Get your caffeine hit in Melbourne
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美酒佳肴
Melbourne and coffee: the perfect pair. And in a city that has gained a worldwide reputation for serving up some of Australia’s best brews, Melbourne’s coffee masters take their coffee very seriously and have established a café culture dedicated purely to perfecting the beans and grind.
From blink-and-you-miss-it holes in the wall in the CBD, to dimly lit espresso bars packed with cool crowds, and charming neighbourhood cafes with communal tables – the choices are endless, but there is one thing they all share in common – a love for great food and a ‘no compromise’ ethos for exceptional coffee.
Local Melbournians have their own favourites and the pitch on ‘who, what and where’ can transcend time, but in our humble coffee opinions (and yes, there is a coffee snob or two amongst us), these are our personal top three brew houses that will not disappoint in the bean, grind, freshness, brew and quality stakes in Australia’s coffee capital.
Market Lane Coffee
Regarded as one of Melbourne’s major coffee players, Market Lane Coffee is a speciality café and coffee roaster, with five shops across Prahran, Queen Victoria Market, Therry Street, Carlton and Collins Street in the city. With a strong emphasis on ‘coffee purity’, Market Lane has made headlines for its bold move to remove soy milk, skim milk and decaf coffee from their menus. Their beans are sourced from across the globe, from Ethiopia to Brazil, and coffee is served in season – meaning you may be in for a surprisingly different taste each time you visit. For the true coffee aficionado, Market Lane also offers roasting and brewing classes.
Top Paddock / The Kettle Black
If Top Paddock and The Kettle Black’s combined social media following (which tops an impressive 125,000 followers) is anything to go by, these sister cafes in Richmond and South Melbourne have garnered a cult status with locals and visitors alike looking for a caffeine hit and all day brekkie. With a drool-worthy Instagram that screams ‘food and coffee envy’, both shops serve up their own unique signature blends. Grab a coffee to go from the takeaway cart, or take a seat in the beautifully simplistic settings and pair your cuppa with the blueberry and ricotta hotcakes or chilli scrambled eggs with air-dried kangaroo. But be sure to give yourself plenty of time, as the queues can get quite lengthy. The team is also close to opening a third venture in the CBD – Higher Ground – so be sure to add one (or all three) of these venues to your must-do Melbourne list.
Industry Beans
Coffee doesn’t get much better than the top-grade brew served up at boutique roaster Industry Beans in Fitzroy. Once a warehouse, the cutting-edge style café truly defines Melbourne’s internationally renowned coffee culture, with a passion for coffee that extends to its global sourcing, roasting process and masterful brewing techniques. Espresso and filter coffee is served up with precision; the venue also prides itself on its ‘homemade’ ethos, with breads, pastries, chocolate and juices all made in store daily.
From blink-and-you-miss-it holes in the wall in the CBD, to dimly lit espresso bars packed with cool crowds, and charming neighbourhood cafes with communal tables – the choices are endless, but there is one thing they all share in common – a love for great food and a ‘no compromise’ ethos for exceptional coffee.
Local Melbournians have their own favourites and the pitch on ‘who, what and where’ can transcend time, but in our humble coffee opinions (and yes, there is a coffee snob or two amongst us), these are our personal top three brew houses that will not disappoint in the bean, grind, freshness, brew and quality stakes in Australia’s coffee capital.
Market Lane Coffee
Regarded as one of Melbourne’s major coffee players, Market Lane Coffee is a speciality café and coffee roaster, with five shops across Prahran, Queen Victoria Market, Therry Street, Carlton and Collins Street in the city. With a strong emphasis on ‘coffee purity’, Market Lane has made headlines for its bold move to remove soy milk, skim milk and decaf coffee from their menus. Their beans are sourced from across the globe, from Ethiopia to Brazil, and coffee is served in season – meaning you may be in for a surprisingly different taste each time you visit. For the true coffee aficionado, Market Lane also offers roasting and brewing classes.
Top Paddock / The Kettle Black
If Top Paddock and The Kettle Black’s combined social media following (which tops an impressive 125,000 followers) is anything to go by, these sister cafes in Richmond and South Melbourne have garnered a cult status with locals and visitors alike looking for a caffeine hit and all day brekkie. With a drool-worthy Instagram that screams ‘food and coffee envy’, both shops serve up their own unique signature blends. Grab a coffee to go from the takeaway cart, or take a seat in the beautifully simplistic settings and pair your cuppa with the blueberry and ricotta hotcakes or chilli scrambled eggs with air-dried kangaroo. But be sure to give yourself plenty of time, as the queues can get quite lengthy. The team is also close to opening a third venture in the CBD – Higher Ground – so be sure to add one (or all three) of these venues to your must-do Melbourne list.
Industry Beans
Coffee doesn’t get much better than the top-grade brew served up at boutique roaster Industry Beans in Fitzroy. Once a warehouse, the cutting-edge style café truly defines Melbourne’s internationally renowned coffee culture, with a passion for coffee that extends to its global sourcing, roasting process and masterful brewing techniques. Espresso and filter coffee is served up with precision; the venue also prides itself on its ‘homemade’ ethos, with breads, pastries, chocolate and juices all made in store daily.