Six To Try: New Melbourne Cafes for Cold-Foam Coffee, Greek-Inspired Brunches and More

Pinned Coffee, Melbourne

For Ash Wong, his cafe’s laneway location is as important to its identity as the coffee itself. Pinned occupies a counter-sized space in a heritage-listed building on Rankins Lane – home to Melbourne stalwarts Manchester Press and Brother Baba Budan – that Wong chose for its distinctly local feel. “When I first walked through this laneway,” Wong says, “I immediately thought this was the kind of place where a small, warm and comfortable coffee shop should exist. It wasn’t about finding a location and then deciding what to build. The laneway itself gave me the feeling of what the shop should be.” Coffee beans come from Campbellfield roaster Reverence, while Richmond bakery May Bakes supplies shio pan (Japanese salt bread), Basque cheesecake, chewy chocolate-chip cookies and more. The signature drink is the Lion Tamer, named after the Reverence blend that forms its base. Inspired by the Mont Blanc, it combines a double ristretto with orange syrup, milk and spiced orange cream, and has people waiting up to 30 minutes to try it. Rankins Lane, Melbourne.

Great Jones, Armadale

After nearly a decade building Australian-style cafes in New York, Josh Evans and Nick Duckworth have come home to Melbourne. The just-opened Great Jones is their first venue in Australia, but it feels as though it has always belonged on this Armadale corner. Expect cafe classics with European flavours, such as folded eggs with Calabrian chilli, fried capers and stracciatella, plus fresh salads, sandwiches and house-made baked goods. Coffee comes from Single O. A signature cold coffee – cold brew topped with vanilla cold foam, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt and shaved chocolate – is inspired by a dessert at Williamsburg restaurant Lilia, one of the pair’s favourite NYC haunts. 1184 High Street, Armadale.

Wembley Coffee & Food, Yarraville

Wembley Coffee & Food is by locals, for locals. Brothers Chris and Michael Sdregas were raised nearby and went to Wembley Primary School on the same block. They’re feeding Yarraville with an all-day menu that includes steak frites, corn fritters and chilli scram. But Wembley’s personality shines through most in dishes that riff on the brothers’ Greek heritage. There’s rizogalo rice pudding with cinnamon cream, compressed nashi pear and candied walnut crumb, plus five takeaway-only varieties of spanakopita, from cinnamon custard to three-cheese with hot honey. Ditto for drinks, which include three signature coffees that employ thyme-infused honey, mastic cold foam and olive oil cold foam. 10 Wembley Avenue, Yarraville.

Atelier Enso, Carlton

Alicia Feng is one of the most respected figures in Melbourne’s specialty coffee scene. But controversy is baked into her latest concept, Atelier Enso. It’s one of the first Melbourne cafes to use Eversys automatic espresso machines for brew-to-order cups of the house blend (manual espresso machines remain her go-to for seasonal roasts). The World Coffee Championships judge and certified Q Grader says the pioneering system is all about fostering connection: ensuring consistent, quality brews while affording her team time to tend to customers and mitigate burnout. At a time of rising costs and declining spending power, it could be a blueprint for the industry. “Why are we fighting automation?” Feng says. “Technology helps you if you use it well. You free up your own precious energy to do what is more important to yourself and also to the customer.” 8 Raffa Place, Carlton.

Code Black, Cremorne

Code Black’s ninth location brings the 14-year-old brand’s gothic approach to Cremorne. The design, by We Are Humble, has an otherworldly feel, with deep black tones and reflective metallic surfaces. Beyond the usual espresso menu, Code Black’s signature 3056 blend forms the base of drinks like the Dirty Pistachio, made with pandan, pistachio coconut milk and panela cream, while the Coconut Cold Brew joins a selection of single origins and rare batch brews served on tap. The brunch menu goes straight for the hits, offering baklava muesli with whipped yoghurt and apricots; honey toast with strawberries, ricotta and hazelnuts; and avocado with Sicilian pesto and goat’s cheese on pumpkin bread. For something quicker, the cabinet is stocked with sandwiches, sweet treats and house-made pastries. Corner of Fitzgibbon and Dover streets, Cremorne.

Market Lane, Fitzroy North

Market Lane’s 12th cafe was built with the local community in mind. The St Georges Road spot is made for lingering, with cosy corners, communal bench seating, carefully selected records and artworks, and a reading space stocked with the team’s favourite books and magazines for adults and kids. The design takes cues from the building’s original 1960s facade, retaining its mosaic tiling and chrome-framed windows, while adding bookshelves and warm wood panelling for a living-room atmosphere inside. Alongside the B Corp-certified roaster’s responsibly sourced beans, there’s tea and hot chocolate, plus pastries from Wild Life and biscuits from nearby Loafer. 220 St Georges Road, Fitzroy North.