The name of this delightful cafe is a bit of a double-entendre as relates to the Dublin word 'pup' meaning bold (naughty) child - and is also a place where customers' pups are made to feel welcome.
The café is in a series of higgledy piggledy rooms downstairs, with a yoga studio above. The floor is rough concrete, the walls stripped bare and painted white, the wooden tables are functional and mismatched, some brightend by simple vases of flowers - and the walls are covered in a mixture of local art works, produce and tote bags for sale.
It is in the heart of the old residential area of the Liberties which, like most of Dublin's inner city, is changing. At one time large families lived in the two-up-two-down houses in the area, but it is now also home to young professional couples, as large apartments blocks and, more recently, student accommodation centres have begun to rise up between the old redbrick terraces.
Two Pups caters for the newer crowd. It has a young clientèle and serves up excellent coffee and homemade cakes. There is a wide selection to choose from - granola bars, chunks of lemon drizzle cake, or the more virtuous seed balls, for example.
Vegetable based dishes dominate the menu, with the renowned McNally's Farm credited with suppyling most of the produce, and the dishes are generous in size and very tasty. Hot dishes served up by the kitchen all day include brunch style eggs, either with avocado or a savoury miso peanut butter, along with dahl, hot pots and toasted cheese sandwiches.
The staff are friendly and efficient and they take great pains to make their coffee well at Two Pups, having a rotation of suppliers and baristas who are well trained to serve up perfectly smooth milk and strong espressos. Delicious looking cakes are on display - the perfect partner for a well-made coffee.
Two Pups is the type of café where you can sit and sip your coffee in the window people-watching, or browsing some of the in-house magazines. Or. if you are hungry, you can drop in for a full hearty lunch followed by home baked cake.
It is a place that makes people - and their pups - happy.
