Itera Is Brunswick’s New Gluten-Free Bakery, Cafe And Pantry From The Team Behind Kudo

Felix Goodwin and Elena Nguyen first opened Kudo in 2022. Since then, the tiny Little Collins Street bakery has earned a cult following for its sourdough, canales and rotating sweet and savoury treat selection. 

Now, the dynamic duo have made the move north with their first dine-in venue, Itera. Tucked on Ballarat Street, just off Sydney Road, Itera brings a selection of gluten-free bakery bites and bread, pantry goods, and a separate dine-in menu for those wanting to stay a while. 

“We knew we needed more space to keep growing, and the new Brunswick location gives us the production space we’ve needed for a while, room for the team to work, and a space where we can offer a dine-in experience, rather than only take-away,” Nguyen and Goodwin say.

While independent from Kudo, regulars at the CBD bakery will be happy to know that Itera will offer some familiar flavours, including the canales and sourdough. Canele flavours will be largely seasonal, although four flavours are here to stay: vanilla and JimmyRum Oaked rum, jasmine tea with peach ganache and fresh raspberry, pandan and taro custard, and star anise and coffee. While the rest of the bakery menu also rotates, expect other treats to the tune of honey cake,  corn and cheese choux, and pandan chiffon. 

The dine-in menu is not Melbourne brunch as you know it. Led by ex-Society Head Chef Kelvin Ong, it's built on seasonal, local produce and the combined experience of the team—Ngyuyen's Vietnamese hertitage, Ong's Malaysian background and Goodwin's hospitality roots. 

A seat in the cafe will see you working your way through creative and flavour-packed plates of folded eggs with nduja, soy-marinated avo on seeded loaf, a spring onion potato rosti topped with ricotta, and a tiger prawn burger on brioche. 

The chicken congee pot pie is a standout reflection of what the team here does best. A flaky and perfectly golden puff pastry lid tops a comforting pot of chicken congee. Nguyen grew up on congee just like it, and the pastry is inspired by the pies Goodwin once whipped up in the Donovan's kitchen. 

For vegetarians, cheese fiends, and all in between, the corn and cheese rarebit comes with a thick cut slice of house sourdough, topped with vegemite butter, four cheeses and corn, all torched to just-charred perfection. 

The space moves effortlessly through Itera's three pillars, all slightly separate without feeling disconnected. Arrive to the takeaway bakery counter, wander through the pantry and find yourself waiting for a table in the cafe. Natural light floods the venue, lined with windows and kept warm with wood furnishings and subtle pops of colour. 

Itera is now open at 4A Ballarat Street, Brunswick, from 9am to 4pm, Wednesday to Monday. 

Imagery: Itera | Supplied