Food Drink

Adelaide’s Top Cafes For Cyclists

If you love donning the lycra and hitting Adelaide’s roads, are a group rider, or just love a cafe cruise on your bike, we’ve put together our pick of the best places to go for your caffeine hit between destinations.

Are you a lycra loving, helmet wearing, coffee drinking, cafe frequenting, bike aficionado… Well then you must be an avid cyclist and boy, do we have the list for you!! We have scoped out what we think are the top 10 cafes for cyclists in our beautiful city. But whether you are a serious rider, ride with a group or just do it for the fun of it, we have found the cafes to fit your specific needs. They will be just what you need after a long ride (and we know your bottoms need a break from those seats), so hop (or pedal) to it!

Red Berry Espresso

Walter is a guy who seems to have two passions, cycling and coffee! Nestled in a side street in Glenside sits his cafe which has quickly become THE go to place for roadies who like to spend their time in the hills. Perfectly located to be the meeting point for the pre-ride fuel up or the post-ride banter, this place has a rotating range of single origin beans roasted on site, which means you’re always in for a fresh and interesting brew. Just don’t give away the results of the race that was on last night…that doesn’t go down so well!

P.S. Keep a sharp eye out over summer, as it has also been known to be the cafe of choice for a few returning Euro professionals getting their summer training in.

Argo on The Parade

While it may be a favourite brunch spot for the beautiful people on the weekend, between 6am and 9am most weekday mornings the outdoor tables on the corner of the Parade and Margaret Street are more likely to be full of lycra than loved up couples. A full menu of healthy meals and drinks, along with some high quality coffee, makes this a great spot for a post-ride pre-work brekky.

Photo by @caity_says (via Instagram)

Photo by @caity_says (via Instagram)

The Organic Market & Cafe (Stirling)

There’s a widely held suspicion amongst cyclists’ partners that all they do is kit up, head for a 30 minute ride and then sit around a cafe sipping lattes… Based on the number of groups that can be seen at this little gem on a weekend, there may just be grounds for that suspicion! The Organic Market & Cafe is the perfect spot for a refuelling stop during a ride in the Adelaide Hills. Just down the hill from the top of the Old Freeway, they offer a fantastic coffee and some very tasty (and organic) treats in the pastry cabinet.

Cudlee Cafe

The Cudlee Cafe, at the top of Gorge Road, only seems to accept customers who arrive on two wheels, with pretty much every group relaxing outside clad either in lycra or leathers! The majority of their food is either locally grown fresh produce or made from scratch in the kitchen. So, not only can you feel good about having powered yourself up with a very tasty coffee, but also about supporting a small business that helps out its local area.

Cudlee Cafe.

Cudlee Cafe.

La Musette Siphon Coffee Bar & Gallery

The first sign that Kat and Steve might be a little in to cycling is that they’ve decided to name their business after the simple cotton bag that has fed cyclists the world over for the past 100 years. The next comes when you step inside La Musette and enter an awesome little nook filled with eclectic cycling themed paraphernalia! Unlike most cycling related cafes, there is not an espresso, macchiato or latte in sight. Rather, you simply take your pick of single origin bean, choose to take it black or white, and soon you’ll be sipping liquid gold expertly prepared using the Siphon brewing method.

P.S. If you ride down over the weekend, there’s a good chance Paul from Cycle2U will have his van parked and will be able to fix any mechanical malady you may be suffering.

Cyclists are always welcome at La Musette...

Cyclists are always welcome at La Musette…

Harvest Mylor Cafe

It might not be the first place that you think of, but Harvest just might be the best spot for spectating during the TDU stage that finishes in Stirling. You get to watch the peloton fly past your nose 4 times, without the crowds of people pushing you out the way to get a view of the finish. Enjoying this and all the while you get indulge in some lovely homestyle cooking along with fantastic coffee, what a treat! For the remaining 11 & 3/4 months of the year, this quiet little spot in the hills is a brilliant place to pull up mid-ride to rest the legs, refill the water bottles and refuel before some more Adelaide Hills punishment.

The Harvest Mylor Cafe has a great view of the Tour Down Under.

The Harvest Mylor Cafe has a great view of the Tour Down Under.

Hey Jupiter

Apparently the French make terrible coffee but it seems that no one has told Christophe from Hey Jupiter! No more than five lazy pedal strokes from the northern end of the Frome Street bike lane, this slice of Paris has been a fantastic addition to Ebenezer Place over the last couple of years. Cruise in on your finest city bike and indulge with a coffee and pastry on the footpath. And while you are in the city, why not treat yourself to some cool new threads on Rundle Street and top off the perfect city afternoon with a cheeky vino c/o East End Cellars at The Tasting Room. Tres Chic!

Hey Jupiter love their bikes!

Hey Jupiter love their bikes!

Cibo (Henley Square)

Honestly, this list was never going to be complete without an appearance from this South Australian institution! While this location can be a great stop for your group, it also works well as the destination for a relaxed day out on the bike with the family.

You can steer clear of the traffic and jump on to the River Torrens Linear Park Track that will carry you all the way to the beach alongside the river. Then you can enjoy a coffee on the beachfront before you enjoy the beach with the kids! Best of all? If you don’t feel like riding home, just head down to the Grange train station and let Adelaide Metro deliver you back to the city, bikes and all!

Scuzzi 

Looking for a group to ride with after you have finished work during the week? Every Tuesday night at Scuzzi sees the ‘Scuzzi Ride’ gather and do just that, ride! The group departs from the cafe on O’Connell Street between 5.55pm and 6.30pm (depending on which speed based group you join). The ride involves a 50km loop to Outer Harbour and back and the pace and timing of the ride is set up for a  7.45pm return! Once back at Scuzzi, you can reward all of your efforts with a delicious dinner with your cycling buddies!

Bici Espresso e Pasticceria

The Southern end of Hutt Street is definitely not without its options when it comes to coffee, but when the name happens to be Italian for ‘bike’, this place is always going to get the nod. They make a huge range of energy filled pastries on site that can be paired perfectly with their delicious coffees. Another plus… each Friday morning they provide sustenance after the #RaphaWomenADL group ride, that leaves at 6am from the nearby corner of Hutt Street and South Terrace for a ride to the beach and back.

Peloton

This one’s only a pop up, but it’s a good one! Located between the vines and the car park at Mount Lofty House, this little retro van offers up cool drinks at the top of a steep hill, plus great coffee for those who need their caffeine hit. They even have some nibbles if you need to replenish your blood sugar. The reason you’d visit though – the location. It’s super shady, under lots of gorgeous large trees, so you can stretch out on the lawns and enjoy a moment of relaxation.

Story by Mikael Liddy

[toggle title=”2018 Tour Down Under” load=”show”]For all our South Australian cycling guides, TDU event news, photos, and more, check out the Glam Adelaide Tour Down Under section on our website.[/toggle]

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