Dutch Coffee Lab

Coffee, cheese and bikes: the Dutch Coffee Lab has all three, though sadly the bike hanging on the wall isn’t for sale.

Owner Tom de Flart moved from the Netherlands years ago and started out working as a forklift driver. Homesickness began to get the better of him, but instead of moving back, he worked on a way to bring some Dutch culture down to Port Adelaide.

Sourcing freshly roasted single origin beans from De Groot, de Flart knows his coffee and it shows in every cup. In the summer months he bottles his own cold drip, and all year ‘round offers up to three varieties in take-home packs.

The food menu is small and features lots of cheese: in golden toasties, the breakfast brioche and alongside Oma’s beef and vegetable soup. There’s also a selection of Dutch pastries such as stroopwafel tarts and speculaas muffins. In addition to the all-important coffee are bottles of kombucha and juice.

The cafe is light and carefully designed – de Flart spent two years developing the look of the space. He and his father built the tabletops and counter from a local church’s discarded timber floorboards, and along with the hanging bike, small touches from home decorate the walls.