23 Ebenezer Pl
Adelaide 5000 SA

Nestled behind Adelaide’s thriving cafe precinct of Rundle St is a new, but very well established cafe with great food, fantastic service and funky euro stylings.  Nano began as a small but scarilly busy cafe on Hutt st in the city.  Their prompt service, great produce and terrific coffee ensured their success and subsequent out-growing of their small footprint cafe.

So they moved shop into very well sized cafe along the historic strip of Ebenezer place, upgrading just about everything else along with it.

A shiny, curved yellow bar greets you as you enter, sporting a La Marzocco FB70 and Mazzer Robur grinder.  It’s all very clean and well maintained and you can’t help but grow your expectations for the coffee that is to come.

Fortunately they easily deliver on this department.  Without hesitation I order a ristretto and a flat white.  Both come out at the same time and look fantastic.  I throw back the ristretto and am met with an explosion of flavour.  The coffee is fresh and gassy (maybe a little too fresh), but showcases huge body and a wonderful intense sweetness.  The lingering finish sits mid palate and is Devinne, I almost feel bad cutting it short to sip on my flat white.

Rich and creamy, this is just what I needed to kick start my day.  Perfect temp and amazing texture.  Flat white’s like this are worth crossing town for.  Nano definitely serves one of the nicest cups in the CBD and earns itself a very deserving 2 beans.  Be sure to check it out next time you head into the city.

Coffee: Rio

12 Elizabeth St,

Croyden, SA 5008

Stepping out just North West of the city, in the suburb of Croyden, is an eclectic and quirky group of businesses collectively known as the Queen Street shops.

Nestled amongst them is a good sized cafe, aptly titled, Queen St Cafe. Funky decor, friendly staff and what has to be one of Adelaide’s best breakfasts and lunch menu, make this place an excellent destination cafe to catch up, relax, or hold a laid back business meeting.

Don’t expect a well polished, elegant bistro, or overly produced mass of stainless steel and back lit Perspex menu boards. What you will find, is a gritty (in the very best sense of the word) and very functional cafe, oozing with character and charm.

The food menu is creative, well thought out and very well presented. And I’ll happily mention it again, their breakfast is easily one of the best in Adelaide. All this serves as a fantastic backdrop for the superb coffee they’re serving. One of the few cafe’s in South Australia to be serving Directly Traded coffee, the dedication to serving fantastic coffee is easily witnessed by watching the barista’s here pump out some beautiful espresso.

My flat white was wonderfully textured, ad served at the absolutely perfect temperature. Toasty, nutty and with a great presence of lingering cocoa. Superb! My espresso was short and to the point, exactly how I like it. Delicious deep, golden syrup flavour and mouth feel, backed with a dry and nutty finish with some spicy notes. I simply had to order another.

It’s great to see a cafe really aiming to do it all well, two solid beans here. Definitely drop by next time you’re in the area, but if you’re not one for the busy cafe scene, try and make it in during the week as weekends here can get pretty hectic.

Coffee: Five Senses