Sydney’s Café, right in the heart of the Darwin Centre in The Collective, has become a hub for great coffee and light bites. Owner Mel Tutton is no stranger to the Shrewsbury scene, having previously owned Café Georgia for 20 years before opening Sydney’s Café in 2021.
We chatted to café manager Min who has worked with Mel serving Shrewsbury customers since right from the beginning. We managed to catch 10 minutes during a bustling morning at the Café to chat about the success of Sydney’s and what we can look forward to in the coming months.
How important do you think locally owned cafés are in a town such as Shrewsbury?
They’re hugely important – we’ve seen Sydney’s Café develop into a regular hub for locals as well as visitors to Shrewsbury. We have some customers who come into the café on their own and another customer will ask to sit down and join them for a coffee. It’s all about making local connections and being a place for friendships to grow – which is lovely.
What is most popular on the menu at Sydney’s Cafe?
Toasties and teacakes are always popular, as well as our award-winning proper steak traditional Cornish pasties. We’ve recently started making luxury milkshakes which are going down a storm!
Where do you source your delicious coffee from?
We use Treviso Cerrado coffee which is a rich premium blend.
What seasonal specialities can we look forward to?
We’re planning to do some fun seasonal latte flavours for the autumn – watch this space! Towards Christmas, we’ll also have our Turkey, cranberry and stuffing paninis. We run a cake offer all year round which is popular – any cake with a hot drink for £3.70.
What are your favourite things to make in-house?
Probably our breakfast muffins – packed with bacon, sausage, egg, two layers of melted cheese. They’re challenging to stack and taste as good as they look.
How can the people of Shrewsbury help to support businesses such as yours?
Tell your friends and family, meet them here and follow The Collective at Darwin on social media too!
Pop on down to try Sydney’s Café for yourself – find it on the lower ground floor of the Darwin Centre, just a few steps from the entrance to Raven Meadows car park. For more updates keep an eye on the Collective at Darwin on Facebook and Instagram: @thecollectiveatdarwin.