Where to get coffee on Campus at UOW

So you’ve just started your first session at UOW and you’ve realised you dont know the most vital piece of information you could ever need to know while studying or pulling an all-nighter to get that assignment done on time…where to get good coffee on campus. Fear not, The List Illawarra has you covered with our vast latte sipping experience in the area.

COFFEE AT THE UNI GYM

Praha Cafe
Main Campus
Building 13 (Uni Active)

Opening Hours:
Mon – Sat: 7am – 2pm

Praha is located in the foyer of UniActive, where you’ll find the Uni’s gym, pool, squash, and tennis courts, as well as indoor courts for basketball, badminton, and volleyball. Right next door to the cricket oval, perfectly located alongside the hockey, soccer, and football fields, Praha has the caffeine hit required for all of your pre and post-training session coffee needs. Worked up an appetite with all that sweating? Mohammed and the team have you covered.

Mohammed knows a bit about coffee. Recent time living and working overseas has helped him learn even more and he loves to share his knowledge. If you can spare the time, make sure you have a chat with him, and you might find there’s a version of your favourite brew that you might like even more than your regular. Proudly serving Illawarra’s own Seven Miles coffee, 100% fairtrade and organic, a perfect blend for espresso.

If you get the chance, make sure you try one of his single-origin V60 pour-overs. Designed to highlight the distinct flavours of different coffee growing regions, these wonder drinks can be served hot or over ice and contain zero calories-perfect for anyone intermittent fasting or just limiting their calorie intake. The contraption he uses is like a beautiful science experiment of some sort. As a “Cappucino girl”, my mind was blown when I tried the V60 version, the first coffee I’ve ever enjoyed without milk! Each month there are 2 new flavours to try, so get down there and give a V60 a go!

The menu at Praha could be described as modern Lebanese. Still featuring Mohammed’s famous share platters, he is excited to expand his repertoire with a bigger kitchen. All your favourites are there, made with love and care and a little bit of flair. Praha does freshly squeezed juices, and they tell me their best drink is their oat hot chocolate made from real Belgian chocolate.

You might recognise Mohammed and Fatma from their previous establishment “Quotes Cafe” in the Wollongong CBD. They ran Quotes for 8 years and were well known for their Middle Eastern share platters and great coffee. The couple decided to take a break, spending time traveling and visiting family overseas after the birth of their first child.

Mohammed has had a varied experience career wise up to this point, starting to study Law and Commerce in 2004, he quickly realised this wasn’t for him and joined the army, staying for 8 years and honing his work ethic. He’s a qualified naturopath and is now studying philosophy and politics at UOW. Fatma is studying teaching at UOW too. When the opportunity came up to buy the cafe space near the gym on campus, the planets seemed to be aligning, and the couple jumped at the opportunity.

Images courtesy of Praha Cafe

Mohammed and Fatma want all students of UOW to know that they offer good deals. You can access them through UOW Pulse. Praha Cafe also offers a catering service, with a great range of menu items to choose from.

Another big message from the Praha team is that you don’t have to be a student to enjoy their Cafe. Everyone is welcome so come and check them out!

COFFEE AT BOTH CAMPUSES

Gypsy Jones

Main Campus,
Building 17

Opening Hours:
Mon – Thurs: 7:30am – 4pm
Fri: 7:30am – 3pm

Innovation Campus,
Enterprise 1 Building (No. 234)

Opening Hours:
Mon – Fri: 7:30am – 3pm

Coffee slushie anyone?
Image courtesy of Gypsy Jones.

Gypsy Jones took over a Café on Campus called Out for Lunch almost 7 years ago. Nicole, the current owner, was working as the head chef for the previous owner when he decided to retire and asked if she would like to purchase the business. She jumped at the opportunity. Fast forward to today, and the Gypsy Jones brand is expanding.

Located conveniently in the centre of UOW campus, Gypsy Jones uses Seven Mile Roasters Cargo Blend for their Espresso based Coffees, Seven Mile Roasters Single Origin for our Cold Drip and Batch Brew and Seven Mile Roasters Maverick Blend for our Cold brew. They really have a coffee to suit everyone!

The Café is situated in Building 17 on the Ground floor opposite Student Central and it can seat up to 80 guests. Gypsy Jones offers both dine-in and takeaway for all their products. Nicole has designed the Café to offer Uni Staff and Students a place to escape the hustle & bustle of Campus life and relax and enjoy their warm inviting space with softer lighting, quirky tablecloths, and chilled background music. What a great vibe to immerse yourself in, no matter what your schedule looks like.

Gypsy Jones has a large variety of food available, all made fresh in house with Vegan, GF and Halal options available if required. The GF Vegan Banana Bread is a particular favourite as well as the Portuguese chicken wraps and their range of jaffles. To cool you off in the warmer months, they have oat Vanilla Latte slushies and Cola Slushies which are crowd favourites. They offer a 10% discount for Pulse Perks Members and also offer a pre-paid Coffee card which can save people a lot of money. Gypsy Jones also has ‘Happy Hour’ every afternoon between 2pm – 3pm and offers half-price hot drinks. What are you waiting for? Get down and grab a bargain!

Nicole wants students in particular to realise that Gypsy Jones offers great value for money “I think a lot of Students might have the perception that we are expensive and more like a restaurant so they don’t come in but we are actually very reasonably priced and comparable to other outlets on Campus. Our food is made fresh in house every day and we have the best Caramel Slice and Carrot Cake in the Illawarra (big call but we back ourselves)”

If that’s not enough to get you down there to try these tasty cakes, I don’t know what is!

Gypsy Jones opened their second venue at Innovation Campus in the Enterprise Building on the 11th of April which offers a smaller range of the products they offer here on the main campus.

COFFEE ON CAMPUS WITH BLOODY GOOD DONUTS

Hemingway

Main Campus,
Building 67 Level 1
(McKinnon Building)

Opening Hours:
Mon – Thur: 7:30am – 4:30pm
Fri: 7:30am – 3:30pm
Sat: 8am – 12pm

Located on the picturesque sunny terrace on the South Eastern corner of the McKinnon building, Hemingway is the perfect spot to catch up with friends, have a great meal or even host an event. They have their own signature blend of coffee provided by their original supplier that has kept coffee drinkers on campus happy for the last 5 years.

When the family-run Hemingway first kicked off, the Uni pushed for them to cater to staff only, but their vision was definitely to include students in their customer base. This led them to create a menu that included items that students could afford, alongside really nice restaurant quality meals that catered towards visitors to campus or staff meetings. In regard to “having something for everyone”, the team at Hemingway have really nailed the brief-and their return customers are a testament to that.

The location is awesome, the terrace is the perfect setting to enjoy some food and drinks when the weather is great. A great venue where they have even started hosting events, including bands, DJ’s, Uni functions, international visitors, and private functions.

Covid was tough on many small businesses, and those on campus did it particularly tough with students no longer attending classes face to face. Mother and daughter Sanja and Tina came up with the idea to make their own donuts. Lucky for them their donuts were good enough to bring people from the other side of campus and plenty of people who had no other reason to come to UOW (myself included!)

Image courtesy of Hemingway Cafe

Hemingway (the cafe)’s name is more an homage to Hemingway (the author)’s lifestyle more than his literature. Eating, drinking, and traveling – living life to the full! There are even a few Cuban twists on the menu, inspired by Hemingway(the author)’s time spent in Cuba.

Now that students are back on campus the cafe has been pretty busy, you can book a table at Hemingway via their Facebook page. If you’d like to see their latest food and drink offerings, check out Instagram. Whatever you do, make sure you get your mouth around one of their delicious homemade donuts.