There’s a lot to love about DEEKS Café – a Canberra institution that has led the way for the last decade in providing a healthy alternative to typical café culture.
While the story of Rob de Castella is well known across the community, it was a shared passion for positive eating and fitness that led to Rob pairing with clinical biologist Bill Giles to develop the Deeks brand, and with it, a range of grain-free breads, pastries and pies that give a delicious alternative to those with dietary restrictions.
Others tried to catch up with the grain-free revolution that was occurring, but DEEKS has gone even further to cement itself as a favourite part of the Canberra café scene. With grain-free options now commonplace on menus everywhere, Deeks still continues to push the envelope while remaining true to its ethos as a place to eat, laugh and relax.
Located at the Pearce Shops, the original Deeks Café contains an eclectic style that is more comfortable than chaotic. Chesterfield couches sit on Turkish carpets, while an Art Deco mirror sits above flocked wallpaper and reflects the goings-on among the happy customers.
The simple and elegant counter is the centrepiece of the room using muted wooden tones to highlight a back-bar filled with all sorts of offerings that can be purchased to take home with you.
Gluten-free eating can sometimes be restrictive, but it’s amazing to see the incredible variety and flavours available at Deeks.
Just perusing the cake display is enough to get anyone excited with their cakes, vanilla slice, muffins, tarts… and even meat pies and sausage rolls! They’re all here ready to cater for your next craving – whatever it might be.
The owners tell a lovely story of the café’s early days. One lady, who had really suffered through years of excluding all the treats she’d previously loved due to dietary restrictions had heard about DEEKS and decided to head to Pearce and check it out for herself. The staff hadn’t really noticed her entry, but the sight of a woman standing in front of the cake cabinet certainly got their attention. Immediately they asked if everything was okay.
“Do you mean I can eat any of these?” the woman said, as she waved an arm across the display.
After years of denial, she’d found her Holy Grail.
The good news is there’s a lot more to come. Organic wines are on the way, and the team at DEEKS looking to host whiskey nights that examine some of the great malts going around at the moment. It’s an exciting time for the friendly Pearce local that all of Canberra has come to know and love.
