Sensory Lab

I had always ignored this place as I thought it was just to catch traffic walking into David Jones and how could it possibly produce a good coffee compared to the millions of Coffee houses that litter the streets of Melbourne.
I have to admit. I was wrong!
A mate needed a coffee. he’s a coffee junkie… and he needed it now! So we sat in this place and ordered our drinks. Staff were friendly and attentive. Didn’t even let the empty water bottle sit for any length of time, so I was looking around for cameras! lol
A strong coffee was ordered for him, which had him hooked for the rest of the time in Melbourne, while I ordered a hot chocolate. I was thinking it would just a standard hot chocolate in a mug, but I was greatly surprised to be handed a small cup of a quality hot chocolate. Nothing sugary or overly sweet but something that tasted like it had been squeezed out of a dark chocolate bar itself. This became my standard order every time I went in.
I didn’t get a chance to try the foods but really appreciated not having white sugar on the table but rapadura. Something more raw and unprocessed.
So guys. don’t dismiss this place as a cookie cutter DJ’s café. It really does have the best in mind for you.

So if you’re seeking a coffee experience that won’t disturb your cucumber cool in the coming summer months, I’m pleased to note that Sensory Lab in David Jones does one lip-​smackingly tasty iced coffee.
This review isn’t for one of those elaborate frothy affairs swirling with icecream, syrup and a halo of whipped cream, although life sometimes calls for one of those.
The type done here is a tall latte served over ice — simple, everyday and so very enjoyable.
Mine came out as an aromatic roast presented perfectly in a tall glass, sitting over fresh cold milk at the base. You can let this drink linger and enjoy the mingling flavours as ice melts into espresso shot.
Update: if you’re also on the market for a breakfast pastry there’s a decent selection in the glass cabinet that are freshly baked each morning. Tried the fruit danish and it did not disappoint, crisply flaky with blueberries & apricot slices hiding a dollop of custard. Winning !

Great place to stock up on beans. Very busy and cramped seating. Coffee can also take a while.

Fantastic coffee, and one of the few places that make pour overs in Melbourne or Sydney. This is something Australian coffee culture has yet to appreciate fully, even though it’s the best way to extract maximum flavor from the bean.
Really cute place, too. Very friendly staff.

Walk past here all the time, but never buy from here. I have my favourites in the hood and for some reason I’ve always thought this place is a bit snooty and expensive.
My reason for giving it a go is because all the decent coffee places in this part of town are closed on Sundays. So basically I was desperate for a halfway decent coffee and knew this was probably the best available offering.
First of all it does seem v expensive. Nearly ten bucks for a coffee and croissant. Coffee was good but didn’t blow my socks off, Switchboard and dukes, nearby, are both way better.
I ordered take out which was pretty quick. Inside is very sterile. You’ll either like it or not.
Service wise, ok but I concur with other reviewers in that there is a bit of attitude. There’s no friendly banter, and it was dead when I was there, so they weren’t rushed off their feet. Also I could be wrong but I’m pretty sure the staff had a sneaky laugh about the way I pronounced «almond».
So all in all it’s fine, but they ain’t as good as they think they are.

Grab a table around the corner with your laptop and you’ll find yourself being able to sit there and work for a good couple of hours. Time flies whenever I’m here! Their coffee is amazing here — I would always order at least two cups before I leave.
It does tend to get a bit noisy during peak hours so remember to bring your earpieces or headphones if you’re here to work on your laptop. The staff are all so nice and attentive. This is one of my favourite cafes to go and get some work done.

I dropped by early in the morning a while back to grab a coffee on my way to an exam. The coffee itself (and this review is really just about that) was pretty good. The staff who served me was alright and made me my brew fairly quickly and I was on my way but then again, they weren’t that busy anyway.
It wasn’t the cheapest cup of coffee but it was quite alright.
I haven’t sat down and hung out there yet so I can’t write about that bit but one thing’s for sure, (judging by the reviews I’ve read) I shall tread carefully when I do!!!

This place is really good, and is in a great and convenient location. It’s also one of the few late-​night specialty coffee places in the city.
The staff are always friendly and knowledgable. The space is odd, and I was confused the first time that it is table service and you seat yourself, then get up to pay at the end. It is pretty weird, but the servers are friendly and don’t treat you like an idiot when you aimlessly wander the space. The inside space is really weird, built for hipsters but taken up by lone businessmen and groups of middle aged ladies gabbing away over oversized lattes.
The coffee is priced well, the filter coffee is consistently great, and the espresso drinks are really good too. I ordered a latte and the milk was extra sweet and frothy… I watched the barista and saw that he was saving the leftover steamed milk in a pitcher, and adding to it with leftovers until eventually pouring it all into a drink. Ew? That’s cheap and lazy. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the baristas are skilled enough to pull this off, and it still tasted really good. It’s still much cleaner than most CBD coffee shops around (there are some nasty and unsanitary milk habits in Melbourne) and they do steam the milk to proper texture and temperature, so it’s still one of the best around.
Great selection of beans, tea and home brew equipment, too.

Oh sensory Lab — you promise so much but deliver so little.
As some of the other reviewers have pointed out, one of the biggest things going for this place is the extended trading hours thanks to its association with DJs.
Working a few night shifts lately I popped in pre-​shift to grab a coffee and not once was I overly impressed by the coffee or the service.
The staff seem a bit moody and in no rush to help anyone and the coffee was usually quite bitter.
It’s a shame really… with a great location and an adorable fit-​out this place could be so much better than what its currently offering.

