The World Loves Melbourne Blog

Plantation provides a serious coffee destination in one of Australia's iconic shopping centres. To have the St Ali connection and such great quality in Melbourne Central is huge. In fact speaking with the baristas here they are very much part of the St Ali team.

Having wanted coffee in Melbourne Central and not fancying the food court it seemed Plantation is the answer. Coffee specialists. It's a stylish cafe with attractive intimate booths and a larger seating area outside.

Enjoy the red and cream tiled floor, booths with fabulous flower arrangements, and the palms adorning the stylish display areas.

South of Johnston, the dream of Fitzroy resident Stuart McKenzie, is a cool if not chic cafe in Collingwood that beckons you to visit. With great cuisine, excellent service and a hot fit out (in an old valve repackaging warehouse), South of Johnston is a standout cafe in a highly competitive precinct. 

The name is interesting. South of Johnston is a clever variation to the famous SOHO area of New York (South of Houston). Of course it's south of Johnston St and just off the main strip of Smith St. SOHO in New York is a place of artists lofts and galleries. And South of Johnston cetainly has that eclectic feel.

Little Mule is one of Melbourne's gem cafes. Slightly hidden away this is a cafe you'll want to come back to. Located in Somerset Lane you could say Little Mule is part of the coffee triangle with amazing cafes nearby... This one is unique and up there with the best of them...

I love the diversity of Melbourne cafes. Little Mule has a great combination of cycling and cafe. I met my cycling friend there for breakfast and the conversation turned to making bicycles. He pointed his finger at the fine bikes hanging on the walls and gave me a lesson in bike frames, while acknowledging these are high quality bikes. In fact the bikes here are custom made.

The cycling is as serious as the coffee. The founders and co-founders are bike enthusiasts.  These bikes aren't just for decoration but the real thing.  They are fair dinkum, custom made and for sale. Not just for vibe but for the road! Lifted the tag on one and it was $1300 - so more for the serious rider than mon ami.

Porgie and Mr Jones is a popular cafe in Hawthorn that has broad appeal. From the same stable as Friends of Mine, Snow Pony and others, it is a welcoming haven for foodies. A wait of 5 minutes was acceptable for a late Saturday morning. What I enjoyed was they called me by name when our table was ready.

The fit out is attractive with large dining areas, distressed dark timber tables, palms against exposed brick, old bookcase and retro lighting. And the retro ceiling fans are very cool. I enjoyed nice little touches like cactus on the tables and the eclectic artwork on the walls. Outdoors there is a funky courtyard area.

We visited during the brunch v lunch twilight zone. It was tempting to order the Parma or Steak Sandwich but we went for brunch options.

Atomica Caffe is a cool cafe on Brunswick Street that has delivered on ambience, imaginative food and killer coffee since 1996. Atomica is an interesting place with alternative art on the wall, exposed brick, a black and white tiled floor and often an eclectic crowd sitting around tables or perched at the window overlooking Brunswick Street.

Atomica is known for its great coffee. They started roasting coffee years ago and have remained a coffee giant on Brunswick Street. Atomica supplies several caqfes across Melbourne with their excellent coffee. Try a single origin Cuba or a cold drip. The coffee is great but I'd argue Atomica is more than just a great coffee haven.

Little King Cafe is a delighful find just off Flinders Lane near St Paul's Cathedral. I found it hard to walk by. There is something that seems to draw you in.

This is not a king of pomp and ceremony but of accessability and warm embrace. Enter the sliding door and find yourself in a world of quirky collectibles including a magpie, old chrystal decanters, porcelain animals, dainty vases and cool green tiles. (And I noticed the green theme ran through the cute chairs with the small timber tables).

Staff here are engaging and exude joy. The coffee is excellent and comes in old school mugs. Unless you take away of course.

Little Creatures Dining Hall is a pumping party in a large hall on Brunswick Street. It's usually full and has one of the best vibes in Melbourne. Come here for the ambience and designer beers, with excellent food. The ambience and the beers trump the food so those that come for a fine dining experience don't always get what this place is about.

Little Creatures is loud, colourful, fun and vibrant. All full when I arrived on a Saturday afternoon. Having been here 6 months earlier it seemed it has become even more popular. 

The hall is super large and features intimate booths, a white picket fence at the top of the room above, cool lighting, red coloured pipes along the wall, some lounges and casual chairs, various dining sections and a sea of people and noise. In the background cool tracks are being played adding to the vibe.

The Bell Jar is named after a famous novel about a disturbed character...

