Dovetail Social is a beautiful cafe set in an ancient cottage on a quiet residential street in Highgate Hill that serves expertly made coffee, as well as all-day breakfast dishes and gluten-free desserts.

Dovetail Social finally opened its doors in late December, after a 10-month delay. Adam and Rejoice Thomson, who also owns the original Dovetail in Norman Park have taken over a historic Queenslander on Laura Street. The atmosphere is warm and friendly as if you’ve stepped into the Thomsons’ own house.

The menu is nearly identical to that of Norman Park, with favorites like baked eggs, a classic Reuben sandwich, and a Filipino adobo dish (braised chicken and pork served with coconut curry, oyster mushrooms, deviled eggs, and toasted garlic on a bed of garlic fried rice). The Thomsons collaborated with the local coffee roaster Almanac to create a mix of milk-based coffees. In terms of black coffee, single origins from a variety of roasters, including Villino in Hobart, rotate on a regular basis.

 

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Adam and Rejoice Thomson of Dovetail on Overend had intended to open their second cafe, Dovetail Social, in February 2020. Then there was a pandemic. In December of that year, the husband-and-wife team finally got to show off their Highgate Hill sequel to the original.

Dovetail’s second location is significantly larger than the original Dovetail on Overend in Norman Park, which debuted in 2014. The original has become a favorite on the east side, particularly among gluten-free eaters (Adam is coeliac). The Norman Park cafe only has 18 chairs on the footpath, whereas this location offers up to triple the capacity of sitting both inside and outdoors in the garden.

 

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The space

This site also has a vintage high-tea room with antique chairs, a chandelier, and retro decor. People can also reserve the six-seat room in advance. The gluten-free high tea menu includes pistachio macarons, salted caramel cream puffs, classic scones, and a Dovetail on Overend’s favorite Filipino ube leche flan cake (purple yam cake with crème caramel).

The Thomsons collaborated with the local coffee roaster Almanac to create a mix of milk-based coffees. In terms of black coffee, single origins from a variety of roasters including Villino in Hobart, rotate on a regular basis.

 

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Adam and Rejoice’s quest carried them to the city’s outskirts and back, where they eventually found a building that suited their needs on Laura Street in Highgate Hill. The location, which had previously been home to Saint Laura, had all of the features that Rejoice and Adam were looking for, including a larger kitchen, outside dining space, a private dining room, a retail room, a gallery wall, and space for a separate baking area. The pair obtained the property in early 2020, and while pandemic-related delays pushed back the opening date, it allowed the Dovetail team to experiment with the building’s layout.

 

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Dovetail Social – a place for everyone to commune and engage via an inclusive dining experience.

A coffee window was installed in the front of the venue, and a convenient hand-washing station was built near the dining areas. Neighbors and friends helped Adam and Rejoice put a roof over the rear garden, replant herbs, lay new pavers, and paint a mural as part of the Highgate Hill community fit-out. All of the hard work and patience paid off – Dovetail Social has a pleasant home-style appeal, with lots of area for latte-sipping and a larger goodies cabinet to gaze over.