Brunch: a millennial favorite usually including smashed avocado on toast and either a never-ending flow of mimosas or artisanal coffee. Well if you are visiting Melbourne then you are in luck. Melbourne prides itself as one of the best places in the world for handcrafted coffees and brunch. We put this to the test and have to admit it was pretty good. Our Holiday Swap Team spent one weekend in Melbourne to experience the brunch and coffee scene – here is what we found.
Short Straw
Short Straw, based in Hawthorn, is a quick drive from the city center. Designed by CJ Wright a menu curated by chef Jose Chavez. He creates the ultimate brunch environment: a secluded area, plenty of natural light and your favorite brunch staples on the menu. Reviews said the place would typically have a wait, but we sat down without a problem.
What will you see on the menu? Creative finds such as Stacks on Waffles, saffron, and caramelized banana waffles injected with strawberry coulis with some lemon curd (this probably dominates their Instagram page) Also, they serve the Sumo Fried Chicken Burger and Holy-Halloumi Bagel. We opted for some of the traditional options: the Avocado Smash and essentially a full-English breakfast called the Long Straw. Drinks include artisanal coffee from Undercover Roasters, green juices, and cocktails.
Website: https://www.shortstraw.com.au/
Industry Beans
Next on the list was Industry Beans at their Fitzroy warehouse location. Industry Beans was founded by two brothers in 2010 who wanted to be a part of the growing coffee roasting market. Today, their award-winning coffee has an international reputation for being some of the best. You know a café is serious about their coffee when you get a separate menu dedicated to their different types of espressos, cold brews, and lattes. Their coffee is so popular in fact that they even have international shipping for their coffee beans available on their website.
As for the food, it was incredible. We ate from their Autumn 2019 menu and went for the Smoked Manchego Omelette with roasted zucchini and another Avocado Smash with feta and tomatoes (basic, I know).
Website: https://industrybeans.com/
Seven Seeds: Brother Baba Budan
For a quick coffee stop, we went to the highly-rated Brother Baba Budan. It was named after a man who “smuggled seven coffee seeds out of Yemen”.[1] The café is small and there is a line, but it is definitely worth it! Their coffee lives up to their reputation and they have freshly baked goods to go with your morning espresso.
Overall, it is probably worth a trip to Melbourne just for the food and coffee! But don’t forget about the Great Ocean Road where you can visit Melbourne’s beautiful and historic coastline.
[1] Seven Seeds Brother Baba Budan. (2019) “Home”. Available at: https://sevenseeds.com.au/pages/brother-baba-budan. Accessed on May 2, 2019.
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