Rustica | Melbourne Central

The Verdict

Rustica is like the Roman Empire these days—it’s in a constant state of border expansion, bringing on new venues, conquering new worlds. And the latest spot to get a dose of mango double-stack cronuts is—drumroll guys—Melbourne Central.

It’s definitely a sign of the times when Rustica moves into MC. It’s hard to imagine a Melbourne cafe with better street cred. Rustica’s original Guildford Lane space was classic Melbourne—red brick and strong coffee down a laneway...and good luck finding it without a map. This new cafe is a totally different beast.

“Shopping centre dining is traditionally cheap and cheerful food court stuff. Our space is set to take you away from that,” says Rustica founder Brendan Lang.

“Melbournians demand high-quality dining experiences, regardless of their location or venue. Our aim is to turn the food court scene on its head.”

If there’s anyone that can revamp food court dining, it’s Rustica. The new menu will be familiar to long-time fans of the brand (you’ll recognise a few plates from Hawthorn, plus grab-and-go rolls from Rialto etc). But the overall scope is more ambitious. There’s new dishes on the scene (including a Chocolate Lamington French Toast, oozing strawberry jelly and Oreo custard), plus an all-day menu to tempt the CBD office workers. It’ll be open for brekky, lunch and dinner, seven days a week.

And don’t stress about the sweets. It wouldn’t be Rustica without an entire cabinet dedicated to sugar wizardry, right? The new store will stock the usual range of cronuts, croissants, muffins, cakes, slices and tasty nibbles, plus house-baked loaves to grab on your evening commute.  

Shout-out to Bergman & Co for the swish, monochrome design in here. It’s a long way from the exposed brick on Guildford Lane, but it hasn’t lost that classic Rustica vibe.

What’s next for the Rustica crew? Who the hell knows. Rustica New York or Rustica Mars wouldn’t surprise us...

Image credit: Michelle Jarni