Costa Coffee

I lived in this Costa branch last year. With it’s elegant décor and comfy booths downstairs, it set the scene for my friend group’s tea breaks between lectures. I’ve tried so many of their pastries that I can’t actually keep track, and I often had the scrumptious tomato and cheese toastie as my lunch. This is a perfect place for groups, dates, and solo study times. It’s my comfy place in the city centre. My only con is that you have to remember to ask for milk when ordering tea, as there are no milk containers at the sugar/​napkin stations. Otherwise, love love love for this Costa.

I am a sucker for hot chocolate and this one was definitely a winner.
Since it was made with real milk (I know this may seem odd to write, but many places in the U. S. use water) it was thick and frothy. The flavor was spot on albeit a little more chocolate would have been nice.
The venue itself is nice but somewhat overcrowded given that it’s across from Trinity University.

As far as the Costa chain goes, this is by far my favourite venue. Beautiful building and richly decorated, with a good amount of extra space in the basement. There’s also a quiet area for people to get their work done, and I’ve very often come in here to do some reading before I head to the R.D.S for my college exams.
The staff don’t make you feel rushed– if you have your seat and you’ve bought something to drink or eat, they won’t push you out even if you’re long finished.
I quite like Costa, in terms of coffee chains– I think they are more reasonably priced than their competitors (cough Starbucks cough), and they have a good selection of fairly tasty coffees. It’s not top class, but it’s nice for a sup and to kill some time.

Great location, cozy warm place with lots of corners for an ideal coffee meet in city center! Their coffee itself is good; not great and so is the price but the venue is good and rating is mostly for that; especially if you work close by and its a cold morning!

I found the staff very friendly and the coffee was good.

Standard stuff food wise, but this is a beautiful building & a nice place to chill… Seems an awful shame that it’s used as a Costa!

One of the few coffee shops that has a good selection of pre-​packaged gluten free foods including brownies, bakewells and cookies. This is a nice big coffee shop with lots of space so you are always guaranteed to get a seat.

I like Costa Coffee chains in general and usually go to the Temple Bar branch since it’s smaller and less crowded. I always order a Cortado or macchiato since I find the portions at Costa in general, even the small size to be massive and to milky.
But if you like bland milky coffee, than Costa is great for that. But I notice that the staff here make mistake orders a lot, maybe since it’s quite busy.
In terms of price, it’s cheaper than Starbucks and Butlers, and they don’t charge extra for soya milk, which is good. I would stay away from the food though, especially the cakes. I always see flies crawling all over them.
The lighting is very dark so it’s hard to read or anything unlike the other branches, which are usually quite bright, and the area downstairs is like a dungeon: you literally can’t see anything!
The seating is nice though with sofas, and it’s really big inside.

So it’s just another Costa Coffee. But, the premises are something else. Very elegant, all 1960s Bewleys (without the cigarette smoke obviously) Used to be an Easons branch and, in another incarnation, an Irish clone of Abercrombie and Fitch. I think it may even have been a merchant bank back in the day. Anyway, it’s a coffer shop but go just for the ambience. The coffee is just sn excuse to sit with your book and while away an hour.

I’m unsure of my feelings for this place.
While I do love the premises, its big, with plenty of comfortable seating which is rare in most coffee shops.
You can take a book and sit there for ages.
I think the coffee’s are better in other branches though. When I was here the other week my fancy xmas latte was warm at best and way overpowered by choclate. Also, they girl at the till was bit offputting. Not saying she was rude, but just had an air about her. like I was wasting her time or something.
3 stars for the plentiful seating, 2 stars for sservice and coffee.

I really love this costa. It’s huge and inviting.
The coffee served here in my experience is much nicer than damn st costa. I got myself a gingerbread latte in both and there was no gingerbread taste of the one on damn st.
They have a great selection of food and desserts.
They loose 1 star for there staff, when I ordered a take away coffee and bun the lady who took my order argued with me that I hadn’t asked for it as a takeaway when they served me my order in a sit down mug.
Now I know this is nip picking over a simple misunderstanding but I shouldn’t expect an argument over a quick take away coffee!
I love there Christmas menu and there Christmas take away mugs!

Used to buy a Chicken Bacon triple decker regularily for c.€ 6 — now there’s an (unannounced) new range of plainer sandwiches at c.€ 6 so it’s effectively a price hike — that’s why it’s unannounced !!! And the staff are playing dumb (not hard ?)saying they know nothing about the range (and lableing) changing !!
Went to 2 more Costas and sent email to Costa, no joy from any contact with Costa — ‘we want your money but not your questions or complaints’ (like hundreds of companies in Ireland — ZERO customer service !!)

One of the most elegant Costa’s I’ve ever been into! Beautiful wood paneling and décor in general, ample comfortable seating and free wifi. The food is pretty standard amongst all stores within the costa chain but its the pretty atmosphere of this place that gives it four stars for me! Would be fantastic if they had laptop plugs but I couldn’t find any

I do like coming to this Costa Café.
The staff are incredibly friendly, the coffee is delicious and the seating is very comfortable.
There are cons however, hence the three stars. Bitbuzz is rubbish and so hard to do any work there. I’d rather go down the road to the other café…), the interior seems a bit unfinished and cold and, of course, the prices aren’t great.
I still do like it here and if I’m in the neighbourhood I would drop in again.

