The Best Coffee Houses in Oceania

Flat white and long black

Australia and New Zealand both claim the flat white, and both drink it as the everyday milk coffee. A long black is espresso poured over hot water. Dukes Coffee Roasters on Flinders Lane in Melbourne puts its own Dukes blend in the flat white and serves single origins as filter. Tob Coffee on Auckland's North Shore roasts a dark roast and finishes its flat whites with latte art. Jibbi Coffee Roasters in Surry Hills, Sydney, is run by a latte art champion and has a pour-over bar with a long list of single-origin beans.

Queues and standing

Queues form most mornings at Tob. Patricia Coffee Brewers, in a laneway off Little Bourke Street in Melbourne, is standing room only with milk crates outside, and staff hand out sparkling water while orders are made. Its queue is long and moves quickly, as does the one at Dukes. Jibbi is working from a temporary setup after a fire and serves mostly in takeaway cups.