The Two Minute Review: Tang Windmill

Lisa Cope
Sep 30
2 min read

What’s the story with Tang #4?

It would be an easy argument to make that Tang is Dublin's favourite café, with their sites on Dawson Street, Abbey Street and Cumberland Place known for having crowds most business owners dream of. This is site #4 in the Windmill Quarter near Dublin's docklands, and a big deal because there's an on site bakery facing out onto the street, and a development kitchen where loads of Tang's food prep is being moved to.

Like Abbey Street and Cumberland it's a modern, minimalist, high-ceilinged space with plenty of glass to let the light in, but this one has a warmer feel with blush walls and warm wood floors. Counter seats are along the windows, there's a long table in the centre of the room for groups, and other tables are for two or four.

Is the menu different?

Breakfast, brunch and lunch menus stay the same across all sites, with seasonal specials popping up, weekly changing salads, and new baked goods often appearing on the counter.

Coffee is from Upside in Fairview and we've never had one that faltered - no change in Windmill Quarter. We went for breakfast and have had almost all of these dishes before so can recommend it all, but we have a long-time love for the granola and pancakes.

Swerving the sweet, and because Tang's Executive chef Keith Coleman has been showing off his hummus skills, we went for hummus eggs (€12.75), and this is the silkiest, smoothest hummus you could possibly picture. It comes topped with zhoug, feta, nut dukkah, spring onions, chilli and two North Wicklow free-range eggs, with hunks of toasted, fluffy sourdough.

Eggs on toast (€8.95) is similar, with the major differences being no hummus or feta (tahini instead), and Lebanese pesto instead of zhoug (although the green sauces looked identical). This is feel good food, packed with flavour and nutrition at good prices - it doesn't take a hospitality consultant to work out why Tang is so popular.

Don't resist the harissa, honey and feta babka (€3.50) if you see it, because this sweet and spicy knot is a counter star. Tang's gluten-free fudge brownie with tahini and halva (€3.95) is another good choice, and would only be improved with a quick burst in the microwave.

The chocolate chip cookie (€3.25) is a win too, crispy on the outside, soft in the middle, but the banana bread (€3.95) was dry and dense. Toasted and slathered with butter it would be a different story, but naked by the slice we want something soft and squidgy.

Lunch is a mix of filled flatbreads or a selection of salads, and they never fail to hit their marks - the fact that you can get either for under €10 in the current climate is another large reason why these guys are killing it.

Why should we go?

Tang are showing everyone that it's possible to serve responsibly sourced food, leaping off the plate with flavour, at fair prices, from staff who seem very happy to be part of a growing food movement, and that soon to be up and running window-fronted bakery space is just going to draw in even more passing customers.