Gingers Coffee Studio – Goodwood, SA

109a Goodwood Road, Goodwood, SA, 5034

Gingers Coffee Studio, will be for the inner Southern Suburbs set a welcome addition to the specialty coffee scene. When I heard about this place (which had only opening a week or so early), my brother from another mother and I set off – early on a Wednesday – for breakfast and coffee.  Both of us felt comfortable upon entering Gingers as it is a throw back to the 1970s – the era which birthed us both – but also, layered upon the comfort was the familiar, as the menu was also reminiscent of Ginger’s mother – The Pantry on Edgmont – a place which we have enjoyed through a number of staff changes.

A noticeable difference between The Pantry and Gingers is in their choice of coffee – with Gingers embracing The Coffee Barun, while (on my last visit at least) The Pantry used DeGroots. For me, however, Gingers lacked something – whereas The Pantry had – and to all reports still does –  a ‘wow’ factor – both of us left Gingers saying how nice it was – but not much more.  It is though, only very early days and with a linage of such quality, there is no way that Gingers will not be a success.

The questions that remains are – where will the  next incarnation of the Pantry be located, and will it be a tribute to 1980s glam rock?

Latte Quality – Good – although a little on the short side – it was what is best described as a ‘traditional’ flavoured coffee.

Ristretto Quality – Neither of us liked this one – whether it was the beans (we were told these were much better in a milk coffee than straight – however with grinder problems, they could only offer us the one type) or the consistency (a bit watery) – it was just too overwhelming that you couldn’t find the subtle nuances in the coffee.

Cost – $3.40 Latte, $3.00 Ristretto

Coffee Supplier – The Coffee Barun – serving a single origin Costa Rican. It not for some grinder problems, there would have been two beans on offer – and this will come online as soon as the second grinder is back on deck.

Fair Trade – No mention that I could see in store but The Barun have a nice Fair Trade alternative.

Customer Service –  – average – pretty much what you would expect – you go away neither blown away by the experience, nor complaining about it – perhaps this was the missing ‘wow’ factor that The Pantry does so well?

Venue Suitable for:

• Quiet Chat,  Deep and Meaningful, and/or Study and Reflection – It probably depends on how popular this place gets. While we were in store, they were consistently busy – but it was never excessively noisy. There was a large table of lycra clad grey nomads nearby, but the noise level never got overwhelming.  Limited seating, but probably worth a look if Goodwood is your haunt – excellent for Tabor College students!