1/1-13 University Avenue, Canberra ACT
Photography Credit Bianca Pavlic
To find some of the country’s best coffee in Canberra may be a surprise to many but not those who are familiar with the name Saša Šestić. Boasting the 2015 World Barista Champion title and owning local Canberra roaster, ONA Coffee, and popular haunt, The Cupping Room, Saša has established himself as a force to be reckoned with in global coffee.
The Cupping Room was opened in 2013 to create a unique and engaging coffee experience for the local Canberra community. As you would imagine, much of the focus rests on coffee, though not as you know it. Offering a coffee menu that is filled with a changing selection of roasts and single origins from an array of countries, this may seem more like a wine list than
a coffee menu, but The Cupping Room aims to offer only the best.
Though coffee may rest at the heart of the operation, the crowds keep flocking back for the food menu. The Cupping Room’s menu changes with the season, so it is possible you may not be able to feast on the same dish twice, but having the option to taste more delicious creations that the kitchen pumps out is definitely not a downside.
You would think that this unique take on coffee would attract only the bearded hipster crowd, leaving a clutter of fixies to block the path outside, but that is far from the case. The Cupping Room’s central location, just a stone’s throw from ANU’s Acton campus, means that the spacious cafe is regularly filled with university students, academics, lawyers and judges, as well as coffee nerds that have ventured from near and far to get their hands on some of the city’s best brews.
Located on University Avenue, The Cupping Room is not at all hard to spot, the huge brightly coloured mural reading ‘Straight From the Source’ that takes up much of the front façade. The cafe is filled with light, polished blonde wood and leafy indoor plants. This clean, crisp design, paired with the polished food and coffee offering, makes for a venue that has left no detail neglected.
Recreate Jereme Felix's signature recipe -
COLD-SMOKED SALMON with finger lime, pickled turnip & radish,
confit beetroot, labneh & a soft-boiled egg
on P.126 in the 2024 edition of Flavours of Australia.
Flavours of Australia
- 92 signature recipes from top Aussie Chefs
- 200 stories about the best chefs and places to eat and drink around Australia
Read the stories of some of Australia's most decorated chefs and rediscover some of our oldest family institutions. Recreate your favourite meals at home and relive your most memorable food experiences with signature recipes from our most coveted restaurants and identities.