To list only 20 best spots to discover Melbourne brunch is by no means easy as there are thousands of cafes in Melbourne, with new coffee and brunch spots popping up all the time.
Melbourne is largely known for its food and coffee lifestyle and here are only some of the stand out coffee, brunch and bottomless brunch options in the city.
Melbourne Brunch CBD
Asking for the best brunch in Melbourne CBD is like asking someone to choose the best coffee shop or cuisine…there are far too many to choose from!
Here are some of the best options for brunch Melbourne CBD has to offer.
Degraves Espresso
Degraves is the quintessential “Melbourne cafe,” with its laneway location, old-world charm, and dependable coffee. After struggling during Melbourne’s COVID lockdowns, Degraves is once again serving its traditional brunch, tapas, and coffee to both tourists and early risers. Grab a table on the sidewalk and take in the bustling activity in this entertaining heart of Melbourne.
Mr Tulk Café
Mr. Tulk is a dependable Melbourne brunch and coffee spot, named after Augustus Henry Tulk, the very first librarian of the State Library.
The spacious area portrays the reading room idea and was formerly the State Library’s locker room. Laptops and study are welcome at the communal table and high ceilings and arched windows give the interior a vintage vibe, while the wooden benches outside allow for casual dining. The design is modest yet friendly, the perfect meeting place, or quiet reading with a good coffee.
With a breakfast and lunch menu covering all bases from eggs to burgers, Mr Tulk is a must visit for brunch or coffee.
Avanti GoCup Double Wall Insulated Cup
Melbourne Brunch Fitzroy
Industry Beans Fitzroy
Industry Beans Fitzroy is a light warehouse which includes a cafe, retail store and coffee roasters, with views through glass windows of the roasting process.
The coffee menu focuses on single coffee bean origins and the master food menu has been built by a team that has spent the better part of a decade creating the all-day food menu.
Try the pandan bubble waffles with blueberry gelato and sesame brittle, poached eggs with wild mushrooms over fried potatoes, or the bubble tea which includes tapioca pearls that have been dipped in coffee and cold brew.
Mario’s
Mario’s has been a Brunswick Street staple since it first opened in the middle of the 1980s. Although the restaurant looks wonderfully retro, the menu has gradually modified over time to reflect Melbourne’s shifting dining preferences. Mario’s continue to provide delicious, traditional pasta dishes along with smaller snacks, which are best eaten by the window while watching Fitzroy pass by. The delicious Italian food and warm service at Mario’s make Mario’s a true Melbourne experience.
Archie’s All Day
Archie’s is a refreshing difference from those restaurants that serve ‘nothing but breakfast’.
Tucked away among the various array of bars and diners on Fitzroy’s lively Gertrude Street, this is a cosy place to pass some time and take in people watching thanks to the whitewashed walls and whimsical murals.
The menu is clearly divided into breakfast and lunch, but you can still order afternoon eggs or an early burger without a fuss. Consider trying the Huevos Sucios (dirty eggs), ‘Juicy Lucy’ Wagyu burger, and the crispy Colombian arepas.
Home Made: Cooking at home with Melbourne’s best chefs, cooks and restaurants
Dench Café
Dench, a family-run institution in Fitzroy North, has been luring Melbournian’s in with its all-natural artisan bread for more than 15 years. To meet demand, Dench has also constructed a bakehouse in Abbotsford.
The Fitzroy North bakery is well known for its delicious pastries including croissants, escargot and puffy Italian bomboloni as well as its freshly baked cakes. However, the breads are what will make you want to return repeatedly. You’ll discover a variety of organic sourdoughs here, including a grain loaf, white, seeded, olive and rosemary, and light rye. Baguettes, raisin loaf, brioche, and ciabatta are also available- ideal for brunch on the run or a longer sit inside with a coffee.
Melbourne Brunch Collingwood
Proud Mary
After selling Liar Liar in the beginning of 2009, Nolan Hirte, continuing his passion for specialty coffee, launched Proud Mary on the Collingwood side streets.
The tiny kitchen and a lengthy brew bar are both enclosed by a long, speckled stone counter where plenty of friendly baristas can operate without being interrupted in this busy cafe.
The menu here consists of eggs your way, sandwiches, rolls and salads. Ensure to try the potato hash!
Melbourne Brunch Chapel Street Precinct
Abacus
South Yarra’s Abacus is best characterised as open, fresh and clean. Hanging brilliant green ferns and palms give the room’s spacious minimalist decor life, and a sense of outside/indoors.
The all-day cuisine on offer was inspired by the wood fire oven, which is the true draw here. Food is prepared with a dash of contemporary continental flavour and fresh, in-season ingredients.
The extensive brunch menu includes everything from buttermilk pancakes to fresh rigatoni.
Journeyman
Journeyman, located on the Windsor side of Chapel Street, has established itself as a popular destination for many affluent locals. The company, which has been run by the owner Peter Frangoulis since 2008 under the name Dukes Coffee Roasters, changed its name to Journeyman in 2014 to better distinguish between its cafe and roastery operations (the roastery has since been relocated offsite).
Weekends are busy, but it’s well worth it once you score a seat.
Try the baked eggs or the almond and cornflake crispy chicken burger to accompany your specialty coffee.
Best Bottomless Brunch Melbourne
Bottomless brunch has become increasingly popular over the years. Here are the some of the best bottomless brunch Melbourne has to offer.
Lulu White South Yarra
With its dusky-pink interior and lush palm-tree landscape, Lulu White South Yarra gives Melbourne a taste of tropical LA. Settle in for a languid breakfast, a long lunch, or Lulu’s bottomless brunch, which mixes mimosas, espresso martinis and bloody marys seven days a week, giving you ample fuel for savoury pancakes, a serve of Melbourne’s beloved smashed avo, crispy fish tacos and, of course, eggs any way you like.
