The Thousands

Humphrey Bogart, Jimmy Stewart, Clark Gable; these men, you just know, had a Gentlemen’s Outfitter that they frequented. And now, tucked away in Somerset Place, so do I. Thom Grogan and James Roberts have established a haven for men’s men. Men who love suits and shoes and coffee, and soon whiskey, and whisky. Headed by Thom’s Tailoring outfit Statler & Waldorf and James’s bespoke shoe making workshop JS Roberts, this Gentlemen’s Outfitters and Café warms my heart just by existing.

The café is all white-washed walls and elegant wooden furniture, looking out onto Elizabeth Street. If you look out at the right angle you can even ignore the new ugly bit of the GPO. To the side of the café, Thom’s office feels as though it could be a replica of Bogart’s office in The Maltese Falcon, while James’s workshop falls somewhere between City of Lost Children and a Wes Andersen set.

This place is so inviting it makes you want to stay and drink coffee (and soon whiskey, and whisky) for the whole time it makes to get a suit made (16 days – 6 weeks, depending on whether you want the English wools), and pair of shoes (depends on how complicated your feet are).