A warm, casual, friendly experience is what you can expect at Maria Munari and Rosey Hill’s Caffeteca, located in the backstreets of North Adelaide. This espresso and panini bar has been open for two years, however it seems not all of their customers are happy about it.
“The locals get a bit annoyed because the secret’s out and they can’t get a table these days,” co-owner Maria says. “It’s a place you can come to relax, wind down, have a quality espresso, a bite to eat whether it be sweet or savory, and leave refreshed and ready to take on the world again.”
Along with her sister Rosey, the business partners have always worked together, making the transit into the world of coffee after running a gourmet deli business together for six years.
“We had a vision of what we wanted to do and we’ve exceeded our expectations in just a two year time frame,” Maria says.
Working closely with their roaster, D’Angelo Coffee, Maria says the blends on offer at Caffetecca are seasonal and change regularly. Using a Wega coffee machine, baristas Kaden Rohriach and Craig Schultz make an excellent espresso using a variety of available coffees, including the Tanzania Valhalla estate, known for its bright acidity, as well as a Dominican Republic Barahona, which is rich and creamy.
Italian by heritage, Maria and Rosey are passionate about producing quality espresso that is more body orientated with balanced acidity and sweetness. Other interesting coffees used in blends include a Fazenda Barreiro natural from Brazil with notes of fresh tobacco and honey, and the Nicaragua Santa Rita estate with a floral fragrance and sweet nutty finish.
Focaccias, paninis and the homemade Minestrone are just a few of the delicious foods on offer for the breakfast and lunch menu. “Our cooks are Italian ladies – so they bring a home style feel to our menu,” Maria assures. “at a lot of places, you can get good coffee and bad food and visa versa, I like to think we can do both right.”
Overall, Maria and Rosey say they’re just happy to be doing something they love. “We love the customer contact, the social aspects of it and the way coffee connects people from all walks of life,” Maria says.
