This wonderful restaurant overlooks the River Lee in downtown Cork just across a pedestrian bridge where the Grand Parade meets the South Mall. It is in a gorgeous period building on two floors over its own health food shop. Everything about this vegetarian restaurant exudes class. The self-service counter is always staffed by somebody who seems to plan their day around making you feel welcome. The hand-drawn menu on the board behind the counter is one of the most extensive you are likely to see, with multiple vegetarian and vegan choices helpfully highlighted. Everything is served at the right temperature. The two dining floors are always decorated with rotating exhibitions of quality contemporary art, almost all of it for sale. The nearby Crawford College of Art and Design (the leading art college in the city) and business district of the city attract an interesting eclectic mix of clientele. Several copies of the daily newspapers are supplied, which I value when dining alone. They even have a book of Irish Times Simplex crossword puzzles for the truly leisurely patrons. At 10 to 11 Euro for a very generous lunch portion plus two side orders of salad or vegetables, this is a restaurant that you will want to return to again and again. For the first time visitor to Cork, you should definitely pay it a visit. One final thing which left me and my wife very impressed: if you do not manage to finish the plate of food they give you, different-sized sealable food containers and handy carry bags are supplied. As a rule I do not eat vegetarian, but for the delicious food in the Quay Coop I have to make an exception.