Black coffee, Cafe Review, Reviews

Strong long black from Retro Espresso

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Retro Espresso takeaway coffee
Retro Espresso takeaway coffee

If you travel near Edinburgh Castle Road in Wavell Heights on the way to work, Retro Espresso is a great place to grab a long black. On Friday each week I drop in and grab a strong regular long black that can usually see me through until lunch time. Assuming I do not get bored and make another just to break up the morning. They use Segafredo beans and make a strong coffee.

On the weekends Retro espresso is a popular morning destination. The café attracts both people cluttering the side of the road with their cars, and a significant number of dog walkers. They do a decent breakfast even though they have no kitchen facilities, but they do well with their range of sandwiches and coffee.


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Why should you care?

If you live in Wavell Heights or you go through the area on the way to work, it is a great place to grab a takeaway coffee. Parking is easier than at the well known cafe spots, and you will be back on the way to your desk fast. If you are a local, for a weekend coffee in the morning, you will struggle to find somewhere as good locally too.

194 Edinburgh Castle Rd
Wavell Heights
http://retroespresso.com.au/

Black coffee, Cafe Review, Reviews

Sirianni’s for coffee & breakfast

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Sirianni's for breakfast
Sirianni's for breakfast

A few blocks away from Brunswick street there is a shopping and apartment complex called Emporium. According to their website, there are “…over 35 specialty retailers, restaurants and cafes and parking…”. They might be lying about the parking though.

I end up going to a cafe called Sirianni’s there most sundays to meet up with one of my sisters. It is actually a rather large deli with a wide range of stuff, but mostly, I am there for breakfast, specifically, the Emporium breakfast. For not too much, you get a pile of bacon, tomato, hash browns, eggs, sausages, mushrooms and some toast. For the area it is fairly well priced for the quality and the quantity. The coffee is good too, though for me, I am mainly there for the breakfast.

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Breakfast at Spoon

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Spoon at James Street Market
Spoon at James Street Market

Spoon does make coffee and they do serve breakfast, but there are better places to get the latter. The food is not too bad in itself, however it is overpriced for what you get. With a range of other good cafes within a few minutes’ walk, there is no reason to eat at Spoon.

Cafe-Deli

The deli section looked interesting, though no better than a suburban specialist store, or a boutique market like Farmer Joe’s in Kedron. The product range was as large as the space allowed and focused on smaller items such as chocolates and snacks. The coffee was largely unremarkable aside from its lack of flavour.

What’s there

If you shop in the James Street Market and you have parked nearby, it is worth getting a coffee there simply for convenience, but for breakfast you can do a lot better elsewhere.

Black coffee, Cafe Review, Reviews

Campos Takeaway Coffee

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Campos takeaway long black
Campos takeaway long black

Campos is located just next to the James Street Market, though you would not know it if you were there. There is no way to walk straight from the James Street Market to Campos. You have to walk back out onto the street to get there. I can only assume that this is to encourage the dozens of people spending their money there to go to Spoon instead. Shame that Spoon is not that great.

Back to Campos. With their alleyway location and nifty fake plastic grass and crates, it is a cool little cafe with a bucketload of character. My takeaway long black, made on their own dark roast blend, was good. It tasted fine and did not lose too much for being served in a paper cup. Coffee in hand, I continued to wander around for a bit longer. If it wasn’t for the crowd, I would have stuck around for breakfast too.


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Whats in it for you

A decent cafe, if you can get a seat. The coffee is good and it is out of the way sitting off Wandoo Street. Better than Spoon as far as the coffee is concerned, and cosindering the size of the servings that Spoon does, it can’t be too much worse for food.

Black coffee, Cafe Review, Reviews

Long Black at Caffe Di Vita

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The chicken sandwich
The chicken sandwich

Caffe Di Vita is my favourite cafe. It is a little place in Wilston at 1 Macgregor St (Cnr Kedron Brook Rd) that does an awesome sandwich with great service and nice coffee. I almost always order the same thing, and it is the chicken and avocado sandwich with a side of chips and extra bacon added.  My girlfriend and I have been going there for ages thanks to the service. Being recognised as a regular by the owners is definitly a factor too.


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They use Segafredo beans and do a decent coffee. It is not the best coffee I have ever had, but the quality is consitant, and the service and food make it a place to go.