Castle Road, Saggart Village in Dublin

An excellent casual lunch spot with a relaxed atmosphere, and far better than you might expect from a museum café. We visited while exploring the Chester Beatty and found it to be one of the pleasant surprises of our time in Dublin. The menu offers a tempting range of Middle Eastern-inspired dishes, with plenty of fresh, vibrant flavours. Everything we ordered was well prepared and satisfying, showing that this is much more than a convenient place to grab a quick bite. There is also an impressive selection of cakes and sweet treats, making it an ideal place to linger over coffee after lunch. The café has a bright, welcoming feel and provides a welcome break from sightseeing. Whether you’re stopping in before or after visiting the museum, it’s a relaxing place to unwind without feeling rushed. The staff were friendly and efficient, helping create a warm and enjoyable experience from the moment we arrived. Service was prompt, and the whole venue felt well organised despite being quite popular. Even if you have no particular interest in visiting the Chester Beatty, this café is worth seeking out for the food alone. It’s an excellent example of how a museum café can exceed expectations, offering fresh, flavourful food in a comfortable setting. I’d happily return on a future visit to Dublin, both for another meal and to sample more of the delicious cakes.

Not immediately obvious to passers-by this cosy cafe with calm and laidback atmosphere sits in a bright atrium-style space inside the Chester Beatty Gallery building. It serves Middle Eastern and Mediterranean-inspired food, including Palestinian moussaka, Moroccan tagine, various salads, and daily specials, along with something sweet like homemade cakes & baklava. Vegan and gluten-free options are available. Our choice: Meat moussaka and chicken with rice Check for two (only mains, tap water provided): 33 EUR Overall verdict: 8/10 — a good option for a quick, healthy, and hearty lunch, but not somewhere I would go specifically go unless I was already visiting the museum. And definitely a must do after visiting the Chester Beatty exhibitions.

Great people, great venue, great baklava. Well worth a visit to this peaceful cafe place.

I have been a frequent visitor of Silk Road cafe for a number of years, for lunch, for afternoon tea and picking up Too Good To Go boxes. Their food is incredible and their staff are amazing, hospitalty is 10/10. I recently went to Afternoon Tea and as always the experience is second to none, the member of staff who served us was fantastic. I cannot believe that they are being forced to close for 6 months and there is a risk that they might not be able to reopen. The Silk Road cafe is an institution at Chester Beatty and I really hope that a solution is found that they can remain open from the side gates with good signage for tourists and Locals to continue to enjoy lunch here across the summer months. Thanks.

Excellent food, unique flavours- we felt really lucky to have gone to the Charles Beatty museum hungry so we could eat here. After our museum visit we even took another meal away for supper.

What is like about this is that it is hidden in a a gem location. Coffee with museum buildings, beautiful grounds and a couple of minutes from hustle and Russel of city centre. Love the space. Locked bike up outside. All good- thanks GRMA. 💚 #chicclassycosy recommends if visiting Dublin.

Lovely food, lovely surroundings.

We had afternoon tea here today, food was simply exquisite. No problem accommodating my gluten intolerance. The staff are friendly and attentive. This is a great afternoon tea as while there are lots of cakes and sweet things there’s also a lot of savoury foods with traditional Middle Eastern dishes. Really good value for the quality of food and service we had.

We got a too good to go bag here and the food was just amazing. Lovely view too from the tables.

Superb afternoon tea.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Delicious food, with exceptional service in a calm setting.