There is no sign saying the high front counter at Genovese Coffee House is an espresso bar, except for a small framed painting of a streetfront printed with "Espresso $2, Macchiato $2".

In the long-standing tradition of Italian bars, both brews come in a cup and saucer, you drink it without a chair and the cost is less than a sit-down equivalent ($3). 

Adam Genovese, owner of the newly opened Genovese Coffee House, the first cafe for his family's 50-year-old Melbourne coffee-roasting business and decades-long wholesaler in Sydney, says drinking at the espresso bar is a heightened quick fix.

"It's $2, it's still made to perfection and you still get a glass of water with it," he says.

When people ask for a takeaway espresso or macchiato, Genovese tries to persuade them to drink at the bar, partly to minimise paper cup waste.

"Also, by the time you've drunk an espresso walking out, you've probably finished one at the bar," Genovese says. "So why don't you just drink it here?"

The other reason to drink at the bar, or at the coffee house's round wooden tables, tan leather-cushioned banquettes or two plump mustard corduroy couches, is Genovese's fairly spiffy 1900s warehouse space. Housing a gleaming roaster, its spacious, calm and wood and brick lined fit-out, designed in conjunction with Bondi firm Alexander & Co, warrants deep amorous inspection.

Coo at tall linen curtains, in dusky pink, pale olive and cream, between light fittings built from brass, glass or ceramic. Run a hand over the pale aubergine curves of a interior bike rack below a cream fabric awning (inside due to council regulations) and mottled glass entrance windows. Ponder if a retro red dial-phone, plugged in and set on a shelf lit by a single wall sconce, will ring.

Don't get me started on the beauty of the unisex bathrooms (subdued lighting, mosaic tiles, vast wash-tub basins, Leif soap and hand balm).

Coffee aficionados can follow lines of gently swaying suspended lights to a glass cabinet holding a fraction of the Genovese family's collection of historical espresso equipment. The copper and red hues of a 1950s coffee machine on display are mirrored in bags of Genovese coffee on sale at the counter between tins of drinking chocolate, specialty roasts, hot sauce and coffee equipment.

Essentially though, the decor is framing one thing: coffee.

"We don't want to be just a coffee brand that's opened another restaurant," Genovese says. "It has to be about the coffee. The coffee is always on point. The coffee has to always be at its best."

It goes without saying that a flat white, delivered with a pressed focaccia with 'nduja, smoked mozzarella, tomato and basil, is something to savour. Equally a deep, rich espresso, accompanied by Genovese's newest creation, a tiramisu cannoli made with their Super Brazil blend.

The food menu, divided into breakfast, lunch paninis, afternoon focaccia and a weekend deli plate, is simple, carefully curated and inspired by Genovese's memories of joining his father to deliver coffee to Italian espresso bars in Melbourne.

"They'd say, 'What would you like for lunch young man?'," he says. "I'd say, 'I don't know', and they'd get a fresh crusty bread, cut it in half and, straight off the slicer, they'd slice about 48 pieces of meat, just really pile it in there and you'd end up with this really big thing.

"We've refined that, we've selected the meats, the fillings and the cheeses specifically for that."

Genovese, who loves an espresso, has been drinking coffee since he was five. His grandfather began a Saturday breakfast tradition, breaking bread into a bowl, sprinkling it with sugar and pouring weak coffee over the top.

"We wanted this place to have feel of family," he says. "Our flagship roast and coffee house with a nod to our heritage as a 1970s, family Italian business. I hope people can lose themselves in the space."

The low-down

Main attraction Top-notch coffee in a handsome and serene warehouse cafe.

Must-try dish Pressed focaccia with 'nduja, smoked mozzarella, tomato and basil.

Insta-worthy dish Tiramisu cannoli made with Genovese Super Brazil blend.