The Craft bakery

Ah, this place is a bit disappointing. We in Dublin aren’t really used to good bakeries, (like in Paris), so places like Craft Bakery receive more hype and praise than they deserve.
Regarding the products: in general, the basic ingredients that they use are poor quality, which of course leads to poor food! I had a chocolate brownie that tasted like it was made from low-​grade cooking chocolate. On a different occasion, a muffin which was far too greasy, and on another different occasion an almond slice which was just a bit stale.
I think, if you are unused to proper bakeries, the novelty and indulgence of this place is very appealing. It’s certainly better than going to the Tesco across the road. However, I have been used to proper bakeries, and honestly, if I’m going to indulge myself with cakes and biscuits, they had better be damn good ones. Which these sadly aren’t.

The parents in 90s Nickelodeon sitcoms had a phrase that I’ll apply to the Craft Bakery: «I’m not angry, I’m just disappointed».
It starts out so well, the shop is nice, staff are friendly. But the selection is pretty basic. The cakes are the usual suspects from your Gran’s house: tiffin, brownies, apple pie, etc. They don’t taste all that great though. Judging from the caramel square and apple pie I had, I think they need better basic ingredients.
The great thing about cake shops is they can improve almost overnight, all the Craft Bakery needs to do is tweak their products a little. There’s a load of potential here, so hopefully they can fulfil it! Their prices are pretty good too (€ 1.75 to € 2 for a slab of cake), just not good enough to excuse what you’re paying for.

If there’s anything to be gleaned from this review, know this: here you’ll find the best brownies in Dublin, & I cordially challenge anyone to direct me otherwise. Gooey, melty chocolate in the middle (be it in the late morning or late in the afternoon — I’ve, uh, done my research), yet just hard enough that it keeps it shape — just. It’s € 2 for a hefty piece (think about the size you’d cut for yourself if you were at home); reasonable.
That indulgence aside, their apple cake is also lovely as a lighter indulgence, & the people there are chirpy & nice. The coffee is alright — a step above your average Spar/​Centra/​etc fare, though not too much more, & I only wish there could be a proper place to sit (or would that be silly.?).
Minor quibbles aside: sweet people, lovely bakery; EPIC BROWNIE.

The only reason this place loses a star is that the only time I go is pre 8a.m. and I feel a little guilty deducting a star for this but it’s the early morning dreariness that ruins the Craft Bakery buzz for me.
See my daughter is 15 months old and doesn’t quite get the whole concept of having a lie in just yet so when over with her it’s a 6a.m. start and I go for a walk with her (a slow, easily distracted by both stones on the ground, leaves on the bushes, and GOD FORBID an animal catches her eye) at about 7 after we’re both fully conscious (by we I mean me). We stroll into Rathmines and the hunger pangs start so the Craft bakery is the place to go. I hook myself up with a few croissants that are always amazing and fresh, and the daughter has learned to indulge in an early morning gingerbreadman (but SHH, don’t tell her Mum).
Always clean and always friendly and fresh. Sure it’s a little more expensive than the centra and tesco croissants but it’s also better, by a hell of a long way. Have’nt had their cakes yet but I’m working on getting there in the evening soon, I’ll update as soon as I do!

Tried their chocolate biscuit cake which was very tasty and extremely good value for a huge slab! Tasted like they’d used butter which is always a selling point for me. If I’m having cake it may as well be properly fat and carb laden!
They had samples of some gluten free products the last day I was in too. The brownie was a bit dry and tasted like spelt flour but the marble cake was light and tasted gorgeous-​not a bit like something gluten free! That was impressive…

If you do your shopping at Tesco, have filled your shopping bags with beans, rashers, sausages and eggs for the Sunday brunch, The Craft Bakery is a fine place to stock up on the missing essentials: freshly baked bread and perhaps a sweet treat or two. You don’t want the chocolate-​chip-​cookies to end up in the bin, do you?
If you’re hungry like a wolf but in a hurry, their sandwiches are pretty filling and easy to grab on the run. And the opening hours are handy for those with a busy schedule. Overall, good bakery food for good value.

The craft bakery is run by Eugene Davis who opened it in late 2008 after retiring from an IT company. They’ve gotten a bit of press here and there and I hope they’re doing well because I love to see things like bakeries in Dublin. They make us seem like real Europeans.
I have only tried they;re sausage rolls and they are really good. They have a nice herby flavour, not too fancy like gourmet sausage rolls tend to be with tomato and chilli and mad stuff like that, just nice and homemade-​y. The only downside is that I wanted to scoff it on the go and they didn’t heat it up, which is kind of a big oversight in the world of sausage rolls.
The cakes and breads look and smell delicious too and I’ll definitely drop in to try one next time I’m in the neighbourhood.

Great scones and yummy cheesecake… these are the two reasons I can’t walk past this bakery. The service is great, but I might be bias because I can only really focus on the sugar when I’m here!

I agree with John, it’s nice to see the Craft Bakery in Rathmines.
I hadn’t visited it until last night, when I needed a special something for dessert. Their apple tart provided me with a delicious, healthy option, although I was also rather tempted by the custard and cheesecake sections.
Their cupcakes should be delicious, but they looked a little dry to me… Maybe because it was towards the end of the day?
The Craft Bakery is open surprisingly late for a bakery (I always thought they closed around 5?) and the girl who served me was delightful.

A nice new edition to Rathmines, the craft bakery is located just across the road from Tesco. The place is clean and well managed.
As well as cakes, pastries, breads, scones and muffins the Bakery does great filled rolls and sandwiches at lunchtimes.
The staff are very helpful and friendly the day I visited.