DUKE'S COFFEE
Who we are, and what we do
Dukes is a family-owned and run business which has been serving exceptional coffee and food to the people of Cork since 2005. Since day one, the Dukes philosophy has been to create inclusive, welcoming, comfortable spaces. Coffee has become extremely hip, but everyone at Dukes is very proud of the fact that no matter who their customers may be – trend-set
ters, jet-setters, mammies with kids, nanas, grandads or anything in between – they feel right at home the second they walk in our door. A lot of their success in welcoming so many friends who return time and time again is due to the award-winning Dukes staff. Not only are they amazing baristas, but they feel passion for making sure Dukes customers get the best of everything: the best service, the best coffee, the biggest smile, and the tastiest, most wholesome food. They're a super-talented bunch with a flair for showing all their customers how much they value them and enjoy their company, and they've helped to create coffee houses where the customers have their own sense of ownership and community: they’re always happy to see their friends coming back again and again, and especially when they have a chance to make new friends. The Stores
Dukes Coffee, Carey's Lane
The Dukes city-centre coffee shop is in the heart of Cork's Huguenot Quarter, famous for its boutique shops and the two-floor premises is the former Newsome's coffee warehouse. In fact, an enamel sign for Newsome's, rescued from the attic, is a feature of the décor there! They’re famous for their welcome, their comfy tables, seats, armchairs and couches, their outside seating, their reading areas, their kids' corner and, of course, their exceptional coffee and delicious, hearty food. Everyone at Dukes is proud to be the custodians of an important part of Cork's heritage, and to carry on such a long tradition. Come and relax on one of the couches; grab a book and a cup of Cork's best coffee, maybe spoil yourself with some cake or fill up with a panini, sit back under the big oak beams next to the hewn sandstone and distinctive yellow brickwork, and take a load off! Duke's Coffee, City Gate
City Gate is a mainstay of Cork's economy, home to some of the country's most cutting-edge technology companies and some of the region's most advanced medical facilities. It's a bustling community in its own right, full of busy professionals. The Dukes City Gate store is almost the polar opposite of Carey's Lane; modern, sleek and shiny, but no less welcoming or familiar. Dukes City Gate is blessed with an enormous plaza, where Dukes hosts Wednesday and Friday barbecues all summer long (from 12pm until the last scrap of food is gone), and welcome a Christmas Market every winter. The cook-out area specialises in slow-cooked briskets and loins from local farms, and fish from local fishermen. It's a place to take a break from the fast pace of commerce and discovery going on all around us, and to pause and people-watch with exceptional coffee and food in great company. Our Coffee
Ireland is really making a name for itself abroad with the quality of our coffee roasting, but Dukes was far ahead of the trend when they set out a policy of supporting Irish roasters way back in 2005. “We’re incredibly lucky to have both well-established roasting houses, like Bewley's, as well as smaller, innovative roasteries, who each bring something new and distinctive to Ireland's broadening coffee horizons” says founder Aidan Duke. Dukes baristas get to know each coffee intimately and know exactly how to get the most out of each and every bean – as well as being able to ensure that their customers can enjoy each personality-packed roast at its best. Dukes is a big supporter of local Cork roasters, such as Mark Kington's Golden Bean, Brock Lewis's Badger & Dodo, Eric Van Der Kroon's Roasting House coffee from Kinsale and more. They also go further afield, sourcing coffee from other Irish superstar roasters like 3FE in Dublin. There's no shortage of exceptional artisan coffee in Ireland, and we go back to our suppliers again and again because they consistently deliver unique, innovative world-class coffees we should all be proud of. Dukes Food
Sweet? A hearty meal or a quick, light snack? Will you indulge your wicked side with a luxurious home-baked cake, or take the healthy option with a fresh, cool salad? Every morning, Dukes stores are filled with the aroma of baking as staff prepare scones and pastries; brunch and lunch options are sourced from local suppliers such as Barrett's Butchers in Kinsale; a wide range of breads comes from Cork's internationally renowned Arbutus Bread; Tim Mulcahy of The Chichen Inn supplies the poultry, beef and bacon. Whether you're in the mood for a healthy breakfast, a filling brunch, generously stuffed baked potatoes, healthy smoothies, rich quiches, tempting cakes, quick and easy wraps, warming soups, flatbreads, seasonal salads and more, you'll find it served with aplomb at Duke's. The famous Dukes chicken, bacon and Ballymaloe Relish panini ticks all the boxes; the broccoli and blue cheese soup is always in demand, and the legendary potato cake brunch is a perennial favourite, with fluffy traditional potato cakes, fresh eggs, and avocado on sour-dough toast – a favourite treat of Aidan Duke himself. Dukes food follows the seasons, and weekly specials are geared towards the weather outside as well as the mood inside. “We don't follow trends as much as we follow hunger,” says Aidan: “Of course we have a huge range, but our customers come back again and again for our classics.”
Catering Solutions
Dukes has developed a catering solution to cater for growing demand. If you want to take your office's coffee and food to a whole new level, contact Dukes: they’ll stock your canteen with their own top-quality supplies, take lunch orders, supply pastries in their hundreds, cups of coffee in their thousands, lunches, brunches, breakfasts and everything in between. Whether you're a multinational like long-standing Dukes customers Dell and Intel, or a smaller local company, you'll get the same five-star treatment Dukes is dedicated to providing for all their customers.
