The team behind Padre and the Brunswick East Project have just raised the stakes in the battle for CBD coffee supremacy with the opening last week of their buzz-worthy new city outpost, The League of Honest Coffee.

After only a few days of trading the secret appears to be out, and any attempts at a soft opening have been thwarted as savvy, inner-city latte buffs latch onto the latest seriously good thing.

If the exceptional coffee and long global list of single origin beans doesn’t convince you that these guys mean serious business then the striking pair of custom-painted Slayer espresso machines gracing the bar certainly will – the Slayer being to coffee geeks what the Birken bag is to the high-end fashion crowd: covetable, rare and ludicrously expensive.

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A nice point of difference here is the down-to-earth graciousness of the staff and the sheer luxury of space – with the bright, airy corner spot eschewing the usual cramped style of many of the city’s better coffee haunts. Clever DIY design elements, like the giant plywood group-handle light fitting and the ceiling’s hand-painted coffee leaf motif, also keep things surprising yet simple.

There’s no menu, just a small selection of excellent Noisette pastries, and the flaky almond croissant makes a superb breakfast when partnered with a French-style bowl of coffee – one of their signatures.

We’re guessing this League might soon have a few more members, so get in soon, while it still feels spacious.

The League of Honest Coffee

8 Exploration Lane, Melbourne

(03) 9654 0169

Hours

Mon–Fri 7am–5pm