Down West, a magical vegan café and bookshop marks 15 years of new chapters
Brought to you by Antiquity Plant Based Cafe & The Timetravellers Bookshop.
It was West Cork’s first fully vegan eatery.
Now Nicola Smyth’s fabled Antiquity Vegan Bookshop Cafe is marking 15 years of delicious food, excellent coffee and juicy reads on Bridge Street in Skibbereen.
The famously pet-friendly, off-line café (this is a space where phones take a back seat and real connection takes centre stage) and its little courtyard has become a local hub for language meet-ups, a chess club, and screen-free afternoons filled with art talks, health chats, and discussions on ecology, the climate, and plant-based food.
Food so good, while we’re on the topic, that it regularly attracts other esteemed foodies, including two-Michelin-Star chef Ahmet Dede of famed West Cork restaurant Customs House just down the road in Baltimore.
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“What can l say. The first time l ever tried Nicky’s food it was an emotional moment – l got goosebumps, my heart went up on my arm. She cooks from the heart and makes delicious dishes. Still, for me, she is one of the best cooks l ever tried food from.
“She is so unique and special and it’s all coming from the heart.” Dede added.
So, what’s on the menu?
Nicola frequently reminds those who are sceptical or have questions about plant-based food that our grandparents did not always have money for meat or milk or butter but had to create a meal anyway.
A mother of four, the chef sees herself not only as a passionate cook but also as an everyday-activist for healthy living. Customers are always surprised when they realise the food reminds them of something their mother or grandmother would have made when they were younger.
The small menu of five savoury dishes includes chef Nicola’s signature dish the Chunky Vegetable Stew (for which people travel far and wide) and the Stewed Mushroom Baguette, The Picnic Bunch, The Pasta Bowl and The Smorrebrod.
If any of Nicola’s sweets, like her Italian Cherry Cake and Swedish Blueberry Cake, The Paddington, The New Guy or The Snicky are sold out, there is always a danger of a riot in front of her counter. The advice is to get there before 2pm, when much of the goodies on offer are sold out.
The very active community of athletes in and around of Skibbereen as well as bike-riders and hikers make repeat stops for smoothies and fresh juices.
Besides making people happy with food, Nicola also loves being surrounded by her well-curated bookshop-atmosphere in which everyone will find a book they never knew existed.
Letters to the Future – Only at The Timetraveller’s Bookshop
To celebrate the milestone 15 year birthday, the Time Traveller’s Bookshop is bringing a little Parisian magic to their corner of the world.
“When you visit our bookshop café, you’ll have the chance to sit with a cup of something warm, a pen, and a moment of quiet.
Write a letter to yourself. Or to someone you love. Reflect, dream, laugh on paper.” they explained.
“Then seal it, date it, and hand it to us. Six months from now—we’ll post it back to you. A whisper from your past self, arriving like a time-travelling hug.”
Just ask for your Letter to the Future kit next time you visit and keep the magic going long after you leave.
Follow Antiquity Plant Based Cafe & The Timetravellers Bookshop, 44 Bridge Street, Skibbereen on Instagram and on Facebook for intermittent updates here.
You’ll find them at P81 Y067 Skibbereen, County Cork and you can call 085 7569746 for further information. They open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 6pm, with lunch from 12pm to 2pm, sandwiches, coffee and cake from 12pm – 4pm.
See antiquity.ie for more.
