Shoe Lane Coffee

Jane Lunnon and Jonathan Hughes met when he arrived to hang Christmas decorations at the Dalkey restaurant she managed, and opened Shoe Lane as a pop up on Tara Street in July 2016, a street named centuries ago for the cobblers who worked it. The vintage Singer sewing machines and wooden shoe lasts in the window came from Tara Leather, the last of that old cobbler row, and the floorboards, seating, and counters are hand built from timber salvaged out of a nearby warehouse more than 150 years old.

What started with beans from an outside roaster has since become an in house roasting operation, sold both by the cup and in retail bags. Lunnon has described the goal plainly: some artisan coffee shops feel intimidating, this one was built to serve any kind of coffee to anyone who walks in. The brand has since grown to Dun Laoghaire and Dalkey locations, each keeping its own hours. Dogs are welcome throughout.