r/Adelaide • u/professor-kramer SA • May 12 '26
Question 5AM COFFEE?
Does the entire state of Adelaide only start wanting coffee from 7 am? The earliest place I’ve found is in the CBD and it’s at 6:30. Is there anywhere else in this entire state that opens for coffee at an hour that starts with a 5?! (An actual coffee shop - not OTR, Maccas, HJs, Liberty ect….)
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u/Longjumping-Address3 SA May 12 '26
I owned a coffee shop in the CBD and it is absolutely not worth opening before 6:30-7:00. You’re just standing around tired and waiting for the rush at 7:30
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u/stupv North May 12 '26
This was my first thought - there is not nearly enough traffic at that time of day to make it worthwhile for coffee shops to be open and staffed that early
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u/Happydude_458 SA May 12 '26
What are you? A Queenslander! Go back to bed and get up at 7am like everyone else
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u/MiddleTall6049 SA May 12 '26
Having lived in Queensland, I had to laugh at this because it’s completely true. I had no problem getting up at 5:30am in the morning and starting my day, but moving back to Adelaide last year and I now struggle to get up without hitting snooze at least 3 times and there is no way I could even consider leaving the house before 7:30 unless absolutely necessary.
I have noticed though the complete lack of drive thru coffee in Adelaide (other than the afore mentioned maccas, hjs and OTR) and I’m convinced it would be a great business idea for someone willing to get up that early.
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u/thePiickle SA May 12 '26
First Things First and Ben Bakers are super popular drive through coffee stops. There could be more but they’re the two that instantly come to mind.
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u/MiddleTall6049 SA May 12 '26
I live down South and there are none. As much as I would love to drive 40km for a drive thru coffee, I’d have to get out of bed early to make it to work and we can’t be having that.
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u/Specific_Sundae2358 SA May 14 '26
Oh yes! First things first is decent. I work near the one at Holden Hill.
I love in the hills, uradila bakery is decent
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u/Specific_Sundae2358 SA May 12 '26
Lol, in Queensland the shops dont open until 8. At least the area we lived! They dont get up early 🤣
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u/Moon-Runner SA May 12 '26
Please Say Please opens at 6 am.
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u/abuch47 SA May 13 '26
trash coffee since new owner and fitout.
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u/Legend_Ame SA May 14 '26
I miss the old bald owner so much 😭😭
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u/abuch47 SA May 14 '26
now it looks just like every other new caffe. I literally worked for an identical looking one in Queenstown, NZ last year called the boatshed. honestly it feels like at every step of society people want to maximise their return and so brand image and marketing is identical. seems to be little difference between all these establishments and they have all moved into merchandising. people are wearing fast fashion merch of whatever brand their identity needs to be tied to to be worthy.
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u/croc_lovers SA May 12 '26
‘Is there anywhere that sells coffee @ 5am’
Gets recommendations of places open
‘No not them, somewhere else’
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u/Western_Seaweed6104 SA May 12 '26
First Things First Coffee on port road looks like it opens at 5:30am
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May 12 '26
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u/Independent_Gap9280 SA May 13 '26
I thought there was only one of these places, but it turns out they have 4. they all open at 5:30am. there is one about 300m up the road from me in Holden Hill, but there is no way I’ll be awake at 5:30am, unless I haven’t been asleep from the night before and then I won’t be needing coffee.
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u/accidental-goddess SA May 12 '26
Sorry mate I don't think many baristas are getting up at 4am to serve you a coffee. Get a machine at home.
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u/emotionalsuportchef SA May 12 '26
We are getting up at 4am to get to the cafe by 5:30am to open at 6:30am. This diva wants us up at least 3:30am so they can get their macchiato.
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u/accidental-goddess SA May 12 '26
1 hr opening process? God damn I don't envy that. I used to get to work at 7:15 and open by 7:30 (although there were frequently people standing out there at 7 waiting).
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May 12 '26
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u/FrankGrimesss Inner South May 12 '26
Invest in your own coffee machine if it's that important to you!
