Black Tambourine — Restaurant in Dubbo

I love “hole in the wall” cafes. Venues which do not compete on trendy inside spaces with great furniture concentrate of the basics of good food and coffee with a touch of the owners personality. Who sits down at a cafe bar in Italy?

It was not hard to spot the front of Black Tambourine. Watch out for the slightly 1960s mock up of something from Toyota about ready to drive out of the wall.

It was cold in Dubbo yesterday so I was not keen on turning into a frozen desert while sitting outside. I head inside to a dark cavern which is part storeroom and part meeting area with a large table and a few small tables. I do not mind it all - it works for this type of cafe.

The food choices are limited given it is not designed to be a full service cafe. On the morning I was there the food was pre-prepared toasties of various sorts. The ham and cheese toasted croissant I chose ended up being a good cold mid morning snack and enjoyable.

In nearly all my reviews of cafes I have something to say about macchiatos which is my favourite method of enjoying coffee and a great test of a barista.

I ordered a macchiato. After a little confusion about what size is a macchiato we got there. The beans had a pleasing taste. I do not recall the beans they use however they work for macchiato in which you cannot hide behind a ton of milk. What I received was a little frothy rather than being a macchiato. Not the best technique but tasty enough.

While I found some fault in their offering I still gave four and five stars. The main reason was that the guys on duty (I do not know if any of them was the owner) were friendly and welcoming. I am not a Dubbo local however I could see they had a good relationship with their community. Also and most impressively, when I explained what I thought could move their macchiato more towards what should be a true macchiato, they not only received my comment well but thanked me for my feedback. That willingness to engage with me said much about their attitude to hospitality.

A useful thing for such a cafe is that there is plenty parking opposite the flour mill.

I visit Dubbo regularly so I will give them another go on my return. Good people deserve to...

By far the best coffee in Dubbo, service with a smile, and the cutest Australiana takeaway coffee cup art (see pic) ☕ Got a regular double shot latte and a large soy latte ($13.50 total).

The lovely young lady in red who served us behind the counter today was so honest in not wanting to charge us for our original order (a large double shot latte), since my partner's keep cup was smaller than this 🤯 How's that for 5-star business integrity?! Breath of fresh air from Sydney. Add to this, their coffee sizing is EXTREMELY generous. What a winner!

If you're passing through Dubbo, definitely come here for your caffeine fix (and food!) Thanks a bunch, Black...

Stayed in Dubbo for the night on the way to the snow. Was genuinely blown away with how many grubs walking around. Then in the morning I stumbled across a little gem. Absolutely awesome staff and the wlb (warm long black for those that don't know) was out of this world, The owner suggested 2 ice cubes instead of cold water and wow!! was easily in my top 5 in Australia. I even considered moving to Dubbo for just a second but...