Deluca Coffee has a new home. The coffee roastery and cafe has launched its second outpost – and flagship – in a light-and-bright warehouse on a Marrickville backstreet. But unlike the original (which opened in Banksmeadow in 2011) it’s coffee – and only coffee – on the menu.

“If coffee is what you’re looking for, we’ve got you covered,” founder and director Lucas Georgiou tells Broadsheet. “If you’re looking for something else, then there’s plenty of other places very, very close to us that will service that.”

Choose from full cream, oat or black. For milk-based coffees, there’s Sweet Spot, Deluca’s core blend that uses beans from Colombia and Indonesia.

Stay in the know with our free newsletter. The latest restaurants, must-see exhibitions, style trends, travel spots and more – curated by those who know.

SIGN UP

The beans for black coffee, however, vary depending on what the team manages to get its hands on. One week it might be serving La Maria La Fosa from Colombia, which has notes of dry prune, papaya and red apple. The next it could be washed coffee beans from Guatemala or Ethiopia.

“They can be experimental coffees; they can be traditional varietals. For us, it’s really about showcasing what the world of coffee can be in all of its different forms,” Georgiou says.

Just like the menu, the space is minimalist. Designed by Cameron Krone, co-founder of Sydney studio Smith and Carmody, the venue features clean lines, natural timber and a neutral colour palette throughout.

Streams of natural light are let in by the floor-to-ceiling windows at the front, while the espresso bar is front and centre of the cafe. “We have tried to create a space that both the staff and the customers can inhabit comfortably while they are working, interacting or taking time out to enjoy a coffee,” Krone tells Broadsheet.

Behind the espresso bar are large glass windows that frame a hunky German cast-iron Probat G90, which in Georgiou’s eyes is the “ultimate specialty roaster”.

“It’s about showcasing our work so we can let the public into what we do. They can see the roasters, they can see the quality-control team, they can see the whole operation and observe it while we’re brewing for them. We didn’t want distractions from our craft,” Georgiou says.

There’s a cupping room on-site at the Marrickville store, too. For now it’s reserved for training wholesale clients, but there are plans to extend those courses to the everyday coffee drinker by the second half of the year.

All the beans, which are roasted on-site, are available to purchase in-store. If you’re unsure which is right for you, Georgiou’s advice is to just ask the barista. “That’s what they’re there for. They will engage you, ask you questions and try to understand what you enjoy, and they will guide you through the process of suggesting a coffee for you. No one knows the coffee more intimately than we do.”

Deluca Coffee
5–7 Denby Street, Marrickville
(02) 9695 7679

Hours
Mon to Fri 6am–11am
Sat 8am–1pm

delucacoffee.com

Deluca is currently open for takeaway only during Sydney's lockdown.