Bored of the same ol’ Melbourne breakfast spots? Ain’t no excuse for that. From clean eats to the calorific and jaw-droppingly theatric, breakfast in Melbourne has never tasted so damn good. Because we love you, we’ve found 9 excellent new Melbourne cafes to fill your blasé bellies.
Matcha Mylkbar
St Kilda
The fodder at this new vegan cafe is the stuff of Instagram dreams—think hot pink, flower-sprinkled smoothies in skull-shaped glasses, bright green burger buns, and other technicolour delights. With two of the Mylkbar owners also behind Matcha Maiden, the green stuff is all over the super healthy, meat-free menu. Brekkie options include dragon fruit bowls and vegan eggs with sweet potato, but it’s the drinks that’ll really blow your mind. Choose from a beetroot, mushroom or turmeric latte, or perhaps the Wiz Kale-Leafa smoothie tickles your fancy.
Sartoria
Preston
Sartoria is a charming, light-filled cafe that started life as a dress factory, and plays homage to its past with an array of fabric reams, sewing machines and busts on display. The food is next level goodness, as evidenced by the Seamstress: waffle hash brown, poached eggs, beetroot, charred onion petals, pea puree, goats curd and dill, and is definitely best washed down with a brunch cocktail. Our pick? The bloody Mary with crispy prosciutto. That Preston. So hot right now.
The Penny Drop
Box Hill
Bridging the cafe gap in Box Hill, The Penny Drop is a slick, Asian-influenced all-day eatery, all round edges, blonde wood, and copper. The menu is East-West fusion, with solid breakfast options including a buttermilk hotcake stack with coconut foam, black sesame and pistachio dukkah, raspberry compote, and palm sugar caramel (oh em gee!), potato and garlic chive waffle, and a whipped avo pimped by the addition of shiso.
Left Field
Carnegie
Tall Timber and Touchwood are two of our fave Melbourne cafes, and Marquis of Lorne is a darn near perfect pub, so we were chomping at the bit to try the latest offering from the all-star hospo team behind them. A pink Indian restaurant in Carnegie has been transformed into the light and airy Left Field, where locals are now happily sipping on turmeric lattes and Niccolo coffee before debating the epic, Middle Eastern inspired menu. The wait for a table can be long, but there are Cookies n Cream donut sliders, so who the hell cares.
SMÄK Food House
South Yarra
If you take the whole ‘my body is a temple’ thing seriously, look no further than South Yarra’s ode to Scandi minimalism and clean eating, Smäk. The produce is local and the menu has been devised to be as nutritionally sound as possible, while never sacrificing taste. Think buckwheat matcha crepes, acai and date smoothie bowls, and silverbeet and leek fritters with poached egg, chargrilled corn and quinoa salsa and smoked miso salmon. All of which looks almost too good to eat. Almost.
White Mojo
Melbourne CBD & Balwyn
Breaking the internet (or at least Instagram) with their soft shell crab croissant burger and smokin’ (literally) cauliflower pannacotta served with black pudding dust, Canadian scallops, potato popcorn and more, White Mojo has given the Melbourne breakfast scene a serious shake up. There are now two venues, in Hardware Street and Balwyn, with the menu near identical at both. Make tracks for breakfast and a show.
Fourth Chapter
Prahran
Cropping up on High Street, Fourth Chapter is a new southside cafe doing the healthy brekkie thing well. You’ll find your golden and matcha lattes, kombucha, acai, cacao and coyo, plus a rainbow-hued vessel of goodness known as The Bowl—packed with brown rice, hommus, pickled cabbage, roast pumpkin, avocado, cherry tomatoes, a poachie, kale, and spicy peanut sauce. And then, because life’s too short, there’s the peanut butter s’more waffles. You’re welcome.
Rustica Canteen
Richmond
The third outing for the Rustica team, Rustica Canteen is now dishing up some seriously tasty (and pretty) breakfasts to the fine folk of Richmond. For something light, try the gin and dill cured ocean trout, or blow the diet with the wholemeal waffles with strawberries, banana, maple mascarpone and…, you get the picture. The bread and pastries come straight from the source at Rustica Sourdough’s Fitzroy digs, so you know they’re gonna be top notch.
Image Credit: White Mojo Balwyn via Facebook.