First Look: The New Lune Is Kate Reid’s Biggest Flex Yet

The latest addition to the Lune universe, Lune Lonsdale, hits several new benchmarks. There’s a production kitchen that’s almost double the size of the Fitzroy HQ’s, seating capacity for 50 people and a program of limited-edition monthly pastries. But the biggest drawcard for croissant superfans and culinary nerds will be the kitchen bar seats. 

With a front row view of all the pastry action in the glass-walled, temperature-controlled Cube (the brand’s name for its fishbowl-like raw pastry kitchens), Lonsdale’s kitchen bar is the croissant equivalent of dinner and a show. 

Lonsdale is the eighth member of the Lune family, joining three other Melbourne locations (Fitzroy, Russell Street, Armadale) and two outposts each in Brisbane and Sydney. In both size and ambition – the team has dubbed the new location “Maxi Lune” – it represents Lune’s most notable flex since its first store sparked croissant mania shortly after opening back in 2012.

For starters, there’s the larger footprint that means both increased production capacity and seating. Then there’s the location at the foot of the luxurious Ritz-Carlton hotel in the CBD’s slowly gentrifying west end, with one of the Cube’s glass walls facing directly on to Spencer Street. 

The interiors, by design studio In Addition, turbo-charge the industrial-meets-art-gallery aesthetic of the Fitzroy production house. Double-height ceilings and a palette of polished concrete, black mirrors, bluestone and stainless-steel combine with a lighting system that cleverly illuminates the display pastries lining a long concrete bench like models on a catwalk. It seems Lune is allowing itself a little fun alongside its serious croissant perfectionism. But there’s a practical motivation behind the new venue.

“We started looking for a new space after our executive chef came to us and said that we needed a bigger production space,” says Lune founder Kate Reid. “We were at capacity in Fitzroy, with eight to ten chefs working in the Cube there. That space was most efficient when there’s just five or six chefs. We were not able to meet demand and it was also impacting on the working conditions and the creativity of our staff. Doubling the size of the kitchen at Lune Lonsdale has allowed for that, while enabling us to return the stretched Fitzroy location back to its original purpose of being a gallery or a cathedral for croissants. It works for the staff and for the business.”

Lune Lonsdale’s capacity for nurturing creativity is immediately bearing fruit, with a limited-edition opening-week-only pastry, a salty-sweet, dark chocolate collaboration with Chippy’s Chips, based on an almond croissant. There’s more innovation on the way too, including opening into the evening and hosting collaborations with visiting chefs.

“We’re exploring more than we’ve ever done,” says Reid. “And right now, that’s a natural progression for us, something we needed for our staff and our customers.”

Lune Lonsdale
670 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
No phone

Hours:
Mon to Fri 7.30am–5pm
Sat & Sun 8am–5pm

@lunecroissant
lunecroissanterie.com