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Dirty Rascal Cafe Geelong is tucked away in the corner of Boom Gallery which is part of the Rutland Street precinct in Newtown. Don’t know about Rutland Street yet? It’s down near the river-end of Pako where a pocket of long abandoned warehouses have quickly evolved into a breeding ground for Geelong’s most creative; a vibrant community of artists and micro-businesses.
Surrounded by visually striking works of art, this spot isn’t short of fascinating objects to attract the eye. From colourful wall art, to handmade locally crafted jewellery, vases, candles and tea cups there’s bound to be something that takes your fancy.
As rhythmic beats play, a focused, somewhat steely barista brews a perfect long black from the sweet Padre Coffee. Padre are known for their small carefully roasted batches, all lovingly created in the Melbourne suburb of Brunswick.
On the menu is a select number of simple but tasty bagels, croissants, baguettes and sliders. There are also a variety of cakes, slices and biscuits.
A sketch on the wall behind the main counter subtly drops a hint about the connection to King of the Castle Cafe, which is a short car ride up to the Geelong West side of Pakington Street. (See the headline image of this post)
Being an old warehouse, Dirty Rascal Cafe Geelong is open and spacious with simple, but obviously high quality decor. The stools are heavy and well made, and the main polished concrete slab countertop is splendid.
There’s plenty of room to spread out if you’ve got a few people or a pram. Be aware though that there are only a few tables and the rest is mainly bench space. In any case you’ll enjoy the experience.
After coffee it’s very highly recommended that you take the time to do a casual browse through the gallery as well as some of the surrounding shops such as The Happy Shoe Shop.
Rating for Dirty Rascal Cafe Geelong
| Coffee: | Padre Coffee |
| Atmosphere: | Chilled |
| Service: | Great |
| Kid/Pram Friendly: | Plenty of space, but mainly benches |
| Free Wifi: | No |
| Table/chair height ratio for working from a laptop: | Bench is good, didn’t try the tables |
Contact Details Dirty Rascal Cafe Geelong
| Address: | 11 Rutland Street Newtown |
| Phone: | 0417 555 101 (Boom Gallery) |
| Online: |
Originally posted on wholesomefun.com.au. Written and photographed by Patrick Blampied. © 2015 Sequence Digital.