Is it a cafe?

Yes – well, sort of…  There’s a never-ending supply of sumptuous locally-sourced tea, coffee and scrumptious scones and bakes, and plenty of space to chill out on a squashy sofa to enjoy them.  But what other cafe allows you to choose your price and pay what you like into the Honesty Box?  Or allows you to BYOF (Bring Your Own Food) so you can bring your packed lunch or a fresh sandwich from the deli bar next door?

An extensive range of Suki Teas available in The Dock Cafe

Tempting treats available in The Dock Cafe

Fantastic views across Belfast Harbour, from The Dock Cafe

Fresh scones daily in The Dock Cafe

Plenty of sofas and fantastic views across Belfast Harbour, from The Dock Cafe

Is it an art gallery?

Yes – well, sort of… There’s certainly plenty of inspiring artwork, photography and sculpture around the place, all the work of local artists; there are even some Titanic Guitars (which you can strum if you’re at least a 3-chord wonder).  But we don’t sell anything on site – although we can pass you on to a man who can…

Art at The Dock Cafe

Art at The Dock Cafe

Art at The Dock Cafe

Art at The Dock Cafe

Art at The Dock Cafe

Is it a church?

Yes – well, sort of… There’s a team of dedicated volunteers and chaplains from across all church backgrounds, both Protestant and Catholic, who are committed to sharing every step of the journey of building community in this new part of Belfast.  There’s a prayer garden where you can rest and reflect, a slipway pilgrimage walk where you can pause and think while walking in the footprint of Titanic, and Sunday Nights on Nomadic – church on a ship.

The Dock Prayer Garden

The Dock Prayer Garden

The Dock Prayer Garden

a Titanic Pilgrimage Walk

Carols by candlelight in The Dock Cafe

A Sunday Night on Nomadic

Is it a museum?

Yes – well, sort of… There’s an ever-expanding display of quirky pieces of history from the Belfast docks – from Titanic memorabilia, to models and unique pictures of shipyard life, to artefacts from the lovely old H&W Drawing Offices.  You can see Edward Harland’s signature, Thomas Andrews’ door, SS Nomadic’s restoration and HMS Caroline’s final days in use.  But it’s not a hushed museum with exhibits in glass cases – you might be eating your lunch off one of the old tables from the Drawing Offices.

Is it a market?

Yes – well, sort of… There’s a little pop-up market stall as soon as you come through the door – and the only rule is ‘If you make it, you can sell it’.  So there’s nothing mass-produced – just a little outlet for unique local enterprises like home-made Belgian waffles, origami, jewellery, wood carvings, hand-crafted bookmarks, knitted hats… you never know what you’ll find!

Is it a charity thing?

Yes – well, sort of… There’s no doubt The Dock is a home-made, volunteer-run, pop-up venue – it’s not a slick shiny enterprise.  But it’s not a junk shop – we’re pretty fussy about what goes on display and we like to call the resulting fusion ‘Victorian-Edwardian-Industrial-Pop-Up-Chic’.

The organisation behind The Dock is a registered charity, with the aim of enabling space for Life in the Titanic Quarter – and that’s what thrives here, in the form of book clubs, knitting groups, get-togethers, birthday parties, brainstorming sessions, chess games, and a thousand other unplanned, unforced expressions of community every day.

Here are a few more comments from our customers:

A refuge with great coffee… The heart of TQ… A place of warmth where courage thrives… Earthly home… A good-humoured oasis… A comfy haven… A sanctuary… A superhero hangout… A happy place… A home… A place of peace and tranquility… a magic little piece of Belfast… human kindness… warmth on a rainy day… a fun place with nice views and good coffee… a warm, welcome place for rest… local church… Serenity amongst chaos… one of a kind… not just a cafe…a Godsend… Wonderful place, we love it… A place for me & my best friends to spend time… Where you can chill, enjoy great coffee and while away the hours… a place to connect with friends…  the craic is 90…

So there you go, question answered!  Easy really.

Whatever it is, The Dock is open 11 – 5 Monday – Saturday.  Maybe the best way to find out is to call in, grab a coffee, find a squashy sofa in a cosy corner and relax… you’re part of Life in the Titanic Quarter.

One of the most exciting aspects of Dock Cafe life over the past few months has been the way in which the Prayer Garden has inspired creativity in many visitors. From Abby’s prayer stations (still installed in the garden until the end of July) to the countless different ‘prayer leaves’ now budding on Tim’s prayer tree, it’s great to see how people are being encouraged to pray, dream and create.

This fabulous portion of St Patrick’s Breastplate appeared a few weeks ago after an afternoon of hard work from Susan and Sally. Bare concrete walls becoming beautiful.

Drum roll please… time to unveil The DOCK Cafe’s brand-new area – the Shipyard Wall.

We’ve filled our new extension to bursting with some unique, quirky pieces of the Belfast shipyard story – past, present and future. You can find Edward Harland’s signature, Thomas Andrews’ door, and Eric Kuhne’s grand masterplan for the future of Titanic Quarter. There’s a key board, cable schedules, an indenture and some pictures from SWOPS – and if you haven’t a notion what those things are, come and have a potter along the wall.

Loads of the pieces are on loan from the evocative H&W drawing office, and – faded and rough-around-the-edges though some of them are – they give an unmatched window into an amazing history. For the ‘present-day’ section, we have some stunning panoramic photos of Titanic Quarter by local photographer and all-round good guy Wesley Ellis. And to bring the story into the future, we have some early concept artwork of the Titanic Quarter masterplan, dating from that bygone time (about 8 years ago) when the building work hadn’t even started. Amazing to see how much the development has stayed close to the original vision.

Past, present and future on one wall – where else but DOCK Cafe will you find this stuff?!

Over the next few days I’m going to take you on a virtual tour – all from the comfort of your armchair. (Or wherever you sit to read the Dock blog) Y’see, the Dock volunteers have been working hard to add yet more features, pictures, and beautiful inspiring corners to Dock Cafe – and if you think the pictures look good, make sure you pay a visit to the real thing as soon as possible!

Our first stop is at a beautiful new display by local photographer Beverley Davidson. We always love supporting local businesses and artists in the cafe, and they in turn have filled the place with colour and creativity. Beverley’s photos are all of local beauty spots – and her eye for a great shot makes our gorgeous wee country look fabulous.

This month we celebrate a big moment in Dock history. After a long wait, The Dock has been granted charitable status – yes, we are a charity!

One great benefit of this news is that those of you who would like to donate to the Dock can now add Gift Aid to your donations – there’s are forms here if you’d like to avail of that opportunity. Every penny will be used to further The Dock’s aim of building Life in the Titanic Quarter.