This is now on the corner Dawson Street @ Nassau street.
As already highlighted by other users, the food is bland, the prices are a little on the «expensive side» and the place is always too busy. If you say something nice to the staff, they DO reply and smile back, busy or not.
It is worth mentioning that the location needs maintenance (or at least an assessment) before things gets unpleasant:
— On ¹¹⁄₀₅ a huge piece of plaster collapsed from the ceiling, falling on the stairs leading to the basement section. It’s a miracle that nobody got injured since there were 50+ people downstairs coming and going.
— Weeks earlier another piece of plaster collapsed near the tills (I was not there at the time, I just saw the area cordoned and the scaffolding «waiting» for the repair crew).
P. S. The code for the toilets changes everyday. If you don’t want to leave your food unattended, just go downstairs and grab any forgotten/​discarded receipt. Or just ask the patrons for the code. :)

I don’t drink coffee so my review is limited to the hot chocolate selection. Every Christmas I get very excited about the range of seasonal hot chocolates each coffee chain advertises and I have to test every single one. Last year I crowned Costa Coffee’s Black Forest hot chocolate my ultimate favourite and they brought it back for 2012!

This Costa Coffee branch is actually at 1 Dawson Street (rather than 13 – 17 listed in the location on Unilocal). They actually moved from what is now Fixx coffee just down the road. It can be a bit confusing as the pictures of the location are not accurate either.
Let me start by saying the building is amazing and this has got to be one of the most visually appealing coffee shops both inside and out. My understanding is that they moved into this prime location fairly recently, right across from Trinity college in the Morison Chambers building (Corner of Dawson and Nassau). The outside is amazing with stone sculpture elements carved into the exterior. The entryway has a beautiful painted ceiling and inside you will find an ornate fireplace and carved wood throughout the exterior walls, especially on the windows facing Dawson street, which is a great place to sit.
I ordered a large cappuccino and they had a selection of festive holiday muffins and I tried the Gingerbread man muffin (complete with a mini ginger man). The large cappuccino was around 3.40 I believe but was so huge they had to serve it with two handles on either side of the cup. They had a nice presentation with the chocolate topping appearing as a few coffee beans. The cappuccino itself was not as great as some of the other local places (my favorite being Fixx coffee down the road) but the muffin was amazing, with a nice gooey filling.
I have been a few times and have not found the service to be that great as many other reviewers have noted as well. Asking for help with a baby chair or other questions were not met with that friendly of responses. This is definitely an area which could be improved.
Overall, the coffee is okay, the service is okay and the ambiance is really nice. It has a great location and it is on my list of places where I would stop in for a snack and a coffee if I am passing by. I would probably rate this as a 3.5, but not quite a 4.

If Dawson Street has one thing going for it, it’s that you’re never more than five yards from a cup of coffee. The Costa branch here started in what is now Fixx, before moving into a massive space in the beautiful Morison Chambers building. It’s apparently their Irish flagship, but it looks remarkably like every other Costa you’ve ever been in. A real missed opportunity for their business and Dublin in general.
So you know what to expect. Costa trade on being slightly less expensive than Starbucks and serving massive amounts of coffee for that price. Their largest coffee has a cup with two handles, enough said.
Unfortunately, «quantity, not quality» seems to be Costa’s mantra. My low-​point with the chain was getting an iced tea that was just a cup of tea with a few ice cubes floating in it. I asked the barista if they had made a mistake, but no, that’s how they were told to make them. Costa might be the only coffee place where they don’t actually taste what they put on sale.
There’s Fixx just up the road, serving way better coffee with far nicer service in more comfortable surroundings. Do yourself a favour and give this place a miss.

It’s pricey, it’s huge and the service can be a bit slow, but the surroundings are great, it’s in a great location and they always have seats free.
There is a large pastry selection too, which I have sampled and enjoyed (a bit too much).
Downstairs they can accommodate large parties, if that is your thing — a rarity in coffee shops, and the coffee is decent, drinkable, consistent.
Is there better coffee to be had in Dublin? Yes
Is that coffee near Grafton Street, Trinity etc. and in nice surroundings where you can always get a seat? No
You are paying a premium for the location, but in general it is worth it.

It’s easy to take pot shots at franchise cafes when you know about the hidden gems a few streets down. But, when time or knowledge don’t allow for more authentic excursions (*cough* 3FE on Abbey St *cough*) Costa Coffee fits the bill.
No surprises, no inspiration, no cheap deals. Costa tows the line of the UK brand’s other outlets with own-​brand coffee and pricey nibbles on the side. Like the chains seeded throughout Britain’s urban areas, Costa Dublin is a hope-​to-​be-​seen spot Dawson street for the caffeine starved … or clueless.