Don Campos, Alexandria

Campos coffee, Alexandria

Campos Coffee. 21 Fountain St, Alexandria. Fans of Campos Coffee will be familiar with their flagship store in Newtown. A great coffee experience can be had there: it’s the only place I’ve ever seen that sells a sparkling long black, and you can buy their beans in various quantities (and I have).

Its main drawback is the limited amount of space, and the long queueing. And so, in search of Campos coffee, you’ll download their iPhone App and look for one of the many resellers. There’s something similar about cafes that sell Campos. They tend to have the same polished concrete floors, the same cups, even similar sandwiches on sale. It makes for a fairly consistent experience, well above the average of cafes that sell other well-known brands of coffee.

Granted, there are always exceptions, but in general, the Campos sign out the front of a cafe is an indication that you’ll be given a well-made, pleasant tasting cup of coffee. The flagship store, though: there’s something extra special that happens there. The grinders are adjusted that little bit more. They don’t write down your order, but use a special arrangement of dice and spoons to tell each other what the order is. But the queueing: it’s hard to find a time of day when you can simply walk into the cafe and make it straight to the counter.

So it was with no small amount of enthusiasm that I read about a new, official Campos store opening:

Don Campos in now open in Alexandria. This is truly a barista’s dream come true- and many firsts for us: Our first company owned store in Sydney other than our flagship in Newtown. Our first operating Slayer espresso machine – working very well after months of research and tinkering here at HQ. As well, our first, (and perhaps a Sydney first), siphon bar serving only select grand cru Single Origin coffees.

We did not hold back and boy does it ever show!

Also, the Baristas are Specialty Coffee fanatics who have been with us for years. And are they ever amped! campos website.

It opened on November 23rd, and it’s open 7 days (except public holidays) – another first for Campos. Like the original store, the food menu is scarce: there’s a choice of a couple of sweet treats to go with your coffee, but the emphasis is on the coffee itself.

Where the magic happens

Step inside the camouflaged storefront (only an umbrella and some street signage exist so far) and you’ll see an impressive pair of espresso machines, four grinders, and this siphon bar – you can watch the siphon coffee be made (a new coffee each week is the plan).

There’s plenty of space in the store – with its high ceilings, the smell of the fresh-ground coffee drifts out for each new siphon – and there are actually enough tables and chairs to be able to choose where you sit!

Coffee: my decaf latte was great: flawless milk-work, perfect temperature, and the milk takes the harsh edge off the coffee. As a decaf espresso, I’m still not completely convinced: I think it needs a hint of milk to make it work, but there’s no faulting the execution.

If you enjoy the Campos experience, but have been frustrated in the past with the queueing, then this new place has solved all your problems. Try it before the word gets out!


View Larger Map

Join the Conversation

3 Comments

  1. Went there on the weekend. Same delicious coffee and, as the review mention, without the queues. Location is a bit of an issue where Fountain street, Alexandria does not really compete with the Newtown branch. However, combine the coffee stop with visit to Mitchell Road auctions just up the road and you’ve got yourself a nice few hours of leisure!

  2. Not only the auctions + Dan Murphy’s across the road, try their SLAYER…to die for.& no queues…just a great space, great staff who know their business.

Leave a comment

Leave a Reply to Simon Food Favourites Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.