Brunch at Grangecon Kitchen, Dining Outdoors in Wicklow

Grangecon Kitchen, Wicklow

I’ve been meeting with a good friend for breakfast or brunch once a week, for a month now. We both have school going children, we both lead very full lives, and we both love travel and food. And so in the space between school drop-offs and pick-ups, we ourselves have been schooling our own selves on what’s old, what’s new, and where’s good to dine, outdoors preferably, while the sun still shines. One of our first dining outdoors escape was brunch at Grangecon Kitchen in Wicklow.

A Blissful Brunch at Grangecon Kitchen

Grangecon is a small village in West Wicklow. From my hometown of Athy, it’s a straight road away that takes less than 20 minutes. And when it comes to Wicklow it’s set in the valley between the towns of Dunlavin, to the north, and Baltinglass to the south – both towns about 10 minutes away. It’s is picturesque village, rich in history, that according to Visit Wicklow ‘started out as an out-farm for the Cistercian monks of Baltinglass Abbey’.

Dining Outdoors - Brunch at Grangecon Kitchen, Wicklow - Seating Outside

Dining Outdoors - Brunch at Grangecon Kitchen, Wicklow - Local Produce

Opened in July 2019 by Laura McEvoy and Stephanie Myerscough, Grangecon Kitchen can be found on main street. You can’t miss it really. It’s a gorgeous old cottage with period features and flowers on its window sills. When open for business a blackboard displaying the café’s daily food offerings is perched by its blue shuttered front doors. And if you’re waiting to order you can grab a seat on the brightly coloured benches before you step inside.

Inside Grangecon Kitchen, you’ll be greeted by the smell of freshly baked breads and treats, coffees and teas. And a selection of goodies from fantastic Irish producers and specialists such as White Mausu and Clement and Pekoe. Grangecon Kitchen are themselves specialists, in bread baking, and sourdough in particular, from multigrain to wild garlic and parmesan.

A quick scan of the Brunch Menu outside, and another just to be sure to be sure, and we’d made our decisions. A simple order transaction at the register inside Grangecon Kitchen, and I was handed a wooden spoon along with my receipt. Perhaps a spanking was recommended if our orders weren’t fulfilled, or we’d ‘get the wooden spoon’ ourselves if we didn’t finish our meals. Either way it got a giggle from fellow customers as I exited the building holding it firmly in my hand.

Dining Outdoors - Brunch at Grangecon Kitchen, Wicklow - Garden Sign

Dining Outdoors - Brunch at Grangecon Kitchen, Wicklow - Outdoor Seating

You can pre-order or order and take away your food and drink from Grangecon Kitchen. Or you can do what we did and make use of the gorgeous garden next door. With no sign of rain clouds, we sat out in the fresh air, licking our lips in advance of what was on its way – our brunch.

Served in takeaway box and bowl, who needs fancy delph when the colour and composition of our dishes were so colourfully fresh and inviting.

Buttermilk Ricotta Pancakes at Grangecon Kitchen

My friend ordered an americano, and the Buttermilk Ricotta Pancakes (€9.50) with housemade blueberry sauce, zesty orange curd, crème fraiche and toasted flaked almonds. Made using Ballyhubbock Ricotta and Village Dairy Buttermilk, they didn’t just look the part, they tasted it too. Or so I’m told.

Avocado Toast at Grangecon Kitchen

I was torn between the pancakes and Shakshuka but decided on an Iced Coffee and the Avocado Toast with Poached Eggs (€11) – after all there are plenty more days in the year to work our way through the menu!

Made with sweet potato humous, sliced avocado, Ballyhubbock Halloumi, organic salad leaves, pickled red onion, on Grangecon Kitchen sourdough toast with sour cream and housemade dukkah, with the added option of poached eggs – this wasn’t your ‘run of the mill’ avo toast, it was the ‘cream of the crop’. Idioms aside, it was delicious and I’m glad I chose the eggs option.

Grangecon Kitchen opens Wednesday through to Saturday. They have late openings on Friday and Saturday for wood-fired pizza, which I’m already plotting an escape to.

You can view their full menu, and details of their opening times by visiting their site at grangeconkitchen.ie.

Further Reading: Brunch at The Old Yard Castledermot, Dining Outdoors in Kildare