Happy Out Cafe

Nephew and uncle Brian Hanratty and Karl McCullagh built the original Happy Out out of two shipping containers at the end of the causeway to Bull Island in the summer of 2017, a beachy, low key spot with decking that looks straight out over the water. A Donnybrook location followed in the middle of the pandemic, close to where Hanratty grew up, and a third cafe opened at the Dun Laoghaire Baths in 2022 in partnership with Together Academy, a social enterprise that trains and employs young adults with Down syndrome as baristas, Hanratty himself helped set up the counter and train the students.

Coffee across all three locations comes from Roasted Brown in County Wicklow, sold both by the cup and in retail bags through their own webshop alongside brewing gear and espresso machines. The food runs to toasties, brunch, and bakery items depending on location. Dogs are welcome throughout, unsurprising for a cafe that started on a pier.