3 Of The Best Coffee Spots In Melbourne
Okay, I admit: now’s probably not the best time to be planning a break in Melbourne (thanks, coronavirus). But if you find yourself in town and craving a quality cappuccino, you’re in the right place. Melbs is widely regarded as the coffee capital of Australia, after all.
There are about a billion cafes in Melbourne, and no, I have definitely not tried them all – so this little list isn’t even close to exhaustive. (I was only there for a few days on my latest trip, and there’s only so many flat whites I can guzzle in that amount of time.)
But if you’re searching for an espresso that’s worth writing home about, pop on a face mask, pack the hand sanitiser and check out three of my fave Melbourne cafes.
The Best coffee in Melbourne CBD
We were staying in Pegasus Apart’hotel, close to the Queen Victoria Markets, and tbh, the area looked a bit run down — so I was super surprised to find an amazing cafe tucked into a laneway opposite the accom. Operator25 was so good, we went back every day of our stay, and I promise it wasn’t just the handy location that sold it.
The unassuming coffee shop and brunch hub is housed in an old telephone exchange building on Wills St, and the relaxed, cosy space was the perfect spot to get out of Melbourne’s winter chill. Pop art and light boxes brightened the exposed brick walls, making it a playful spot to start the day.
Plus, nobody commented on the bags under my eyes, which was really polite of them because, frankly, I look a little haggard that early in the morning, so tysm O25 🙏🏻
2. the Best coffee in Brunswick
When my mum told me she wanted to go to Brunswick for coffee, what she really meant was that she wanted to go to the strip of Brunswick St that’s in Fitzroy and famous for casual-cool, boho-hipster cafes and bars, and niche boutique shopping.
But neither of us knew that at the time, and she said Brunswick, so that’s where we headed – and it’s a good thing we did, because we discovered what could easily be one of the coolest cafe spaces in the city: Project281.
The stroll down the street to search out this hotspot was unremarkable (or maybe I was just in a mood/hangry/needing another coffee desperately?) – but once you step inside the understated cool of this cavernous cafe, it’s anything but.
The huge warehouse space is full of vibrant colour: stacked concrete planter boxes with foliage spilling down the sides hide the dining space from the door and brighten up every corner of the industrial-chic cafe.
The lunch crowd was starting to ramp up when we stopped by, and while we were just looking to caffeine up, the food menu was seriously tempting. My creamy flat white was piping hot, but not at all burnt (a fine line a lot of cafes fail to walk – this barista nailed the formula).
I also had a brownie because it was staring at me longingly from the display case of treats, practically begging to be eaten – and I highly recommend. This thing was huge: a thick, heavy, girthy (did this just get sexual?) block of fudgy chocolate topped with tangy crushed freeze-dried raspberry.
3. the Best coffee in St Kilda
At this point, I am starting to think it’s hard to get a bad coffee in Melbourne. Not surprisingly, “best coffee in St Kilda” lists are stacked – it’s a popular part of town with locals and visitors alike, and when competition is that fierce, you’ve got to get it right, right?
The friend I was visiting did a quick scroll through Insta feeds of a bunch of recommended places and we settled on Miss Jackson, which turned out to be a big winner.
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With an unassuming entrance hidden a couple of steps down Jackson St (the official address is Grey St, but now we know where they got their name – nothing to do with Outkast’s catchy noughties song), it doesn’t look like there’s much space for sitting when you first walk in – but turn away from the counter and the space opens up into three adjoining casual, cosy, very chill rooms.
(Unlike me ⬇️ who had zero chill when our food showed up. Daaaamn.)
Obviously, the coffee was great or I wouldn’t be naming it as part of my top 3 – but the real MVP here was the brunch. If you’re thinking of grabbing a bite with your espresso, go ahead and do it. You won’t regret it for a second.