Your Guide To Melbourne’s Best Family-Friendly Cafes

Everyone has a go-to brunch and takeaway coffee that never fails them, but finding a spot that has tasty eats, great coffee, and a fam-friendly setting can be a tough gig. So we’ve taken a deep dive into our catalogue of Melbourne cafes to find the best kid-friendly spots around the city. 

The Best Kid-Friendly Cafes In Melbourne

The Farm Cafe

18 St Heliers Street, Abbotsford

Image: Farm Cafe | Instagram

Follow up your family excursion to the Collingwood Children’s Farm with a long lunch at The Farm Cafe. The Cafe sits only a hundred-metre walk along the Capital City Trail at the end of Heliers Street. Here you can dig into a hearty meal with the kids with the best farm views Melbourne has to offer. While they have all the cafe classics The Farm Cafe’s housemade sausage rolls are beloved by both the grown-ups and the kids.

Brother Hen

154 Pascoe Vale Road, Moonee Ponds

Brother Hen is Moonee Ponds’ cosy kid-friendly paradise, complete with resident chickens. Yes, you read that right; when you head out back to the spacious rustic courtyard, little ones will be charmed by the cafe’s on-site chooks, who provide fare for the egg-forward menu. There’s even a dedicated ‘hatchlings’ menu for the kids featuring waffles, hotcakes, toasties, and more.

Serotonin Eatery

52 Madden Grove, Burnley  

Image: Serotonin Eatery | Website

If you’re looking for a kid-friendly cafe that prioritises health, this is the cafe for your family. Richmond’s Serotonin Eatery regards itself as a serotonin dealer thanks to its nutrition-packed menu. The kids menu is packed with colour and kid-friendly flavour—with the smiling smashed avo being a fan fave. 

Lenny

113 Victoria Avenue, Albert Park

Image: Lenny | Instagram

Lenny brings a resort and beach feel to the bustling suburb of Albert Park. This cafe's dishes lean heavier on the lunch side of things with offerings for the adults including a Philly cheesesteak sub, sardines on toast and a tempura chicken burger. But the kids menu at Lenny’s is armed with a selection of breakfast faves like granola, pancakes and eggs in the perfect little person portion. 

Origami Play Cafe

1/177 High Street, Kew

Far more than just a kid-friendly cafe, Origami Play is a cafe purposely designed with kids at the centre of the experience. The boutique kid’s cafe and party venue is conveniently located on High Street in Kew, and is a beautifully bright space that’s full of surprises. There’s a cosy retreat for parents to enjoy a coffee while the little ones explore a charming village for pretend play (including a petrol bowser, cars, cafe, workshop, and clinic), a dress-up photobooth boutique, a soft play area for the youngest of visitors, and a sunny balcony complete with giant Connect Four and a ride-on toy train.

Rudimentary 

16–20 Leeds Street, Footscray 

Image: Rudimentary | Supplied

Footscray is home to some of the best feeds in Melbourne, and Rudimentary cafe is no exception. A community-driven cafe that is so much more than the sum of its parts—an empty lot, shipping containers, recycled materials and fresh produce—the Rudimentary kitchen is serving up wholesome mains like garlic mushrooms and Turkish eggs, with egg soldiers and bacon with scrambled eggs for the little ones. 

Brunswick Foodstore

29 Weston Street, Brunswick 

Image: Brunswick Food Store | Instagram

The northside has no shortage of great cafes, but the Brunswick Foodstore has something special. Its heritage-listed building brings a feeling of warmth and charm, making it an inviting brunch location for the whole family. The little ones can take their pick from toasties, croissants, eggs on toast and ricotta pancakes. 

Image credit: Urban List