Who brews the best coffee in Melbourne? Let’s face it, this is an obsession for many Melbourne residents so we’re looking for your local’s tips on the best cafes for awesome coffee.
There’s an overflow of talented baristas around Melbourne, but maybe your local cafe does an amazing espresso or cappuccino and the world needs to know about it! Let’s not forget the growing number of small coffee roasteries around the city, too – many locals swear that these are the places to taste the best coffee in Melbourne.
Make sure you explain why your favourite bean-purveyors are so fantastic – the city’s fellow caffeine addicts will thank you. So let us know: exactly where is the best coffee in Melbourne?
{ 160 comments… read them below or add one }
Old Paper Shop Deli – Clarendon St Sth Melbourne – the foods great as well and the eclectic Clarendon St makes the whole experience fantastic & if your on the other side of town Short Black at the Camberwell .Junction.. It can a bit busy & noisy but the coffee is 1st class.
The best Coffee in Melbourne is without a doubt, the Cupcake Bakery at Airport West shopping Centre! Who would have though a Cupcake shop could do such good coffee… the best I’ve had not just in Melbourne, world wide!
Most of my favourites have been mentioned already, but one that suprisingly hasn’t popped up: Animal Orchestra, in Carlton. awesome coffee, and amazing brunch menu
Definitely Proud Mary’s Collingwood. Also Atomica on Brunswick St Fitzroy always satisfies. I once got a $140 fine out the front which would have killed me if the coffee was no good but luckily it was so softened the blow.
If you are in st kilda must go to Fitzrovia! They use St Ali and Fitzrovia’s baristas are top notch! I never had a bad brewed coffee. Their breakfast is fab too! It gets very busy on week ends! But they take reservations! A MUST TRY
The honest league of coffee on little Lonsdale ! Different coffee beans varieties everyday, and friendly staff !!
The best !
Little Wish in the city!
Wee Jeanie, near Yarraville station. In their coffee can I actually discern “Hints of caramel/chocolate” etc in whatever beans they are using on a given day. They are responsible for me taking up drinking coffee again! :-( (they also do decaf!)
I just moved to st Kilda and I had brilliant coffee at Fitzrovia on fitzroy st and il fornaio on Acland st!
Also dr jackle makes really good coffee
Small Victories on Rathdowne. Holy poopola!
Seriously, I try different coffees. Am not nuts; just love all kinds of beans. I am vegetarian, so I must love dem beans. Beginning from Thailand (Sogo Coffe Expo in Bangkok, 1995) with 20 types of beans, Singapore, Starbucks, Maxell, Folgers, even Taco Bell, all kinds from Coast-Coast (USA), Coffee Day, Big Bazaar range and ICH (India), now Gloria Jeans, Jamaica Blue, The Coffee Club, Barun (Adelaide)..so on.
Melbourne, I’m lost. Seriously. Trying Jasper, a local French Vanilla and a strong single bean from someplace and now Brasilia from Aldi. Recommendations very welcome – sriguru at oneindia dot com
Coffee Time mobile cafe best ever coffee
Espresso lane on old Geelong road, hoppers crossing right out the front of Harvey Norman. It’s a drive through, words can’t describe you just got to go!
Miss Marmalade for sure.
Owned and run by a wonderful couple, Miss Marmalade has by far the best coffee I have ever tasted to date. 5 seeds beans make for great tasting latte’s and the barista’s are experiences and professional in their presentation. Friendly restaurant and the food is fantastic. Highly recommend we for your Sunday brunch.
I’ll go single origin whenever it’s an option – Kenya AA, Ethiopian Yirgacheffe are faves – AND a triple shot basket if they have one.
Liar Liar in Hawthorn.
Outpost in River Street, Sth Yarra – just next to the station.
Proud Mary in Oxford Street, Collingwood.
There’s something like a diaspora from St Ali who have gone all over that is always a good bet.
As for coffee bean brand – I’m with Coffee Supreme all the way – roasting in Abbotsford just off Victoria Street.
If you happen to be in the north east Miss Marie cafe near Rosanna station serves the best coffee around there. Period. Great food and customer service too.
