Bakestone Launches New Café, Bringing Confidence to the City with 18 New Jobs and Locally Sourced Products

Cróí na Cathrach
Bakestone Launches New Café, Bringing Confidence to the City with 18 New Jobs and Locally Sourced Products

 
Twelve years after first opening its doors in Carrigtwohill, Bakestone, the independent Cork café and pantry brand, has officially opened a new location on Perry Street. This marks its first expansion into Cork city centre, with a new café beside Navigation Square that brings Bakestone’s locally sourced, high-quality food offering into cróí na cathrach (the heart of the city).
Founded by husband and wife team Joe and Maura Carey in 2013, Bakestone began with a simple idea, to create a space serving great food made with local ingredients. Starting from humble beginnings in a former car showroom in Carrigtwohill, the original café has grown from 55 seats to 240 and developed a thriving in-house bakery.

The opening of the Perry Street café has brought 18 new roles to Bakestone’s growing team, which now stands at 49 in total. The new café features dishes that have become favourites at the original location, all made from scratch each day. The team, led by Head Chef Pat Kiely and front-of-house manager Heather, well known to many on Perry Street, bring years of experience and local knowhow, helping to make the space feel instantly familiar.

With this move, Bakestone is not only strengthening its ties with local suppliers but also creating new jobs in the city and investing in Cork as a vibrant place to live, work and eat. The location carries a meaningful link to the region’s food history, once part of Cork’s Butter Exchange, the building sits near the end of the old butter roads that connected rural producers in places like Rathmore to the city.
“Perry Street felt right the moment we saw it,” said co-founder Joe Carey. “There’s real history in the building, tied to Cork’s Butter Exchange and to our own family’s roots in dairy farming. It felt like a natural next step, like things coming full circle. We’ve dreamed for years of bringing Bakestone into the city, and to now be part of this community means a great deal.”
 
Maura Carey, co-founder of Bakestone, also added: “We have always admired the independent food scene in Cork city, so to now have a place among so many great local businesses is something we’re really proud of. Our hope is that this café becomes part of the everyday rhythm of the city,  a space where people can pause, connect, and enjoy food made with real care.”
Bakestone has always backed Irish producers and cared about serving food that’s real and well made, which is what led to the launch of the Bakestone Pantry in 2017. What started as a small collection of around 20 items has since grown into a range of over 150 Irish-made products. From honey and hot sauce to their own jams, ketchups and cakes, the pantry brings the quality and flavour of the café into people’s homes and reflects Bakestone’s ongoing connection with local food communities.

In addition to breakfast and brunch, the team has plans for Perry Street that stretch beyond daytime service. With space to host up to 100 guests, the café will double as a venue for community events, live music, launches, and creative collaborations with other local businesses.
Bakestone Perry Street is now open and serves breakfast, brunch, and lunch seven days a week.
 
Visit www.bakestone.ie for more information, including full opening hours and menu updates.