There’s a quiet swagger to Superfreak’s setup. From the vinyl spinning on the record player to the shag-lined booths and warm-hued walls, the Marrickville cafe is equal parts cosy and confident. The food follows suit: herby spinach frittata on sourdough muffin; ciabatta stacked with ham, gruyere, pickles and hot honey; mix-and-match salads popping with colour and crunch. You’ll find your coffee classics here – plus a few wildcards, like an adaptogen hot choc and an oat smoothie swirled with electric-blue spirulina.
Superfreak came together part by chance, part by experience. Owners Mike Ico and Dan Harrison have opened more than a few Sydney crowd favourites to get here. And it all began with a hunch.
From first-timers to fan favourites
Back in 2011, Mike opened his first cafe in Sydney’s Hills District with his friend, Matt Stone. After noticing a gap in the market, they decided to give it a go, despite having no prior experience. Mike recalled, “We just started talking about how there were no cafes in the area that Matt lived in and said, how hard could it be to open a cafe? Like everyone says!”
The result was The Baron, the first local spot to serve sourdough, avo toast and specialty coffee. “And it went off.” A second cafe, The Tuckshop, followed soon after – along with Dan Harrison, who joined the team as a barista. He’d just finished his teaching degree when Mike floated the idea of opening a cafe instead. Dan was all in.
Together, the guys launched coffee and bagel shop Good Fella. From there, they headed to the Inner West, opening cafes Soulmate in Newtown and Splash in Petersham. Then, in 2024, the next idea came knocking.
The spark that started Superfreak
Dan’s wife worked at a Scout Pilates studio, and the owners asked Dan and Mike if they wanted to do something with the space beside it.
With a compact floor plan and no ventilation or grill, they had to keep their concept simple, but they also saw an opportunity to bring something new to the neighbourhood. “What we thought the area was lacking was healthy options,” said Mike. Taking inspiration from their wellness neighbour, they landed on salads, sandwiches and smoothies.
During a brainstorming session with local brand designer Jarmaine Stojanovic, Mike had scribbled down a few ideas for the shop’s name – something with ‘super,’ alongside a Silverchair album title, Freak Show. Then Jarmaine suggested: “How about Superfreak?” With fit-out plans already channelling a retro vibe, the name just clicked into place.
How tech keeps their tables turning
The guys had tried a handful of POS systems at their previous venues before settling on Square. “We had a lot of issues with all of them, in terms of them dropping out or being hard to navigate as an operator,” Mike explained. Square was different. They “just found it incredibly easy to use.”
What sealed the deal was how naturally it slotted into the daily rhythm. All the other ones were confusing, and whenever we had to update a menu or anything like that, it would take us a long time. But with Square, sometimes we don’t even have to go online to do it. We can just do it off the tablet, on the fly. Even teaching new staff how to use Square POS was just seamless compared to the others.”
Daniel Harrison → Owner
The same simplicity carries through to online orders. They used to juggle third-party apps; now, it’s all under one roof. “When we found out that you could just do it online through Square, we were like, well, this is way easier.”
New postcodes, new perspective
After years of operating in the Hills – a quieter suburban pocket popular with families – opening in the eclectic Inner West called for a rethink. With 48% of Sydney’s cafes packed into the inner suburbs, Coffee Analytica says success here often hinges on carving out something unique.
Mike and Dan took a different tack. Instead of trying to outdo the competition, they doubled down on simplicity. “We wanted to do something that was actually quite basic,” Mike said. “Newtown is full of niche things. We’re going to lean into the service and community aspect of it more so, and just try and be consistent.”
Redefining hospitality
Entering a shop and not being acknowledged can quickly put you off – a feeling Mike works hard to prevent at Superfreak. Their approach to service is simple but impactful: greet every guest warmly from the moment they arrive. That first interaction shapes the customer’s entire experience.
“We really push our staff to be as welcoming as possible. It’s all about having a positive work environment. When we’re happy and we’re greeting people, it rubs off on one another. What is hospitality? What is service? It’s about making people feel welcome like they’re at your house.”
Staff who stick around
Ask Mike what makes their cafes so successful, and he’ll point to one thing: the crew. Creating a workplace where staff genuinely have fun and feel valued has always been the focus. And it shows – some have been with them for eight, even 10 years. That culture starts with who’s on the floor. “A key to what we do is essentially hiring incredible people.”
To their credit, Mike and Dan also make it easy for staff to stay. Rosters are done a month in advance. Days off are flexible. Employee meals are provided daily. Even after closing, the team often heads out together. As Mike puts it, it’s all part of “maintaining a good work environment.”
Coming full circle
For Mike, the real reward isn’t in the number of venues he’s opened. It’s the connections they’ve built through their cafes along the way.
“I still work at The Tuckshop. 14 years on, I go back, and I still see the same customers who are there from day one. And that we’re still doing what we set out to do when we first opened, which was to open a good cafe with good quality but it’s all about community. Every time I work there on a Thursday, you see the same faces and different groups connecting. It’s just nice to see that.”
