Espresso Garage

My double shot espresso tasted like I was licking the inside of a metal can. Not good.
We were hit with a service charge because of the public holiday which made it feel really expensive for crap coffee.

This is hole in the wall style coffee that seems to be quite popular in the early mornings with the Lycra bike set but I don’t find it to be a particularly enticing venue. They do Genovese coffee and it is quite adequate — a small size (8oz/​227ml) is $ 3, which is good value; however, the large size (12oz/​341ml) for $ 4.50 is 50 cents overpriced compared to most. Takeaways are served in ripple wrap hot cups, which my delicate pen pushing pinkies really appreciate. Two stars is probably a little harsh, I’d like to give it 2.5, there are other 3 establishments in the area that I’d rather so on the overall experience I’m marking them down.

We had high hopes for our local caffeinated namesake and it is with a heavy heart that we report if you’re looking to have your coffee fix serviced you should drive on by.
The coffee was ok, not bad and definitely not great. The coffee was one dimensional, the usual alchemy present in a great coffee was simply absent. The milk imparted no flavour to the brew, there is no depth in the taste and true coffee fans should be appalled to find that white sugar was our only sweetening option.
A side note to bear in mind is that we ordered a ham an cheese croissant to accompany our blando-​brew and were equally disappointed. I never ever waste food, until now — the pig that died for this snack lost its life for nothing.
Overall this is nondescript, loveless coffee at its most ordinary. With so much choice no more than a few hundred meters in every direction you would be better suited to tune your taste-​buds elsewhere.

Pity the coffees not crash hot

This place is a hive of caffeine-​induced activity. Rounding the corner of Jane St, I suddenly hear the babble of laughter emanating from somewhere nearby. And then I spot this tiny espresso bar (or garage, though it’s much more inviting and car-​fume free). Clusters of people are milling around, white take-​away cups in hand, soaking up the morning sun. Once you wade through this sea of people, you reach an equally caffeine-​afflicted barista.
I ordered a soy latte ($ 3.50) to take-​away and the barista offered to add sugar and actually walked around the counter to personally hand-​deliver it to me. Fantastic. And the verdict on the Genovese blended coffee? Sweet and earthy in flavour, with perfectly silky smooth milk.

Garage is usually where I’ll get a coffee on a Saturday morning when heading to the West End Markets. It’s right across the road from Davies Park, and they sell fantastic coffee there. The staff are adorable; very friendly, a little bit kooky and super cool. I didn’t expect that when I asked for a big cappuccino that the wait staff were going to deliver a bowl, A BOWL of coffee to my table. I was incredibly pleased, especially as I paid only for the size of a normal coffee. I thought this was a mistake, but it turns out that nope, this is just standard prices for Garage. Here’s another reason I like Garage. The wait staff brought my dog some water immediately as I sat down. I don’t like making a point out of my dog needing water, and so it’s great when people just take care of business without drawing attention to it. The little avocado, tomato and cheese croissant I had was delivered to me opened, in case I wanted to play with my food. I did, and I couldn’t help but think that these guys are on to a good thing here. They choose to assume and not assume at the right time, every time. Great work. A favourite place for a coffee. Easy.