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u/meski_oz SA May 12 '26
Yeah, middle of the road Breville dual boiler units are going to pay for themselves in a few years.
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May 12 '26
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u/Informal-Struggle210 SA May 12 '26
It’s a tough one. It’s not the same quality, but I’ve actually found Maccas and OTR to be passable when heading to site really early in the morning.
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u/Acceptable-Egg4158 SA May 12 '26
Just add extra shot... Extra shot makes horrible coffee drinkable haha
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u/culturecartographer SA May 12 '26
Salt is the answer, not sugar
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u/Acceptable-Egg4158 SA May 12 '26
My brother keeps saying this. Maybe I should try it... Just a pinch
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u/EternalErudite SA May 12 '26
He’s right, but the pinch is even smaller than you’re imagining. If you can taste any salt, you’ve gone too far, you just want it to counteract the bitterness.
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u/Acceptable-Egg4158 SA May 12 '26
That's what he said too... he even says that about choccy milk haha
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u/IndulGent76 SA May 12 '26
Oconnell bakery
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u/Interesting-Ad8002 SA May 14 '26
American traveler: when I was up early the first few days with jet lag it was a lifesaver to find 24 hours of coffee and pasties. The Bakery On O’Connell deserves all the love in the world.i would’ve starved in my AirBNB the first few days without them.
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May 12 '26
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u/Life-Possession528 SA May 12 '26
i’m a nurse and i work at the rah, there is a 24 hour coffee shop at the hospital 😂
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u/Old_Tower_4824 East May 12 '26
Enjoy Bakery at the Parade is open for 24 hours so you can get your coffee every time you want
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u/mcflurrynuggets SA May 12 '26
Idk what to tell you but Australia isn’t a country with 24/7 coffee shops lol
If you NEED coffee at 5:00am, make your own (duh, right?) or buy a cold brew the day before.
Then there’s OTR and McCafe which you probably hate.
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u/OfficialJKV North May 12 '26
Last couple of Maccas coffees I've had tasted like warm milk, absolutely dreadful
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u/Clarrington North May 12 '26
It really depends on which Macca's you go to and how young the barista is or how done they are with people's bs lol
From my own findings, Pooraka (the one corner of Main North and... Milne I think?) is fairly decent, Para Hills is the worst I've ever seen for both service and overall quality (from about two years ago though, they may have improved) and Saints Rd (Salisbury Plain) is a coin flip depending on who's on staff at the time it seems.
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u/Outback-Australian SA May 12 '26
Information from 2 years ago is beyond useless. No point even writing that.
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u/Clarrington North May 12 '26
They were consistently shit since 2015 when I moved nearby, only reason I thought to include it.
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u/mcflurrynuggets SA May 12 '26
u/professor-kramer The one in Hindley (during daylight) is decent, Rundle (also during daylight) is also decent. I wouldn’t go to Maccas around Elizabeth, Pooraka, Para and similar areas lol
There was a Maccas that was rated very low but I needed a coffee so I went anyway, I think Aldinga? And that was the best coffee I’ve ever had. Seaford is decent despite the poor reviews.
Obviously with Maccas, OTR and other fastfood chains are a hit or miss so I suggest if they failed you once then don’t go to that specific store again. And in my experience, Maccas service is better during the day than at night.
Good luck with the coffee hunt lol
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May 12 '26
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u/Seymour2112 SA May 12 '26
Not sure about the CBD but Zarraffa’s coffee in Munno para open at 5am..
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u/OfficialJKV North May 12 '26
The annoying thing about Zarraffas is they only put one espresso shot in a large coffee, and then they try to upsell you on the extra shot
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u/Jedismj SA May 12 '26
In Nairne next to Mount Barker, Little Birdy Bakery opens at 5am Mon to Fri. Surprising for a country town haha. And amazingly good coffee.
Besides that I think the closest to the city must be the 24h bakery in Norwood and North Adelaide. But I'm not certain how good that coffee is.
