Late-night cafés in Dublin that aren't the pub

Ask online where to get a coffee in Dublin after eight and the answers come back the same. Nearly nowhere. Most cafés in the city lock up by six, the ones out our way earlier again, and the evening belongs to the pubs and the restaurants. If you don't drink, don't feel like it tonight, or just want somewhere to sit with a friend where you can hear each other, the list is short. Here it is. We are on it, because staying open late is half the reason we exist.

Dublin cafés open late

Hours checked on 9 October 2026. Check before you go, cafés change their hours without telling anyone.

Mind the Step, 24 Strand Street Great, Dublin 1. Off the Millennium Walkway, a minute from the Ha'penny Bridge. Open till 11pm Monday to Saturday and 6pm on Sunday. Hot chocolate and cake are what people go for.

Tea Garden, 7 Ormond Quay Lower, Dublin 1. A tea house on the quays, tea rather than coffee, with tatami rooms and low tables. Open from 12 noon till 10pm Sunday to Thursday and 11pm on Friday and Saturday. Made for a long, slow conversation.

Dua Caffe, 77 Dorset Street Upper, Dublin 1. An evening café, which is a rare thing. Opens at 3pm and closes at 11pm, seven days. Coffee and hot chocolate on the north side after everything else has shut.

The Music Café, 1 Wellington Quay, Temple Bar. Not late by the standards of the others, 7.15pm on weekdays and 6pm on Sunday, but it runs till 9pm on Friday and Saturday and it is right in the middle of town.

Board & Brewed, 75 York Road, Dún Laoghaire. That is us. Open till 10pm Monday to Thursday, 11pm Friday and Saturday, 8pm on Sunday. Coffee, hot chocolate, milkshakes, pizza, sandwiches and 700+ board games on the walls. In Dún Laoghaire itself the cafés are closed by the evening, so if you are south of the city, we are the late one.

What an evening here looks like

You come in, pick a game off the wall, or tell us what you are in the mood for and we will pick one, and we bring the coffee to the table. Playing costs €5 a person an hour, capped at €15, so a whole evening is €15 each at most, and under 12s play free. If you only want a coffee and a seat, you are welcome, and there is no table fee for that.

The kitchen does pizza, €12 to €13, and sandwiches from €7. The counter does coffee, a proper tea selection, hot chocolate, milkshakes and açaí bowls, and the coffee is cheaper if you bring your own cup. There is a vinyl shop in here too, if one of you would rather flick through records for a while.

It is a café, not a pub. The music is at a level you can talk over, the lighting is good enough to read a rulebook by, and nobody is falling into your table at eleven. It is also a queer-friendly, trans-safe room, and we are glad to be. One of our regulars put it best in a Google review: "It was so nice having a late night cafe where we could just nerd out and have fun together. A very sweet queer-friendly space." (Christina S, 5 stars on Google.)

Date nights that aren't dinner and drinks

Dinner and drinks is fine. It is also the same night every time. A games night costs less, you talk more, and you find out early whether the other person can lose with grace.

Two-player games we would put in front of you:

• Patchwork. Build a quilt out of tiles. Twenty minutes, easy to learn, and the one we hand to couples who say they don't play games.
• Jaipur. Trade goods in a market, with a bit of bluffing. Quick enough to play three times.
• 7 Wonders Duel. Build a civilisation against each other in half an hour. More to think about, still easy to pick up.
• Codenames: Duet. A co-op word game, so you win or lose together, which is its own kind of test.
• The Fox in the Forest. Trick-taking for two. If you grew up on 25 or whist, you will be off in a hand.
• Sagrada. Make a stained glass window out of dice. Pretty, calm, no arguing.

Two of you for two hours is €20 plus the coffees. Weekends fill up, so book a table if it is a Friday or Saturday, and just walk in on a weeknight.

Weeknights with company

If you are on your own, new in town, or your friends are all in bed by ten, the weeknights are built for that.

• Monday: Blood on the Clocktower, 6.30pm to 10pm, €5, walk in. Social deduction for a big table. A storyteller runs the game, so you need no experience, just turn up and sit down.
• Tuesday: Social Gaming, 6pm to 10pm, free. Bring a friend or come alone and we will find you a table and a game.
• Wednesday: Riftbound Nexus Nights, 7pm to 10pm, €8. The League of Legends card game, bring your own deck.
• Thursday and Friday are card nights. Pokémon and Star Wars: Unlimited on Thursday from 7pm, Friday Night Magic and Gundam on Friday. The events page has the week.

And if it is a wet night, our post on things to do in Dún Laoghaire on a rainy day has the rest of the town covered.

Getting here

York Road runs between the DART station and the shopping centre, so from the platform you are a few minutes on foot. The 7, 7a, 45a, 46a, 59, 75 and 111 buses all stop in Dún Laoghaire. Street parking is paid, and easier in the evening than in the day.

We are at 75 York Road, open till 10 most nights and 11 at the weekend. Come in and pick a game.