La Pausa Caffe

You'll find yourself in one of those rare coffee shops where the barista actually understands what a proper espresso should taste like. Tucked onto Blessington Street, this Italian-run spot has become the local caffeine headquarters for anyone who's tired of burnt, bitter coffee masquerading as artisanal. The paninis are dead on – proper Italian bread with fillings that make sense rather than whatever Instagram trend is happening. You can actually taste the difference when people care about what they're serving. The opening hours are a bit mad (3:30am on Thursdays?), but that just means you're sorted whether you need your morning fix or a late Friday pint of coffee.