The Thousands

Believe it or not, not all of us are hip artists, musicians, writers or students. Some of us have succumbed to the nine-to-five of an office job, although admittedly it’s mainly so we can head out after 5pm and actually pay to see your shitty band or buy a piece of your ‘experimental art.’ See? We’re paying your rent.

It’d be easy enough for us to just buy our ‘corporate wear’ from chain stores and our coffee from Hudsons – but there are a few of us who feel like it’s our god-given right to wear op-shopped dresses to the office. Likewise, chain coffee just ain’t going to cut it, although it’s not always easy to find a handy alternative.

Enter Leigh Street’s newest resident, Coffee Branch. Point one: the coffee is good, real good. It’s that Five Senses stuff that Bar 9 raves on about. Point two: it’s cosy, real cosy. It’s tiny, has wood-grain finishes and looks out onto a strange little alley. There’s almost something a bit Melburnian about it (gasp). Point three: it’s well priced and totally accessible. Sure, it may be full of suits during the morning rush, but it’s not the type of place that’s a no-go if your annual income is less than $60k. In fact, it’s actually kinda cool. A welcome addition to the daily grind.