With a BA in Culinary Arts and a chef for over 12 years, Ethna had most recently worked at Shells in Strandhill before opening her own café in 2016 in the small village of Collooney. But don’t let its small size or slightly out-of-the-way location fool you. This charming little cafe soon became one of the area's most popular spots for breakfast and lunch. Its oilcloth-lined tables, jugs of fresh flowers and large kitchen dresser filled with cookbooks and mismatched teacups give it a homey feel, almost like being in a friend’s kitchen.
During the Covid period, Nook made some changes, extending the offering to become half café-restaurant and also a little grocery, selling a mix of Irish cheeses, high welfare charcuterie, wines, lots of Irish sauces, condiments etc - also a great takeaway breakfast and lunch menu, along with tailored picnic boxes and catering.
The first thing you’ll notice about the menu – besides how tempting every dish sounds – is the focus on fresh, local artisan ingredients, from the meat to the cheese and right down to the beautiful salad leaves.
The breakfast menu features lots of Ballysadare eggs, sourdough bread and local leaves in various guises, be it an omelette, huevos Nook, seasonal hash with chorizo, eggs Benedict or a breakfast burrito special. Homemade baked beans and toast and porridge are available too.
At lunchtime, you might like a sandwich of roast Irish chicken with herbed mustard mayo, the ‘naanwich’ – a soft folded naan filled with tandoori spiced fried buttermilk chicken, chipotle mayo, house pickle and local salad and slaw, or perhaps a BLT with Andarl farm bacon? Burgers include turkey Kiev and the double bacon smashburger with a secret sauce.
Even the drinks are special, with Bundaburg ginger beer or pink lemonade, smoothies and a house lemonade of the day and the coffee is sourced from Art of Coffee in nearby Carrick-on-Shannon.
As good as the main menu is, and it changes monthly to reflect what’s available in season, the daily specials are always worth considering too – perhaps something like a sandwich of Irish pork belly, black pudding, grilled peaches, Knockanore cheddar and rocket.
Ethna has created a seriously impressive menu in this little gem of a café. It’s an absolute delight to find it in Collooney and well worth a stop on your way to Sligo town or even a destination in its own right - and has more recently been joined by a charming younger sister, Nádúr, in nearby Coolaney (west of Collooney).
