Cafe Crema

You'll find yourself on Middle Abbey Street squeezed between the chaos of the Northside and thinking you've stumbled onto something proper. The thing about Cafe Crema is it doesn't try—the espresso is genuinely excellent, pulled by people who actually care about the pour, and the pastries rotate with enough thought that you're not seeing the same sad croissant three days running. It's packed most mornings, locals queuing out onto the street, which tells you everything. The space is tight and unpretentious, all stripped-back aesthetics and the kind of busy hum that means it's doing something right.