Muse Coffee + Food in Kilkenny, recognised as one of the best places in the country to dine outdoors, is set to become the go-to destination for al fresco food experiences this summer.
The café, located in the grounds of the city’s magnificent Butler Gallery – the South East’s leading contemporary art gallery and museum – has announced a ‘Summer Series’ of outdoor food, drink and health & wellness focused events that will be hosted in the serene setting of its stunning walled garden.
Muse Coffee + Food’s ‘Summer Series’ will kick off on Sunday 22nd May ((9.30am start time) with the first of seven tranquil outdoor ‘Yoga + Sunday Brunch’ sessions in the gallery’s sun-soaked courtyard. Against the spectacular backdrop of medieval Kilkenny, participants of all ages and abilities will enjoy a revitalising hour of hatha flow yoga – covering mindful movement, relaxation, clarity and connection – with local Yoga Instructor, David Mooney. This will be followed by a healthy and nourishing two-course Muse Coffee + Food Brunch at a communal table on the adjoining terrace.
While basking in the sunshine and taking in the picturesque grounds, participants will order from the ‘Yoga + Sunday Brunch’ Menu and be served two small plates to start; Fruity Overnight Oats – vegan overnight fruity oats soaked in fruity pineapple + coconut tea, topped with chia seeds, crunchy granola + vegan yoghurt, and a Green Queen Smoothie – a nutritious elixir of cooling cucumber, celery, spinach and mint. They will then have the option of choosing one of the following main dishes; The Nourish Bowl – greens with avocado, confit tomato, feta, roasted pumpkin seeds, and soft boiled eggs with a garlicky tahini dressing and a drizzle of harissa, served with sourdough toast, Avocado Toast – avocado with spicy sweet potato, beetroot, pumpkin seeds and rocket topped with a soft boiled egg on Seagull Bakery sourdough (also available as a vegan friendly option), OR The Breakfast Bagel – toasted bagel with baked egg tortilla with cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, sausages mayo and + Ballymaloe relish, served with a side of crisps and house made slaw. Brunch is accompanied by your choice of bottomless drink; Muse Coffee + Food’s special blend yogi tea, or a filter coffee from Cloud Picker.
Each of the Yoga + Sunday Brunch sessions are priced at €30.00 per person and will run (weather dependent) on the following Sundays – 22nd May, 5th June, 12th June, 19th June, 17th July, 24th July, and 31st July. These can be booked individually online at www.musecoffeefood.ie. Spaces are limited to 20 people per session so those interested in attending are encouraged to book early to avoid disappointment.
A ‘Yoga + Light Breakfast’ option is also available to book individually on the same dates for a lesser cost of €20.00 per person. This includes the hour-long yoga class with Instructor, David Mooney, and a light takeaway breakfast of Fruity Overnight Oats and a Cloud Picker filtered coffee, or special blend yogi tea to drink. These sessions can also be booked individually online at www.musecoffeefood.ie.
Muse Coffee + Food’s health & wellness theme continues Sunday 10th July (weather dependent) when Yoga & Meditation Teacher, Liz Reilly, from Bhakti Healing will host a half day (9am to 1pm) ‘Yoga + Cocoa Workshop’. The morning will begin with a traditional cacao ceremony in the garden drinking ceremonial grade Keith’s cacao – a powerful superfood – which will then lead into a connected meditation session. A yoga class to help shift and move stagnant energy will follow, leaving attendees with a deep sense of space, love and freshness. The group will end the workshop by sitting down together outdoors and nourishing themselves with dishes from Muse Coffee + Food’s ‘Yoga + Sunday Brunch’ Menu (as outlined above).
The cost of the ‘Yoga + Cocoa Workshop’ and the two-course sit down Brunch afterwards is €60.00 per person and can be booked online at www.musecoffeefood.ie. Spaces for this session are limited to 20 people so those interested in attending are encouraged to book early to avoid disappointment.
The next instalment of the ‘Summer Series’ is a ‘Wine & Cheese Pairing’ on Saturday 6th August (4pm start time) in collaboration with The Wine Buff, Kilkenny and Sásta Foods in Galway. Sásta Foods’ Founder and resident cheese expert, Maeve Fitzgerald (formerly of Sheridans Cheesemongers), will introduce food lovers to a number of farmhouse Irish cheeses from Kilkenny and the surrounding counties, paired beautifully with her small batch hot sauces. These will be perfectly complemented by natural organic wines which have been hand-picked by The Wine Buff, Kilkenny specially for the event. Tickets for the ‘Wine & Cheese Pairing’ evening are priced at €25.00 per person and are available to book online at www.musecoffeefood.ie
There are also plans in the pipeline for the café to host a number of other unique summer events. People interested in finding out more are encouraged to join their mailing list for regular updates and special offers at www.musecoffeefood.ie to follow their social media accounts – @musecoffeefood.ie – for updates on these.
Commenting on the upcoming Summer Series, Muse Coffee + Food’s Owner, Sharon Quinn said: “We are excited to be bringing something unique to Kilkenny this summer with our al fresco events. The space here at Butler Gallery is really special and we want to create exceptional experiences that bring people together in our stunning location. We’ve built a really loyal customer base over the last two years and become known for serving great coffee and food. Now we’re looking forward to giving everyone something new and memorable to look forward to.”
Throughout the summer months and beyond, Muse Coffee + Food will be open for business as usual six days a week (Tuesday to Sunday, 10am – 4.30pm) for Lunch midweek and Brunch at the weekends. Both menus are available to view online at www.musecoffeefood.ie.
As well as the café’s indoor seating and garden terrace, its spectacular serene courtyard garden is also home to five exclusive outdoor dining pods. These provide guests with a truly unique al fresco experience in the heart of the city and the opportunity to take in the medieval surroundings. The sun-soaked dining pods can be pre-booked online at www.musecoffeefood.ie
Muse Coffee + Food’s Story
Having spent years developing the idea for the business, Owners, Sharon and Aidan Quinn, along with their young family, finally packed up and moved lock, stock and barrel from Dublin to Kilkenny in 2019 to make their dream of running their own café in the city a reality. When the opportunity arose to locate it in the magnificent Butler Gallery, they grabbed it with both hands.
In pursuit of her dream, Sharon, who has a family background and previous experience of working in hospitality herself, left behind a career in Finance and E-Commerce, but hasn’t looked back since opening the doors and serving her first customers in August 2020.
Despite opening during the pandemic, Muse Coffee + Food has quickly developed a strong reputation for delicious, freshly prepared gourmet food showcasing the best of local produce from Kilkenny and the surrounding counties. This is served alongside specialty coffees made using beans from Dublin’s Cloud Picker Coffee Roasters.
Last summer Muse Coffee + Food was included in both The Irish Times Magazine’s and the Independent Weekend Magazine’s ‘100 Great Places To Eat Outdoors’.