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Header image courtesy of Ninetys (via Facebook)
Drinking coffee is a worldwide passion and every culture has its own grasp on how the caffeinated beverage is served. However, one country that seems to be well ahead of the coffee game by measures of popularity is Australia. Amidst Hong Kong’s booming café scene, Australian-style coffee shops have proved to be an unstoppable force, attracting scores of coffee enthusiasts to relish in the uber-smooth flat whites, wholesome brunches, and laid-back vibes synonymous with the land Down Under. We’ve hunted down the best Australian-style coffee shops in Hong Kong that will satisfy even the most discerning of coffee drinkers!
Dispensing speciality coffee and Aussie brunch fare from a sunny, coastal town location, this neighbourhood café in Sai Kung is the closest you’ll get to experiencing Melbourne in Hong Kong. As the name tips off, the café itself is something of a hideaway, but it boasts a stylish, wood-accented outdoor area that beckons diners to get comfortable and enjoy the laidback surroundings with a proper flat white (starting from $38), in true Melbournian fashion.
For food accompaniments, you are spoilt for choice with the vast range of smoothie bowls, pastries, and hearty lunch and toast dishes. However, if there is one thing you should try, it’s their French toast ($94), an exquisite amalgam of buttery artisan brioche, pistachio, mascarpone, rose, cinnamon, and honey!
Little Cove Espresso, Shop 1 & 2, G/F, Block A, Siu Yat Building, Hoi Pong Square, Sai Kung | (+852) 9572 8560
Whether you are here for the food, the coffee, or the aesthetics, this Australian coffee shop and café concept will exceed your expectations and leave you eager to return for more. In the spirit of true coffee craftsmanship, Ninetys freshly blends and roasts their coffee beans on-site at their Lee Garden branch, offering two house blends and several single-origin varieties.
Equally as impressive is their food menu, a thoughtful parade of contemporary Australian- and Asian-inspired fusion cuisine, featuring char siu rice with fried egg & Japanese rice ($168) and grilled eggplant with miso cream cheese ($88) alongside eggs Benedict ($98) and a salmon burger with black sesame yoghurt dressing ($188). As a cherry on top, the presentation is never short of picture-perfect!
Award-winning Australian barista Scottie Callaghan brought the endearing charms of Sydney to Hong Kong in the form of a laid-back café-bakery-wine-bar hybrid. First opened on Peel Street in 2015, Fineprint swiftly scaled up the popularity ladder on the strength of its freshly baked sourdough and locally roasted brews, enabling it to later expand to Tai Hang and Sai Ying Pun.
Grab a cosy window bar seat and linger a while over their silky house blend coffee and much-lauded ricotta toast ($85). Topped with blueberry, honey, and thyme, the genius toast creation has a flavour profile reminiscent of blueberry cheesecake—who can say no to that?
A go-to caffeine haunt among Sai Ying Pun and Kennedy Town locals, this intimate little coffee shop lures you in with its old-school cinema marquee sign, then gets you hooked onto its relaxed, personable atmosphere and delicious brews. While the menu is not overly extensive—with everything listed out on a wood-framed chalkboard behind the counter—the quality is consistently superb.
Start your day off on the right foot with an avo toastie (starting from $70) and an Aussie-style flat white ($40) or a sip on their masala chai latte ($40) as an afternoon pick-me-up. Pulling double duty as a cocktail bar at night, their espresso martini is often hailed as the best in the city!
Putting a bohemian spin on the modern black-and-white aesthetic, Mansons Lot tempers its interiors with a splattering of rustic wooden furnishing, vinyl records, and artsy décor. Completing the hipster Aussie coffee shop checklist is a menu of award-winning coffee (roasted in Australia) and generously portioned brunch plates!
Its grilled beef & new potato salad ($88) and soft-shell crab cream risotto ($118) are firm favourites, but the avocado and salmon crêpe ($93) and veggie breakfast plate ($113) are also choice options if you’re craving a lighter meal. For a sweet treat, look no further than the soul-warming apple crumble ($58) with crunchy caramel biscuits and creamy vanilla ice cream!
Mansons Lot , 1–3 Swatow Street, Wan Chai | (+852) 2362 1899
We are not the only ones thinking that sunsets seem to burn a little brighter Down Under. Inspired by the dramatic golden hours of Australia, Today is Long is all decked out in warm red-oranges and semi-circular forms, providing patrons with a soothing respite from their long, weary day.
The drinks menu is split into “Short Day” and “Long Day,” depending on the kind of coffee experience you’re after. Regardless of your choice, rest assured that each beverage is carefully brewed using top-shelf coffee beans from Australian roasters. Tack on a sausage roll ($45) or lamington ($40) on the side for a classic Aussie combo, or jump on the latest pastry trend and dig into one of their extraordinary croffles (croissant-waffle hybrid)!
TIL Today is Long, 172 Queen’s Road West, Sai Ying Pun
Even with the plethora of hipster third-wave coffee shops that have cropped up in Sheung Wan over the past decade, Barista Jam has remained at the forefront of the scene—and for good reason, too. The Australian-style indie coffee shop has amassed a fervent following for its consistently high-quality coffee and satisfying bites.
You know they take their caffeine seriously when the inside of the shop is lined with coffee-brewing equipment and a whole range of single-origin beans and house blends. Coffee connoisseurs should not miss out on their speciality iced drip coffee, which can be sampled on its own or in a tasting set of three! Meanwhile, fans of espresso-based drinks can get their fix with the flat white (starting from $38) or piccolo latte ($35).
Barista Jam, 97 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan | (+852) 2854 2211
A wanderer, chronic overthinker, and baking enthusiast, Beverly spent much of her childhood in the United States before moving to Hong Kong at age 11 and making the sparkling city her home. In her natural habitat, she can be found baking up a storm in her kitchen, journalling at a café, or scrolling through OpenRice deciding on her next meal.
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