UR Caffe’ – North Adelaide, SA

119 Melbourne Street, North Adelaide, SA, 5006

UR Caffe’ is not just another ‘brick in the wall’ of the burgeoning speciality coffee strip that is Melbourne Street.  Bobby over at Adelaide Coffee said that the barista in residence here knew their place “and that’s behind a coffee machine” – which is high praise.  Located just two doors down from First Pour, and next door to 9Bar – this UR Caffe’ is a must stop on any coffee crawl.

Sporting a very funky, unique – yet comfortable interior – including some nice abstract art on the exposed brick walls – Ur Caffe’ is a nice place, on a nice street to stop and watch the world go by.

Taylor blend – Stoneyfell, SA

1/34 Hallett Road, Stoneyfell, SA, 5066

Taylor Blend was one of the very first speciality coffee places recommended to me to review when I started this blog – and after nearly three years and 99 other coffee reviews, I finally made it.  Yes – for those who are good at maths, this is my 100th coffee review – congratulations to me, and congratulations to Taylor Blend for making the 100th review such a [spoiler alert] positive experience.  Nestled in the leafy green, well to do suburb of Stonyfell, Taylor blend is exactly what you’d want and expect from a speciality coffee place.  It is inviting, comfortable, spacious – has a great outlook, friendly staff, skilled staff, coffee conscious staff – and other than it being out of the way – it is up there with my other favourite locations.

Çikolatte – North Adelaide, SA

133 Melbourne Street, North Adelaide, SA, 5006

Finding Çikolatte was a total fluke.  I went looking for two other coffee hotspots on Melbourne street – neither of which I could find even after two slow drives down its length – although I did managed to located UR Cafe after a long walk – however it was closed on the public holiday – but not Çikolatte. Located not that far from the now derelict ‘Loose Goose’ – Adelaide winner of My Restaurant Rules (remember that blast from the past?) – heading east towards the hills – Çikolatte – according to its bollards and signage, was just the place I was looking for.  For lunch time on a public holiday it was about half full – offering your typical range of lunch time fare (wraps, focacias, etc.) to go with their hot & cold speciality drinks – the atmosphere was nice, the decor comfortable.  There were three tables outside under the verandah – but, due to my English complexion, I stuck with my table by the window (and as it turned out – I think also by the toilet door….).

Caffeteca Espresso and Panini Bar – North Adelaide, SA

53 Tynte Street, North Adelaide, SA, 5006

I am not sure how happy I am with this place.  It has nothing to do with the coffee – which is great (see below) – it has more to do with their timing.  For four years, I worked in an office literally across the street from them – and back then, Caffetecca was a continental deli – if it has been this great little cafe back then – perhaps my coffee addiction would have started years earlier. Situated on the corner of Margaret Street – about half way down Tynte towards the hills – Caffetecca – is quickly building a good reputation for quality coffee and great panini – although I have only had the coffee.  Perched on a high stool, in the window seat I was able to enjoy my latte and ristretto while taking in views of my old red bricked office – and the people who were out and about enjoying the Adelaide Cup day sunshine.

Delish Espresso – Adelaide, SA

195 Victoria Square, Adelaide CBD, SA 5000

Located in the centre of the city, facing the generally beautiful Victoria Square (at this time of year it resembles a fancy smancy caravan park – with all the tents and temporary buildings of the Tour Down Under) Delish Espresso is the last in a line of cafés that begin at the Franklin Street end and create a wall of caffeinated opportunities heading south. What sets Delish apart is also what drew me to them in my search for quality coffee, is that they are the only one NOT sporting some kind of large coffee roasting company paraphernalia on their store, umbrellas and bollards.

A fairly small establishment, with plenty of outdoor seating (6 tables outside, 2 inside) – Delish is run by Barista Marcus Clarke (I assume NOT of the State Bank) and when I was there – his Mum – serving ’boutique coffee’ and light lunches to the many suits (lawyers, bankers, journalists and politicians) that frequent the area.  My order was quickly received – after the possibility of a ristretto was confirmed with Marcus –  the ultimate of espresso beverages does not appear on the menu board – and I took my seat amidst the ambience of the poplar shaded alfresco area to wait.  In less than 2 minutes, Marcus had brought my coffees to the table and when asked about his coffee blend, he told me that he blends his own beans, sourced from 5 Senses.

A’ vila Coffee – Adelaide, SA

22 Hindmarsh Square, Adelaide, SA, 5000

This is one of those fortunate occurrences, that some would call luck, some would call an answer to prayer – while others, to quote Sheldon “who are unfamiliar with the law of large numbers would think this to be a coincidence.”  But on my most recent trip to the city for a day of coffee and reading (also in preparation for my next 21st birthday) I  decided that I wanted to check out The Espresso Room, Coffee Branch and if time allowed – another place.  Well as time and weather would have it, I made it to The Espresso Room, had to rush past Coffee Branch on my way to NOT BE LATE for lunch with my mother, and then after a quick search on The Beanhunter discovered this gem across the square from my Mother’s office.  On a side note, I had tweeted Campos Coffee a few weeks back trying to find out if anyone in Adelaide served their beans…and now I discover this place, who since their grand opening in early October, have become the ONLY place in Adelaide for Campos.

Nestled in a nice part of the city, you’ll find A’Vila coffee – named such, because the of the Spanish inspired colour scheme that was already in place when the current owner decided to turn it into a coffee place (the staff tell me it  has been toned down a bit…).  In what I like to call the ‘old Academy Cinema City’ part of Hindmarsh Square, A’Vila is pretty much adjacent to the new Crown Plaza hotel, with a nice view of the recently re-grassed landscaping of the square.  If you squint, you can also see the guy (there was only one the day I was there) who is the Occupy Adelaide protest….

With the possibility of outdoor seating, this place was a quiet spot for a coffee and a chance to recoup before the drive home. So, to the coffee review…

Tango Turtle Retro Art Café – Willunga, SA

30 High Street, Willunga, SA, 5172

Willunga is quickly becoming the place to go for a ‘café crawl’ – with the Tango Turtle joining the ranks of my reviewed cafés in Willunga, with still as least three more to go.  Situated in a reborn Petrol Station, the Tango Turtle is decked out to reflect the third and fourth words in its over long full name, replete with an eclectic assortment of linoleum topped kitchen tables and chairs from the 50s, 60s and 70s of last century.  The walls of the Turtle are used to display the works of local artists, while the former drive through area features plenty of outdoor seating and umbrellas.

I ventured in mid-morning on a Willunga Farmer’s Market Saturday – when the town of Willunga is full to bursting with people – to find that other than a full table outside, and a woman sitting guard at the door – I was the only person in the place – and still, most of the waiting staff were too busy to offer me service – leaving it to the barista to eventually take my order.  Then while I was waiting (not really any space in which to do so) I was asked to move so that an old lounge chair could be moved back into a 45 degree angle relevant to the table by a staff member who appeared out of nowhere – this despite the blackboard at street level saying ‘great coffee and great service’ – this is actually my third time here (first intentional review) and this was my best customer service experience – but to the coffee review.