Weekdays are quieter than weekends, and are perfect for coffee meet ups or brunch and lunch dates. There is also seating with umbrellas outside for the sunnier days.
Arcadia Fitzroy
Arcadia is said to have been the longest open café on Gertrude Street. The high-quality food and drinks are locally and sustainably sourced, from places such as Fitzroy’s own Industry Beans, Hey Tomorrow wines, and Hawkers brews.
Arcadia provide a wide selection of coffee lovers’ milks, as well as vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free alternatives. Rest assured that they also serve fantastic burgers, large breakfasts, and even beef pappardelle.
Arcadia is open every day for breakfast, bottomless brunch and drinks, including wines, and tap beers.
Melbourne Brunch South Melbourne
St ALi
When it comes to the best coffee in Melbourne, ST. ALi were one of the originals to provide specialty coffee. They established the term in Melbourne and are still pushing the envelope today.
Since its beginnings, ST. ALi has been a leader in direct partnerships with farmers, in-house roasting, skilled coffee brewing, and a best-in-category food offering. The cafe is located down a back alley you have to know where to walk to get to.
The brunch menu includes the best foods to pair with your coffee, with baguettes, fruit toast, eggs and a lot more.
Melbourne Brunch North Melbourne
Code Black
The coffee mixes at Code Black‘s North Melbourne location, located roughly halfway between Seven Seeds and Auction Rooms, often change while filter and single origins are roasted on a small, in-house machine.
The food that executive chef Steve Rangiwahia created is sure to please. One of the restaurant’s famous breakfast dishes is applewood-smoked salmon back with potato rosti and horseradish hollandaise. Try the “T-rone” steak sandwich, named after the Melbourne street artist or the turmeric poached chicken salad, which is a good option if you want something a little lighter.
Twenty & Six
Twenty & Six Espresso, is a quaint North Melbourne cafe hidden inside Queensberry Street. The café’s interior is bright and airy and has sand-colored wood furnishings. However, upon closer investigation, a few odd details catch the eye: milk crates are strung from the ceiling like makeshift shelves, and uncovered globes hang from wires that squirm away from the wall.
Seasonal fruits, vegetables, and herbs cultivated in the courtyard garden of Twenty & Six are used to create artistic dishes, served with Seven Seeds coffee. Try something savoury, like a crispy pork sandwich with garlic aioli, green apple jam chutney, and mixed lettuce, or something sweet, like pecan and almond granola with toasted pepitas, seasonal fruits, and earl grey-infused yoghurt.
Melbourne Brunch Northcote
Barry
Passers-by may be heading to Terra Madre, the organic food store along the same stretch of High Street, or the Palace Westgarth Cinema when they see Barry‘s light-filled interior and crisp white walls.
The menu is healthy yet tasty because the restaurant is aware of the preference in the area for nutritious dishes. Granola with poached fruit and Thai coconut sago pudding with mango, lime syrup, and strawberries are two options for gluten-free breakfasts. While the tall Wagyu beef burger and Korean chicken kimchi sub are nothing to sneeze at, the salads will delight both meat eaters and vegetarians.
Coffee at Barry is brewed by 5 Senses using an elegant, specially made Synesso, a pour over, or an Aeropress.
Poke The Bear
While holidaying in Bali, it is said that Ryan Cassidy created the first menu for his Northcote cafe, Poke the Bear.
The weathered plantation shades and substantial rattan light fixtures give the area a Bali vacation feel and a Radio Mexico fit-out vibe.
With different ‘bear’ type names, breakfast and lunch are served all day at Poke The Bear. Try the Grizzly Bowl (Acai bowl with extras) or the Paddington: BLT with avo on a turkish roll.
Little Henri
Little Henri Café on High Street pays homage to local history by honouring Sir Stafford Henry Northcote and his contributions to Melbourne’s development and culture, attracting a devoted following of customers to this hip dining establishment in Northcote.
The stylish interior has rich textures, natural lighting, and a variety of earthy furnishings. Before browsing a range of gourmet brunches like smashed avocado with thyme-buttered mushrooms and feta, take a time to relax and recharge with an All Press Coffee.
Melbourne Brunch Clifton Hill
Two Bob
There are many excellent cafes to pick from on Queens Parade, and Two Bob, which launched in 2011, does not dissapoint. The service is polite and the décor is light and airy. The three long wooden tables outdoors are great for people-watching.
The gluten-free kale, mushrooms, and poached eggs tick all boxes and the potato and pumpkin rosti is also delicious.
Melbourne Brunch Richmond
Top Paddock
Top Paddock is a lively restaurant which has made a name for itself on Church Street in Richmond. This world-class cafe offers a different experience on all levels and is surrounded by lush vegetation, rich wood, intricate glass work, and unusual wall panelling. Enjoy a delectable seasonal meal that emphasises fresh products in a lively yet laid-back setting.
The all day menu includes many dishes from hotcakes, signature eggs and salads to beef brisket and lamb shoulder rolls.
Bendigo Street Milk Bar
Richmond’s Bendigo Street Milk Bar may not be as flashy as some other Melbourne brunch hotspots, but it makes up for it with excellent coffee, filling breakfasts, delectable sandwiches, and a great specials menu.
This café, wonderfully not only serves food and coffee but also a variety of mixed goodies like artisan bread, Persian fairy floss, Royal Nut Company nuts, and of course the standard milk bar staples. Its decor is reminiscent of the small shops you might stop into on your way through a country town.
Conclusion
There are hundreds of brunch spots in Melbourne, and these are only a selection of the top brunch places to discover in Melbourne CDB and inner suburbs.
Happy brunching. I’d love to hear if you have any to add to this list!
