Black Shag Boutique Café

Head to Black Shag café in Invercargill for the perfect trifecta of coffee, food and service.

Owner-operators, Sylvie Boutelje-Chasteau and Dion Milanesi, have a passion for healthy yet massively flavourful food, top-notch coffee and the type of friendly service we've come to expect from Southlanders.

They’ve taken this passion and created Black Shag Boutique Café, a cosy café on Dee Street in downtown Invercargill where all three of those aspects are perfectly in balance.

The pair hail from Auckland originally but moved to Invercargill for work and have stayed for their café and the solid crew of regulars it has attracted. When they opened Black Shag Boutique Café, they brought many years of experience in the coffee industry, a long time appreciation for great food and interesting skill sets (like Dion’s woodworking) to their new project. The wooden nooks, cubbies, panelling and details he’s created in the space lend it a modern feel that is awash with the light on sunny days yet cosy on rainy days.

This place delivers next-level flavour and a thoughtfully designed menu influenced heavily by seasonal produce. A blackboard menu changes regularly depending on what's available. Dion and Sylvie's green fingers also play a part, as fresh produce is grown in their backyard feature in these delicious dishes. In fact, 120 square meters of garden beds at their home is dedicated to growing produce for the café.    

Black Shag has also jumped on the coffee roasting trend happening across the country. So much so they've started a separate roasting brand; Mint Roastery. With the pair roasting the beans onsite at Black Shag and selling them online. Much like beer brewing, the access to more affordable equipment has meant more and more cafés are roasting their own beans to create a unique flavour and coffee experience. It certainly is working well for them here.  

Black Shag Boutique Café tops it all off with unmatched service and just plain old friendship.