No matter if you’re a first-time visitor just passing through or a local rolling in for your daily brew, the Black Drop crew – with James Attard and Emily Hayes at the helm – are always welcoming and down for a chat. With Blackboard Coffee beans and rotating filter brews from guest roasters, if you’ve got lofty standards for your morning sip you’re likely to be drawn in for a return visit – it’s that good. Plus, for constant keep-cup-forgetters (guilty as charged), Black Drop also has branded keep cups for you to borrow and return meaning you can sip knowing you’ve avoided a disposable option. Pop in and grab a snack from the ever-changing array of delectable treats in the cabinet to accompany your morning brew, from triple-choc hazelnut and salted-caramel cookies and peanut butter and chocolate brownies to vegan chocolate cake. Black Drop Cafe’s laidback fitout features timber and plush forest green accents, with art adorning the walls – basically, if this was our house design, we wouldn’t be mad.

It’s not just the great coffee that’s worth a trip – with a refreshing menu curated by chef Andy MacDonald featuring local and seasonal produce, Black Drop slings breakfast, lunch and everything in between. This isn’t your traditional menu – although the favourites like eggs and coconut-yoghurt bircher muesli are on offer, so are drool-inducing plates such as pumpkin waffles with maple, fig, a gingerbread crumble and burnt-butter ganache, and an open mushroom omelette with herbs, toasted hazelnuts, frisee and pepita cream. If it’s lunch you’re after, look no further than the crispy-skin pork belly with a cauliflower puree and texture of beetroot, or the black bean quesadilla with salsa, chilli-fried eggs, coriander, pickled chilli and avocado (which is actually an excellent choice no matter the time of day). With a seasonal menu, we hear the winter offering is set to feature belly-warming dishes for dreary days – think breakfast laksa, made up with bone broth, winter vegetables, chicken, noodles and a sous vide egg as an example. Black Drop is open from 7:00 am to 2:00 pm daily, and is definitely worth the drive.