Urbun is a café in the heart of Cabinteely Village in South County Dublin. The name is a play on words; the owners Katie and Niamh choose it because their inaugural project together was making cakes to sell at a market stall and because when they opened the café they wanted to bring an urban vibe to suburban Cabinteely. Katie and Niamh both have food related backgrounds; in a previous life Katie was the food editor of Totally Dublin and Ballymaloe trained Niamh cut her foodie teeth working in the London café scene.
Urbun is a large space. Katie explained that they decorated it on a budget. The exposed brick walls are painted white and the concrete floor a mid-grey shade. The furniture is a mix of: tables, chairs and long banquettes fashioned from plywood; in the centre of the room are three long and narrow tables made from thick planks of wood sourced from a salvage yard. The interesting cushions, on the banquettes, are made from sacks that were once filled with coffee beans. There are dangling lights and exposed pipes. A large and striking piece by artist Mark McCollough enlivens the back wall and other works by him adorn the remaining walls. In sum it’s a cool place.
Getting the coffee right was important to Katie and Niamh when they opened the doors of Urbun. They source it from Badger and Dodo a boutique coffee roaster with an excellent reputation. Now that I am trying, post detox, to cut back on my coffee intake, I find it more important, that when I do indulge I am imbibing a decent if not excellent coffee. Urbun definitely delivers on the coffee front. And the service is good too (thank you Julie).
Urbun is a daytime café open seven days a week, from Monday to Friday for: breakfast, lunch, and afternoon coffees or teas; on Saturdays and Sunday there is an all day brunch menu.
Update: the interior was designed by ‘abgc architecture & design’
Note: artist Mark McCullough’s web address is http://www.markmccullough.net
Just Add Attitude 
I just love Urbun and I am regularly to be seen there most particularly on a Tuesday with my very glamorous 92 year old Mum who has just had her hair done! It is worth buying a take away pot of jam or their hot chili sauces are also good. My only gripe is the parking in Cabinteely, much improved, in fairness, with pay and display parking but still can present difficulties. H
Hi H,
Thanks for the tip about the jams and sauces, next time I am in Urbun I will pick some up. I so agree with you about the parking in Cabinteely, even with the pay and display in place it is often very difficult to get a space … Bx
I love that table!
Me too. The wood is so chunky and the table is perfect for a large group.
Clearly these two spent their meager decorating budget very wisely, as the place has a lovely cozy/cool vibe that I find very inviting. Pretty and calm and unpretentious, but modern in its simplicity too. Well done. Add to that a good cup of coffee and, evidently, a bit more as well! I’ll gladly pop in when I finally get to visit Dublin again.
Yes they have done a good job on the interior – it’s pretty cool. I do hope that some day you get to make a return trip to Dublin.
I love those big heavy slab tables, and that coffee looks just about right,, you cannot get coffee like that here! c
I was very taken by those tables too but I am sure they weigh a ton. The coffee was good. Shame about not getting coffee like that near the farm altho I am sure the pots you make for yourself are good.
the coffee sack cushions grabbed my attention. beautifully shot !
Thank you.
Looks lovely, thanks for the tip. And belated happy new year!
all best Sarah
Thanks Sarah and a belated happy New Year to you too. Bx
There are times I wish I had not left my homeland (UK) This is one of them. Reading your blog has whisked me back to the days spent traveling around Ireland and finding wonderful places to soak in and enjoy. The east coast of America just doesn’t have that. I’ll be popping back a lot to get my ‘fix’ of wonderful!
Hello and thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I am glad you found wonderful places in Ireland to ‘soak and enjoy’. I home you get back to your homeland soon for a restorative *fix*.
You do such a great shop showcasing shops and boutiques. You should write for one of the local papers to introduce people to fun places to go. Great photos, too.
Thank you for the compliment about the photos. I enjoy writing about some of the shops and cafes in Dublin and of course especially enjoy sampling the coffee, altho I am trying to cut back on my coffee intake. I don’t think the local papers could cope with my erratic use of the comma!
Yeah it’s a really nice place, the girls have done a great job.
The interior is designed by ‘abgc architecture & design’ worth checking them out, they’ve loads of good stuff on their site.
http://www.abgc.ie/portfolio/urbun-cafe
Thanks Mark for the info. I have checked out the link you sent it was good to read about the design strategy for Urbun. I will go back later to check out the abgc site in more detail.
Pingback: Cabinteely House and Cabinteely Park | Just Add Attitude