Sir Duke

The Verdict

Nicely done, Moonee Ponds—you’re fast becoming one of our Top 10 Favourite Ponds. And it’s all thanks to delicious places like this.

Melbourne, meet Sir Duke. A family-friendly all-day eatery on Puckle St.

Named after a 1976 hit by Stevie Wonder, Sir Duke has been rocking breakfast, lunch and dinner for about a year now, and it’s clearly a hit with local Pondsians (or should we call them Mooners?). We swung by on a Saturday morning, and pretty much every table was packed. This suburb really knows how to brunch...

Co-owner Ashley Elia rules the roost here, and she’s done a fantastic job. The atmosphere is just right—you’ve got a big terrazzo bar running down the right-hand side, scattered tables, pops of peach all over the place, hanging gardens and a well-stocked pastry counter (essential these days).

The menu is the sort that gets WhatsApp group chats excited. We could have tried pretty much everything on there. Breakfast runs till 3pm, and features one hell of a chilli scramble (topped with a sweet and spicy little sambal). There’s also Crème Brulee French Toast, a simple smashed av’ with feta and lime, and a slow-cooked pork benny on potato hash. Niiiice.

At lunchtime, things get even more exciting. A dedicated sandwich menu, studded with pulled pork cubanos, a pastrami Rueben on rye, Porterhouse steak sanger and even an eggplant parma. There’s also a range of burgers if you feel a splurge coming on.

Some cafes try to tick a billion boxes and end up feeling confused. Sir Duke doesn’t have that issue. Partly that’s down to the execution on the food (everything is maybe two notches above your standard Melbourne brunch), but mostly it’s down to Ash and her professionalism. Sir Duke feels like a very tight (and very delicious) ship.

Did we mention they also rock cocktails at night? The rest of Moonee Ponds is lucky to get a look in...

Image credit: Michelle Jarni