But there’s nothing disturbed about this haven at the end of Smith Street. The Bell Jar is a little off the beaten track and is a local favourite.

Seven Seeds is such a great coffee house and has such an impact on the Melbourne coffee scene. These guys are culture changers. Amazing to be walking down Berkeley St and suddenly hit this coffee haven. Seems oddly out of place in this neighbourhood. Or is it? With students and hipsters coming from near and far.

Serious coffee devotion here. Mark Dundan has shaped and formed a culture of all things coffee. In fact Seven Seeds has a huge impact on the Melbourne coffee scene. Seven Seeds is not just a café, it’s a hub. An icon in fact. If you ask people of Melbourne to list the top coffee establishments, it often comes back to Seven Seeds. If you mention coffee, the usual question is, “Well, have you been to Seven Seeds?”

Proud Mary has been crowned Best Cafe in The Age Good Cafe Guide awards. Nestled in a warehouse like premises in Collingwood, Proud Mary with its uber fit out, is the coffee summit. Inspired by owner Nolan Hirte, it exudes rarefied air of coffee excellence. Hirte's stamp of excellence is on every aspect in terms of ambience, passion, coffee sophistication and the notable cuisine. Proud Mary is a benchmark for roasters and coffee lovers in Melbourne and along with its sophistication has the charm of a river boat queen.

We had an amazing private session with the owner Nolan Hirte - an unforgettable Melbourne moment. We were visiting the cafe as part of our work custom to visit a different cafe each Friday - known by us IT guys as eFriday (experimentation Friday). Nolan overflows with coffee passion (a good match with the Creedence song) and none of the flame has died from his many years in the industry. Proud Mary keeps on burning.

Just listening to Nolan speak about his trips to source the world's best coffee and his belief that great coffee can bring change, is contagious and inspirational. When he speaks about his recent trip to South America there's an excitement.

Degraves Espresso is an iconic cafe in an iconic precinct on Degraves Street. It's a cafe many Melburnians know and have been to and enjoy. This cafe is in the heart of Degraves and is a place to be seen with an air of chic and coolness. Joining the long line to get a coffee on the weekend was an experience. Such an eclectic line of bohemians. Coming here is an occasion. 

The coffee matches the ambience and is seriously good. The barista is also quick and served a long line of people in no time without sacrifice to the coffee.

Come here for great breakfasts including eggs benedict, fruit toast, French Toast, bacon and eggs or the Big breakfast. Later in the day they serve tapas.

The staff are funky and engaging.

Who would have thought such an amazing cafe would be part of the library? But this is cultural Melbourne. Named after an ex-librarian - Mr Tulk would have been proud that such a hip café could be named after a librarian! Love the decor and the high ceilings! This is a great use of space. To be honest it's great to dine in a spacious cafe…

Great coffee here, nice and creamy... Had an outstanding lunch here with my wife and daughter. People rave about the flatbreads here and righly so.  But the main meals are sensational. The duck salad was exceptional, being generous pieces of warm duck, along with smaller pieces of crispy duck for crunch. This on top of rocket lettuce with walnuts and pink grapefruit! And a quality dressing… It was magnificent. The crab salad on the table next to me also looked amazing! Having said all that, I love the meatball flatbread – takes the balls out of meatballs and flattens them into just meat…

Extremely popular hipster joint which makes highest standard coffee. Soul brother café to Seven Seeds and de Clieu. For those that know their coffee history, it was infamous revolutionary Brother Baba who in the 17th C smuggled seven seeds of coffee out of Yemen and into India where the plants thrived. This started a global coffee revolution which has culminated in the sensational coffee scene we see here in Melbourne. BBB is passionate about coffee and in particular specialty coffee.

Look inside the window from Little Bourke and invariably see wall to wall people, some at the communal table reading but many lined up for some of the best coffee in town. Single origins, filters and awesome blends. It always looks like a cool party. Took my friend from Dubai here and he had to concede that Melbourne has such an awesome coffee culture.

A talking piece is always the curious montage of chairs hanging from the ceiling (spectacular but really hard to photograph). I asked a barista if it was ok to photograph and he said a lot of people photograph the ceiling chairs – so I felt better. Limited room in here for many to enjoy a sit down experience – there are a few tables with stools. Most people gravitate to the communal table by the window or indeed the communal table behind the baristas with a selection of cakes and biscuits above.

Liaison Cafe is a great find in a laneway off Little Collins with its own unique ambience and excellent coffee and food. It reminds me of the set from Cheers. Coming here is engaging. You can perch yourself on a stool around the bar and converse with the larger than life barista Danny Colls while he pours you a great coffee. 

