Some of the best coffee in Perth’s CBD

City slickers, we know you need your hit of caffeine.

We’ve rounded up our favourite CBD coffee spots, whether you’re grabbing a quick cup on the go or are looking for your next casual meeting spot.

Smooth Operator

How could you resist those seductive eyes? Staring at you from Smooth Operator’s signature cups, you’ll be ordering another batch brew before you know it. Moving a few doors down from their OG location back in 2019, years on they’ve still maintained the same high-quality coffee game, impeccable name-remembering skills, and that super stylish fit-out to match.

Shop 4/938 Hay Street (Enter on Milligan Street)

Howard’s Groove

How can a space be both bright and airy, while being sultry and moody? Somehow, Howard’s Groove manages this seemingly impossible feat. A partnership between the aforementioned Smooth Operator and local favourites Twin Peaks Coffee Roasters, you can rest assured the cafe has pretty top-notch coffee credentials. While Smooth Operator is pocket sized and best suited for takeaway, Howard’s Groove has more seating available for when you need to hit pause for a moment.

22 Howard Street

Hemingway

All of the expertise, experience, and passion for coffee-making accrued through years of running six other cafe ventures is distilled into Hemingway. A love letter to coffee, from the father and son duo behind Mo Espresso Group, the cafe is defined both by its excess, and its refinement. Extravagantly whizz-bang gear – like the hypnotic Poursteady, swirling and darting between pourovers, or the super-sleek Modbar espresso machine, keep the coffee centre-stage, while both the menu and fit-out are pared-back perfection.

Central Park, 2/152-158 St Georges Terrace

Playa

If you’re chasing a friendly face to help wake you up alongside a killer coffee hit, Playa Coffee serves both up in spades from 6.30am every weekday morning. Roasting glorious beans from the team at Twin Peaks, you’ll also find it difficult to leave without a little snack. They sling some of the bagels and brekky burgers in the city, make sure you get in early because it’s a popular little joint for all the above reasons and more. Even better – just order ahead.

15-17 William Street

Arlo by Mo

Speaking of Mo Espresso Group, another jewel in the Mo crown is Arlo. Nestled at the base of Brookfield Place, Arlo pairs a stellar brunch and lunch menu, with suitably impressive coffee offerings. This light-filled cafe is the perfect spot for your next casual coffee meeting.

Brookfield Place, 125 St Georges Terrace

We’ve said it before, but we’re a sucker for the opulent surrounds of the State Buildings. We’d take any excuse to head there, but for Telegram? We’d head to the ends of the earth. This chic, timber-clad box is cranked open every morning to serve up some of Perth’s best coffee. Helmed by veteran barista Luke Arnold, the itty-bitty Telegram packs a punch, with a reputation for consistency and attention to detail – which now extends all the way to roasting their own beans out of East Vic Park’s shared roasting operation Modern Coffee.

State Buildings, 1 Cathedral Avenue, Perth

Offshoot Coffee

It’s easy to feel cynical about the ever expanding Mary Street Bakery empire, but as we’ve already made clear in countless articles – they’re just too good at what they do. Whether they’re slinging some of our favourite sausage rolls, donuts or sandwiches, they consistently deliver on quality, and Offshoot is no different. Roasting the Mary Street’s signature beans, the cafe is a coffee-focused outpost of the brand, although there are plenty of recognisable treats available grab-and-go. Besides the high standard of coffee, these guys are also doing it with an impressive level of cheerful service.

Shop 2, 480 Hay Street, Perth

Mary Street Bakery

OK, it really wouldn’t be fair to mention Offshoot without mentioning the OG empire that spawned it. As well as their pumping Offshoot in the city’s east end, you’ll find Mary Street’s iconic pink neon, baked goods and always-reliable coffee at two more locations in the CBD. The more the merrier, we say!

Allendale Square, 77 St Georges Terrace, Perth
QV1, 250 St Georges Terrace, Perth

Black Honey

Morning commuters will need no introduction to Black Honey, the beloved Raine Square coffee shop. Their excellent coffee is matched only by their killer vibes – as well as some great value toasties that have earned a legion of fans.

Raine Square, 300 Murray Street, Perth

Community Coffee Co.

The first time we went hunting for Community Coffee Co.’s newest CBD outpost, wandering down one of the city’s laneways, we thought we might be losing it. Situated at the base of Parmelia House, you can do as we did and venture down Mercantile Lane, or pop in via the attached office building’s lobby. The espresso bar is just one of four, soon to be five locations in their growing empire, and is serving up their signature coffee (with beans via their Subi roastery), alongside some conti rolls that will cure your hunger any time of day. As if that wasn’t enough, they’ve got another grab and go outpost further east along the Terrace.

Mercantile Lane, 177 St Georges Terrace
55 St George’s Terrace

Little Soho Coffee Co.

Little Soho Coffee Co. (the little sister of Mount Lawley’s ultra-photogenic Soho Lane, FYI) is one of our CBD favourites for a brew on the go, keeping the bleary-eyed office workers on the Terrace well-caffeinated. The team are now bringing even more killer coffee to the city, with another outpost opening on Wellington Street in September of 2022.

182 St Georges Terrace, Perth
555 Wellington Street, Perth

La Veen

La Veen have been at the forefront of Perth’s now world-class coffee culture, first opening in 2009 at their original Subiaco location. Since then, they’ve expanded with shiny new locations at Raine Square, a new King Street shopfront and more recently, in the brand-new 1TE building in the heart of Elizabeth Quay. While they’re a bit more polished and a bit more worldly, you can still be assured of a killer cuppa.

79 King Street, Perth
Raine Square, 300 Murray Street, Perth
1TE, 1 The Esplanade, Perth

Lowdown Espresso

If you’re anything like us, you struggle to remember a name the moment after you’ve been introduced to someone. Somehow, though, the team at Lowdown have got not only names down pat, but will somehow figure out where you’re sitting, too. Is it a mnemonic? We reckon their coffees must just be that magical. A super popular spot for nearby coffee fiends that often sees a line out the door, never fear: they also make them at a seemingly supersonic speed, so you never have to wait long.

Cloisters Arcade, Shop 10/865 Hay Street

Drip House

If you work nearby, there’s no way you could have missed the bustling crowd that gathers around Hay Street’s DripHouse. Without the line winding its way out the door, the pint-sized espresso bar is serving up some of the city’s favourite coffee at a truly breakneck speed.

772A Hay Street, Perth

Header image credit: Hemingway