Darby St café favourite opens second space in Stockton
Just across the harbour sits a little gem in the land of Stockton, with the arrival of one of Newcastle’s most favourite cafes in the main strip, Autumn Rooms Coffee Bar is bringing a lot of coffee love to the locals of Stockton.
Known for their relaxed atmosphere and cracking coffee, Autumn Rooms Coffee Bar in Stockton is carrying on that same philosophy but serving it all up from a cosy space.
The team behind the new space is of course none other than the man behind the OG space, Ben Richardson, alongside two long-time core employees; manager of the Darby St venue, Taylor Schneider, and Head Chef, Dylan Hunt.
So, why Stockton?
“Jamie from Glitch [Coffee Roasters] mentioned that this space was available and made the introduction. I knew it was the right decision as soon as I drove into Stockton,” Ben shared.
Having a number of close calls of landing a second space over the years, nothing has ever felt quite right. But when Taylor and Dylan showed their interest to join forces; it was an absolute no-brainer.
“They are such a big part of our business so as soon as I knew they were in, there was no looking back.”
Having only stepped foot into the space in September 2021, and renos kicking off in late November; the new venue officially opened up to Stockton locals on Friday the 17th of December.
Keeping with their OG philosophy, the Coffee Bar continues to redefine traditional café fare with their beautifully crafted coffee and food offering. With the food featuring simple (yet absolutely divine) dishes.
Our picks would be their range of toasties including the Brekkie, Vegan, Veggie, and Cheeseburger toppings; the Avo Toast with avocado mousse, whipped ricotta, pepita dukkah, and shallots; Crumpets complete with apple jam, almond & oat crumble, and whipped vanilla mascarpone; and the Chicken Salad with Vietnamese style pulled chicken, baby spinach, herbs, nuoc mam dressing, pickled veg, bean shoots, green goddess dressing, pickled chilli, and peanut crumb.
“It’s more of a coffee bar with very limited seats and simple food prepared by chefs using our Darby St kitchen. We ship it over and finish it off. Think toasties, crumpets, avo toast, bircher, and the Vietnamese Chicken Salad off the menu at Autumn Rooms. It definitely has a lot of influence from the café on Darby St.”
Alongside the food, you can expect the usual great beverage offering with of course coffee courtesy of Glitch Coffee and a rotating selection of guest single origins. Continuing their long-time relationship with the Tea Collective, tea lovers can expect a collection of their core range available.
In addition to their iconic tea and coffee, the team have an extensive range of cool beverages with Kombu Kombucha, Smoothies, Milkshakes, Mayfield Sodas, and so much more.
Having only been open less than a week, and opening amidst the current COVID-19 outbreak across Newcastle, the team have nothing but good vibes about being a part of the Stockton community.
“The community has been amazing and supportive and it’s such a fun little space to work in.”
As always, the Autumn Rooms brand is always buzzing with ideas and have big plans to potentially look at bringing a liquor license into the mix of their offering.
“But I would like to do a wine bar or something. I think businesses can change so much from what they start out as. So, who knows where it will go! We are looking into a license so we can maybe do some fun night-time events in Stockton.”
Whether you’re a Stockton local, looking for something an adventure to do over the Summer break, or just are HUGE fans of everything Autumn Rooms, drop by the new space on Mitchell St in Stockton and get around this incredibly little food and coffee joint.
