Very occasionally, I visit a coffee shop that just nails it – and Blackbird Laneway in Cairns is one such place.
On a recent trip to Far North Queensland, I did some coffee research before the trip. Blackbird Laneway got great reviews, so it was the first place I headed after checking-in to our apartment.
Tucked away in one of the nicer laneways/arcades in the city centre, Blackbird was busy during this first visit in the early afternoon. I ordered a takeaway large oat latte (with their “Garana” house blend). Service was quick and friendly – and the pricing very keen (with a handy little discount for my keep cup) at just $5.50!
The vibe of the place was apparent from the get go. Busy but not frantic. Great artwork. Focused on quality and offering various different types of spaces within the small shop and laneway beyond.
I watched the care with which my takeaway coffee was prepared on their pristine red La Marzocco machine. It even came with latte art (and I later found out that barista Snowie is one of Australia’s best latte artists!). Considering how busy the shop was, my coffee really didn’t take long .
They triple-shot large coffees so it was a strong brew. But there was not a hint of bitterness and the flavour was consistent to the last drop. It was chocolately in flavour and creamy in body, no doubt helped by their use of my favourite oat milk from the Alternative Dairy Co. It really was a lovely drink.
I returned to Blackbird about half a dozen times across the five days I spent in and around Cairns. I enjoyed my coffee in the shop a few times, both inside and along the laneway. The place was always buzzing, from my early morning visit at 7.30am to a late afternoon one towards closing at 4pm.
As a vegan, I also indulged in their lovely vegan breads (mixed berry and lemon & poppyseed), again very reasonably-priced and fresh. The focus here, though, is the coffee with just a limited range of cakes and pastries the only distraction from the main event.
Locals obviously flock to this shop and understandably so, it’s doing a lot of things right. I have no doubt it’s a third place for many locals and it’s perfectly designed to be so. There are comfy spaces to sit and chat, a big bench (with ingenious overhead power) for those tapping away on laptops, or the laneway for people watching.
Blackbird Laneway is my kind of coffee shop and is the best I’ve visited in Australia for a long time. Keep up the good work!
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