For Australians, coffee isn’t just a drink to start the day, it’s a way of life. Our love for the java juice runs deep, with three in four Aussies having at least one cup of liquid gold each day. And can you really judge the 28 per cent who drink three or more coffees a day? Our beans, brews and baristas are arguably the best in the world. While Melbourne and Sydney often steal the spotlight for having the nation’s best coffee, a new study has revealed Australia’s true coffee capitals – and the result might surprise you.
To identify Australia’s top coffee hotspots, the caffeine connoisseurs at Remitly analysed millions of reviews from major towns and cities nationwide. They specifically looked at the number of coffee shops, average customer ratings, number of reviews per shop and even Instagram posts for #coffee in each city. To create a level playing field, all the data was scaled according to population sizes.
We don’t know if it’s a happy accident or fate that ‘coffee’ is almost hidden in the name of Australia’s coffee capital – Coffs Harbour. Yep, there’s more to this charming coastal town than just the Big Banana. With 149 coffee shops and an impressive average of 287 reviews per café, Coffs Harbour brewed its way to the top. Want to know the best spots for coffee in Coffs? Dark Arts Café and Bar has racked up almost 990 reviews on Google Maps with a spectacular 4.6 stars out of five – rivalling many cool inner-city haunts in Melbourne and Sydney. Then there’s Palate and Ply Café and Roastery, another 4.6-star gem known for its hand-roasted beans and cold brew nitro coffee.
Queensland cities took out the runner-up spots in Australia’s coffee capital rankings, with the Gold Coast in second, Cairns in third and the Sunshine Coast in fourth. Outside the nation’s capitals, the Gold Coast has the most cafés (379) for java junkies to find a fabulous brew, and also shares the highest average coffee shop rating of 4.42 stars with Brisbane.
Despite being known for their coffee culture, Melbourne and Sydney surprisingly missed out on top five positions. That said, they offer more than enough espresso and cold brew to power the whole country, with more than 1,000 coffee shops scattered across each city.
We know these results might raise a few eyebrows, so you can deep dive into the data here – perhaps while sipping on your daily brew.
Here are the 10 best cities for coffee in Australia:
- Coffs Harbour, NSW
- Gold Coast, QLD
- Cairns, QLD
- Sunshine Coast, QLD
- Shepparton, VIC
- Melbourne, VIC
- Mildura, VIC
- Brisbane, QLD
- Adelaide, SA
- Sydney, NSW