Days start best with coffee, and Melbourne is the place to be for coffee lovers. Melbourne is that kind of town where you go to bed and start dreaming of tomorrow’s morning coffee and breakfast spots. Read Speciality Coffee. Travel and See What The Fuss is All About. Vegetarianism is common in Melbourne, it is easy to live green. I have selected the best vegetarian-friendly spots in Elwood, Fitzroy, Williamstown, South Melbourne, Prahran, South Yarra, Abbotsford and Albert Park. Breakfast creates a state of euphoria for most Melburnians, it is so popular to go out for breakfast, and one often has to queue on every given day during the week to get a table. Booking on weekends is obligatory unless you would like to wait, hungry and craving your first coffee, in a rather long line. Sometimes one can't book and they make you wait in line, it is all part of the Melbourne experience.
I have chosen places where you can also meet with all your carnivore friends. Remember, we are all in this world together, no matter what we eat. I mainly focused on where to get the best Avocado Smash since this is one dish everybody needs to try at least once when in Melbourne. It is a massive hit. Financial advisers have been saying for years that kids should stop having these since they otherwise will never get a foot into the property market. Chefs create ever-fresh versions of it. My choices of cafés are in no particular order, I love all of them, whereas the first café truly deserves to be ranked as the number one spot on the list.
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Sir Charles in Fitzroy
The café in a former bagel bakery and café is an open, high-ceilinged all white and welcoming space. The roast-beetroot-smash with chickpeas, goat’s cheese, and poached eggs with sweet and salty walnuts on multigrain bread was so delicious that I simply had to order a Matcha cupcake for dessert for more taste-bangs (it is a thing, breakfast dessert, right?). The café is named after Sir Charles Augustus FitzRoy who founded Fitzroy. Beans they use are roasted by AU 79 from the Melbourne borough of Abbotsford.
Sir Charles. 121 Johnston Street, Fitzroy, VIC. This place is so popular and in a prime location, I can imagine it to be best to book in advance to avoid disappointment. Visit the website Sir Charles for more information. Expect to pay AUD 25 per person for breakfast and coffee.
The Greenery in Williamstown
At this place you can combine your love of coffee with your love for shopping for homewares, stationery, clothing and handbags. The cafe and store are both beautifully decorated, and you need to have at least one look at the bathroom. Food is freshly made, without the use of preservatives or chemicals. I recommend the blueberry, banana and coconut smoothie bowl with chia, granola, yogurt, fresh berries and toasted coconut. Coffee is made with products from coffee roasters Industry Beans, who are based in the Melbourne borough of Fitzroy.
The Greenery. 28a-30 Ferguson Street, Williamstown, VIC. Visit the website The Greenery for more information, Expect to pay AUD 20 per person for breakfast and coffee.
Chez Dré in South Melbourne
Walk down an alley not far from the South Melbourne market to find this warehouse converted café and bakery. Pastry chef Andrea Reiss worked at the different places in Europe before she opened this French-inspired pastry heaven in South Melbourne. Decorated in industrial chic, it is obviously beautiful to sit inside if there wouldn't be this sunny and inviting courtyard. I recommend the omelette with sundried tomato and chargrilled asparagus as well as the French Toast made from brioche topped with cinnamon and mascarpone.
Chez Dré. Rear of 285-287 Coventry Street. South Melbourne 3205. Please do yourself the favour of booking a table in advance on weekends to avoid disappointment. Visit the website Chez Dre for more information. Expect to pay AUD 25 per person for breakfast and coffee.
Clement in South Melbourne
Perfect place to have a speciality coffee and a Danish between shopping on the South Melbourne Market.
Clement. Cecil Street, Stall 89, South Melbourne Market, South Melbourne, VIC. Expect to pay AUD 10 per person for a danish and coffee. Visit the website Clement for more information.
Padre Coffee in South Melbourne
Padre Coffee is a small owner-run coffee roaster from the Melbourne borough of Brunswick East. Sit down, have a coffee while shopping at the market.
Padre Coffee. Deli Aisle, Stall 33, South Melbourne Market, South Melbourne, VIC. Visit the website for more information Padre Coffee. Expect to pay AUD 10 per person for a pastry and coffee.
Abacus Bar and Kitchen in South Yarra
You find this place on Chapel Street just metres away from the Prahran Market (where most ingredients used here come from). They also keep their own bees, and food waste gets fed to worms. The hand-made cornflakes with pistachio, fresh fruit, peppermint and almond milk are an unusual dish but nutritious; I had to ask for more almond milk to be able to eat it since it was a rather dry affair to begin with. The Padre coffee is great and the whole space with its high ceilings, wooden benches, white counter and urban jungle affair is simply beautiful. This place used to be my local bank branch, but you wouldn’t notice that, ever, it is just a fun fact.
Abacus Bar and Kitchen. 383 Chapel Street, South Yarra, VIC. Please book a table in advance on weekends to avoid disappointment. Visit the website Abacus Bar and Kitchen for more information. Expect to pay AUD 25 per person for breakfast and coffee.
Onethirtytwo in Prahran
Smashed avocado on toast with two poached eggs. This no frills café, they named the place after its address, serves all the usual breakfast goodies and is in a prime position at the Windsor end of Chapel Street.
Onethirtytwo. 132 Chapel Street, Prahran, VIC. Visit the website Onethirtytwo for more information. Expect to pay AUD 25 per person for breakfast and coffee.
Oscar Cooper in Prahran
Order the Red Velvet Pancake with honeycomb and strawberries in this popular neighbourhood café. Ingredients are sourced from local producers and farmers. Coffee is from coffee roaster Small Batch from the Melbourne borough of North Melbourne. The café is named after the owner’s dogs. The area around cool Greville Street and St Edmonds Road has a beautiful community vibe. What is not to love?
Oscar Cooper, 160 Greville Street. Prahran, VIC. Visit the website Oscar Cooper for more information. Expect to pay AUD 25 per person for breakfast and coffee.
Market Lane in South Yarra
They love to make coffee for the city that loves to drink it (that is their motto). At this almost iconic café and coffee roaster at the Prahran Market, you get all the information about your coffee, the coffee farm and the beans. Together with this store, there are already six others in total in Melbourne (South Melbourne, three in the CBD, one on Collins Street and two at and in the Queen Victoria Market and one in Carlton). Everybody here is friendly, welcoming and kind. Coffee and an almond croissant are favourite choices for a quick breakfast.
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| Market Lane at the Queen Victoria Market |
Market Lane Coffee. Shop 13, Prahran Market, 163 Commercial Road, South Yarra, VIC. They also offer workshops, visit the website Market Lane for more information. Expect to pay AUD 10 to 15 per person for breakfast and coffee.
Kitty Burns in Richmond
A coffee place on the Yarra River with a view of gum trees in the Melbourne borough of Abbotsford, named after the skipping girl, a local neon design icon. Have you heard of the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards? It is a globally recognised competition dedicated to the design of food and beverage spaces, and Kitty Burns was named a winner of the International Restaurant and Bar Design Award 2016. It is this good-looking, with pastel blue and green, wooden furniture and a concrete floor all bathed in lots of natural light. Order the spiced togarashi (chilli pepper) avocado; it is almost too beautiful to eat.
Kitty Burns. 24 Acacia Place, Abbotsford, VIC. Visit the website Kitty Burns for more information. Expect to pay AUD 25 per person for breakfast and coffee.
From Berlin with love