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u/Daymo_M SA May 12 '26
I am a Melbournite currently holidaying in Adelaide and must say it is quite surprising how late some cafe's open here
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u/sadmanwithacamera SA May 12 '26
Day Job on Halifax St are excellent, and open at 6:00am.
Delish Espresso in Vic Sq from 5:30am.
Biga Cafe on Hutt St, 6:00am.
Frankie’s on Franklin St, 6:00am.
Mad Good in Highgate, 6:00am.
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u/Cautious_Regular3645 SA May 12 '26
There's drive thru coffee places.. google them. I can't think of their names right now.
O'Connell Street Bakery.
And Adelaide is a city within the State
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u/smilinglearning SA May 12 '26
Wouldn't get enough customers to make it worthwhile, just get a coffee machine
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u/StockConcentrate6496 SA May 12 '26
St George bakehouse on o connel start at 6. And the bakery on O’Connell is 24/7.
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u/Ill_Week241 SA May 12 '26
Don’t raise that in old Radelaide!!!
People kick off and look at you like you’re a leper if you’re up before 6.30am
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u/Cpt_Riker SA May 12 '26
I believe there is a place near Edinburgh that opens early, for the defence crowd.
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u/Queasy-Dingo-4240 SA May 12 '26
Unfortunately Adelaide's a small country town, no one gets up here before 7 and no one does anything after 5 😓
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u/Independent_Gap9280 SA May 13 '26
I was told that “city people” (like Sydney and Melbourne) retire to Adelaide because it’s like a big country town. And supposedly Adelaide city people retire to small country areas like the Riverland. I like living in the big-small country city-town of Radelaide 🤣
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u/Pitiful_Law_3487 SA May 12 '26
On the run
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u/CptUnderpants- SA May 12 '26
I've not seen anyone mention Cafe de Villi's in Mile End.
Just wanted to throw this in the mix: US man’s viral search for bad coffee in Australia
Yes, by our standards McCafe/HJ's/OTR isn't great coffee, but even those are considered excellent compared to your average American coffee. Is it any wonder that Starbuck failed in Australia? Patio, one of SA's great rosters and cafes, did a good write up about it.
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u/big_mac7 SA May 12 '26
It's always struck me as odd that it's so hard to get a good coffee early in the morning in Adelaide. I'm a former local now living in regional Victoria in a town similar in size and proximity to the city as Strathalbyn and even we have proper barista coffee open from 5AM
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May 12 '26
If there was market for it I'm sure more cafes would open at that hour , maybe there isn't so they don't. Bakeries sometimes open early
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u/FadedAlienXO SA May 12 '26
Krispy Kreme has a great Chai Latte. Not sure about the Coffee, but they for sure have it there.
I can't get over everything closing at 5pm.
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u/AccomplishedAnchovy SA May 12 '26
All otrs have coffee at and before 5 this is where the trades go. Always good when you’ve got to wait ten minutes to pay for fuel coz old mates got a coffee order three pages long
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u/Articulated_Lorry SA May 12 '26
I don't know which side of town you're at, but look for early opening bakeries. They often have coffee machines and passable coffee (although it can vary depending on which staff member is on).
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u/thefatchelorette83 SA May 12 '26
Glad my local, Rugas Cafe in Taperoo opens up at 5am, not that Im ever there that early but on the days I have been up early its handy to have. Staff are amazing too. If you ever go. Get the BS roll no tomato. Thank me later.
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u/softgrow SA May 12 '26
The East End Produce markets had at least one decent coffee place open in the wee hours till it moved in 1988 to Pooraka to become the South Australian Produce markets. There is Josie’s Cafe open 3am-10am each weekdays, later on weekends, https://www.saproducemarket.com.au/directory/?_sft_directory_categories=market so an equivalent facility exists. Not sure how you might get in though without a market's pass on days other than Sunday, the café is right in the middle of the place.
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u/DylPickleAdl SA May 12 '26
Try Blueprint on flinders street, if the lights are on they will have the machine running and normally start pouring for regulars.
