If you're a coffee lover visiting Canberra, The Cupping Room is one café you need to add to your list. Located in the heart of Canberra CBD, The Cupping Room is more than your typical brunch spot. It's a specialty café that brings something a little different to Canberra's coffee scene, with a strong focus on quality coffee, unique flavour profiles and putting its own spin on traditional café favourites.
The Coffee – A Little More Than Your Everyday Flat White ☕
The Cupping Room's biggest flex, and what really makes it stand out from other cafés in Canberra, is its approach to coffee. As part of the ONA Coffee family, the café showcases specialty coffee beans and places a particular emphasis on specific single-origin varieties.
Rather than sticking to the usual generic coffee orders, The Cupping Room encourages customers to explore different beans, flavour profiles and brewing methods. Their menu offers a selection of espresso-based coffees, filter coffee and specialty creations, giving coffee lovers the opportunity to try something a little different.
They proudly serve ONA Coffee, an Australian specialty coffee roaster known for its focus on sourcing, roasting and showcasing high-quality coffee beans. ONA places a strong emphasis on the origins of its beans, the people behind them and bringing out their individual flavour characteristics. This means each coffee can offer something different, from fruity and floral notes to richer, chocolatey and nutty profiles.
One of my personal favourites is their Lamington (Getaway) Cloud Iced Coffee. It's a fun twist on your traditional iced coffee, bringing together the nostalgic flavours of a lamington with a creative coffee offering. It's a little indulgent, a little different and definitely worth trying!
The Food – Traditional Favourites With a Twist
The food menu is just as special as the coffee. The Cupping Room takes traditional breakfast and lunch favourites and gives them its own creative spin, making the menu a little more exciting than your standard café offering.
Whether you're after something sweet, savoury or a little more substantial, there's plenty to choose from. The menu also caters to different dietary preferences, with vegetarian and vegan options available.
My go-to order is their Granola Bowl with seasonal fruit and yoghurt. It's a lovely breakfast option, with a combination of textures and flavours that makes it both fresh and satisfying. My little ordering tip? Ask for a side of peanut butter! I love adding a little peanut butter to mine because the slight saltiness and savoury flavour balance out the sweetness of the fruit, yoghurt and granola. It's a little addition that makes all the difference.
The Atmosphere – Light, Airy & Chic
The interior is another reason this café deserves a visit. The space has a chic, modern feel, with light-filled areas and plenty of natural lighting coming through, creating an airy and spacious atmosphere.
Timber accents throughout the café add warmth and texture, balancing the lighter interior and giving the space a welcoming feel. It's the kind of place that feels just as suitable for a morning coffee catch-up as it does for a leisurely brunch.
It's also worth mentioning that The Cupping Room is a popular spot, and for good reason. It can get particularly busy, especially during peak breakfast and weekend brunch hours, so don't be surprised if there's a bit of a buzz around the café.
The Service
One thing that really deserves its own mention is the service. The customer experience here is fantastic, and the service is genuinely unmatched.
Unlike some cafés where you have to find your own table and work out the ordering process, the staff at The Cupping Room welcome you in, show you to a table and provide you with table water and menus. When it comes to ordering, you have the option of heading to the counter or simply scanning the QR code provided on your table. It's an easy and convenient system that makes the whole experience feel seamless. The staff are attentive, welcoming and make you feel well looked after from the moment you walk through the door. It's those little details that can make such a difference to your overall café experience.
The Details
Location: 1/1–13 University Avenue, Canberra ACT 2601
Website: https://www.thecuppingroom.com.au/
Instagram: @thecuppingroom
Opening hours:
Monday – Friday: 7:00 am – 2:30 pm
Saturday – Sunday: 8:00 am – 2:30 pm
Kitchen closes at 2:00 pm
