A GLENGARRIFF coffee shop has been named as Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Award winner for 2024
This means the Sugarloaf Cafe is listed among the top 10% of restaurants worldwide by the global travel website, after rave reviews from those who have visited.
Áine Hourihane has been running the business for the past three years after taking over from her sister-in-law Eleanor who sadly died from cancer.
Áine, a former chef at the Eccles Hotel said the win was ‘amazing,’ and something that Eleanor would be really proud of.
‘Eleanor was more like a sister than a sister-in-law – I never remember a time that she wasn’t in my life,’ Áine told The Southern Star.
Opening up on the first day, she remembers, was ‘very hard,’ but she said she knows Eleanor would be delighted with the win and keeping the business going.
‘I often feel her presence here,’ she added. What sets the cafe apart she feels is their food, and also the welcome.
‘I can’t handle silence! Coming here is like being in someone’s sitting room where we’re all chatting. We’re always smiling here!’
Her all-day cooked- to-order breakfast is another big attraction, along with her baking.
‘I have two customers who come all the way from Timoleague just for my coffee cake!’ she said
Áine runs the business all year-round with a staff of seven and used the occasion of her win to appeal to the government to reduce the vat rate to 9%.
‘I’ve just paid my tax bill for this year will struggle to get through the winter but hopefully this award will help,’ said Áine.
‘It’s time for the government to get the finger out and reinstate the vat rate.
‘It’s just heartbreaking to see so many great businesses closing down.’