Definitely 7 Grams Cafe on Church St, Richmond.
Definately… Hungry Jacks!!
Try it, it is right up there- seriously.
Monk Bodhi Dharma – 202 Carlisle Street Balaclava
Amazing coffee as well as great food
Axil burwood rd Hawthorn.. soooooooo good in fact going to head there now.
15 grams in Fairfield – ooooooo yyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaahhhhhhh
Wooly Bully North Melbourne. The cutest record/comic/coffee shop around.
I think Victoria is the best place. “Coffee Time” it’s a mobile coffee van!!
Brunetti on Faraday St, Carlton, Cafenatics (various locations) & Hudson’s (various locations) for marble mochas.
Here’s my tuppence – hope it helps ..
65 Degrees (Exhibition Street?). Really strong, multi flavoured espresso in one cup
Omar and the Marvellous Coffee Bird (Gardenvale). Roast on site. Again, great espresso.
Loco (Elsternwick). Good coffeee. Nice atmosphere. Decent food.
Izzi Elsternwick Station). Good coffee, Nice pastries. Great for a quickie by the station or for the train :)
There’s a good place on the corner of King and Collins, on the Rialto corner – don’t know the name.
I have never tried St Ali and have a sparse knowledge of North of the CBD. I’ve not had great success in St Kilda, Elwood .. recommendations appreciated.
RMIT Milano Cafe!!!!!!!
Speakeasy Kitchen & Bar – 359 Chapel Street, South Yarra
http://www.speakeasybar.com.au
Best coffee with breakfast, brunch, lunch and post dinner – did we mention a mean espresso martini?!
Collectively the best baristas in town who know what to do with Dukes Coffee Beans and it shows!
Soy? Skinny? Decaf? However you have it – theres no bias here!
You wont be disappointed with the service and the taste!
Seeing Karen’s comments above reminds me of a mobile coffee van that used to stop outside the Banyule City Council offices in Rosanna where I used to work. The owner’s name was Ashley which is all I can remember but he made a damn good coffee (although not quite as good as my favourite cafe`s).
“Coffee Time” it’s a mobile coffee van!! The best Coffee in Melbourne also has yummy cakes. Comes to your work, with exceptional customer service, it is the highlight of my day and sometimes the only reason why I go to work :-)
league of honest coffee, exploration lane, cbd. Great guys, great coffee!! <3
Aannoying brother espresso!!! I just moved into the new apartments in fitzroy north called the Roi apartments and there is a new cafe that just opened called annoying brother…
Their coffee is first class and the baristas are extremely passionate! Their breaky is also yum!
They offer rotating single origins, pour overs and cold drip.
Proud Mary and balderdash are other faves of mine!
Oh, an addition to my Supreme coffee fave cafes….the new Espresso Alley in Separation St, Northcote. Owner ex Tre Bicchieri.
Bridget, La Paloma is wonderful although I will stick with my two original recommendations. Great coffee and they make a type of panino which is just to die for and is just so perfect for that lunchtime visit!
La Paloma 259 Albert Street, Brunswick. Best coffees in Melbourne.
Anywhere that serves Supreme Coffee like North in Rathdowne Street, Carlton North and CERES Cafe, East Brunswick.
Xocolatl Artisan chocolates & cafe
I don’t get in to the city that much, but in the eastern suburbs, Station Street Cafe in Nunawading has the best coffee I’ve tasted in Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne. I’m the type that tries everything and at the moment I’m drinking flat white, but their espressos (try the espresso martini!), piccolo lattes, lattes, long blacks and iced coffee are all stellar! Best vanilla slice around. Limited menu but everything they do is great.
I don’t work there, this isn’t an advertisement, I’m just a very loyal customer!
I’m a long black type and for me you can’t go past Foxy Brown in Northcote or Cavallini in North Fitzroy. Both are pretty handy to where I live so that is even better!! Julia, Leese and Patrick are utter whizzes at Foxy; sadly I don’t know the names of the good people at Cavallini but they are guns too.
Definately Parkers Cafe, Parkers Rd Pardale, expecially if Brett, Sarah or Nick make it.
