Adelaide’s Best Brew Café, High Street Café, wins 2023 Awards for Excellence Award for Best Café Dining – City

Life FM is taking to the streets again highlighting the best coffee in Adelaide in Adelaide’s best brew. It’s been a huge three years for High Street Café in Kensington, opening in the midst of Covid-19 and going on to become an award-winning family favourite for coffee and food in Adelaide.

Mick Beech, Owner and Manager of High Street Café, may’ve not expected quite as much success in the café’s first three years, but that is exactly what he’s found, taking out the best coffee shop in SA in 2022, third best café in Australia in 2022 and, this week, the award for ‘Best Café Dining – City’ in the Restaurant and Catering HostPlus Awards for Excellence.  

Mick, who comes from a large Catholic family, was working in the Riverland, he and his family returned to Adelaide when he accepted a role with the St Vincent de Paul Society (Vinnies). For Mick and his wife Tammy, the dream was to run their own coffee shop. Unfortunately, Tammy passed away from cancer before High Street Café was born, but so much about the coffee shop including its signature turquoise logo, echoes her legacy. Even the location of High Street Café, adjacent to Mary MacKillop College and next door to Mary MacKillop Museum, speaks to Tammy’s devotion to Mary MacKillop.

During Covid-19 in 2020, Mick was still working for Vinnies, and did a lot of research on coffee and the prospect of opening a café in Tammy’s honour, when Mick’s daughter Sheri was volunteering at Mary MacKillop Museum and they said they had a “shell” on site that they hoped someone would lease and fit out into a cafe.

Altura Coffee, which Mick discovered in Dulwich, ironically is based not far from his family home, and supplies the beans that give High Street Café its motto, “Good friends, good coffee.” Mick’s daughter Sheri helped put the menu together, keeping it simple, fresh and mainly home-made.

“A lot of people love the kid-friendly area. Parents and families come along and kids use the play equipment while the parents enjoy a coffee,” says Mick.

“We also have specials of the day. The cost of living crisis has really affected people, so we try to help them out with the specials of the day.”

High Street Café is also bike and dog-friendly, and is open seven days a week. The café also has a special interest in supporting local musicians and also rewards loyal visitors with every eighth coffee complimentary.      

Come and see Bec and a special guest announcer at the High Street Cafe, Friday, October 20th, where Adelaide’s Good Taste Breakfast will be broadcast live from 6 am. Grab a free coffee, have some breakfast, and meet the team. We can’t wait to see you there.