On filter this week: Lot 14, Nyeri — blackcurrant and tamarind, brewed as batch until it runs out. Booking six or more? Hold the long table
Opal Roam
Coffee room
Sunlit cafe room with wooden tables, bentwood chairs and an espresso machine along the back counter

A walk-in coffee room

Slow filter, loud mornings, and a long table that fills by nine.

One brew method on the bar at a time, a kitchen short enough to read in a breath, and a room that changes character four times a day. No queue tickets, no app.

See the counter Book the long table

Weekdays 7:30 — 16:30 · Weekends 8:00 — 17:00 · Last pour thirty minutes before close

A flat white with latte art in a stoneware cup resting on a worn wooden cafe table
Milk drinks are built on the house blend, Night Arcade, all year.

The room, in short

Twenty-six seats, one machine, and a staircase of light from the arcade roof.

We opened Opal Roam because the neighbourhood had plenty of coffee and nowhere to sit with it for an hour.

The room is narrow and tall. Counter stools face the bar, a window bench runs the length of the glass, and the long table down the middle takes eighteen when nobody is precious about elbows. Mornings are busy and talkative; by three it goes quiet enough to hear the grinder.

We keep the offer small on purpose. One filter lot at a time, brewed as batch and also by hand if you have six minutes. The kitchen does four things properly rather than fourteen adequately, and the bake comes out of the oven here, twice a day.

  • BrewingOne filter lot at a time — batch, hand brew or cold drip
  • KitchenOpen 10:00 — 14:30, four dishes plus the day's bake
  • PayingCard and contactless only, no cash on site

On the counter today

The whole board, so you can decide before you reach the bar.

Notes are what we actually taste in the cup, not a guess from the bag. Ask for a half shot, extra water or a different milk and nobody will sigh.

Espresso bar

  • Short blackNight Arcade blend, 28 g in, ristretto if you ask3.40
  • Flat whiteOur default: cocoa-forward, holds its sweetness4.60
  • CortadoGlass, two thirds espresso, no foam4.10
  • Long milkTwelve ounces for people who are staying4.80
  • Iced shakeratoShaken hard, unsweetened unless you say otherwise5.20

From the kitchen

  • Seeded toast, cultured butterTwo thick slices, sea salt on the side5.20
  • Soft egg roll, chilli crumbThe one thing we never take off8.40
  • Olive oil banana breadWarmed on the plancha, cut thick5.60
  • Soup of the day, with breadLunch service only, written on the board by 11:309.80

Filter & slow

  • Batch filterWhatever lot is on — free top-up inside the hour3.80
  • Hand brew, single originSix minutes at the bar, served in a carafe6.40
  • Cold dripEighteen hours, poured over one big cube5.60
  • Filter flightTwo lots side by side, small cups, brewed together8.90
  • Espresso tonicAfternoons only, when the kitchen is closed5.80

Not coffee

  • House chaiSteeped overnight, cardamom heavy, half milk4.90
  • Matcha, whisked to orderCeremonial grade, hot or over ice5.40
  • Cocoa, 64%Melted, not powdered — takes a minute longer4.60
  • Seasonal sodaMade in the kitchen; ask what is in the bottle4.80

All prices in euro. Same price to sit in or take away. Oat and barista almond are no extra charge; bring your own cup and take twenty cents off.

How the day runs

Pick your hour. The room is a different place in each one.

We do not take table bookings under six people, so this is the honest guide to when you will get a seat, and what the room expects of you while you are in it.

07:30 — 10:00

Early

Batch filter from the first minute, first bake out around eight. One barista, fast queue.

Seating

Counter stools and the window bench are open. Laptops welcome; headphones appreciated.

10:00 — 12:30

Mid-morning

Hand brews start, kitchen opens, second grinder on. The busiest stretch of the weekday.

Seating

Full room. The long table is shared unless it is booked — sit down and say hello.

12:30 — 14:30

Lunch service

Soup, rolls and toast. Espresso only while both machines are on food orders.

Seating

Tables turn at roughly forty-five minutes and we close the laptops for this stretch.

14:30 — 16:30

Afternoon

Cold drip, cocoa, espresso tonic and whatever filter is still open. Kitchen shut, bake tray discounted.

Seating

Quiet again. Laptops back on, long reads encouraged, no minimum spend.

Weekends
08:00 — 17:00

Saturday & Sunday

One brew method on the bar, a bigger bake, and no lunch service — toast and rolls all day instead.

Seating

Walk-in only. The long table is held for groups who booked ahead, so check before you plan around it.

A barista pouring steamed milk into a cup on a busy cafe counter beside a row of clean glasses
Mid-morning at the bar: batch on the left tap, hand brews called by name.

Beans on the shelf

What is open, what it tastes like, and what it was bought to do.

Every lot is roasted for a job. We will grind a bag to your brewer at the counter, or leave it whole if you have your own grinder at home.

Lot 14, NyeriKenya · washed SL28

Blackcurrant, tamarind and a fizzy finish. Best just below boiling, brewed a touch coarse.

Filter

18.00

Halo BaritiEthiopia · natural

Apricot skin, jasmine and a syrupy body that keeps going as the cup cools.

Filter

19.50

Cerro AzulColombia · honey caturra

Red plum, panela sugar, soft acidity. The one lot that works either side of the bar.

Filter & espresso

17.00

Night ArcadeHouse blend · Brazil & Colombia

Cocoa nib and toasted hazelnut. Built to hold its shape under milk and in a takeaway cup.

Espresso

15.50

250 g bags, roasted in small batches. Rest espresso a week, filter five days.

Good to know

The questions people ask at the door.

Can I work here?

Mornings until 12:30 and afternoons from 14:30, yes — there are sockets along the window bench. During lunch service we keep laptops closed so the tables turn for people eating.

Do you take cash?

No. Card and contactless only, including for single espressos. There is no minimum card spend.

Can I bring my dog?

Yes, in the front half of the room and on the outside bench. There is a water bowl by the door and biscuits behind the counter.

What milks do you keep?

Whole, oat and barista almond every day, at no extra charge. Soy on weekdays if we have it; ask before you order so you are not disappointed.

Can you work around allergies?

Tell us at the counter and we will read you the ingredient folder for anything from the kitchen. It is one small room with shared surfaces, so we cannot promise a trace-free plate for severe allergies.

Can I reserve a table for two?

No — everything under six seats is walk-in, which is why the hours guide above exists. Six or more can hold the long table using the form below.

Is there space for a pram or a wheelchair?

The entrance is step-free and the long table has clear ends. The window bench is fixed, so tell us on the way in and we will move a chair out of the middle aisle for you.

Can I buy the coffee you are brewing?

Yes. Everything on the bean list is on the shelf in 250 g bags, ground to your brewer at the counter if you want it that way.

The long table

Eighteen seats, one sitting, two hours — outside lunch service.

Reading groups, team breakfasts, a birthday that starts early. Send the details and we will write back with what is free, what the bake looks like that week, and whether we need a deposit.

A group of friends sitting together around a shared cafe table with coffee cups and plates between them
The table runs down the middle of the room — it is sociable, not private.

We reply by email, usually the same day the room is open.

  • Available 08:00 — 11:30 and from 14:30; the table stays in service at lunch.
  • Drinks are ordered at the bar on the day, one tab if you prefer.
  • Food for a group is set in advance from the board — no separate catering menu.
  • No room hire, no exclusive use: the rest of the cafe keeps trading around you.