SI James St Templestowe has killer traditional coffee. Seven Seeds in Carlton roast there own blends…now I need a coffee!
Seven Seeds in North Melbourne for sure with Auction Rooms and St Ali running a close 2nd x
Tweek Cafe, Bridge Rd, Richmond. Great brekkie too
Cones N Candy in Baccus Marsh has the best coffee around.
Cafe Vue Melbourne Airport has the best coffee in this city, using 5 senses coffee & Synesso machines – ask for Mary head barista!!
Dimitri’s Feast in Swan St, Ricmond does amazing coffe (and breakfast). My new fave.
Drugstore on toorak road – yummy and the waiter Will is a bonus :)
I can’t go past dukes coffee. I’ve been going since the day they opened.
No website, but you can have a look at their review to see what I mean.
http://www.melbournecoffeereview.com/2009/07/dukes-coffee-roasters.html
I’ll agree with @HTTPsters but I’d also add in Little Wish
http://www.beanhunter.com/cafes/review/little-wish
my place.. seriously i make the best lates ;)
replay cafe in docklands
Unexpected but the one barrister/baker does it all!
His coffees are suprisingly amazing
I give another vote for Fruits of Passion in Kensington. I go there at least 3 times a week and the breakfasts are amazing as well, lovely staff and a real feeling of community.
Di Bella in North Melbourne also gets a nod.
There’s a little unassuming Vietnamese place called 166 Espresso at 166 Lt Lonsdale St where barista Trung makes wonderful thick full-bodied coffees just as you order them. Not even that, he remembers your preferences at different times of day! Not a groovy hangout, but really appreciate the coffees.
You all crazy: Brother buddha budan coffee is the greatest in Melbourne CBD, hands down.
Dead Man Espresso has wheelchair access…
Orange Cafe on Chapel St,Prahran. Awful service though. The waiters look like they’d rather die than serve. Shame.
In the west the best coffee can be found at Alfa Bakehouse in Yarraville
In the south, a little place inside the South Melbourne Markets which sells coffee in bowls is fantastic. The name escapes me at the moment but the queue to order is always out the door, you cannot miss it.
GISBORNE CAFE
Werribee sewers farm of course
liar liar in hawthorn is the best ever
Best coffee is chatterbox cafe in werribee pop in check it out for yourself
The skinny latte at Globe Cafe on Chapel street is amazing! Easily the best latte in Melbourne in my opinion – It actually tastes creamy! And Market Lane in Prahran is pretty stellar.
…and lets not forget Proud Mary’s in Collingwood. Awesome clover!
Auction Rooms, Errol St Norrh Melbourne. THE BEST!!! Or Seven Seeds!!!
Matt @ limoncello in sandringham makes killer soy lattes
Cafe Faducci in box hill. Just Magnificent coffee…every time !!
Hi Paul,
I agree – but spelling tip – Tre Bicchieri (it translates from Italian to Three Glasses).
:)
Omar’s on gardenvale road in gardenvale. Great coffee and friendly service. Getting sick of rude coffee shops round Melbourne.
What about Mr Tulk at the state library??
Brother Baba Budan on little Bourke in the CBD delivers consistently A to A+ coffee, in my humble opinion.
Hi guys, just thought that I would give you a heads up to a great new cup of coffee in town.
The recently opened cafe/bar/dining room Wallis & Ed (loosely associated with the Windsor Hotel), positioned where the iconic Hard Rock cafe used to be – employs a talented barista by the name of Sinisa Misic. Fast making a name for himself in the coffee world, his coffee creations not only taste heavenly but each cup comes out with a different latte-art design!! Some will definitely blow you away!!
My suggestion is to pop over there and check it out, because Sinisa and Wallis & Ed are not to be missed by any coffee enthusiast.
Cheers :))
In response to anon, for $5 you could probably go down the street get a muffin and a hot choc for $5 which will not only have more milk but marshmallows as well. The ice cream would probably be what costs the $5.50
my short list has changed slightly and is as follows:
St Kilda: IL Fornaio
CBD: 65 Degrees
Moonee Ponds: Garden Tuscany
Brunswick: Miss Marmalade
these places not only serve exceptional coffees but do it with great style and humour.
