Columns

Rating: 4/5

Located across the road from Brunch ‘N’ Lunch on Frederick Street, this roastery headquarters should be the first port of call for those keen for a takeaway coffee around the Grange/ Leith/ Frederick Streets area. Behind the mysterious exterior lies a cosy café and store filled with coffee paraphernalia.

This particular Strictly Coffee location focuses on roasting their beans and distributing them across Dunedin to the various cafes and bars that use their distinctive bean. M is a huge fan of the Strictly Coffee beans because of their mellow flavour – a perfect way to ease into a hectic day.

Strictly Coffee HQ have a few high-standing tables and stools on which to perch while you wait for your brew or have a brief coffee date – it’s almost as they make the café area a little bit uncomfortable so that nobody stays there for the long haul. The baristas here are super friendly (M and G feel that one barista in particular bears a striking resemblance to fierce Game of Thrones warrior and leader of the Dothraki, Khal Drogo). The baristas are definitely good sorts – they always provide good chat and, if you need to order a second coffee for a friend on your way out as G once did for M, Drogo will let you skip the line.

Strictly Coffee HQ is ideal for those studying at Central who want to stretch their legs a wee bit and actually enjoy a decent coffee. With a name like “Strictly Coffee” you wouldn’t think they’d dare sell slices and Florentines, but they do and they ain’t half bad. The close proximity to Brunch ‘N’ Lunch makes it the prime spot to grab a pie and coffee on your way to a compulsory morning lab after a boozy Thursday night.

M and G definitely feel like it is more of a takeaway coffee joint, but if you do want to sit in there you can flip through some ancient Home and Garden magazines or people-watch from the undercover side of the large tinted windows.