Akimbo’s slow-fermented country loaves, hot cross buns and fougasse showed up in top restaurants (like Aru, Bar Bellamy and Sunhands) before they found a place to call home. In 2023, Sunda -trained chef-owner Lindsay Oates opened his first bricks-and-mortar space, alongside business partner and friend Louis McCoy.

At Akimbo Bread, everything is baked in a huge Italian Mondial Forni oven, which Oates says is one of few in Melbourne. Bread, of course, is the star. You’ll find the coveted country and seeded sourdough loaves, plus a host of other Akimbo standards – like fougasses, tartines and pizzettas. On the sweeter side, there are crowd-pleasing cardamom buns, and brown-butter cookies studded with macadamia nuts and Hunted & Gathered chocolate.

Cold or hot batch-brew coffee comes from micro-roastery Fieldwork, and a retail section stocks preserves including Oates’s mother’s marmalade, mustard and take-home coffee beans.

McCoy, a builder by trade, is behind the store’s bright fit-out, with its off-white terrazzo tiles and burnt sienna details. Morning sunshine floods through big open windows, emblazoned with a decal of Akimbo’s trademark bread boy. Inside, there’s a timber bench by the window where you can perch yourself with coffee and a treat.