I have to put in a good word for Joe and Hamish and team at Switchboard Manchester Unity Arcade, 220 Collins St
There’s heaps, including the hidden gem at Michelles Bakery in Braybrook’s Central Plaza – but my fave is the coffee at Tre Bichierri in Rathdowne St. Carlton- great if you’re headed onto the eastern freeway and need a nice brew- great food too.
In Melbourne, we make a good cup of coffee for granted, and I find it difficult to get a daily coffee fix in the best places for coffee around Melbourne. When you in an other Suburban area the first think you ask to your self is where I can find the best coffee / espresso here? And the easy think is ask to the community in the area on a news agent for example where can I find the best gourmet coffee place which is near by. The Best cafes / bars in Melbourne are usually packed for breakfast and Lunch, the CBD especially. So you jest go with flow sometimes and rely your self on following the local workers in the area to find your best coffee for the day.
The Cafe which I normally prefer for a great espresso is Caffe Moravia in Camberwell
Im amazed, Melbourne Coffee review is not exactly accurate if you are looking for the best coffee. Read the criteria, it is usually an equal mix of food and atmosphere and some others as well, coffee is not what tips the scales.
If you are looking for the best coffee, I would highly recommend Jasper’s cafes in Brunswick street and Pahran market. They have been around a long time and know their stuff, give you the coffee without the attitude.
Garden Tuscany (at 32 Young St Moonee Ponds) is a new cafe serving great coffee. It’s their own blend made from three different beans. The barista is charming and always friendly. It’s up there with the best in the area.
In response to anon, perhaps the extra money was for the ice, icecream, extra milk and extra coffee?????? mmmm do you think????
The coffee tasted fine, but i can’t really understand why i paid $5.50 for an iced coffee that was exactly the same size as a $3.00 standard coffee. As far as i could tell, it used the same volume of coffee and milk. Perhaps the extra $2.50 is due to skyrocketing price of straws these day’s . . .
I agree, fancy having the audacity to post his opinion.
Complete wanker if you ask me….
agreed – I’ve read his reviews on urban spoon, total amateur.
Nathaniel Stockley is a twat
I generally rely on the Melbourne Coffee Review when I am in town, they are the ones who pointed me to Di Bella. I wish Sydney had a mature a coffee culture as Melbourne. Even Perth has a better coffee culture!
I wonder…? I am thinking how many of these are Accessible and allow Wheelchair Access. “.. I FEEL .. it should be a part of an evaluation.”
the person who bad mouths bbb needs to relax!! Dont take life so seriously, im sure the people a bbb tried there hardest and will feel extremely bad that someone recieved a bad coffee.
Zougs Centre rd Bentleigh. Excellent coffee consistently made by the owner. Smooth, aromatic & always with great service.
My current Top 5 would be;
1. Wall Two 80 – 280 Carlisle Street, Balaclava
2. Seven Seeds – 114 Berkeley Street, Carlton
3. Auction Rooms – 103-107 Errol Street, North Melbourne
4. Di Bella Coffee Roasting Warehouse – 19-21 Leveson St, North Melbourne
5. Nabiha – 10 Hall St, Moonee Ponds
Cheers
Nathaniel Stockley
Chapel Bakery Cafe Hawthorn. Best Coffee and awesome service.
Switchboard Cafe in the Merchantile building foyer (cr swanston and collins!) – best soy and regular lattes ever! nothing has come close.
Seven Seeds. 114 Berkeley St, Carlton.
#1
I haven’t been in Melbourne too long,and as a poor student don’t tend to have the luxury of experimenting with coffee shops all that much, but I’ve notice going to any independent cafe around the city will give at leasst a half decent cup of coffee. So far a favourite is Cicolata on Lygon street, and one at the top of Abbotsford St. near Felmington Road – can’t remember its name!
Have you tried the coffee at that new place in St Kilda called Phamish Food & Wine Bar. Open 7am daily, coffee is great, they do amazing chai aswell if you have had to much caffeine. And the girls are always really friendly.
i definantly need to check out these cafes!Nebiha does continue to impress with coffee however i do believe Revitalise is bringing some competition in the moonee valley area.
