Queen of Tarts

What a gem in Dublin. Painted bright red on the outside walls and door, the Queen of Tarts isn't a place that one could easily miss. They have two locations; one on Cows Lane and the other on Dame Street. We had assumed that the location on Dame Street would be bigger since streets that come with the word "Lane" are usually small and narrow. But we were wrong to assume that. We stepped into the Dame Street location, realized how tiny (but cute) it was, and then only to see a sign at the counter that said "Visit our other location on Cows Lane for more seating".

We did not mind the limited seating at Queen of Tarts. It put us in the right mood and atmosphere of a quaint little European cafe that we wished we had back in Chicago. Petite size tables and wooden chairs are placed closed together. Vintage posters and plates are hung on the wall. We loved it already.

We lucked out and got seated at a table that was right beside the display of baked goods. The variety of items available was pretty amazing and we were spoiled by the choices. The variety of scones included blueberry, chocolate, and sultana.

Other sweet items included mince pies, macarons, madeleines, Victorian sponge cake, blueberry and raspberry crumble, and chocolate and pear tart. What a delight. We had coffee to accompany our food and I have to say that my latte was way less intense that I expected it to be. Our friend S had a latte as well and found it lacking in intensity that she ordered another coffee to give her some additional caffeine boost. I really loved the blueberry and raspberry crumble that came with a side of freshly whipped cream. The level of sweetness was just right with most of the natural sweetness coming from the fruit. It was perfect.

We were there at brunch hour and the tables were never empty. When we first walked in, the server was cleaning up a table that was just left empty which we very luckily got seated at. During our time there, as customers got up to leave, those tables would shortly be taken by incoming customers. I'm not sure about the afternoon crowd but I can only imagine myself enjoying a book at the cafe, among the waft of pastry smells, and enjoying a slice of goodness with a cup of afternoon tea.

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Queen of Tarts

Dame Street

Dublin 2, Ireland