Tuckshop by Comma

From the pair behind Comma Food & Wine and Crooked Letters, Adam Cruickshank and Megan Kwee, Tuckshop by Comma was opened amid Melbourne’s Covid lockdowns, bringing zhooshed-up bagels and quality Allpress coffee to Moorabbin.

Aside from its nostalgic name and hole-in-the-wall setting, this is nothing like your school canteen. The facade is finished with a crisp white paint job and multi-tone green tiles with a petite kitchen no bigger than your average elevator.

The food on offer is also a little more contemporary – think bagels topped with lavish ingredients like Cape Grim hanger steak topped with torched scarmorza cheese, dill-pickle mayo and potato crisps (a play on one of Comma’s signature dishes), or a herby salmon-pastrami number of Ora King salmon, caper-and-dill schmear and pickles.

For something a little more classic, order the bacon and egg with provolone. For a sweet option, try the open bagel with blueberry schmear, topped with mint and freeze-dried mandarin.

While Tuckshop operates as a well-oiled takeaway machine, there are a few outdoor dining tables to soak up the morning sun.