I have to agree with anonymous on that revitalise cafe comment. I also made it my person mission to find the best coffee in Melbourne and I cannot find any better. Their coffee never fails to deliver and their home made biscuits are the best creation!
I have recently spent a week in melbourne and made it my personal mission to check out some of the frequently listed cafes on this website … and here is my verdict… my two favourite and without a doubt some of the best coffee I have ever had … Nabiha & Monk Bohdi Dharma – wow – I can’t stop thinking about these coffees! Proud Mary is also amazing – best syphon coffee i have ever had. I love melbourne, can’t wait to come back!
the only reason a sanremo coffee machine would have been used at the barista champs is because they would have sponsored it or something (ie offered the best incentive .. advertising man!!!) – not because its a good machine!!!
But I will try the coffee nonetheless!
Revitalise cafe on Napier st on strathmore has the best coffee I’ve ever had. Just installed a new sanremo coffee machine ( the same machine used in the barista championships). Coffee heaven!
Without a doubt ATOMICA…Brunswick Street Fitzroy….
and in the city Benito’s, Little Collins Street or Commercial Bakery, Little Collins Street.
Piccolo in High St Prahran is my favourite coffee spot – yum..
Going back through the history of Melbourne Coffee the stand out barista for me will always be Paul Taylor who started the Turtle Cafe in Elwood (now sadly faded with brushed metality etc along with much of good ol’ Elwood) with his partner Luanne.
Paul IS the one true maestro – the Alchemic Barista par excellence.
Stax cafe on Little Latrobe, near Melbourne artist’s suppliers in the city. And Sasa’s cafe on Riversdale Rd in Hawthorn. Seriously GOOD.
Babka on Brunswick St Fitzroy
Dibella Roasting Warehouse in Leveson St, North Melbourne. The Riverview Deli Cafe in Warrandyte also has good coffee, but make sure George makes it.
Mc cafe…..
Nebiha in moonee is the best coffee of all time go there!!! Hall St, moonee ponds :)
Another vote for nabiha mooneeponds- super consistent, strong, rich & a very lively blend for people like me who enjoy coffee without milk. Barista takes his time preparing each pour with care & precision. It really is great to watch him cautiously & fastiously apply his trade. I note he takes same approach to each coffee no matter how busy……..
I think brother baba budan may sometimes be a little to busy for it’s own good but I still like it.
I’ve been to nabiha in moonee ponds and was very impressed the coffee was great and it’s a cool fit out.
My favorite is proud mary in collingwood that place is soo good I love it!
Did you mean b.b.b?
I don’t agree with the comments about bbd.
I am yet to have a bad coffee there . They must have had a bad day.
I tried the Cup Of Truth I was impressed by them ( awsome location)
I’m a big fan of 7 seeds , proud mary , dead man espresso and switchbord.
But most of all the places that I am most excited about are the duchess of spotswood and nabiha
( I live in the north west) . Nabiha is my favorite coffee and fit out….. it’s the funkest place in Melbourne . Duchess’s food is unbeliveable !
I love living in Melbourne best coffee city in the world
Brother Baba Budan? Sad to say, it is highly over-rated and the standard has dropped since its 1st day of opening. Went there yesterday with my NZ friend who just arrived. Thought I’ll impress him with some good olde’ syrupy creme Melb has to offer, especially with its recent 3-cup ratings from Melbourne Coffee Review. Embarrassingly enough, the coffee was weak and watery. Thought I was drinking warm coffee milk instead.
As i sat where the bagels/muffins/friands table were, I got good view of how the coffee was made. And that was the moment where I saw it first-hand: the coffee trickling out of the Synesso machine was soo pathetic and little (perhaps just 1/2 cm from the base of the cup), before the barista topped up the remaining 5cm cup with froth milk.
Felt my tummy churned after drinking and knowing how those Budan Bros were soo stingy and pathetic with the amount of coffee used. Reckons it’s at the same level as piss-weak Nespresso.
