One of Newcastle's most familiar hospitality faces welcomes you to her very own cafe - Mill's

On July 31, Brunker Road welcomed a friendly and very familiar face to its growing lineup of small business owners bringing what they love to Adamstown.  

With more than 15 years of hospitality experience under her belt, Mill’s marks the beginning of a long-held dream for owner Miller Roberts, who has spent much of her career at some of Newcastle's most loved cafes, restaurants, and retail stores.

Now, Mill’s is settling into the neighbourhood with a simple focus: good specialty coffee, efficient service, getting to know the locals, and building that all-important sense of community. 

Throughout her hospo career, Mill has built a solid support crew, not only among family and friends, but also among Newcastle’s hospo crowd and former customers who are equally excited to see her finally in a space of her own. 

15 years in the making 

Throughout her hospo journey, Mill's has worked with some of the best in the business, gathering plenty of inspiration along the way.

“I feel like there’s little pieces of every place I’ve worked in built into Mill’s,” she said.

Her dream of opening a place of her own was ignited from the tender age of 15, when she first started working at Glee Coffee Roasters. A short stint in the music industry put the idea temporarily on hold, however a return to hospitality at Bistro Penny reignited her love for the industry.

“I just really reconnected with how much I love hospitality and how energising I find it,” she said.

Coffee with a neighbourhood feel

When it came time to find a home for Mill’s, Mill knew she wanted somewhere outside the CBD with more of a neighbourhood feel. Lake Macquarie and Valentine were initially on her radar, but when the Brunker Road space became available, it immediately felt right. 

Signing the lease in early January, the next six months was spent getting the space ready to open.

The result is a cafe designed to feel easy and local, with plenty of off-street parking for those popping in for a quick coffee. That neighbourhood connection has already been evident from the first few weeks.

For Mill, the support from Newcastle’s hospitality community has made finally opening the doors all the more special. From coffee brewing and selecting beans to choosing the right pastries, Mill’s brings together the experience and relationships she’s built throughout her career.

That support was particularly clear on opening day, when a queue stretched down the road as customers patiently waited for their morning coffee, including Mick, one of Mill’s regulars for more than 15 years. 

“He came in on the opening day and was just like, ‘Finally!’”

After years of making coffee for Newcastle, Miller is now getting to make it in a space of her own.

Coffee is at the heart of Mills, with its house blend, Mill’s Morning Glory, bringing a personal connection along with notes of raspberry jam, milk chocolate, and butterscotch.

The blend is supplied by Glee Coffee Roasters, who’s owned by her sister and brother-in-law, and it was at Glee on the Central Coast where she first learned to make coffee. Whilst Glee is the daily brew, Mill plans to rotate its single-origin coffees amongst the local roasters, starting with Floozy, followed by Unison Coffee Roasters, and the list goes on. 

For Miller, rotating through different local roasters is both a way to keep the coffee offering interesting and support the businesses that make up Newcastle’s growing specialty coffee scene.

What’s on the menu

With specialty coffee at the forefront, Miller is keeping things simple from the outset, creating a streamlined offering that allows for quick service without losing the personal touch.

“My focus is I want the service to feel really personable, but I want it to be really efficient,” she said.

Coffee staples sit alongside batch brew for those after a filter coffee, while dirty chai, hot and iced matcha, cold brew, and kombucha round out the drinks menu.

Behind the cabinet, the food offering is equally unfussy, with one style of toastie available, banana bread and pastries including almond croissants, pain au chocolat, ham and cheese croissants, Portuguese tarts, and carrot cake.

There are also bags of the Mill’s Morning Glory house blend available on the shelf, with 250g and 1kg options for those wanting to take the specialty bean home.

For now, Mill is keeping things intentionally simple, leaving plenty of potential for the cafe to grow when the time’s right.

Open seven days a week, Mill’s is finding its place among Adamstown’s growing collection of local businesses, with Mill excited to be part of the neighbourhood’s next  chapter.

After more than a decade of dreaming about a cafe of her own, Miller has finally opened the doors – and for Mill’s, she's just getting started.

Photo credit: Riley Tyler