Wedge Espresso

Glebe Point Road has sprouted a new café and we’re here to tell you it puts every other coffee slinger on the strip to shame. There’s a secret menu. There’s great coffee. Hell, even the sandwiches are worth a tilt.

Wedge is owned and run by Toby Wilson. He was last seen pulling espressi at Surry Hills coffee destination Le Monde. It probably won’t surprise you to learn that the coffee here is the best thing this side of Mecca in Ultimo. What you might not know is that Wilson built the business, bricks up, by himself, from the menu and the design to the coffee they use (Perth’s Five Senses - a superior brew, Wilson reckons, because of the lighter roast. “It gives you a more honest taste, where you’re tasting the bean rather than the roast.")

It’s a great spot, too, with big windows that open onto the street, high benches and stool seating with sweet touches like sackcloth cushions on milk crates, polished concrete floors and potted herbs. Heading over for lunch? Grab a pulled pork sandwich. The bread’s by Newtown favourites Luxe, and it’s filled with juicy pork, crunchy coleslaw and fresh mint. Or there’s a toasted roast beef number heavy on the onion chutney and melted cheese. The tiny kitchen and coffee machine take up the corner, where Wilson and co-barista Courtney Carter (also of Le Monde fame) pump out coffees (we’re not going to bore you with the details of the fruity-yet-rich blend and awesome milk work, only to say that it’s delicious) as well as iced Milos (a big shovelful of Milo topped with milk and a scoop of ice cream - great for summer). And there’s also that secret menu we mentioned before. Last time we looked on Twitter, @WedgeEspresso were talking Coke slushies mixed with cold-drip coffee, but ask the guys in situ before you get too excited. Wilson is even considering putting in a slushie machine for the summer months. Whoopee!

Wedge isn’t just a win for Glebe, it’s a win for every young barista out there busting to start their own business. It can be done, and it can be ace. More like this, please.