Guest blog by the amazing Emma Kate Co.
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So, you know about the term “coffice”, don’t you? As in, coffee office.
Those sundrenched, barista bustling cafe spaces where people hang out with their silver Macbooks propped, oversized headphones around necks and ceramic cup in hand. In 2015, it’s a perfectly normal scenario to take your laptop on a coffee date. In fact, it’s cool to study, write, design from cafes.
You can’t do this in your pyjamas, but you CAN get your caffeine fix while simultaneously people watching, absorbing cafe tunes and generally spending your day in a more lively, sociable atmosphere. Opportunities like this are worth getting dressed for.
After moving back from London recently, I was stoked to find plenty of ideal coffice spaces that have popped up during my extended absence, coaxing freelancers out of their secret hideaways and out into the world.
So I’ve coffee-hopped, skipped, and sipped my way around town to sample coffee, suss the vibe, road test key tapping and wifi connectivity, to curate and now bring you this list of your must-know, go-to coffee spots.
I’ll be upfront from the get-go and say that wifi in cafes around Adelaide is NOT a strong point. I’ve also personally found the free Adelaide-wide wifi to also be largely unreliable. So, at least for the mean time, securing yourself with a decent data package for personal hot-spotting your own private net connection is pretty much a non-negotiable.
Without further ado, here are my ten picks for Adelaide cafes with great coffee and wi-fi:
1. THE FLINDERS STREET PROJECT
276 Flinders Street, Adelaide SA 5000
As soon as you walk into this happy, light-flooded nook, you’ll look up to the ceiling and probably struggle to look away for the entire time you’re there. An undulating wave of ten thousand wooden spoons are suspended from the ceiling (not that I’ve counted, but I can guarantee this installation by artist Megan Roodenry will take your breath away).
This sets the scene in a beautiful way, and you’ll soon see, that just as much care goes into the menu, coffee and food as the interior styling. Succulents sit happily on tables, of course.
Grab yourself a window seat for streaming light and people watching. I recommend the Clare Valley poached eggs, avocado and lime, halloumi and sourdough. Because, avocado.
It’s a small space – expect a lineup out the door on for brunch on weekends, so keep your laptop time to weekdays and business hours, when everyone else is in their non-coffice offices. This place is a goodie. You’ll get friendly service always (and tell the lovely waitress Louise that I sent you!)
IN SUMMARY:
+ VIBE :: fresh, foodie, cosy
+ COFFEE :: 5 stars
+ PARKING :: limited free parking out the front + ticket parking along Flinders + Hutt Streets nearby
+ WI-FI :: YES
+ POWER POINTS :: YES – there’s even a “charging station”. Happy days!
+ WEBSITE
2. SAD CAFE
Shop 4 Ebenezer Place, Adelaide SA 5000
Don’t be put off by the name – this indie cool eatery will make you anything but sad (and just to spell it out, SAD cafe is an anagram neighbouring DAS hair boutique).
The mission of this cafe is: as fresh as possible, as local as possible and as simple as possible. Pretty good, right?
The arthropod wall art makes you feel like you’ve stepped inside a biologist’s living room, but the spinning vinyl, stack of Wallpaper city guides and the big, rickety communal table will make you feel totally comfortable with this.
The coffee is en pointe.
IN SUMMARY:
+ VIBE :: hipster, casual, friendly
+ COFFEE :: 5 stars, Dawn Patrol (Kangarilla, SA)
+ PARKING :: Rundle Street ticket parking + Bent Street carpark building
+ WI-FI :: YES
+ POWER POINTS :: YES
+ WEBSITE
3. E FOR ETHEL
116 Melbourne Street, North Adelaide SA 5006
Ethel is the kind of new-age, on-trend but endearingly old-school Aunty you always wish you had. She welcomes you inside with a big smile, ushers you to her retro table, gives you chocolate freckles and quirky love notes with your coffee, plays the latest tunes and has a killer cupboard of artisan, locally crafted pressies that you wish you could take home. And you’ll leave feeling like you’ve had a big, warming, you’ve got this kind of hug.
Owners and sweethearts, Amanda Matulick and Dan Harland are seriously, hands to heart, the loveliest couple in all of Adelaide. Nestled in a cosy corner of Melbourne street, there’s dappled vineyard light, food made with big love (and offered in plentiful servings) – it’s like finding hidden treasure.
Local is celebrated at E for Ethel. Amanda seems to know everyone in Adelaide, and she’ll hook you up with whoever, or whatever you might need. We follow each other on Instagram (of course) and Amanda always seems to remember the latest adventure I’ve been on, or happening in my world.