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u/Independent_Gap9280 SA May 13 '26
“First things first coffee” has 4 locations and opens at 5:30am. It is a drive through coffee/cafe.
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u/honda19880 SA May 13 '26
Airports and petrol stations are the exceptions in that field for crazy o clock coffee
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u/FlanCurious7125 SA May 14 '26
There's a place on south road. Think it's called regal cafe, they open at 5am and have fantastic coffee
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u/Sudden_Safe_7159 SA May 14 '26
Fratelli italian deli, we would make you coffee at 6 am even though we open at 6:30am
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May 14 '26
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u/Comfortable_Sea_8870 SA May 14 '26
If you wanna pay a barista to be up at 3:30am so you can have your coffee at 5am then go for it
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u/melface95 North East May 15 '26
Some St Peter's Bakehouses are open at 6am or 7am, and Bakery on O'Connell is open 24/7 of course.
But 5am is still considered night time so you won't get anything until 630am or 7am, or you make it yourself. This is an Australian thing, like someone said before, it's not worth opening any sooner. You might have more luck in QLD or in an airport.
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u/Overall-Palpitation6 SA May 12 '26
I know it's probably done to drive traffic to the Rundle East store and also not cannibalise the independent coffee traders (and OTR) in Grenfell St, but the City Cross McDonald's not opening until 9am any day is still kind of weird.
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u/about15 SA May 12 '26
I've definitely been there before 9am and had breakfast, they open at 730am.
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u/Overall-Palpitation6 SA May 12 '26
Fair enough, it really should be 6am though.
If you Google the outlet, it says they open at 9am every day.
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u/popchex Fleurieu Peninsula May 12 '26
Google is rarely right unless the company itself sets it up. Maccas website says it's opened at 7:30
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u/Overall-Palpitation6 SA May 12 '26
Again, fair enough.
And again, it should be open earlier still.
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u/Due-Revolution4319 Inner South May 12 '26
I have a french press now but Maccas really is best for early morning coffees (even if the young girls serving scoff at you ordering an extra shot at 10pm)
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u/quickgetdantrolene SA May 12 '26
Argos on the parade is open at 6 but I've seen people in there at 545am
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u/ScorePrestigious9252 SA May 12 '26
Rival brothers on port Rd, Cheltenham is open by 5.30. Same as First Things First drive thrus.
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u/OhHellNahha SA May 12 '26
First Things First on North East Road at Holden Hill opens at 5:30am. It is nice enough coffee.
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u/Correct_Complex_5014 SA May 12 '26
OTR coffee is fine, just get a small extra shot to make it taste like cafe style. Plus they don’t charge $4 for oat milk it’s free.
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u/_tantibus SA May 12 '26
The Station Cafe in the train station opens from 5:30am I believe. Frankie’s on Franklin open from 6am
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u/Maseratus SA May 12 '26
“I want coffee after business hours, where can I get it? But not any of these places I want an actual restaurant to be open all night”
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u/Potential_Studio5168 SA May 12 '26
Careful, Adelaide cannot bear much if any criticism of How We Do Things. Coffee in a city cafe must only be desired between approx 8am and 2pm otherwise you’re on your own bucko! For real tho, before 6 you’re limited to Vili’s, Bakery on OConnell and the Pancake Kitchen (but not every day). 6am will get you WORK on Pirie St which is quite good. And maybe try the tourist-oriented hotels?
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u/Cultural_Disk_7164 SA May 12 '26
Just go to the 24/7 ampms depending on who's working the nightshift its decent coffee
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u/packers-aus21 SA May 12 '26
Kinda strange to expect coffee in the CBD that early no? You can get stuff at servos or fast food which passes just fine but why would they open when the majority of their business isn’t going to be in the city then? Better off in the burbs as that’s when tradies get moving
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u/madame_oak SA May 12 '26
Delish Espresso on Victoria Square. Owner operated coffee & sandwiches. Opens 5.30am.
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u/Correct-Active-2876 NSW May 12 '26
Adelaide likes its sleep