How To Spend a Day in and Around South Yarra

Few suburbs capture Melbourne’s pace like South Yarra. The jam-packed blocks bounded by Yarra Street, Toorak Road and Chapel Street can sometimes feel like an extension of the CBD, with the energy to match.

Stacked with cafes, restaurants, markets and theatres, it can be difficult to know where to begin navigating the sprawling inner-city suburb. Particularly when planning a full roster of activities. Here’s a selection of tips for tackling the big day out.

Drink: Campos Coffee
With a handsome timber and terrazzo fit-out, rotating artwork by local artists, and a central location near the corner of Chapel Street and Toorak Road, Campos Coffee’s new Melbourne flagship is an ideal spot to collect your caffeine fix, sit at a spot in the window and plan the day ahead.

Choose from an espresso, filter or cold brew made with Campos’s signature Superior blend or one of its rotating single origins coffees. Pair with a sandwich or pastry custom-baked for Campos by Glen Iris’s AM Bakehouse, as well as vegan treats from Mahadeva’s Kitchen. Takeaway cups and mugs from Pot Dispensary are available for purchase, alongside a range of homebrewing equipment, and Campos’s signature and specialty beans.

Shop: Secondo
Shop till you drop (without the guilt) at Secondo, a consignment store for pre-loved designer garments, accessories and vintage items.

Located on Toorak Road (just near the corner of Chapel Street), Secondo is home to an ever-changing range that includes second-hand finds from both local independent designers, as well as international labels. You can have confidence nothing goes to waste here – unsold stock is regularly sent to Prahran Mission and Siwali Community School in West Jakarta, the two charities supported by Secondo.

Shop: Prahran Market
Next up is a visit to the iconic Prahran Market. Located on Commercial Road, behind a stately old Anglo-Dutch facade dating back to the 1890s, this is your one-stop shop for fresh produce (while you also work your way through a pile of samples, of course). Open 7am to 5pm on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and 10am to 3pm on Sunday, the market has pretty much everything you need to stock your kitchen – from butchers and fishmongers selling high quality meat and fresh seafood, to fruit, vegetable and nut sellers, and stalls offering ready-to-eat meals. There are also plenty of places to grab a pastry or snack if you’re in need of a pick me up.

Otherwise, look out for events and activities running in Market Square, including fun options for the kids. Plan your visit and see what’s on before you head down.

Do: Palace Cinemas, Como Centre
After a bit of eating and shopping, it’s time to put your feet up with a film. Palace Cinemas in the Como Centre is home to a curated program of both international and local art-house flicks, mainstream blockbusters, recorded operas and special events. It also plays host to Palace Cinema’s international film festivals, so depending on when you visit, you might catch a special-release film.

You can view session times and book tickets in advance, or just rock up and chat to the box-office team to see what’s playing. There are also upgraded Palace Platinum sessions, if you’re really in the mood put your feet up.

Eat: Stella
At the end of the day, head back down Chapel Street for dinner at Stella. This Italian restaurant takes inspiration from owner Ali Mousavi’s father, who ran Italian restaurants for 40 years. Stella’s four levels include a moody dining room and wine cellar hybrid; a cocktail bar; and a rooftop with an extensive drinks menu, a small range of snacks and pizzas, and sweeping views of the surrounding suburb.

The restaurant menu (available to order on every floor except the rooftop) is overseen by chef John Park (ex-400 Gradi and features tagliolini with blue swimmer crab and a prawn bisque; a vegetarian spin on saltimbocca; and various cuts of steak sourced from Victoria’s Southern Ranges.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Campos Coffee.