Places i’ll recommend instead: 1) Dead Man Espresso@Sth Melb 2) Social Roasting Company@Mckillop Street.
There’s a new place in abbotsford called Hektor Woodleys. Its opposite Ikea. The coffee, menu & ambience is super cool. Love it & recommend you check it out!
Monk bohdi dharma is one serious place for coffee, they went into detail about every single coffee on the menu, maybe a bit too much but it shows great care for the product they serve which can only be good for us. it gets my vote. one drawback is that it is way too small.
Guys, you must must must try Cup of Truth. It’s just a little shop in the wall of Campbell Arcade (the one which connects Degraves to Flinders St. Station).
The baristas used work at Cafe Vue, and now they’re operating from a tiny shop (very Melbourne style) with a beloved Synesso. The coffee is to die for, the service is amazing and friendly, and it’s good every time; consistency is the key. I can’t get enough of their flat whites!
Guiseppe arnaldo is no longer the place it used to be & their coffee is and always was boring
Proud Mary always serves very lively coffee & trying all their different blends & single origins is like going on adventure on each sample
bbb is great & I reckon serve a better/ more consistent brew than seven seeds- maybe because their machine is always in action like a production line
dancing goat & 65 degrees & to a lesser extent caffenetics make sure that parts of the inner city is covered with quality brews
The buzz about nabiha is justified; it is certainly up there.
I could not relate to the buzz around mart 130′s coffee; cool place & great food but coffee is too weak & lacks any punch. Thumbs down for auction rooms too – for every good cup you’ll get 5 bad ones.
I reckon the top 3 are
Jungle Juice, super consistient coffee, I have been going there for 10 years and from memory have only had 1 bad one.
Journal, good coffee if JJ is packed.
Wall (in Elsternwick), again, it’s all about the consistiency. Super consistient.
working in the cbd it has to be cafenatics and pushka for me as they serve consistent coffee. not so keen on brother babba budan because its a huge wait however it is only my opinion.
i reckon sensory lab, st ali, seven seeds, dancing goat, auction rooms, monk bodhi dharma, dukes, wall
Strong, smooth & consistent brews by knowledgeable coffee people who happen to have very cool places too; in order of my taste bud preferences as of 31/01/2010:
proud Mary, brother bubba budan, seven seeds, St Ali, nabiha, guiseppe arnaldo, apte, the mailing room, Brunswick east project, Tre expresso.
best coffee used to be 7 grams. now the boys have opened a new cafe in the cbd. 65 degrees. 309 exhibition st. melbourne.
I stumbled across nabiha on saturday; what a find!
& I think you would either stumble across this place/ have to be told where to find it…..
I only discovered this place after mischievously trying to take short cut from undergropund carpark at shopping centre.
The double ristretto I had was smooth yet super rich (like all good coffee), but with a very different & suprising citrus-like twist that explodes onto the palate & then dissipates into a rich smoothness that lingers for a good while.
After finishing my grocery shopping & loading the car – I went back again just to make sure it was no fluke shot; & I am pleased to say that it was the same experience.
Finally awesome coffee in Moonee ponds! Ultra cool new cafe in hall St, called nabiha – Very smooth drinking coffee, I am so excited I have somewhere local to go & don’t have to drive to city anymore.
fully agree anon and gary – i have made it my life’s work when in melbourne to find a great coffee. melbourne-coffee-cafe-best are way overused in the same sentence together! i was soooo excited to waltz into melbourne a couple of years ago expecting to just get a soul-licking bean fix from anywhere but the reality has been watery, lacking brews from so many places from complacent baristas resting on melbournes perpetuated but mythical laurels…seems melbourne is just like any other city – you gotta hunt the gems out, and they can change! one bad coffee, one lost customer.
i am very glad to be able to declare that on this 5-day trip to melbourne, with my mind firmly on that mission-on-the-side i found my way quickly to some great bean juicers. my favourite is definitely 7 grams on Church St, Richmond. MART 130 is a close 2nd.
Lygon St? Rubbish. What, the italians aren’t making good espresso!? Chapel St? Rubbish. Brunetti? What a disappointment. 4 times on 4 days – I had so much faith, but sorry guys, I’ll stick to your tasty pastry treats from now on.