E for Ethel stocks an ever-growing range Australian, Handmade and Sustainable gift products that embody modern Australian design, inspired style and local manufacture. I’m grateful to stock my art prints + stationery goodies in store, among some really beautiful company of other local makers.
Ethel, I’m charmed.
IN SUMMARY:
+ VIBE :: retro, friendly, love-filled
+ COFFEE :: 5 stars, DeGroot
+ MENU :: right here
+ PARKING :: street parking on Melbourne Street and surrounds
+ WI-FI :: YES
+ POWER POINTS :: YES
+ WEBSITE
4. EXCHANGE SPECIALTY COFFEE
Shops 1 & 2, 12 – 18 Vardon Avenue Adelaide SA 5000
This little nook has a certain je ne sais quoi specialty about it. Owner Thomas Roden returned from the UK (where he worked at Workshop Coffee Co. – only one of London’s best) to bring a little taste of London home, and he’s executed this plan brilliantly.
In Thomas’s words, “We have two simple goals: to serve exceptional espresso, filter coffee and tea, and to provide genuine hospitality and rewarding experiences.”
What more could you want in a cafe? I love this place because it is clean, simple, stylish and no fuss. There’s also a perfect curation of artsy magazines suspended on string. And the location – nestled in quaint Ebenezer Place – makes it the perfect spot to tap keys from.
IN SUMMARY:
+ VIBE :: relaxed, stylish, no fuss
+ COFFEE :: 5 stars, Market Lane
+ PARKING :: Rundle Street ticket parking + Bent Street carpark building
+ WI-FI :: Adelaide City free wifi
+ POWER POINTS :: NO
+ WEBSITE
5. MISTER SUNSHINE’S
32 George Street, Thebarton SA 5031
This place – it’s joy. It’s also kitschy cute retro quirk, with succulents in tea cups… and don’t get me started on the smashed avo.
And while I’m sure it’s been said by everyone who has ever visited, owner Edwin Comey is literally mister sunshine personified.
Never have I before experienced such a warm, loving, neighbourly welcome in a cafe. It’s your home away from home – and you won’t even have to do the dishes.
The backstory: owners Edwin Comey and Prue Olsen traipsed around Australia by van, with their young daughter Edith to suss out the coolest cafes around, note their best features and bring all of the best bits into this cafe. And that, they have. Look for the bright yellow door.
IN SUMMARY:
+ VIBE :: happy, retro, casual
+ COFFEE :: 4 stars, DeGroot Coffee
+ PARKING :: ample street parking
+ WI-FI :: NO – bring your own
+ POWER POINTS :: NO
6. PICKLE IN THE MIDDLE
134 Unley Road, Unley SA 5061
This happy little space is brand new and already one of my favourites. With a minimalist, scandinavian inspired interior, plant life and pops of bright yellow, it’s impossible to not smile from the inside as soon as you step inside. Pickle in the Middle boasts a plant-centric menu, features an all-day breakfast menu (WIN) and I am personally on a mission to eat my way through the entire menu. Yum.
IN SUMMARY:
+ VIBE :: scandi, minimalist, happy
+ COFFEE :: 5 stars
+ PARKING :: yes – on Unley Road and side streets
+ WI-FI :: NO – bring your own
+ POWER POINTS :: NO
+ WEBSITE
7. POLLEN 185
4/185 King William Road, Unley SA 5061
This gorgeously styled cafe is one of the newest vegetarian/raw/vegan focused cafes to hit Adelaide. The gorgeous owner Jyoti traveled the world for a year, and now tells travel stories through the food she prepares. “Welcome to our living room!” she says.
There’s turkish coffee cups for brewing chai, bee pollen infused bliss balls, zucchini pasta ribbons and… a pineapple plant. Wanderlusted + wayfarer spirits of Adelaide, you’ll fit right in.
IN SUMMARY:
+ VIBE :: vegetarian, spirited, fresh
+ COFFEE :: 4 stars
+ PARKING :: street parking + carpark out the back
+ WI-FI :: YES (ask the staff for logins)
+ POWER POINTS :: NO
8. LOOSE CABOOSE
21 First Street, Hindmarsh SA 5007
Set up office inside a railway station converted cafe. Here you’ll find pops of neon, a green wall, sparkling water on tap, wood grain everywhere, cosy writing nooks and cobalt blue coffee cups. Oh, and sombreros and sunscreen is provided when it’s sunny and you want to sit outside. Winning on so many levels.
