The Best Breakfast in Melbourne
Breakfast is the closest thing we have to a national cuisine. That’s clearest on the weekends. You’ll find Melbourne’s cafes abuzz with diners scraping their plates clean of smashed avo on sourdough, jazzed-up porridge and more. This breakfast culture has been exported globally, from the Bluestone Lane chain in the US to Hardware Societe ’s French outposts and Caravan in Seoul.
The scene at home is evolving, too. For more than a decade, it’s been dominated by Western dishes. But a wider range of spots are increasingly offering the most important meal of the day, from Japanese cafes to Thai joints like West Melbourne’s Udom House and CBD Korean eatry Ondo. Here, we’ve curated the places that are reshaping Melbourne’s breakfast landscape – as well as those that have nailed the classics (and learnt to handle the crowds that follow).
Cafe
Florian
This cafe has an old soul, with an unpretentious feel reminiscent of the pre-Instagram era. Its pared-back, produce-driven menu looks different day to day (but standouts have included a cured-fish plate and riff on eggs Florentine).
Cafe
Napier Quarter
At this Parisian-style spot, you can stay right through from morning croissants to late-night cheese. For breakfast, the anchovy on toast is a classic, but there are always interesting dishes on the rotating menu to discover.
Cafe
Roslyn Thai Cafe
Two ex-Long Chim chefs are behind this cosy Thai spot, which offers standout breakfasts, snacks and sweets. Come for congee, and green curry with fried chicken. Afternoons call for milk tea and a slice of pandan cake.
Cafe
Ima Asa Yoru
Meet the city’s standard-bearer for Japanese breakfast. Come for its beloved teishoku (a set meal of fish, rice, miso soup and pickles) alongside onigiri and mazesoba (dry ramen). Plus, Wide Open Road coffee and matcha and lattes.
Cafe
Coracle
Coracle’s owners share the food they grew up eating in Vietnam and Hong Kong, alongside knockout dishes from across Asia. A comforting congee comes with sliced barramundi, and the hot Vietnamese coffee follows a treasured family recipe.
Cafe
Moon Mart
Oozing yellow-hued charm, this Korea-meets-Japan cafe has a cult following for its bulgogi sausage muffin and okonomiyaki hashbrowns.
Cafe
Liyin
The Cantonese rice rolls are better at the first Australian outpost for the popular Chinese franchise. Here, cheung fun is made-to-order and comes with fillings beyond the yum cha classics.
Cafe
Via Porta
There’s not much that this bakery-cafe doesn’t do well. Try each of its specialties over breakfast, from perfectly crisp croissants to Mediterranean brunches (yes, including pasta.) And if the sun’s out, beeline to the al-fresco area.
Cafe
Cibi
Melbourne’s bridge to Tokyo is rightfully a breakfast destination. The dish people flock here for? A classic set with grilled salmon, tamagoyaki (rolled omelette), seasonal vegetables, rice and miso soup. Even Harry Styles had one.
Cafe
Udom House
This homely cafe serves up classic Thai breakfasts alongside Chiang Mai-style coffee, pink nom chompoo (Thai pink milk) and more. Pull up early for its hearty Isan breakfast khao niaow hor (sticky rice with your protein pick), pandan toast and pastry jaffles.
Cafe
Nine Yards South Melbourne
The menu has two distinct styles: one caters to sweet tooths, and the other to those after nourishing, healthy meals. Plus, find house-blend coffee, Mork hot chocolate, smoothies and cold-pressed juices.
Cafe
Proud Mary
If mopping up egg yolks and bagna cauda sauce with hunks of thick-cut bacon and crisp, golden potato hash sounds like a good time to you, proceed to Proud Mary. This red-brick landmark serves some of Melbourne’s most enduring brekkie plates.
Cafe
Ondo City
This casual Korean eatery serves up hard-to-find dishes like yukhoe bibimbap and mandu-guk. The menu runs the full gamut of flavours and textures, from fermented and fiery to crisp, cool and refreshing.
Cafe
Juniper
A daytime hangout from the team behind north-side favourite Florian. Come for fresh sandwiches, nourishing salads, a next-level mushroom congee, and a no-fuss takeaway menu.
Restaurant
Fenton
This paddock-to-plate cafe and bistro sources much of its produce directly from the owners’ Gippsland farm and uses it to serve up creative morning feeds. The farmhouse breakfast is a fine way to sample its staples.
Cafe
Rudimentary
Sustainability, simplicity and even transportability are the guiding principles of this singular community cafe. It’s set within a recycled shipping container, and surrounded by an abundant kitchen garden that informs the no-rules menu. Kimchi toastie? Bubble and squeak? You have some choices to make.
Cafe
Hector’s Deli Richmond
Skip Macca’s and hit Hector’s for its banger brekkie muffin, which is a dialled-up version of the fast-food classic. For a caffeine hit, add in an iced coffee spritz. It blends cold brew and lemony soda in a perfect ratio. Also in South Melbourne and Fitzroy.
Cafe
The Kettle Black
This is one of the cafes responsible for elevating chef-prepared breakfasts and brunches to the same level of respect as lunches and dinners. And, even after changing hands a few years back, it’s still one of the best places in town for a morning meal.
