Firehouse Bakery is well-established as one of the country’s leading producers of new-wave artisan breads and an active member of the Real Bread network that advocates for better bread for all. Their website promises "at the Firehouse a smiling face is always waiting” and true to form the welcome from local servers is warm and authentic. That you’re also greeted by an attractive display of their excellent breads (available for retail) makes landing in here a happy experience.
The bright and airy café is housed in one half of a sportswear shop and does feel a little bit like having your lunch in a store, but there are some clever design details in place to put the Firehouse stamp on the space, such as the giant roll of brown paper that doubles up as wrapping for the breads on display on which the daily specials are announced (such as The Colonel brioche buttermilk chicken burger with crispy pancetta melted cheddar, bbq mayo and homemade gravy served with fries). Once the food arrives, however, you’ll have eyes for little else: this is colourful, modern and crowd-pleasing café fare that demands all your attention.
A smart sourdough pizza menu makes the most of the wood-fired oven with Toonsbridge Fior di Latte and Gubbeen Smokehouse products taking pride of place – and very reasonably priced optional extras include nduja or Gubbeen chorizo and salami featuring alongside clever dips like roasted garlic mayo. On the main café menu, both the all-day brunch and the ‘breads and buns’ sections showcase house-made baking while being equally strong on well-sourced ingredients (like North Wicklow Free-range Eggs) and bold flavours, with lots of pickles and hot sauces and clever spicings. Brunch might be a spiced halloumi salad with tenderstem broccoli, roast squash, herbed cous cous, baba ghanoush, harissa yoghurt and seasonal leaves with a crispy fried egg, for example. Lunch might be beef brisket cooked overnight in the wood-fired oven and served in a granary baguette with pickles, crispy tabasco onions, garlic butter and pepper sauce – or perhaps a brioche roll topped with tempura soft shell crab with salsa verde, dill hollandaise, poached egg and lemon preserve. Bread might be king here, but flavour is a fitting queen.
Save room for some house-made pastries or cakes for dessert, washed down with a mug of tea perhaps, or better still, bring them home for extra treats. A perfect way to complete a day trip in beautiful Wicklow, and a great excuse to visit the often overlooked Wicklow town.
