Regulars had lines down the block mere weeks after opening in 2026. Why? The small coffee shop was one of the first, if not the first, to bring dirty coffee to Melbourne. Often credited to Bear Pond Espresso in Tokyo, dirty coffee sees espresso poured over a glass of extremely cold milk. Different takes have proliferated around Asia, especially in Bangkok.

At Regulars, glasses undergo two freezer blasts: one at −20 degrees Celsius to prevent thermal shock, then another at −85 degrees Celsius. Milk is poured in and freezes almost instantly around the edges. In the centre, the milk stays liquid, but extremely cold. The drink is finished with a ristretto shot (short-extracted espresso) which seeps into the frozen milk edges, creating a creamy coffee drink that’s at once ice-cream-like and easy to sip.

It sounds gimmicky, but it’s legit. (Eddy Pan, who co-owner Regulars with wife Prem Pan, is a certified Q grader and worked as head roaster at St Ali for seven years.) Because the drink doesn’t use any ice or steamed milk, it allows for the undiluted flavours of the milk and coffee to stand on their own. The team takes advantage of this, using full-cream St David Dairy milk infused with vanilla bean, and a blend of Brazilian and Colombian beans that has nutty, chocolatey and creamy notes. 

The dirty coffee has the spotlight, but Regulars also serves matcha and cold brew coffee with various syrups, purees and foams – all made in-house. Eddy roasts all the coffee beans himself, too. 

The cafe sources baked goods from Tori’s, owned by Prem’s sister, Tinee Su. Get madeleines, cookies and a bespoke sweet version of Tori’s signature garlic bread.