Two Before Ten is now open at Denman Village Shops

There’s a very tasty reason to linger a little longer next time you’re at the Denman Village Shops: Two Before Ten is moving in.

Opening on Wednesday 13 March, the local favourites have taken over the cafe space at the Shops.

Since starting out back in 2008, Two Before Ten—or Twobie to those in the know—has grown into a huge Canberra success story. They transformed an empty space at Aranda into a thriving cafe, urban farm and roastery, and have opened venues all over the capital, and now even Murrumbateman. They’re well known for their commitment to looking after both their customers and the planet, and they invest in a wide range of sustainability initiatives.

Two Before Ten Managing Director Chris Dennis needed no convincing to open a cafe in Denman Prospect—he’s a proud local himself, and lives just a few hundred metres from the cafe’s front door. He said quite a few of their team also call Molonglo home, but they’ve had their eye on Denman Prospect as a potential cafe venue for the better part of a decade.

“We actually identified the site probably two years before the shops were even built,” said Chris.

Unfortunately the timing didn’t work out with their team back then. But once the space became available again, Chris said they jumped at the chance.

At the brand new Two Before Ten Denman Prospect you’ll find a cosy spot to grab a healthy bite or meet a friend for a cuppa, with both indoor and outdoor seating.

Their all day brunch menu features light dishes perfect for a quick meal (think: poached eggs, avo on toast, a Buddha bowl), plus a range of wraps, toasties and the like to grab and go. And as always you can expect the food to feature some fresh produce from just up the road in Aranda.

They’ve given the cafe a fresh look and fitout, with everything you’d expect from any of their venues.

“We've kind of opened it up, made it a bit lighter, and we’ve got plans down the track once we've been up and running to redo the layout so that there'll be more indoor seating for winter,” said Chris.

“The fitout is the standard Twobie fitout, with all of the tables made from recycled timber.”

In great news for early risers (or anyone with young kids), the cafe will be open from 6.30am Monday to Saturday, and from 7am Sundays, to get you your caffeine fix. They close at 4pm, seven days a week.

Chris said they're passionate about bringing the same ethos and level of quality they're known for at their other locations, and also giving back to the local community.

“We sponsor a bunch of local teams, and we try to use local suppliers as much as we can,” he said.

And want a hot (but very random) tip from one local to another? Chris said from looking at a map one day, he made an interesting discovery.

 “From the cafe, you can walk across the road, and then you can basically walk to Adelaide through public land. How cool is that?,” said Chris.

 “The Denman corridor on the creek joins up to Stromlo, which joins Cotter, which joins Wee Jasper State Forest. And then it's all state forest and national park all the way down to Gippsland. So you actually walk to the Victorian coastline from Denman through public land.”

 He does concur you’d probably need quite a few coffees and toasties stashed in your top pocket to actually do the trip on foot.

 “I can't see myself ever doing it. But it's quite cool to know,” he laughs.