Residents in Dublin 8 and further afield are mourning the end of an era following the announcement that one of the area’s most beloved cafés will close its doors in the coming weeks.
Renowned for its freshly baked sweet and savoury goods and speciality coffee, The Morning Bakery, located on Pleasants Street announced that it would be closing before the end of the year in an emotional statement in recent days.
The Morning café opened nine years ago and has been serving Dubliners seven days a week since then, building a huge fan base and following.
FANTASTIC
Taking to Instagram café owners Brian O’Keeffe and Kevin Powel confirmed that their beloved bakery and café building has been sold and that they would shut their doors for good on December 15, 2024.
Paying tribute to their customers, neighbours, staff and suppliers, the owners described their relationship with the ‘current owner of the building’ as fantastic, branding them ‘so encouraging and helpful’ before confirming that they weren’t in ‘any kind of financial trouble’ as they prepare to close for good.
They said: ‘We’ve had a fantastic run on Pleasants Street over the past 9 years, through our various iterations and incarnations! Wouldn’t have done any of it differently, except a few of the haircuts maybe, but really it’s been fantastic and now it’s time to turn the page!
‘Enormous love to our superstar team who were so warm, kind and understanding when we told them the news, you are the heroes who make this place what it is day in and day out!’
MEMORIES
The owners of the Dublin café gave a nod to their staff, adding that they’d had ‘countless amazing heads’ working for them since opening.
‘You have given us memories we will never forget. Mega thanks to all the roasters and amazing producers and suppliers that we have worked with over the years, many of whom have become dear friends.
‘It’s all smiles in the cafe, the tears will probably come by to visit on Dec 15th, but until then it’s time to celebrate the past 9 years and do what we do best – which is bake our hearts out and sling those coffees. Come and say hello, or goodbye, or that we should have had a scone deal.
‘Much love to everyone, and see you over the next 6 weeks.’
SORROW
Customers of the well-known café have expressed their upset and sorrow at the news of the closure, with hundreds of coffee lovers taking to the comment section to wish the owners well in their next adventure.
‘You will be immensely missed! Guys, will you appear anywhere else in town? In new appearance, same vibe, wonderful baked goods and coffee? I will be waiting for the reincarnation. Thank you for all those iterations of Meet Me in the Morning, Table Wine and Morning.’
Another wrote: ‘This is a huge loss for Dublin,’ while one of the café’s staff members penned: ‘That window seat upstairs is the first place I ever sat down in this country… Proud to have spent almost the entirety of my Dublin existence working for two of the best people ever. And proud I’ll be there until the last day.’
The shock closure of The Morning Café comes amid a wave of closures hitting the industry in recent months after another popular chain of cafés in Cork City announced that they would shut their doors immediately due to ‘unprecedented challenges’ in recent months.
Perry Street Market Café closed down suddenly on November 7, 2024, after running three premises in the city centre, Grange and Ringaskiddy for over 12 years.
The owners explained in an Instagram post how their decision was ‘not made lightly’ admitting that they were ‘genuinely heartbroken’ to reach this point after being in business for so long.