Ordered 2 piccolos for takeaway. Three hipster bros at the espresso helm attempting to knock out the tickets one by one. It was a bit busy that day, since A. it was freezing, B. it was freezing. I was curious to time their turnover rate — from the time of ordering to the time of receiving the order — at it took about 14 min. Not knowing what the average turnover rate would be for takeaway, I gave them the benefit of the doubt. Our piccolos were of their house blend and did the job, but nothing to write about.

Sensory overload at this hole in the wall style café. Typical Sensory lab the coffee here is preettttyyyy fine.
The staff, well hey they are fairly typical of the Sensory lab family. Grabbing a quick take away the window staff are fabulous and efficent. Love it. However take that sneaky step into their space and ask for a table and hello awkward moments to be avoided.
I’ve tried to sit here comfortably twice and both times felt odd. Like unmatched socks at the dinner table odd. The staff seem to struggle a little bit with people actually sitting down. It’s ok, coffee drinkers do sit. We are allowed to.
The perks of this place is the extended opening hours, which is when I typically go these days. It’s a blessing in disguise in Melbourne cbd.

I’m fortunate to live within a few minutes walk of this bustling café and shop. Located at the edge of David jones it looks great and has a whole heap of café scientific equipment on display that you absolutely must have but don’t need. They also regularly put their beans on sale in the café shop so if you want some good coffee for home check it out. They will even grind the beans to whatever you need: aero press, pour over, stovetop, french press etc. just a coffee place but lots of food pales nearby too

Great any time of the day. The early opening is a life saver before meetings.
The best thing is the team know how to make the perfect «magic». Even better they don’t give you weird looks when you ask for one!
The window table is great for people watching on a Sunday afternoon ;)

My cold drip I had here today forced me to re-​review Sensory Lab and it forced me to give it another star. It was very persuasive.
The coffee at Sensory Lab is amazing. There is no denying this. They’ve got everything you need and as it was a rather warm 25ºC this particular day, I decided to go with the cold drip. Great choice. It came in the most bizarre glass. If you go through the pictures for the place, you’ll find it in the picture with the red drink. I managed to savour that cold drip for about 15mins. There was also a cookie that caught my eye int he window so I went for that as well. Another great choice. Peanut butter and chocolate chip. Wow.
The thing I don’t like about Sensory Lab is how busy it gets. It is hard to find a seat here when it gets to that state. When you do, you may find yourself stuck undo a shelf like I did, barely being able to fit. It gets very noisy and it gets very cluttered. So many people all talking loudly, dozens of different languages and all trying to speak over one another. Sensory Lab is not a place I come to in peak hour.
What I love the most about the café is that it is open until 6pm and every day of the week. No other café I know is the city is this good with their opening hours and Sensory Lab then find me strolling in after I get off a train from the country at 5pm or when I’m on my way to a dinner in the city or something. Smart move by them as I think they’d get quite a lot of business in this time.
Great place, try and get here during the quiet hours and you’ll have a blast.

Maybe I’m just being brutal and weighing this too heavily against other options within walking distance but Sensory Lab felt a bit sterile and characterless to me.
The short black I had was good, not great.
Service was slightly hurried and the staff seemed detached and disengaged which didn’t help the atmosphere here any. There’s a floating brew bar, counter and seating which people were floating/​lingering around making it difficult to move about, even for the staff. It all just felt a bit chaotic for me to be welcoming or relaxing. This lends more the location of it at the exit of a food court, which can’t really be helped during busy times I guess…
I left here a bit miffed as a few people had recommended Sensory Lab to me. It certainly wasn’t bad by any stretch but it just feels like there’s a few tweaks they could make to the staff, layout (possibly location), and tighten up the brews that would easily take this place up a notch.

One thing speaks loud about this place, location. Located right on the heart of the CBD, on the heart of the shopping district and adjoined to David Jones. This place is a no brainer to a lot of people.
However, the coffees took a long time to get to us and the staff were disinterested as if they were creeped out by our presence.

Melbourne has a lot of good coffee and we are very lucky. But what’s in short supply is a place where you can get a fast, quality coffee with minimum fuss and in a primo location. That’s where Sensory Lab rocks it.
Want to get a coffee without queuing and then take a walk through our most awesome lane ways? Step right up peeps.
The Lab also has some great cakes and pastries, so if you’re hungry don’t fear, food is near. Coffee equipment is also available and includes valuable training on how to get the most from your brew.
Enjoy.

The CBD is brimming with brilliant coffee, but with a catch. Hardly any are open on the weekends or past 4pm. Being adjoined to David Jones means Sensory Lab has longer trading hours and can be relied upon for a good brew when you’re shopping up a storm in Bourke St.
Drawbacks — very expensive and the staff are often rude or just disinterested. I’ve walked off without being served on more than one occasion.

Admittedly, I haven’t been here for some time,
but I remember trying all manner of things and being somewhat
overwhelmed with a caffeine overdose. I can’t specify what
exactly is the goodness, since it’s been so long.
Nevertheless, the list of extended options that exceeds
the regular and standard usual suspects at most caffeine
dealerships, ahem, cafes is worth the pursuit and investigation.
Sensory lab, is essentially for exploration purposes into
the world of coffee offerings, and it fits this mould nicely.
I must go back again soon.

This place isn’t going to give you the best coffee in the CBD, but a great central location and extended opening hours (because it’s attached to David Jones) means it’s a practical option when you want a latte that’s better than average or Cold Drip single origin on a hot day.