It’s always packed on weekends, so keep your cofficing to weekdays.
Just brilliant. Go.
IN SUMMARY:
+ VIBE :: happy, fresh, foodie
+ COFFEE :: 5 stars (they even ace coffee art with soy milk – a rare find)
+ PARKING :: ample street parking on site, and behind the railway line. Or just catch a train, and jump straight into the cafe
+ WI-FI :: NO – bring your own
+ POWER POINTS :: NO
+ WEBSITE
9. CAFE TROPPO
42 Whitmore Square, Adelaide SA 5000
This cafe is the treehouse you always wish you’d had as a kid. Made entirely from recycled materials, with exposed support beams, reclaimed timber, secret desks and hessian everything, the resulting vibe is quirky, rustic, friendly and sustainable. There’s a strong eco ethos, with a local and seasonally focused menu that changes daily. We’re talking.. coffee roasted on Magill Road kind of local. And, word on the street: if you take in a bag of fruit or local produce they can use in store, you’ll score yourself a free coffee.
In the words of the owners, Ethically sourced fair-trade and organic coffee, delicious and local natural wines, craft beers, musicians and complimentary west-side sunsets!
IN SUMMARY:
+ VIBE :: friendly, eco, local
+ COFFEE :: 4 stars
+ PARKING :: yes – ticket parking around Whitmore Square
+ WI-FI :: NO – bring your own
+ POWER POINTS :: NO
+ WEBSITE
10. NATURES PROVIDORE
88 – 90 Duthy Street, Malven SA 5061
I visited this Duthy street institution with my kindred blogger + one half of The Food Curators, Jen. Sisters of the heart, we couldn’t decide between the bircher, and avocado toast, so shared both. Obviously.
Inside you’ll find big communal tables and fresh flowers and coffee served in Avocado green cups. Local South Aussie owner Kate is passionate about sourcing produce from locally certified organic growers wherever possible. There’s a mini wholefood market as you enter, so you can take fruit, veg, breads and sweet treats home with you.
Instagramers – beware, the down lights make snapping food photos quite a challenge (we got some strange looks as we shuffled around our plates, stood on our chairs, but anything in the name of a good photo, right?! Sitting by the window is your best shot.
IN SUMMARY:
+ VIBE :: healthy, local, cosy
+ COFFEE :: 4 stars
+ PARKING :: on Duthy Street and neighbouring side streets
+ WI-FI :: NO – bring your own
+ POWER POINTS :: NO.
So there you have it. Happy coffice days ahead! Now, over to you! Where’s your favourite coffee in Adelaide? Anywhere else that we should know about? Emma Kate xx
*Most photos above taken by Emma Kate Codrington. Photos featuring Emma (Café Troppo, Pollen, SAD café) taken by Benjamin Liew Photography.
Emma Kate Codrington is a designer, blogger, author, world adventurer and founder of the Emma Kate Co. stationery/lifestyle brand. Her work has been featured across international digital and print circulations, including the Huffington Post, Raspberry Magazine, Frankie, Dame Traveler and other happy corners of the web. With her light-hearted words and whimsy designs, Emma Kate is in the business of making days all over the planet – for customers, virtual visitors, creative clients and everyone in between. Her fresh, one-of-a-kind works inspire unbridled freedom, unabashed love and unforgettable kindness. When not tapping away on her laptop, you can most likely find Emma brunching, or cross-legged and barefoot on a plane, daydreaming about how deep down, she really wished she lived in Paris.
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Can you please do a list cafes/coffee shops in Adelaide suburbs? Living in northern Adelaide (not North Adelaide 🙁 ) There aren’t many offerings up this way.
Yes of course! The site only a week old so we are working on getting to all the best cafes in Adelaide – north, south, east, west! If you have any tips, let us know! xx
Hi Anna Id highly recommend Topiary out north. Its a gorgeous cafe that do exquisite breaky lunch and degustastion dinners, high teas and perfect coffees. Its right next door to newmans nursery in Tea Tree 🙂
Hi there I’m looking for a funky venue for an adoption shower? Somewhere where we could have our own little area but where we can still get food, coffee and the option of wine? Any suggestions would be appreciated! City or Adelaide hills preferred! Thanks!
Anna and Hayley –
Keep an eye on http://www.worcere.com as it’s a resource just for this purpose – listing ‘work-friendly’ cafes and public places. There’s a few suburban – albeit inner suburbs – already, but it’s growing, growing, growing. 🙂
Cheers, Paul
Which cafes stay open at night in CBD to organize small meetups of travelers.?