Cafes Survive COVID-19 by Estephania Bedoya

Business owners talk about coming to Dublin, settling in the Dublin 8 area to open their cafes, and how their business survived the pandemic.

by Estephania Bedoya

Isat at a corner table in Cathedral Cafe when a young man came in and asked for the order he had placed earlier in the day. Teresa -the owner of the place- went to the back kitchen to get it, “Did I see you yesterday as well?” she asked when returning to the front counter. “Probably, I always come to this place. I come from New York, but I have already been here for two years and this is my favourite café.” Teresa laughed asking him if he has tried other cafés around the area. “Yes, I have. This is the best! That’s why I keep coming back,” he replied cheerfully. They said their goodbyes, he left, and Teresa came to bring my order.

Dublin 8 is considered a very hip, up-andcoming area with a vibrant diversity of residents. As someone who recently arrived in Ireland, the great variety of options available for restaurants, cafés and pubs did not go unnoticed. Nonetheless, keeping a business afloat through a pandemic is no easy task.

Dozens of businesses were forced to adapt to a new reality; many struggled while others did not survive. Cathedral Café is located in Dean St. near St. Patrick’s Cathedral and The Coombe. Its location prompts many visits from locals, tourists and the student community surrounding the area. Although one of many businesses that survived the worst of the pandemic it is also a long-lasting café in the area. With its sense of welcome and familiarity given by the atmosphere and treat of Teresa as soon as you enter the café, it is hard to see why one wouldn’t stay.

Teresa came to Ireland in 1993, arriving at a very young age from Spain to learn English. She stayed in the country and studied photography; went on to work for the Metro Newspaper, in a hotel, and other part-time jobs until an acquaintance offered to start a business together. Her business partner lived in the building in front of the café, which at the time was a beauty salon.

When they were leaving, he saw the need for a café around the area and proposed to open one. That was eleven years ago. To this day, they have stayed in business seeing changes happening in the area near St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Since its beginnings, there were lots of people coming; from tourists to locals from all parts of the world, it was a thriving business just like any other, until COVID-19 happened.

“It is like everywhere else. Everything has changed a lot until tourism starts again. If there is no tour, no theatre, no parties, no bars and no nothing then people do not come!” she said while preparing for closing time, “The pandemic goes on and on. We have been open for two months but we can’t just go back to how it was before these two years of the pandemic.”

I listen while she mentions how Dublin 8 is an area full of history, even the building above the café, now Airbnb rooms mostly, is about 200 years old. She wants to move to the area in the future, but considering high rent prices, she hasn’t yet. As for the local spaces’ rent, she mentions how they “got lucky” due to the small demeanour of the place. “It depends on the owner,” she says, “but in our case, we’ve been so many years here that instead of having it empty or with someone they don’t know, we are here”.

View from inside of a customer sitting outside Cathedral Cafe. Photo by Liza Danstig

My short time in Dublin has shown me how much Ireland is full of vibrant people and characters. She shares some urban legends and stories of the area: Locals seeing a dog of whom it is said visits the tomb of Jonathan Swift, his previous owner; the man ‘Bam Bam’ who liked western movies and went about ‘shooting’ people who played along pretending to be wounded; also, she recalls the ‘Four Corners of Hell’ which consist of four pubs in four different corners creating a sort of square which saw many fights when visitors became too tipsy.

Raving with urban legends, local gossip and characters I still ask if she would ever go back to her native Spain. She shakes her head. “I’ve never thought of leaving, I came at a very young age and I have my life here.” She explains how the friends she has made over the years living here are now like her family. Different nationalities come to the area, and from all over the world have come to the café. If you like to socialise then, “why not?” she shrugs, “I don’t mind colour, shape, origin… I talk to everyone.”

From witnessing how the area became filled with apartment complexes with unaffordable rent prices to hearing all the urban legends that surround the streets of where the café is located; Teresa has told me just a little about her story of coming to Dublin and starting a new life on her own 27 years ago.

