Coffee in Newcastle: Xtraction Espresso, renowned for excellent coffee, finishes ambitious cafe expansion on Bolton, King streets

The final touch: a super-cool mural by artist Daniel Joyce, incorporating Notorious B.I.G. and friends.

"When we first came here and I took the hole in the wall as an espresso bar, I wanted this corner spot, right from the word go," Blackman says. "Unfortunately, we weren't able to get it at that point. But seven years later, it has come to fruition."

The cafe, which serves Veneziano coffee, seats nearly 40 and runs an extremely busy takeaway stream from 5.30am to 3pm weekdays, and 6.30am to noon on Saturday.

The fit-out features all recycled timber from the local area, including steel grates from water drains.

"It's something I never thought I would do again," Blackman says. "I have had a cafe of that size before, and l always wanted to go back to a small personal espresso bar which we started seven years ago. But I can't help myself. I end up going, 'I can do this, I can do more.' It's a good vibe. We have a great feel in here, for customers to enjoy their time."

While Xtraction is renowned for coffee, the food offer is just as popular. The ever-changing menu features Brooklyn Boy bagels with various schmeers, plus a range of toasties, pastries and much more.

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