A Place Coffee

A Place Coffee occupies a tiny footprint on the ground floor of the Nightingale apartment building in Bowden, with room for only a handful of stools and a steady line of regulars from the surrounding streets. The house pour comes from Melbourne roaster Market Lane, with a rotating guest roaster brought in alongside it, so the same order can taste a little different depending on the week. Matcha has become as much a part of the counter as coffee, drawing its own following separate from the espresso crowd.

Food stays minimal, pastries sourced from other local makers rather than baked in house, which keeps the tiny kitchen free to focus on drinks. Seating is limited enough that most people treat it as a stop rather than a sit down cafe, grabbing a cup on the way to the nearby tram line or one of Bowden's apartment blocks. It closes early in the afternoon and does not take bookings, true to its size.