Mascot's Comoros cafe takes flight with nitro coffee and bagels

Named for the coffee-cultivating Comoros Islands off the south-east coast of Africa, the focus at this new cafe is, of course, coffee, with cold brews a particular specialty. Run by Nathan Devlin (former owner of Bay 10 at Lavender Bay) and Sam Crawford (of cold brew wholesaler Coal Coffee); the small, calming spot is a big win for Mascot, and a serious silver lining for anyone facing flight delays from nearby Sydney Airport.

The space

The aim was to make the space feel as casual and inviting as a living room, and they've pulled it off. A corner booth, padded with green velvet cushions, wraps around two low timber tables, and faces the service counter: a large concrete bar to match the concrete flooring.

A narrow timber bar runs along the length of the big front windows – the perfect perch for people-watchers – but the whole space, small as it is, is designed in a way that encourages chat with the staff and other customers.

This community feel, along with a soundtrack of cruisy '70s rock, highlights the retro vibe of the fitout, too, which, aside from the concrete, is all wood and whitewashed walls, with touches of olive green and terracotta.

The food

Woolloomooloo's Smoking Gun Bagels supplies the hand-rolled, wood-fired bagels that make up the food offering at Comoros. Choose your bagel, spread or schmear, and you're good to go.

Lunch is served from 10am, and is a simple trio of open bagel options, each topped with a generous spread of Neufchatel (like a cream cheese, thick and mildly flavoured) and either feta, tomato, olives and basil; smoked salmon, capers, pickled onion and dill; or pastrami, mustard and strips of house-made pickled cucumber, topped with a fluffy snowfall of finely grated Swiss cheese.

Crawford and Devlin say the decision to limit options to coffee and bagels (supplemented by a few Brickfields sweets and croissants), was inspired by travels through the United States and a resulting appreciation for the "nitro coffee and bagel culture" there.

The brew

Coffee is supplied by Manly Vale's Seven Miles Coffee Roasters (formerly known as Belaroma), with its Cultivar blend used for white coffee, and Wilde natural processed blend used for espresso alongside guest roasters for a changing black coffee menu.

The ultra-refreshing nitro cold brew looks creamy when first pulled from the tap, but then settles into a schooner of Guinness-dark brew with a foamy head. Made with Cultivar blend cold brew infused with nitrogen gas, the result is smooth, slightly sweet, and strong enough to get the heart pumping.

There's also filter (with bottomless option $7), regular cold brew and iced coffee.

The booze

The nitro coffee might fool passers-by, but Comoros is not licensed.

Avo factor

Bagel of your choice with avo and feta schmear $8

The low-down

Comoros

Loving Cold coffee options – our summer's sorted

Not getting Why more cafes don't serve nitro coffee

Overheard "I'd miss a plane for this coffee"

Caffe latte $3.50