3 things to eat first at Cork’s new Big Apple-style bagel bar

By Katie Mythen-Lynch September 20, 2021October 9, 2021

Their handmade bagels have been selling out.

But if you do manage to get yourself over to Cork’s newest cafe on Mac Curtain Street in time to sample the next batch, you won’t be disappointed.

5 Points Cafe is the latest venture by local man Ciaran Cronin and Cork-based New Yorker Richard Otto, who opened the cosy BeanTown Cafe on the Model Farm Road in 2018.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 5PointsCafe (@5pointscafecork)

Yet another exciting addition to the uber-cool Victorian Quarter, the 5 Points Café menu celebrates the best of local, with bagels baked fresh daily in-house, bread from the Alternative Bread Company and Pana Bread, Syrian flatbreads from Safa, sweet treats and pastries from The Flour House, Pure Raw and sister café Beantown and organic fruit veggies from The Good Food Shop.

Inside, the café is a relaxed space with a lived-in feel, all rustic furniture, paneled walls, and custom illustrations by Sam Butler. Customers are encouraged to take a market and sign a wall and there are tables outdoors too; ideal for people watching when the weather allows.

If you have menu anxiety, fear not; here are three things to eat first:

The Bagels

Made in-house to a special Big Apple-inspired recipe, 5 Points bagels come with butter (€2.50), with a shmear (that’s NY speak for toated with cream cheese – €3) or topped with scrambled egg, cheddar cheese and a dollop of relish (€5). You can also add bacon or sausage.

A New York staple, this week’s special is a cream cheese, onion and caper base, topped with smoked salmon and dill.

The Flatbreads

Kicking off at breakfast you can get your fresh Safa flatbread stuffed egg, Cajun potato and cheese (€6) or hang on ’til lunch for the chicken version with chipotle mayo and salad (€8.50) or the vegan flatbread – toasted with hummus, tomato, red pepper, onion, Cajun potato and rocket (€8).

The Reuben

No New York-style menu is complete without a version of this iconic sandwich and 5 Points Cafe has delivered the goods. Their Reuben (€9) comes on grilled sourdough with shaved pastrami, sauerkraut, cheddar and homemade thousand island sauce. Utterly delicious.