Category: Primo

Window’s Coffee, Bankstown

window's coffee, bankstown

Primo Coffee. 256 Chapel Road Sth, Bankstown. I’d driven past this place any number of times in search of Vietnamese cuisine, and its confused use of an apostrophe, and the face that it looks like a franchise store made me want to explore. It sufficiently piqued my curiosity that I was prepared to overlook the “Primo” banners that surround the cafe, and venture inside, with my kids, no less. As such, please excuse the blurriness of some of these photos – they were taken one-handed with a cameraphone while I nursed a baby with the other hand.

But I digress. The Window part of the name refers to how much glass there is surrounding the cafe – it’s floor to ceiling, it’s the gelato bar, even the fish tank. To keep everything looking tidy, there’s a feature display of window cleaning products:
window cleaner - window's coffee, bankstown

This place has a strong vietnamese heritage in its menu, and in some of the signage: there are a range of vietnamese coffee drinks on offer, in addition to the traditional western beverages. And they have two grinders – I’m told one is for caffeinated and one for decaf.

where the magic happens, window's coffee, bankstown

The coffee is better than I’m expecting – not amazing, but certainly drinkable. Where this place really shines, though, is the gelato – an impressive range of flavours (I try the sticky rice), each served in a large glass on a bed of diced watermelon, with a cocktail umbrella. If you’re in the neighbourhood looking for a gelato fix, then look no further.

a sense of the gelato selection and main counter, window's coffee, bankstown

Open 8am-10pm, every day.


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Think café, milsons point.

Primo coffee. I’ve often walked past this galley-style cafe: kitchen down one wall, seating down the other side. There’s art on the walls, and classical music playing (though the noise of coffee-making drowns it out some of the time).

Coffee is very hot, and though it starts out a little worrying, ends up quite drinkable: a pleasant surprise.

Looks like it would be a good spot to sit and read the paper.

Vivo café, wynyard

Primo coffee. 388 george st, sydney. Much more cheery in atmosphere than you’d think possible from a café with no access to the sun. Friendly, helpful staff who remember regular customers by name and by order. It even has a wi-fi hotspot.

Coffee takes a while, and if you drink it quickly enough you can avoid the aftertaste that I can only compare to instant coffee. Best consumed quickly; perhaps their caffeinated coffee is better.

The Refined Grind café, Carlton

Primo caffe coffee. 43 Carlton Pde Carlton, 2218. Situated in what was once the ghost town part of Carlton, but now seems to be growing again. Modern Australian in its décor, a coupld of outdoor plang break up the more sterile marble tiles and wooden furniture. Its food is not cheap, but nor is it lacking in style: even the Vegemite toast has style!

Regular readers will know I’m not a great fan of primo coffee, but this is among the better primo cups I’ve had. Still, there’s a certain lack of richness to the flavour; that hint of metallic taste is present.

As a place to go and write, though, it looks promising; a balance of quiet with the occasional customer coming in every few minutes seems about the right level of distraction.

Barzura Café, Coogee

Primo coffee. 62 Carr St, Coogee. Overlooking the beach, and with Aeroguard on the tables, there’s something particularly Aussie about this place. Seating for probably 60 inside, and another 20-30 outside with a mix of sun and shade. Staff are friendly and helpful, and the water is brought out un-summoned, always a good sign.

Coffee – a latte 3/4 is the unusual coffee choice – takes a little while to arrive. It’s thick, and the right temperature, and pleasant enough: not amazing, and yet hard to fault.

Mad Greek Café, North Sydney

Primo Caffe coffee. Still getting used to being open, this is a crowded space, but prices are fairly low for North Sydney. Lots of menu options, friendly staff.

Unusually for North Sydney, reminiscent of fish-caf in Newtown, there’s a lot of garlic strung from the roof.

Brasilia espresso machine. Coffee is served very hot, but I can’t say that Primo is anything approaching my favourite coffee.

A good venue for lunch; enjoy the antics of the staff – friendly to customers, surly to each other.

Maldini’s caffe, strathfield

Primo coffee. Part café, part gelato bar, this is an outpost of strathfield plaza, and the most inviting of the cafes in its surrounds. A mix of ages are breaking fast here, or stopping for a coffee and a chat.

Coffee arrives promptly: the latte is all head, and comes with a milkshake spoon! Not one of my favourite blends, but it’s lovingly prepared, and a good temperature for easy drinking. Prices are a little high for where we are in sydney, but the food is fresh.