whole bean roastery, marrickville

Whole Bean coffee. 38 Chapel St, Marrickville. Someone tweeted about this place, so I went to investigate. It’s been open about a month, and used as a roastery all year. The staff welcome you into their space, encourage you to sit and feel at home, and the furniture (bench style seats and big comfy armchairs) …

robocog, surry hills

Robocog coffee. 249 Riley St, Surry Hills. A relative newcomer to the Surry Hills scene, this place nonetheless has their service patterns down pat, and the place is well decorated to become a local favourite. The name is a combination (presumably) of robot and bicycle cog, and the decor features both in suitable numbers. The …

Workshop espresso, Sydney CBD

Workshop coffee / Toby’s Estate decaf. Shop RG01A, the Galeries Victoria, 500 George St, Sydney. Not much bigger than a hole in the wall, opposite the town hall side entrance to the QVB, there are two espresso machines and three grinders, and a kitchen out the back. Somehow they have crammed in a bench and …

Charlie Lovett, Broadway

Charlie Lovett coffee (roasted on-site). George St, near Quay St. I’ve been waiting a while to let them iron out some of the opening-week jitters in their service. Overall, it’s a place that has a *lot* of staff working there, but it is selling a few different things: freshly baked bread, sandwiches and single pieces …

Cherry beans coffee roastery, Pyrmont

Cherry beans coffee. Shop 1/45 Pyrmont St, Pyrmont. Lots of open space in this cafe – large open windows and high ceilings. This is likely to try and dissipate the heat from the roaster when it’s running. The food prices owe a lot to the nearby tourist haunts – the person ahead of me in …

Le Pain Quotidien, Surry Hills

Neoma coffee – their own blend. 414 Bourke Street, Surry Hills. Forget the friendly staff, the French accents, even the wooden shelves and two sizes of latte bowl. What this place has thatsets it apart is space. Big communal tables (yes, more than one) that seat as many as 20. This is an unheard of …