Caffeteca - North Adelaide, South Australia

We've recently discovered a great little cafe hiding in Tynte Street, North Adelaide called Caffeteca. It's across the road from Perryman's Bakery.



Caffeteca feels more like a little cafe you might find in Melbourne or Sydney. Find a table and place your order at the counter.

I was keen to try the hot chocolate and it certainly didn't disappoint. I absolutely love the rich, dark, European style hot chocolate they serve up at Caffeteca. Under that milky froth is a whole lotta chocolate goodness.

Coffees are excellent quality and hard to fault. This is the Caffe Latte (large).



They also offer some great freshly squeezed juices - Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice ($5.50) or Orange Juice ($4.50). If you don't like pulp, you might want to stay away from the OJ because it's pretty chunky. I didn't mind the pulp as I felt I was getting all of the goodness of the orange without any of the work. Naturally delicious!



The serving sizes at Caffeteca are generally on the small side, but they're still great value for the price and still leave you feeling satisfied because they're so darn tasty. The Egg and Pancetta Brioche ($7.50) is probably the smallest choice but it's delicious.



If you want a slightly larger meal, go for the Breakfast Piadina ($9.90). It comes with free range scrambled eggs, fontina cheese, and crispy pancetta inside. It's divine!



The other breakfast options include piadinas, croissants, breads, fruit, muesli, porridge and they serve lunch as well. Caffeteca is open Mon-Sat 7am-4pm (closed Sundays).

The Coffee Barun - Adelaide, South Australia

Our new favourite breakfast spot is The Coffee Barun on Main North Road at Sefton Park.



The car park behind The Coffee Barun is quite small and usually full so we usually park just across from it in the shopping centre car park instead. As you walk in the front door, you'll notice the large open plan kitchen/dining area and plenty of friendly staff. You can grab a bottle of cold water, the morning paper, and menus to the left of the entrance and have a seat at an empty table, or if you know what you want to order go straight up to the counter. They'll give you a white table number on a stand after you pay. You can then have a read of the newspaper and soak up the cafe atmosphere while you wait, and usually you won't have to wait long before your order arrives. There's even a small wooden train set for the kids to play with.



Coffee beans are freshly roasted on site weekly at the Coffee Barun and they're available for sale in the store along with a range of espresso machines, grinders, manual coffee makers and accessories. Coffee beans used in the cafe are rotated based on availability so you might get a slightly different flavour depending on the origin of the beans when you visit. Coffees here are consistently smooth with a good crema. Here's a Large Cafe Latte ($4).



I've had quite a few overly strong or overly sweet Chai Lattes in the past, but this one was just right. This is the Large ($4).



In addition to coffees and chai lattes, Coffee Barun also sells Belgian Hot Chocolates. This one's not as thick as the one at Bracegirdle's, but still has a nice strong Belgian chocolate flavour. It's $5 for a Large. Note: The normal hot chocolate is made with a very average chocolate powder. Definitely go for the Belgian if you want a hot chocolate here.



With a name like The Coffee Barun, you'd think the drinks would be the main attraction. However, the delicious food is what has kept me coming back. The classic breakfast of Bacon & Eggs is $11.50. Free range eggs and good quality bacon on sourdough toast. So satisfying!



Eggs Benedict fans will be pleased with the Barun Benedict ($15.50). The hollandaise sauce was slightly tangy, creamy and everything hollandaise sauce should be. The poached eggs were perfectly cooked as well.



If you're really hungry order the Barun Breakfast ($16.50). It comes with bacon, eggs, sourdough toast, sausage, tomato and mushrooms. Big and delicious!



The Coffee Barun is a great coffee shop with awesome food. The quality of ingredients and the care from staff really shines here. They're open Mon-Sat 8am-3pm and Sun 9am-1:30pm. They also serve lunch (burgers and sandwiches) from 11am to close.

Signature - Adelaide, South Australia

There's an awesome new coffee shop in Adelaide called Signature. It's located on Charles Street, which is the alleyway between David Jones and the DJ's carpark. The lady who owns it used to own the Blue Lemon baguette place on North Terrace, but sold that and started this new venture. Without any real advertising, Signature is already off to a great start.



As a fusion coffee shop, it's pretty clear that they're serious about their coffee here. It's smooth and rich with a fully developed crema. These people know what they're doing. They also sell all kinds of fancy coffee beans, machines and accessories for those who want to try to replicate greatness in coffee at home.


half latte

Since I don't actually drink coffee myself, I consulted the opinions of others regarding the actual coffee at Signature. I can safely say this is the place where you should buy your coffee in Adelaide. But if you're like me, it's where you should buy your hot chocolate...



This stuff is so good you will feel like you're drinking a bar of good quality chocolate. It's not overly thick, it's just delicious and blows most other hot chocolates out of the water. I've had way too many weak, powdery and sickly sweet hot chocolates in my time. Signature hot chocolates are everything I've been looking for. Plus, they're good value. $3.20 for the standard size or $3.90 for the large. To add further brownie points to their growing tally, they have loyalty cards which offer the 6th drink free. Just get 5 stamps on your card and you're a winner with a free drink waiting for you on your next visit. If you're after something different, I can also highly recommend their chai latte. They've got two choices for chai - spiced or vanilla. I found the vanilla to be quite plain but the spiced is awesome. Perfect mix of spices, sweetness, and milkyness.


spiced chai latte (large)

There's one more thing I have to tell you about this great little coffee shop. Not only do they make great drinks, but they serve up some pretty amazing food as well. The young chef is a genius who makes tarts, quiches, croissants and other magical creations fresh on site. Some of them are located in the display case to the right of the register calling your name. The chicken and leek pie ($9.50) is without a doubt the best chicken and leek pie I've ever had. It comes with a little fresh salad on the side.


chicken and leek pie

I predict that before too long, Signature is going to outgrow its current location. So get over there while you still can and make the most of it.