Cafe del Mondo

Nice atmosphere, not expensive, burger could have been a winner but was let down by the meat patty which tasted a little bit ‘Iceland’. The soup on the other hand was amazing! All in all worth a visit

Have you ever seen someone walking down the street and thought to yourself that they’re *almost* attractive, but something’s just not quite right? You can’t put your finger on it, just something a little off. That’s how dinner here felt, should have been excellent but something was just slightly off.
Maybe it was our waiter, who managed to seem simultaneously friendly and standoffish and could barely make any recommendation about the three craft beers on the menu. Maybe it was the little details, like not being offered any water until we asked, or any bread at all. Maybe it was the strangely sweet, cloying flavor that came on my baked potato and corn on the cob, as though they had used some dessert spice or maple syrup in the cooking. I just never felt quite comfortable, like I could relax and enjoy my meal.
It wasn’t all bad, of course. The décor and overall ambience were very nice, a minimalist and tasteful vaguely Mediterranean theme on the walls and James Brown on the speakers, which clashed but in a fun and funky way. The caprese starter and my BBQ rib main course were delicious.
I wanted to like this place more than I did, but in the end my meal wasn’t ruined or anything, just not quite as good as I expected when I walked in. If the service had been a little better and the food not quite so oddly flavored, this would easily have been a five star review.

The food was really great. The service not so good. Not attentive, had to ask for things like the check and more water. Very slow. I don’t know maybe it’s because we’re Americans and used to tipping. It’s not a bad system
Atmosphere very nice though the craft market it’s in was deserted at dinner time.

We had tea, coffee and cake. It was after lunch so there wasn’t massive choice of cake left (which is a good sign) so we shared a brownie. Nice setting with lots of windows to people watch, really lovely staff, good coffee, great music (they played a whole White Stripes album while we were there.

Perfect! Really juicy steak and a very tasty chocolate truffle cake. Had to wait for the steak, but well worth it!

Lovely café, cheap, with good food. A fine break from chain restos.
Very fresh, lovey fish with skinny American style chips. Also a really fabulous pulled (brisket or pork, depends on the day).
That and it’s a good place to meet up and work. What’s not to like?

It’s little spots like this that really leave an impression when visiting somewhere on a flying visit. You don’t have much time, so when you do get a chance to relax for a while, you just have to hope that the random café you wander into is worth.
Not a problem for Café del Mondo. There’s a relaxed, hippie-​ish, vibe to the place. It’s more concerned with being a community amenity than any sort of a business. You can just hang out, or check out the various gatherings they organise during the week. We ended up staying for a few hours, filling up coffee and cakes and just soaking in the atmosphere. As long as there are places like Café del Mondo, I’ll always look forward to trips to Derry.

A nice little café with amazing soup. I don’t know what is with this island and their warm hearty soups but I’m in love. I had their tomato and veggie soup and it was full of tomatoey veggie goodness. I also had one of their scones that was sweet, soft, and delicious.
As always (or at least so far on my Ireland trip) the service is warm and full of smiles!