Smithfield’s Urbanity is a destination address where every detail has been thought-through.

There is something very winning about how they roll in Urbanity. It starts with their bold sign, written in a clear font and declaring triumphantly: “Roasted in Smithfield”. That’s no idle boast, and they know it.
The roaster/cafe was founded by three friends and, from the customer point of view, it comes across as a thoughtful, matey place where friends have teased out one concept after another, making sure the food is great, the space is comfortable, and that the coffee is as fine as it can be. Jason Mac an Tsionnaigh roasts his own coffee beans in Urbanity, using a 12-kilo Probat roaster, and his style is influenced by the lighter roasts favoured by the Scandinavian masters. This means the coffees are wonderfully expressive, with plosive taste notes in every single cup. The couple of bags of Urbanity beans we brought home got wolfed up quickly and, for days afterwards, people were pleading, is there any more of that Urbanity coffee left?…. This is first class coffee roasting.
The food won us over on Insta even before we visited. And, again, this is very much a thought-through process where each element is there for a good reason. The bread is sourdough, natch, and the zhoug, almond butter or dukkah doesn't just come from a jar: it’s in-house and all really really tasty and well made. Nothing is as fine as that moment when you plonk yourself down on a chair, hungry for soft-fried eggs and chickpea couscous, and a perfect flat white, made by a dedicated team who are on top of their game. If we lived anyway nearer to Smithfield, we’d be regulars. We love the fact that their sourcing is so echt, and their philosophy is so focused. And we’ll be back to stock up on those bags of Urbanity coffee as soon as we possibly can.