Cafes near me: Project Black Specialty Coffee Mitcham named best in Whitehorse

With friendly service and great coffee, it’s no surprise this Mitcham cafe has been named the best in Whitehorse.

Angus Shen, from Project Black Specialty Coffee Mitcham, crowned the best cafe in Whitehorse.

Quality means everything to Project Black Specialty Coffee owner Angus Shen.

A lot of love and care goes into each cup of coffee the Mitcham cafe serves.

So it’s no surprise it has been named the best cafe in Whitehorse by Leader readers, as part of the Delicious Local program.

After previously working for well-known coffee roasters St Ali, Mr Shen has built up a lot of knowledge about the industry.

“I know a lot of friends in the industry and we share information and I have learnt a lot about coffee,” he said.

Mr Shen said he believed he was the only cafe in the area using a non-steam milk frother to make coffee.

“When the other cafes want to steam milk they have to use a steam wand and by doing that it dilutes the milk as well,” he said.

“I have spent lots of money on quality.

“Even the milk, we choose one of the top in the range.

“I don’t really like to cut corners on quality.

“I’d rather bring customers in and engage them, talk to them, be their friends and that’s what we’re doing now.”

Mr Shen said his customers became his friends and he treated them accordingly.

The cafe also serves up a number of quick eats, including toasties.

Mr Shen said he was focused on providing speedy service.

“I’m pretty sure I’m one of the fastest serving cafes in Melbourne,” he said.

“Sometimes my customers, when they’re ordering, I’ve already made their coffee, so they don’t have to wait too long.”

He had a simple message for customers who voted for the cafe in the Delicious Local program: ”I love them.”

Delicious Local campaign ambassador Matt Preston said the search for best cafe was just the start of a push to help drive a food-led rebound from the effects of COVID.

“It’s clear from the vast number of nominations and votes we saw come in that local communities are rallying around their favourite eateries; supporting those food businesses who have done it tough over the past 12 months,” he said.

“That is exactly what we set out to achieve.

“And this is just the beginning. Our local cafe winners are soon to appear in a statewide battle of the postcodes where the cream will rise to the top – as it always does! Don’t forget to have your say by checking out your state finalists and voting for your favourite.

“Make sure you keep following this fantastic search and supporting your local winners – next up we’ll be on the lookout for best pizza, so get thinking …”