It all started a few weeks back when the girls at work let me in on a bit of inside information.  They’d found the best coffee in Liverpool.  Sure, it was a bit of a trek from work but aren’t a few lungfuls of fresh air and some sun on your face the best prelude to a perfect cup of coffee?  With the cafe’s name punched into Google Maps, I put my iPhone away, convinced that I’d be there within the week.

A courtside coffee from the Courtside Cafe…. geddit?

Courtside is so cool it doesn’t even have a website.  Even by coffee mad Sydney standards, the line for a mid morning coffee was insane.  For some orders, a standard 4 cup cardboard holder wouldn’t do.  Regulars brought cardboard boxes in with them from the office so that they could card the 20 coffees in their order back to their workmates.  Every spare inch of space at around the espresso machine was lined with cups.  Only they weren’t there just as decoration, they represented real time orders.

Our barista for the day was as cool as a cucumber.  She filled each order perfectly, first time.  She and her coworkers asked after anyone who looked as if they’d been waiting for a bit just to make sure no orders got lost.  Staff members would come out from behind the counter to hand deliver coffees to patrons who were waiting outside on the deck enjoying the late autumn sun.  I didn’t have time to take a closer look at the food on offer but breads and cakes are by Brasserie Bread and there’s a well stocked freezer of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.

I can tell you, though, that the coffee is excellent.  Creamy with not a hint of bitterness.  A large skinny cap is $3.70 takeaway.  It’s really lovely to see an independent cafe being so well supported despite the local Westfield being full of outlets of the big coffee chains.

Have you discovered a local, ‘little guy’ cafe recently?