Phibsborough

Two Boys Brew manages to drag half the city to an unremarkable corner of Phibsborough every weekend, where they wait outside in the cold for a table without complaint. Once you are ushered into the buzzing cafe, it takes serious discipline not to grossly overorder—the food is that good. The recipe for this success is that classic Irish thing of two emigrants coming home and bringing with them the phenomena they observed abroad—in this case, brunch, Australian style. Each dish defies expectations—mushrooms on toast is in fact grilled sourdough smeared with confit garlic and herb oil, topped with seared wild mushrooms, salty pecorino, poached eggs, and a sprinkle of toasted hazelnuts for crunch. Run-of-the-mill avo toast is livened up with beetroot hummus, the zesty avocado doused with seeds, earthy watercress, and crumbled feta. The coffee is just right every time, the orange juice always fresh, and somehow there’s always room for dessert.