Soho Lane

It’s not hard to understand the appeal of Soho Lane, the bigger sister of Trindy Adler and Matt Miller’s CBD coffee bolthole, Little Soho Coffee Co. The space at the revamped Alexander Buildings craftily blurs indoors and out; it has a jaunty aesthetic (pastel pink, aggregate flooring and tables); cheery, welcoming staff; and the food and drinks are considered, without making a big song and dance about it.

According to operations manager Josh Lofstrom, the Mount Lawley crowd prefers its coffee black, with espresso and filter outselling the milkier coffees. Every day, drinkers can choose from three single-origin batch brews that Lofstrom and co. rotate daily. These single-origin beans will include beans roasted locally as well as coffee sourced from other Australian roasters. The house blend is from Micrology Coffee Roasters.

As for the food, expect cafe classics with an American accent – an ox tongue pastrami bagel, say, or a fried chicken burger with slaw, hot sauce and caesar dressing. Plus, diner-style pancakes with wattleseed honeycomb butter, toasted macadamia nuts, fruit and maple syrup.