I so want Melbourne to bear the standard, but only a few champions out there seem to be holding up the reputation for the rest.
it has to be 7 grams hands down . Coffee is sublime and the service was great too .
I drive from Kew to Taylors Lakes every week day morning and The Dancing Goat Drive Thru is the shining star in my long, long journey. Their coffee and service is stunning!
ah ha, finally someone who speaks my language. It’s been quite interesting trying different cafes around Melbourne for good espresso. A lot of them are watery and weak, I think they only use 1 shot for a flat whte. It should in fact be 2 shots and if the milk has been stretched correctly and the coffee is syrupy then you end up having a strong and creamy coffee, yummmmyyy
5 to 10 years ago you couldnt find a bad coffee in melbourne. Now you have to have a couple of bad coffees to get to the good one. where have all the Baristas gone? Now its just all the waitstaff that share the coffee making duties. Baristas are becoming dinosaurs, and soon the only reason we’ll be calling Melbourne the coffee capital is just because there is a lot of it around. Not because it’s necessarily good
Best coffee in Melbourne is at Cicalata – Lygon St Carlton. They use Atomica and every coffee is smooth, creamy and rich in texture. I stop there every morning on my way into to the City.
One morning I drove through Bell St and stopped at the Dancing Goat as I had heard some great reviews, but it did not live up to my expectations. It was the actual coffee which was a disappointment, it just had no flavour, tasted just like warm milk… I later found out it was Veneziano, not one of my favourites.
The best espresso’s in Melbourne are (in no particular order)
First Pour Cafe @ Veneziano – Bond St, Richmond (great beans too, the bella vita is sublime)
7 Gram – Church St, Richmond
Cafe Romeo – Doncaster Rd (Greythorn Village), North Balwyn
Dancing Goat – King St, Melbourne
St Ali – Yarra Place, South Melbourne (they have a new Slayer machine that is very interesting)
Liar Liar – Kinkora Rd, Hawthorn
Seven Seeds – Berkley St, North Melbourne
Brother Baba Boudon – Little Bourke St, Melbourne
I’ve had plenty of coffees around melbourne and these are a cut above the rest. Their espresso is rich, syrupy and strong. Some of them have “coffee of the day” for different beans. Staff are usually great too.
Mario’s on Glenferrie Road.
Auction Rooms in North Melbourne. Funky experimental scientific looking coffee…
Rays, A Minor Place, St Ali, Brunswick East Project, 7 Grams, Birdman Eating, Cavallero, Brother Baba Budan and Jungle Juice are a few uber cool spots which serve great coffee. Veneziano Caffe is also a cool little spot.
It’s easily Bite Cafe in the Galleria. The owner is a sweetheart – I’ve been going there for a year and they have never once gotten it wrong – I love it there.
Been making my own coffee at home on my new Rancillio espresso machine. Beats any cafe, as i can make it just the way i like. For freshly roasted beans i love the Java Express blend from the Coffee Company in Carlisle St. Cafe at the back of the shop there also makes great coffees.
Our family has coffee each Saturday morning at Keffi on the corner of Oak st and Centre Rd, Bentleigh. The coffee is excellent and the host, Georgie, is an absolute delight.
Las Chicas in Balaclava, also always AWESOME breakfast!!!! Never had coffee at Journal but their Chai Lattes’s SUCK they know nothing about Tea (oh, my Husband works in the Tea industry…..).
Brother Baba Budan hands down – http://brotherbababudan.com.au/ Little Bourke, between Elizabeth & Queen.
You can tell by the long lines of kiwis in the afternoon and the ever present bicycle couriers.
This is easy. Anything 8 or more is great.
Liaison – 22 Wridgeway Place CBD – 8/10
Liar Liar – Kinkora Rd Hawthorn – 8 – sometimes even 8.5/10
Journal – 253 Flinders Lane – 8/10
Anywhere else is less than an 8. Full stop.
If you haven’t had coffee here you’re using a lower benchmark.
The bratwurst shop in the Queen Vic Markets are good as are the coffees from the shop next to the Borek shop.
