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20th December 2016
12:10am GMT
Picture the scene. It's a Saturday morning, you need coffee, but – because you're a total yuccie – you ain't got no cash to hand.
In fact, you don't even have a coin section in your wallet – this is the 21st Century, after all, and the whole idea of trading precious metals in exchange for goods and services kinda went out with Biblical times.
But who cares? Being that guy who uses a card to pay for a €2.50 coffee used to be a cardinal sin – but now, it's quite okay.
Contactless payment is basically the best thing technology has given us since cat gifs, and it's made its way into quite a few of the hottest establishments in town. So we've put together a slick little route you can take to gorge on coffees and treats, without the hassle of cash... or being that person who holds up the entire queue.
Illustration by Éna Brennan
So, where are these places you see dotted out before you?
Oh, you didn't think they'd embraced technology, did you? You thought their payments were processed through a rusty vintage adding machine, and their lights were powered by a hipster on an exercise bike, didn't you?
Well you were wrong – and the sublime coffee and knock-your-socks-off delish food here can all be purchased with a touch of dat plastic.
Nestled away on Montague Street, this place has quickly established itself as one of the must-visits of the Irish scene. It’s just a few minutes around the corner from our first stop, and the cold brew – created in a wonderful looking contraption on the counter – is a delicious little selling point.
Continue around St Stephen’s Green and down Baggot Street, then a short detour down Pembroke Street will bring you to this little gem.
You may be feeling a little caffienated by now, so if you just fancy a treat here that’s totally fine – you’ll get another chance to sample their coffee later on.
The best coffee in Dublin. No question about it, this is worth the walk.
Okay, it’s a bit of a trek back to the city centre, but by the time you’re back in you’ll have walked off your intake for the day. So you can pretty much start fresh – and no better place to do that than this joint. So good we included it twice.
They've also been on the whole contactless buzz since the beginning of time (pretty much) as this tweet from 2013 shows...
In the spirit of convenience (& capitalism) r South Anne St shop can now accept contactless CC payments ;-) pic.twitter.com/dUBfGDgu
— coffeeangel (@coffeeangel) February 6, 2013
The coffee here is so mind-blowingly perfect that it’s quite hard to believe the treats – beautifully laid out before you, and ranging from paleo cakes to delicious €1 mini-bites – could be considered its selling point.
A short walk around the corner brings you to this often-packed gem on Drury Street. If you don’t fancy another coffee, these guys do a mean matcha latte…
Boasting some pretty sweet surroundings to rest your weary legs, having recently moved to the Project Arts Centre, this is the place to let your heartrate start to come down.
You are the coffee champion of Dublin. Bravo.
