Nightjar Coffee Roasters roasts and brews its coffee on site in Alserkal Avenue, the arts district in Al Quoz, in a room that is roastery, eatery and bar at once. It was founded by “a crew of counterculture devotees”, plays a rotating selection of vinyl on a good sound system, and treats specialty coffee as one strength among several; stuffy, slow-service coffee ritual is what it set out to avoid. Green coffee is bought by direct trade or through fully transparent contracts secured at origin, so that producer communities have a steady buyer and the roastery a consistent supply.

The kitchen serves an all-day breakfast, rotisserie chicken, salads, pancake stacks and a homemade custard pie. Cold brew tea and coffee run on tap alongside nitro-infused drinks and mocktails. The room is walk-in only: there are no bookings, and a group sends one person ahead to put its name down.

Beyond the café, Nightjar runs a craft beverage company that supplies cold brew, iced tea, 0% cocktails and kombucha on draught to other venues, and sells its coffee wholesale. The retail range is built around three seasonal blends, each with its own roast level, and a short list of single-origin nano lots, with Sage home espresso machines and accessories sold alongside.

Coffee on the shelf

Photograph: Nightjar Coffee Roasters