It might look easy for Monica and Jimmy Strong. The couple’s first two cafes – Artie & Mai and Arthur’s Green (now closed) – proved immediately popular with breakfast goers in Albion and Red Hill, respectively.

But plenty of method goes into this magic. Take their third eatery, Macho Macho. The Ashgrove West space, once a travel agency, has been fussed over with its exposed brick, pink features and custom neon. There’s even a mural by Joel Birch (artist and lead singer for the Amity Affliction), which the Strongs say originally set the tone for the space.

As for the name, it’s down to a little bit of family inspiration. The menu is breakfast through dinner and includes dukkah-crusted eggplant, fall-off-the-bone beef rib, zesty pancakes with honeycomb and house-made hash cakes with egg and relish – an enormously popular Artie & Mai import.

The drinks are beers, wine and cocktails, while two pours of coffee from Seven Miles include the roastery’s award-winning Cultivar blend.

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Updated: January 29th, 2019

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