And strong coffee it is.

The fit out in the bottom floor of Monaco House is appealing with jet blue wall, attractive artwork, stools around the bar, spotlights, massive mirror, a polished floor, and a large communal table at the back with superb flower arrangement.

Manchester Press is a spacious funky cafe that you'll want to come back to. This deserves to be a global sensation like Manchester United.

Badger v's Hawk is a cool cafe on La Trobe and a great find for those who frequent the precinct. It shines with great coffee, personalised service, cool fit out, and a killer back courtyard section. I noticed they use Proud Mary coffee and they acknowledge Proud Mary is on fire at the moment. 

First I'm impressed by the signage and large windows facing La Trobe. Enter into a coffee haven with light streaming through the windows. An iconic barista by the name of Cosmo Hawke will engage you and pour you a spectacular coffee using a La Marzacco. Go a cold drip or a pour over or a great espresso.

My latte was impressive and full of intense flavour. I walked away with the characteristics still resonating within. The conversation with Cosmo was also resonating and he is a great man to have a chat with. The other half of Badger v's Hawk is Lucien Kolff. Both guys have been major players in the Melbourne coffee world in recent years.

Cafe E Torta is a smart cafe on Little Collins Street with a faithful following of regulars due to its ambience, great cuisine and service. Come here for a European experience. Sit down and seconds later a warm friendly waiter attends to your order. The ambience is awesome in the arcade or come inside where art and posters adorn the walls in a tribute to Europe.

Breakfast options can be elaborate or there's some great simple options such as eggs and toast or a fine toasted sandwich.

The coffee here is excellent and many an office worker enjoys the coffee of Cafe E Torta while pouring over the morning paper.

Chez Dre exudes a chic part industrial vibe with oodles of character and outstanding food and coffee to match. It’s again that nondescript entrance (off the laneway) that is so Melbourne. In a cool location opposite the South Melbourne Markets this French influenced beauty is currently talk of the town.

Chez Dre is unpretentious letting the fresh produce and amazing pastries do the talking. Having ventured there for breakfast on another eFriday (experimentation Friday with my work colleagues to visit a different café each Friday) I was struck by the red concrete floor, the open kitchen with chefs in their white finery, the breathtaking counter with macaroons and pastries, large gourmet baguettes, and the lounges and retro tables.

Chez Dre shows what you can do with a warehouse in a great location and a passion to bring a great culinary experience. You can tell this place has an inspiring vision as the marks of excellence are everywhere. It’s a great patisserie but more than a patisserie. With several pastry chefs, the patisserie products are out of this world. Yet the coffee is also great and worth talking about. My work colleague remarked this is the best coffee he’s had in Melbourne. Then others rave about the baguettes in terms of freshness, quality of bread and gourmet fillings. With the market across the road, there is an awesome accessibility to fresh and seasonal ingredients.

One of the best coffee houses in Melbourne with a strong following.  This is the crew from East Brunswick Project and Padre Coffee. They've really outdone themselves with this latest addition to the Padre family.

After 8am this place seriously hums. I should know - I've been coming here for months! Serious coffee devotees come here for their next fix! As a regular I am yet to receive a poor offering (or dishonest coffee) and always leave this place on a coffee high!

The League of Honest Coffee present great Pour Over and Cold Drip Options. I'm prone to a creamy latte which is a bit old school but these guys do it so well! Love the bowls of coffee! In life I reflect that sometimes bowls of latte lose their punch in the compromise of too much milk!  But this is amazing. Here is an important point -The League of Honest Coffee use decent milk in their coffee unlike a lot of cafes. (My barista training taught me that milk quality is a major factor in a great coffee).

Fitzroy has just got a high class coffee addition to the area, called 30 Kerr 65. Coffee powerhouse Dimattina’s has opened a sublime coffee outlet at 30 Kerr Street Fitzroy (either approach from Nicholson Street or walk across from Brunswick Street). The outlet is only in its second week and already popular among locals. The name 30 Kerr 65 is a play on the address 30 and the number 65 being the end part of the Fitzroy postcode - and of course 65 is a significant number in coffee temperature.

Fitzroy is known for excellent cafes and restaurants but locals have bemoaned a lack of top class coffee establishments.

Winners of the gold medal at The Golden Bean award for 2011/12, Dimattina’s have developed the frontage of their Kerr St Warehouse. Speaking with John Dimattina, there is a proud tradition at Dimattina and this latest development adds to their highly successful retail outlet at 173 Clarendon Street in South Melbourne and the one in Reservoir.