Otherwise it is hard to go past St Ali and Brother Baba Budan.
Brunetti – always fab at either location (City Square or Carlton)
http://www.brunetti.com.au/
Federal Coffee Palace at the GPO – I usually have 2
Embankment – my 9-5 place (Docklands, Bourke St, opposite the NAB)
And as mentioned above, Cafenatics (they have a few locations as well). Great staff, excellent coffee.
Padre (also known as the Brunswick East Project) on Lygon St in Brunswick East.
Better coffee than A Minor Place which is around the corner, but none of the annoying hipster attitude.
i love making my own coffee at home on my rancillio espresso machine. i buy fresh beans at the coffee company in balaclava and reckon it beats what you can buy at any cafe. give it a try yourself, its great fun too.
Has to be a Minor Place on Albion St in Brunswick… although good luck getting a table on a Saturday, and speed of service is not exactly a strong point either… but coffee/breakfast worth it!
Cafe Albert, Albert street. Serves up a great coffee.
Jungle Juice on Centreway Place. I don’t know much about coffee, but I know what I like. No need to go inside to order and great people watching while you wait.
MART130 in Middle Park. Consistently good Soy Latte’s made with Genevese coffee. It’s opposite the Gunn Island Hotel on Canterbury Road (at the Tram Stop #130).
Degraves Espresso on Degraves street in the CBD.
Everywhere I go, I have had at least one burnt coffee. Not so far at Degraves.
Sorry the coffee magazine I was talking about is this
http://www.beanscenemagazine.com.au/
Fruits of Passion in Kensington – they’re open mega early and the staff are as awesome as the coffee! :)
Pera on Church St, Brighton. Amazing coffee, and they do brilliant bagels and are open ’til the early morning.
For coffee in the CBD, I never drink anywhere other than Journal on Flinders Lane. Brilliant atmosphere.
Auction rooms in North melbourne is making some amazing brews there, St. Ali’s South Mel is hot and agree on Cafenatics. I shoot for a coffee magazine called beanscene and have travelled around melbourne to lots of the best cafe’s! Check out the mag if you love coffee!
http://www.beanscene.com.au
http://www.kgphotography.com.au
Cookie on Swanston Street, on the same building as The Toff and the Rooftop bar/cinema. The always serve damn strong (pure and unadulterated!) long blacks. A heap of my mates swear by their cappuccinos.
The Octane Kitchen on Racecourse Rd; its called that for a reason. Fandango in Nth Melb made coffee so good it made me cry a little each time, but I haven’t been there since it was overrun by hipsters
For traditional, strong, Italian coffee, you can’t go past Pellegrini’s on Bourke St.
While you’re at it, have the flourless orange cake.
In Summer, if you don’t want a caffeine hit, try the granitas.
Watermelon and lemon flavoured heaven, but watch out for pips – this is real homemade.
Nope. It’s close-ish to Burger Monster on the opposite side. Not sure of it’s name, but it has Baguettes in a large handwritten front above the shopfront, hard to miss.
Cafenatics .. in a laneway off the westend of Collins St.. sorry dont know the laneway name .. Coffee made with love. It was recommended by the guy that came 2nd in the world barista championship and it has disapointed anyone i’ve taken there..
I think Ray’s in Victoria Street is hard to beat. On Par would be Tre Buccieri.
Orange. I have to drink two in a row when I go there. So good.
Evan – Are you talking about Gill’s Diner?
The baguette shop on the corner of Little Collins St and Equitable Place, almost smack-bang in the middle of the CBD. Seems like an unusual place to find good coffee, but it really is epic (hot chocolates are brilliant too). The service is so friendly and cheerful and they always remember my order!
I’m seriously digging Cherry Bean & Cocoa on Glen Huntly road in Elsternwick. For starters, they conviently provide a walk-up window on the street, so you don’t have to dick around inside. Second, it’s Jasper Coffee, which is always ten sorts of delicious, and thirdly.. well, screw it. I just like it.
Olmec’s on Bridge Road, Richmond, I believe to be the best coffee in Melbourne. It’s just right.