Cafe
Convoy
Located across from Queens Park, this expansive cafe goes beyond the rudimentary with its brekkie offering. Go for cilbir (Turkish eggs), excellent prawn rolls or cinnamon scroll pancakes.
Cafe
Top Paddock
A local landmark from Melbourne cafe royalty. Visit for chilli scramble on toasted Turkish bread, satisfying eggs Benny and blueberry and ricotta hot cakes. There’s also smoothies, matcha lattes and Aussie-style coffee.
Cafe
Terror Twilight
Terror Twilight takes its name from a song by American rock band Pavement – but there’s nothing scruffy or faded about this Collingwood classic. The polished menu is two-fold – there’s a section with classic all-day options, and another in which you can customise a broth or rice bowl.
Cafe
Code Black Coffee Brunswick
This cafe and roasting house is one of Melbourne’s most established brunch spots. But even after all these years, it’s still at the very front of the pack. Dishes are still delicious and creative, the coffee’s still great and the space is still slick.
Cafe
Plain Sailing
This spot comes to us courtesy of a well-oiled cafe machine. And it’s taken its tried-and-true classic formula to Elwood, with great success. Enter for inventive, generous brunches; great coffee; and an elegant fit-out that lets in plenty of light.
Cafe
Sanhe Congee
It’s all about congee at this bright spot near Queen Vic Market. The Chinese dish is on full show – from savoury versions with pork and seafood to sweet bowls with goji berries. Plus, find plenty of dim sum staples.
Cafe
Glory Us
This cafe goes back to basics with minimal yet cosy interiors, rustic homestyle cooking, and a community-focused approach to customer service. Order hearty sandwiches, seasonal salads, breakfast pizza and sliced apple pie.
Cafe
Chai Garden
Chai Garden’s owner couldn’t find the Mumbai breakfast staples she missed from home, so she opened this spot. Come for a crowd-fave grilled Bombay sandwich, a spicy paneer sanga, and stuffed potato and paneer parathas alongside masala chai.
Cafe
Wide Open Road
Even though it opened back in 2009, this cafe and roastery is still one of the most popular cafes in Brunswick. The interiors are spacious, with comfortable chairs and cosy booths. And the food is adventurous, but it won't veer too far away from anyone's comfort zones. The coffee is, predictably, excellent.
Cafe
Higher Ground
The team behind Kettle Black and Top Paddock go beyond cafes with this spacious CBD spot, set in a former power station. Order fluffy ricotta hotcakes or chilli scramble with smoked yoghurt and saltbush.
Cafe
Petite by Matilda
Behind arched windows and an egg blue facade, this cosy cafe serves six-inch cakes, toasties, chicken baguettes and salads. Nab a spot on the lawn out the front, or at one of its outdoor tables under a very-French umbrella.
Cafe
Pantry Glen Iris and Too Good Talker
Set in a former milk bar, this breezy brunch spot has a menu full of pan-Asian flavours. You can start your day with matcha-pandan waffles, XO scrambled eggs with crunchy rosti, or gingerbread porridge with lemongrass poached pears.
Cafe
Neds South Yarra
This is much more than a bakery. Sure, the bread’s great and so are the sweets. But what you really want to do is stay here for a meal. The reliable brunch menu – with baked eggs floating in peperonata – is too good not to try.
Cafe
Industry Beans Fitzroy
A bright white successor to the coffee roaster's old flagship site down the street. Single origins and ground-breaking brunches still reign supreme, served within a skylit warehouse splashed with greenery.
Cafe
Rowena Corner Store
This started as a milk bar in ’56 before morphing into one of the suburb’s most charming cafes. Part of the allure comes from the neighbourhood vibe; the rest comes from Med-style dishes that punch above their weight.
Cafe
Left Field
Work up an appetite for this corner cafe in a pocket of Carnegie. Here, the team behind Touchwood and Tall Timber offer one of Melbourne’s most colourful French toasts, pulled pork eggs Benny and Insta-worthy smoothies.
Cafe
Levi
Settle in at this spacious warehouse eatery – formerly an old denim factory – and order the fiery chili eggs, a roast-chicken roll with stuffing and gravy, or an eggs Benny spinoff with melty slow-cooked beef short ribs.
Cafe
Salam
French pastry technique meets Lebanese flavours at this homey bakery. It’s a destination for oven-fired flatbreads, za’atar croissants, labneh crepes and more.
Cafe
Sani
This cafe has beautiful bones (think soaring ceilings and arched windows) and a globetrotting menu. Stick around for Turkish eggs, Japanese omurice inspired by an iconic Kyoto spot, and a pour-over station for coffee lovers.
Cafe
Journeyman
This beautifully designed cafe, backed by Dukes Coffee Roasters, is a staple port of call for discerning Windsor locals. You might need to be patient to get in on weekends. But it's well worth the wait for its signature avocado hummus toast with candied bacon.
Cafe
Operator San
This spot, by a trio of Melbourne cafe legends, has a neighbourhood famiresu (family restaurant) vibe. Find katsu curry Benedict with house-made spam and Japanese curry hollandaise, AM Bakehouse pastries and whisked-to-order matcha.
Cafe
279
This corner cafe specialises in modern takes on traditional Japanese sandwiches and excellent filter coffee. For dessert, grab a Mochinut (a mochi doughnut) or a black tea creme brûlée.
