Small but mighty, this delightful little sister of Clare Condon and Kristin Makirere's famed sustainable foods destination, Good Day Deli, Nadur Deli made a very welcome entrance on the plaza of visitor attraction Nano Nagle Place on Cork’s Douglas Street in spring 2024.
In line with the owners' well recognised philosophy, the focus at this tiny cafe is on vegetarian and vegan food, with a nod to the fish eater - but only if the fish is from Irish waters or from a sustainable source, and preferably an under-utilised species.
Mainly a weekend destination, Nadur Deli was originally part of the convent and it's really small - and delightfully quirky. Of just nine seats available indoors, three look out over a narrow street but all have shelves where you can lay your food. Their 'week' runs from Thursday to Sunday and the day begins with a flourish at 10.00 am, when they serve a deliciously healthy breakfast - or perhaps teas and coffees with a sweet temptation such as a Morning Cinnamon Roll or a slice of Pistachio White Chocolate and Blueberry...
Along with the teas, coffees and pastries, a short but inviting all-day sandwich list might include The Mozzarella Focaccia (Macroom Buffalo mozzarella with parsley pesto, red onion and tomato) and a Kimchi Toasty (with brie, house kimchi and hivemind honey) for example, which is vegetarian but can become vegan when made with cashew cheese. Or there's a West Cork Tofu Roll, a substantial bite that combines West Cork tofu with harissa mayo, pickled carrots, cucumber, fresh coriander and pickled onion.
At lunchtime, there are little nibbles - Green Olives or Rolled Labnch in Sumac, Mint+Hazelnut Dukkah - and vegetarian plates, including Potato and Cheese on Soda Bread (new potatoes with spring onion aioli on house soda bread topped with Keoghs crisps, chives and goat gouda shavings). But you could also have fish, such as Ger and Mags Kirwan's delicious Goatsbridge trout from Kilkenny, with house labneh, pickled cucumber and apple on house soda bread.
Pastries are a speciality - Lemon Meringue Almond Cake, perhaps, goes perfectly with good cup of West Cork Coffee - or you can ask for their Gateaux de Voyage (a selection of 'Travellers' Cakes' that should travel well).
And the short but well chosen wine list also reflects their sustainable philosophy, offering only natural wines.
A little gem.