With so many stories to tell, something we both agree on is: If the whole world looked the same, then why would you ever explore it? This is exactly why we love Dublin City because is not like anywhere else.

Being away from home is hard. It challenges your comfort zone, and also means turning away from your family, but not for this one. It all started when one of four sisters came to Europe to experience a year abroad, but ended up with all four sisters coming and settling in Ireland. Anabella and her sisters came to Ireland five years ago from Argentina and their parents three years ago after thinking it made more sense being where their four daughters were.

ALMA, meaning ‘soul’ in Spanish, came to life two and a half years ago when the family thought about starting their own business and including their unique print having Argentinian options using Irish ingredients. “We love having a food business… mostly because, in our house, most things spin around food,” Anabella laughs as she explains how the family unites in this life experience brought by tasting and preparing food.

The pandemic stopped many businesses, but as many restaurants did, ALMA had orders for takeaways from their regulars or just people surrounding the area. Customers came by to have their dinners ready to take home; and when the worst ended, they opened again and welcomed the regular faces who went to the office every morning and the new faces that come now and then.

Located in Portobello, near Harrington Street, ALMA is a beautiful spot to have your morning coffee, or a very tasty brunch prepared with care and certainty that you’re tasting a selection of recipes to fall in love with Argentinian cuisine.

Alma Café’s menu items: Matcha Latte and croissant. Photo courtesy of ALMA Cafe

ALMA is all of our family initials in the name, “ and it also has a meaning (in Spanish). It’s like we put our soul in this business.

Five years ago, Luisa came to Ireland after finishing her Social Education studies. However, after working in the field, she steered in a different direction: social media management. Later on, she did part-time jobs thinking about her professional future. She worked at the Kemp sisters’ café in Dublin Castle and the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA); during that time, she learned about hotels and caterings and found a love for it which gave her, along with her husband, the idea to open their own cafe at the beginning of 2021.

Ruff Café opened in Clanbrassil Street Lower in July, but from looking for the right place to transforming their vision into a reality, and even finding their gorgeous dog, Calypso, it was a long journey. After all, you wouldn’t put a highly pet-friendly place in Grafton Street, would you?

Growing up near the Patagonia region in sunny Argentina, Benjamin grew up surrounded by Irish culture in the St. Patrick’s college of his city. Originally, the plan was to come with a friend of his after they finished school. His friend couldn’t come, so he took the chance and came to Ireland on his own, with just €400 in his pocket, into the unknown. That was ten years ago.

Jumping from job to job in different cafés, bars and as a tourist guide, he and his wife decided to open a business of their own. It started as an online bakery business of classic, traditional Argentinian treats.

From having the business online only and just as delivery, they opened their store Bakeology Treats a few months ago after the worst of the pandemic passed and they found a place on Meath Street in Dublin 8. “We love the area. It’s close to the children’s school, and many of the clients we had when we were online are around here”. As soon as they opened, their regular customers came walking, cycling, or by car to buy from their new store and for those who live far, they plan to have the delivery option again.

“The idea to have an Argentinian bakery was from my wife. Around the area there’s nothing like it. We’re the first to have a bakery with Latin American products, but mostly Argentinian”. And with their empanadas, albacores and range of sweet and salty options. There’s something for everyone in this colourful, lovely spot to suit different tastes. We are hoping we can keep going and maybe open more in the future. We’ll have to wait and see, one day at a time.

Bakeology Treats entrance and sitting area. Photo by Liza Dantsig

Ruff Café is unique in its pet-friendly statement that “there’s no ‘dangerous race’ in dogs,” or animals for that matter. Their menu is not only for people but also for the pets that come with their owners during the mornings. Their regular customers are dogs and cats, but there have been many episodes featuring horses in the street, and even lizards.

“You’ll be surprised with people. I get surprised every day!” Luisa laughs, and, honestly, if my everyday customers come with either a dog or a horse, then I would be surprised too!