IN Community

Our local used to always be the pub, but a new cafe in Scarborough is creating a strong sense of community amongst residents, many of whom are only streets away.

There’s just something about a local cafe in a suburban area. There’s something satisfying in the fact that whoever is making your coffee remembers your order and might even remember your name. You also know these people have got something extra invested in the area when you see them at the local fish and chip shop with their own family on a Friday night.

Scarborough’s Kinky Lizard Espresso Bar is one of those places. Friendly and relaxed it has quickly become a local meeting and hang-out spot for the locals, whether it’s families for weekend breakfasts, coffee-gathering mums, business meetings or lunches on the go.

Local resident Phil Hayes starts the day with a beach run and a dip in the ocean and stops at Kinky Lizard in his boardies on the way home for a daily shot of coffee. The associate director, sales agent and auction expert is also the latest addition to Realmark’s Scarborough office.

“I moved to the area before I started working for Realmark but because I live here I can explain to people what’s so special about the lifestyle and what’s on offer,” Phil says. “This area has changed in a positive way and a lot of places, like Kinky Lizard have opened, which really adds to the relaxed atmosphere of the place and that sense of community.”

Cafe manager Mia Strauss agrees. An overseas transplant via the east coast, Mia says the locals have welcomed Kinky Lizard (officially Kinky Swell, so as not to be confused with its East Perth cousin), with open arms since its opening.

“People like to go for coffee here and they’ve told us how much they like a local place to do it,” says Mia. “We notice people have made friends here after becoming regulars and one couple even met here. We have our own coffee blend too which you can’t get anywhere else; it’s often a talking point. We’re also BYO and don’t charge corkage.”

Mia and her husband Dan Snowden, who is the Kinky Lizard’s chef, have run eateries together for the last seven years and also live in Scarborough. From watching the floor tiles going down in the new building, the pair work tirelessly to ensure the welcoming feel of the cafe and that the menu offers locals reasons to keep coming back.

Kinky Swell is open seven days a week from 7am – 4pm (breakfast and lunch until 2.30pm and coffee until 4pm) at 166 Brighton Road, Scarborough. Realmark Scarborough is open weekdays from 8.30am – 5pm at 3/257, West Coast Highway, Scarborough.