Over the course of the last two years I have spent in Dublin, I have made it my life’s mission to find the best bakery. There are plenty within the city that have somehow become essential to my routine, Fable Bakery was one of those places. It began as a casual stop during exam season, a spot on Dawson St where my friends and I would go for something sweet after hours of staring at our laptops and pretending productivity was imminent. But like most routines that form under stress and near sunlight, it became near and dear to us.
It helped that the weather had finally turned and after months of grey sky and that damp, lingering cold that sits in your bones, the sun had settled into something warm. We’d buy our chosen drink and pastry, walk to the nearest patch of green, and sit in the grass as if thawing.
Then no sooner, summer arrived, we went home, and like many good things, Fable vanished from the city center. Only to open up again, in a new hole-in-the-wall, in Dùn Laoghaire just a few months later, this October. One small mercy as the school season picked up again. Twenty-five minutes on the DART, ten minutes on foot, and it is there right on the corner. Inside, the space is simple, unfussy. So many cafes now feel curated within an inch of their lives, Fable feels like it exists for the sole purpose of the baked goods, everything else comes naturally.
The pastries, thankfully, were just as good as I remember. My favorite, then and now, is the chocolate hazelnut bun. It strikes a balance that is harder to achieve than it sounds, rich without being too heavy, and sweet without being too cloying. Paired with an iced matcha latte, or even a cup of coffee, neither can go wrong. Their cookies deserve a mention too. They’re thick, chewy, and satisfyingly dense.
I had asked one of the workers what had been most popular since the reopening. Without hesitation, she said the cinnamon bun. It makes sense: it’s seasonal and comforting and their specialty.
The shop sells out frequently, you will want to get there before noon. They are open Wednesday through Sunday, from 8am to 4pm, 1C Clarinda Park West, Dùn Laoghaire and are most definitely worth the trip.
