The website checklist for Irish cafés (2026)

Most café websites in Ireland are either non-existent, an out-of-date Facebook page, or a beautifully designed site missing the basics — like opening hours and a menu. Here's the practical checklist that actually drives footfall and orders.

The non-negotiables

• Opening hours, visible on every page (most checks happen on mobile, in a hurry).
• Address with a Google Maps embed.
• Phone number, one tap to call from mobile.
• Menu — actual current menu, not a PDF from 2023.
• Allergens — legally required in Ireland under FIC regulations.
• At least 6 great photos of the food and the space.

The menu — done right

Don't upload a PDF. Build it as a real page so Google can index it. Group by section (breakfast / lunch / cakes / drinks), include prices, mark vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free with clear icons, and list the 14 EU allergens beside each dish. Update it whenever the menu changes — out-of-date menus lose trust faster than no menu.

Opening hours — keep them in sync

Set the hours on your Google Business Profile and your website to match exactly. Add bank holiday hours every quarter — St Patrick's Day, Easter, the four bank holiday Mondays, Stephen's Day. The number-one complaint Irish café-goers leave in Google reviews is "showed up, closed, hours said open."

Online ordering and booking

• Click-and-collect — Square, Toast, or simple Stripe checkout. Works for any café.
• Table booking — Resy or OpenTable for higher-end places; SimplyBook.me for small spots.
• Delivery — link to your Deliveroo / Just Eat profiles rather than re-listing the menu twice.

Photos

Real photos of your space and food beat any stock photography. Bright, natural light, taken on a recent phone. Replace them every 6 months — outdated photos read as "closed."

Instagram integration

Embed the latest 6 Instagram posts on the homepage. Instagram is where Irish café-goers actually live; showing your active feed is proof of life.

What to skip

• Hero video of generic coffee being poured (everyone has one — none of them help).
• "Our story" as the homepage hero — push it to the About page.
• Long mission statements about "passion for coffee."
• PDF menus.

Tie it to Google Business Profile

Your website and GBP work together. The website ranks for branded and informational searches ("Bewley's menu"); the GBP wins the Map Pack for "café near me". You need both, and they need to agree on the basics.