Plug Nickel

Plug Nickel has poured specialty coffee from a red doored corner of Peel Street, just off Smith Street, since 2016. The beans come from Ona in Canberra, the roastery of 2015 World Barista Champion Sasa Sestic, and the menu leans on rotating coffees such as an Ethiopian natural and the Raspberry Candy blend, all pulled on a Sanremo Opera machine that Sestic and fellow champions helped design.

The room is compact and built for quick, generous service, with a handful of stools inside and tables on the footpath. Cold coffee is a specialty here, from batch brew and cold brew to sparkling cascara and nitrogen cold brew poured from taps, alongside toasties, wraps and a vegan mushroom option. From Thursday to Sunday the venue also opens as a small cocktail and wine bar once the coffee day winds down.