Starbucks

You know exactly what you're getting when you push through those glass doors on Liffey Street. The familiar green logo beckons tourists laden with shopping bags and locals who've given up fighting the corporate coffee invasion. The space is typical Starbucks fare - clean lines, blonde wood, and that particular brand of sanitised comfort that feels the same whether you're in Dublin or Denver. The queue moves at a decent clip, staffed by baristas who've mastered the art of spelling Irish names on cups (mostly). Your flat white arrives predictably hot and adequately caffeinated, perfect for fuelling another lap around town. While the independent coffee scene thrives elsewhere in the city, sometimes you just want something reliable and uncomplicated in the chaos of the northside shopping district.