New opening on one of the best streets for food and drink in Cork
09:23, 07 Feb 2026Updated 17:03, 07 Feb 2026
The new Lapis Café and Bakery(Image: Cork Beo)
It’s been a great few months for new food spots in Cork – and now another café business has just opened its doors on one of the city’s most well-known streets for food and drink.
Prince’s Street has been regarded as Cork’s premier outdoor dining street since the Covid pandemic sparked a boom in alfresco dining, turning the pedestrianised street into a hub for restaurants ranging from Italian and seafood to pub grub and pizza. Now, it is welcoming a new name, just weeks after a neighbouring restaurant premises reopened.
A sign appeared at a unit on Princes Street in recent days – which has been vacant for years – advertising the opening of Lapis Cafe and Bakery. This new spot promises ‘Mediterranean vibes’ and bold flavour, and has opened its doors at the former PC Maestro property, which has been long empty since the tech business moved to Parnell Place. The property, between Oak Fire Pizza and Joyce’s toyshop, had been undergoing renovation for years, covered in hoarding with a graffitied sign teasing that something cool would be coming soon.
Coming soon signs before the Lapis Cafe’s opening(Image: CorkBeo)
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Now, it’s finally open, and it seems the café is off to a great start for its launch. A quick look at the new website reveals they’re serving a lovely menu of sandwiches, sweet and savoury pastries, mezze, salad bowls, and desserts. There are some notable items on the menu which hint at some Eastern European and Balkan themes, including sucuk sausage and Turkish kumru sandwiches, borek (another Turkish snack), and Russian-style salad plates.
The location of the new café(Image: Cork Beo)
The website claims Lapis Café will bring a “passion for crafting memorable culinary experiences”, adding: “Our journey began with a dream to blend traditional Irish flavours with global inspirations, creating a unique fusion menu,” they write, “We value fresh, local ingredients and our commitment to sustainability.”
Among other recent new openings around the city is the next-door Epomeo pizzeria, launched last month by two good friends and former staff of the city’s popular Bella Napoli – Italian chef Antonio D’Orio and waiter Anto Peric from Croatia, as well as Sprout salad café on Winthrop Street, fancy new burger restaurant Savora on on French Church Street and the new Saints and Sinners restaurant experience at the famous Clancy’s pub on Princes Street.