Rua is the kind of place that will give the high-tech coffee houses of Melbourne a run for their money, which is to say if you’re someone who likes your pours concocted as precisely as they would be in a chemist’s lab, then head here.
Their expert brewers tinker behind the counter with speciality roasts (there’s a wide selection of beans to choose from) and Aeropresses, but they also have fun with it. As well as the classics, Rua operates a seasonal menu and pours cold brew slushies, cold brew tonics and mont blancs (cold brew with orange, vanilla and cold foam) in the summer. Their iced latte is frothy and fruity, while the weighty kimchi and cheese toasty comes with a generous, gooey filling stuffed inside fresh sourdough.
Set under some spacious railway arches behind Holloway Road station, there’s plenty of space for both workers and the computer-averse as Rua sets up laptop-free tables littered with magazines and books.
Time Out tip
Visit on weekends for their legendary breakfast burritos.