to build up to a brunch or breakfast, the Creel could be right up your street. The Creel Cafe is a 20 minute walk from Westport town centre. However, with regards your walking routes you are spoilt for choice.

You can walk to Creel via the beautiful Westport House grounds which takes you right to the door of the Creel Cafe.

You can stroll the Greenway surrounded by birds and leaves. You don’t need to hear a car walking from the town to the Creel making it an ideal place to walk to or from.

With a large menu and great selection of breakfasts, brunches, lunches, cakes, pastries and plenty more the Creel has something for everyone.

The Creel Cafe's Best Bits

Spacious
Lots of Seating
Lots of Light
Outdoor Seating
Family Friendly
Lovely Walk from Town

8. Chilli's Cafe

Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.

As a brander and marketer, I feel the name, sign and look of the front of Chilli’s probably doesn’t do it any favours. (Sorry Chilli’s) BUT, hopefully they will forgive me in saying so as Chilli’s is brilliant!

Once you come inside, the cosy atmosphere, lighting, seating and of course amazing food is tip top!

They offer a big menu and you can also mix and match what you like. With this on offer, I ordered a 3 egg scrambled eggs, salmon AND avocado with toasted Irish brown bread. The perfect breakfast!

I sat in the corner watching my Joe Rogan with fresh, strong coffee, a fine big breakfast, great wifi and a lovely warm light streaming into a very busy and bustling cafe. I had a delightful Sunday morning which made Chilli’s sky rocket to the top of this list.

For best menu, amazing service and location (Smack bang in town) Chilli’s is one of the best places to have breakfast (Brunch and/or Lunch) in Westport!

Chilli's is Top 3!
WiFi
Nice, Big Menu
Loads of Ingredients to Choose From
Avocado 🙂 Some of us like this little guy for breakfast
Cosy, Nice Light
Smack Bang in Town!
Decent Size, so good for a group of 4

9. Curry's Cottage

Curry the surname, not the dish 🙂

Out of the two words, ‘Curry’ and ‘Cottage’, it is definitely the word ‘Cottage’ which is closer to describing Curry’s Cottage. A lovely, little cottage style cafe situated on James St, in the heart of Westport.

Curry’s Cottage has a created a wonderful and authentic atmosphere which exudes from the wood and stone, bread and even bunting which hangs from the vintage cabinets.

Curry’s Cottage has a few seats outside the door. I sat reading my book with the sun on my face while enjoying a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs, mushrooms and probably the best bacon I have had yet 🙂

Chatting away to the staff and owner I felt right at home while I relaxed for a few hours. I became so relaxed that I had more and more tea and coffee and had to try their cakes and pastries which were bloody delish!

Very Irish
Fresh Bread
A few Outdoor Seats
Great Place to Relax
Perfect Place to Read the Paper 🙂
Good Cakes
Authentic, Traditional

10. This Must Be The Place

A small venue at the junction of High street in Westport boasting first and foremost, the best coffee in Westport, if not Ireland. This Must Be the Place has a small kitchen knocking out a unique breakfast menu in the morning and a fine-lunch menu in the day, all made to order and locally, seasonally sourced.

The hot drinks menu caters for every conceivable dietary requirement with special drinks, matcha espressos, beetroot lattes; if your allergic to oxygen, they’ll probably have the coffee-like-hot-drink for you, but the star of the show remains the impenetrable quality of their straight-up, hand-selected coffee beans and rigorous quality checking.

Everything is cooked fresh and when it’s gone, it’s gone. This is one of the many reasons (using locally sourced, premium ingredients) why this particular cafe makes it onto the ‘Gourmet Greenway List’, (also known as the Gourmet Food Trail).

Unique Menu
Healthy Options
Caters to Many Dietary Restrictions
Great Location
Great Coffee
Nice for Couples
Sun Trap 🙂

Agree? Disagree? Did we miss a cafe?

Are you a local from Westport and feel we have overlooked a cafe? Place it in the comments below as this greatly helps all local businesses in Westport as well as Westport as a whole!

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Paul Feeney

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