The Best Cafes in Richmond

Richmond has had its troughs and peaks over the years, but it’s never really lost relevance. Today, the bustling suburb is home to a number of outstanding cafes, bakeries and sandwich shops.

In the former camp, longstanding spots like Top Paddock and Rowena Corner Store have kept their regulars coming back. And as for the latter, newer spots like Ca Com and Warkop are serving mighty fine banh mis and Indonesian-inspired sandwiches. They’re just the standouts on this curated guide to Richmond’s best cafes.

Words by
Updated on 10 May 2024

Cafe

Top Paddock

A local landmark from Melbourne cafe royalty.

Cafe

Maker Coffee Richmond

At this “cellar door” for coffee you can taste up to five single-origin brews in a single visit.

Cafe

Hector’s Deli Richmond

A classic sandwich shop with elevated ingredients and credentials.

Restaurant

Ca Com

Inside this banh mi bar from the Anchovy team, a woodfire hearth turns out turmeric chicken, jungle pork sausage and Manchurian pumpkin to fill the crusty baguettes.

Cafe

Penny for Pound Richmond

Croissants are baked four times a day at this popular bakery, which has been a locals’ favourite since 2018. Go for its hot coffee alongside doughnuts, fancy cakes by the slice, boeuf bourguignon pies and pork and fennel sauso rolls.

Cafe

Fifty Acres

Simplicity and class are the hallmarks of this cafe.

Cafe

Touchwood

120 seats and a huge menu to match. This is one seriously ambitious cafe.

Cafe

Reunion and Co

It’s designed to feel like your lounge room. But you could never make food this good at home.

Cafe

Jethro Canteen

Camel-milk lattes and bowls of crickets. This isn't your average cafe.

Cafe

Rowena Corner Store

Providing the Richmond community with its daily newspaper, milk and bread since 1956. Go for classics alongside Mediterranean-style plates like Turkish cilbir and Greek kaski. Plus, Small Batch coffee and nostalgic thickshakes.

Cafe

Warkop Richmond

Warkop is a snug, laid-back sandwich shop headed by Indonesian chef Barry Susanto. On the menu, you’ll find a line-up of bready classics, from the aromatic chicken sanga, to a beef pastrami with coconutty rendang sauce, and a soft grilled brioche with custard-like coconut jam.

Cafe

Midi

Stop in to this sleek, concrete-clad cafe from the team behind Fitzroy favourite Burnside. It's serving up Seven Seeds coffee, snatch-and-grab sandwiches and stellar bagels.

Cafe

Hugo’s Deli

Join the queue at this locally-minded sandwich shop for fried chicken sangas on shokupan, or a classic Reuben featuring Uncle’s Smallgoods pastrami. Pair with a coffee on tap (served hot or cold) and you've got a hot contender in the city's sandwich boom.

Cafe

Pillar of Salt

As solid as the immovable pillar in the middle of the seating area.

Cafe

Friends of Mine

An all-day every-day cafe with a solid list of brunch cocktails.

Cafe

Veneziano Coffee Roasters

Enter for superb single origin and filter, or invest in a $10 shot of espresso.

Bar

Fargo and Co.

On weekends, this bar puts on bottomless prosecco and Mimosas, plus other goodies such as jerk salmon tostadas, fried buffalo broccoli and fried chicken you can pimp with optional caviar.

Cafe

Be the Duck

Daytime staples and intriguing sit-down dishes.

Cafe

A Thousand Blessings

This backstreets spot is dedicated to using the freshest local and organic produce in a way few others are.

Cafe

Long Street Coffee

A social-enterprise cafe upholding the idea of a fair go.

Cafe

Amsterdam Street Cafe

A tranquil cafe on an otherwise hectic strip.

Cafe

Laikon Deli

This Greek deli’s third-generation owner is serving contemporary takes on his mother’s recipes.

Cafe

Vacation Richmond

A tiny, light-filled cafe by a trio of local hospo legends. It’s small but mighty, turning out tiramisu croissants, macarons and deli-style Reuben sandwiches. Plus, top-quality coffee including cold brew and hot batch brew on tap.

More Options

Phuoc Thanh Bakery, Richmond
Located in the Vietnamese dining mecca that is Victoria Street, this banh mi shop has been all about the classics since 1999. Order the pork salad number, which comes loaded with cold-cuts – including thin slices of a boiled pork sausage known as cha lua, and shaved grilled pork with characteristic red edges – plus the usual suspects.

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