Cumbé Has Landed in Brunswick, Serving Mexico City–Style Tortas & Seriously Good Coffee

At Cumbé, Mexico City meets Melbourne over coffee and a sandwich. Specifically, tortas, one of Mexico City’s everyday pleasures. 

At this new cafe on Sydney Road, sizeable tiger rolls are stuffed with fried beans, chilaquiles (fried tortillas in sauce), crema, cheese, onion and coriander. There’s a choice of three fillings: “chicken schnitty”, conchinita pibil (braised pork) and huevos (fried egg). 

For founder Raff Bravo, it’s a home comfort given the Melbourne treatment. “Melbourne is one of the best places for hospitality,” he says. “The best food in the world is here.”

Bravo fell in love with coffee culture as a student in Melbourne. Although Mexico produces coffee, Bravo says it doesn’t have a coffee tradition like Australia. 

When he headed home, he took it with him, opening the first Cumbé in Mexico City’s Roma Norte in 2020. Then another. Now, Brunswick’s the third, tying it all together.

“Coffee is a really beautiful fruit, it connects with whatever you want to do,” Bravo says. 

A former engineer Bravo trained in coffee through Market Lane—which is served at Cumbé alongside Seven Seeds. 

As well as espresso-style coffees they offer rotating batch brews and “coffeechata” with horchata rice-milk. No extra charge for oat milk or double shots, plus a discount if you BYO keep-cup. It's Cumbé’s ethos of caring for people, sustainability and community.

While Bravo fell in love with Melbourne, Cumbé’s Australian head chef Ross McCombe fell in love with Mexico. He runs a Michelin-recognised taqueria in Roma Norte, Cariñita and has headed over to help establish the shop. 

At Cumbé, McCombe has also given classic Aussie pies and rolls Mexican twists like chunky beef with beans and morita chilli and al pastor-style sausage rolls. 

The heavenly gold puff pastry alone puts them among Melbourne's best. Condiments get an extra kick with their fermented tomato sauce, Caballo Muerto (“dead horse”). 

Bravo’s noticed Australians love heat—the tortas have a “spicy” option—but Cumbé showcases the depth and breadth of chilli flavours: earthy, fruity, smoky. For something sweet they’re serving house-made cookies and pastries by Suburbia in Fairfield.

The store itself is a stripped back, trendy fitout, using reclaimed construction materials with patches of old wallpaper, pre-loved finds and vintage hifi gear. Fluro orange features catch the sunlight flooding through the window-bar, with Mexican decor like Mayan pottery and a mirror emblazoned with the Virgin of Guadalupe.

“It's easy to do a fancy restaurant with a huge budget,” Bravo says. “But it's special to do something creative with a small budget.”

For more of Melbourne’s best cafes and sandwiches, we’ve got you covered.

CUMBÉ Tortas & Coffee is now open at 551 Sydney Road, Brunswick, every day from 7.30am to 3pm.

Image credits: Supplied