How about the best coffee in Melbourne? To that end, I present this handy reference guide.
An enduring passion for flavorful coffee was sparked by the arrival of Italian immigrants in Melbourne after the end of World War II.
You're in luck if you happen to be in Melbourne for either work or play, as the city's coffee culture is unlike anything else in the world. Booking.com recently held a competition to determine which city has the best coffee in the world, and Melbourne emerged victorious, besting Rome, Vienna, and even Sydney.
You don't have to be a trained coffee snob to tell the difference between a good cup of joe and a bad one. A cup of coffee can have a significant impact on your day, both positively and negatively, depending on its quality. If you're having a slow day, a good cup of coffee can give you the boost you need, while a bad cup can make things even worse.
Now that we've gotten that out of the way, this next one is for the inquisitive travelling or the person who could use a pick-me-up. This map shows where all the best coffee shops are located in the exciting Australian city of Melbourne.
Melbourne Coffee Scene
Specialty coffee refers to the final product of the entire coffee-making process, from planting the bean to roasting and extracting it. Everyone from the farmer to the consumer is a part of this. Coffee is taken very seriously at Melbourne's speciality coffee shops, and every step of the process is attended to with care and precision. You've been warned: once you try the smooth and seductive single-origin coffees at Melbourne's most lauded coffee shops, you won't be able to go back. Ever.
Numerous coffee shops, each with its own character, have made Melbourne one of Australia's most well-known bean juice drinking destinations. While every culture has its own unique take on coffee, there are some similarities between American and Australian brews.
Top Coffee Roasters In Melbourne
The claim that Australian coffee is the best in the world can no longer be contested.
Specialty coffee has taken on a whole new meaning in Australia, and particularly in Melbourne, where it has become a cult favourite. The same cannot be said of London, Reykjavik, Rome, or Singapore, all of which have earned acclaim for their respective brews.
Just a short while ago, the extent of the average consumer's coffee knowledge was limited to being able to identify Arabica beans from Robusta beans. Our understanding has grown exponentially in recent years. Many people who enjoy drinking coffee are also curious about the bean's origin and the process of packaging it.
Now, aficionados of the caffeinated beverage are well-versed in the nuances of the roasted bean, and can tell the difference between, say, a Light Roast and a Medium Roast, or a Blend and a Single Origin. Today's shoppers value fair trade policies and refuse to support businesses that don't ethically source products like coffee.
The criteria used to compile the list below were so general that it proved difficult to complete. Still, we think of ourselves as true coffee connoisseurs on par with you. We had a blast making this one, and we hope you will too.
Given that, we've compiled a list of what we consider to be Melbourne's top coffee roasting establishments. All you have to do is look!
Bench Coffee Co.
CBD
Melbourne's caffeine scene is dominated by Bench Coffee, which has become both a city institution for coffee and an architectural marvel. The space looks like it was carefully designed to look like a futuristic designer store, with a polished concrete floor, glass tiles, and a curved mirror that stretches all the way to the back of the store.
This standing-only establishment serves some of the finest coffee in Melbourne, with options that range from seasonal blends to single-origin espresso to filter coffees from all over the world. Bench's baristas have earned a reputation for their meticulous work, as they consistently provide customers with coffee that has been carefully extracted.
Small Batch Coffee Roasting Co.
NORTH MELBOURNE
Melbourne's wholesale coffee market is dominated by Small Batch, an industry giant that has been at the forefront for many years. Its early best-sellers, like the "Candyman" blend roast and other stellar collections, caused the company to explode all over the city.
The North Melbourne manufacturing facility occupied by Small Batch provides a distribution point for the company's wares. In the distance, the churn of a roaster can be heard, and hessian sacks containing green beans are tossed about the room. Every cup of Small Batch coffee is renowned for its perfectly balanced flavour. You can't leave Small Batch without picking up one of their award-winning pastries; armed with a croissant and a filter coffee, you'll be ready to take on the world in no time. A trip to Small Batch is never complete without picking up one of their outstanding pastries.
Monk Bodhi Dharma
Balaclava
While the concept for Monk Bodhi Dharma originated with Marwin Shaw, he is now widely recognised as one of the forefathers of Melbourne's speciality coffee movement. The first Monk coffee shop opened in the Balaclava district of Melbourne, not far from the busy shopping district of Carlisle Street. Monk's mission is to provide food and coffee that are sustainably sourced, so the company cultivates close relationships with the people who grow its food and provide its ingredients.
Proud Mary
COLLINGWOOD
Collingwood's Proud Mary is a mainstay of Melbourne's coffee scene. They use beans that are roasted in their factory down the street to make a delicious cup of coffee. If you like to start your day with a Proud Mary, there are plenty of options worth checking out, and this place also has one of the best rotating takeout sanga menus around.
Coffee
Collingwood
A coffee, a cafe and roastery in Collingwood, has white, bright walls that turn the cafe into a daily art exhibit of caffeine. Aside from roasting coffee beans, this establishment also serves as a popular coffee shop where customers can enjoy their beverages either on the premises or to go.
Freshly roasted coffee aromas will fill the air as you sip your choice of "white," "black," or "pour-over" coffee. Coffee is roasted and ground in-house from beans purchased from local farmers. Beans can be purchased in-store or online, and monthly subscriptions for freshly roasted small-batch coffee can be set up for delivery to your door.
Axil Coffee Roasters
Various Locations
It's tough to make a list of Melbourne's best coffee without recognising the enormous contribution of Axil Coffee Roasters and its founder, David Makin. Hawthorn, close to Glenferrie Road, was the birthplace of Axil. After that, the company expanded rapidly throughout Melbourne, opening stores all over the central business district, with flagships at Chadstone and Tullamarine airport. In this sense, Axil comes from a modest background.
Going all the way to the top Axil is a major player in the coffee industry. Their in-house roasting and commitment to providing consistently high-quality brewing across all of their locations have made them a household name in the Melbourne coffee scene. You'll want to come back every day to try a new single-origin blend from their extensive menu because they use beans from all over the world.
Vacation
This coffee shop is without a doubt a frontrunner for the best in Melbourne's CBD. Vacation is the best place to get a craft beer if you are on the eastern side of the city grid. Whether you like your coffee black or with milk, you'll be satisfied for the rest of the day thanks to the high quality of the beans used and the abundance of natural light flooding the space.
St Ali
South Melbourne
The southside coffee landmark has been serving up coffee-themed Sunday brunches since it first opened in 2005. Improvements have been made to St. Ali over the years. There is one shop in South Melbourne that has become so well-known that it is now regarded as a cultural landmark in terms of coffee. The white-clad staff serves up espresso after espresso to an ever-growing crowd.
If you're looking for the best coffee in Melbourne, you should keep this one in mind because they make drinking coffee an experience akin to a game. St. Ali is more than just a place to grab a cup of coffee and recharge; they also sell branded merchandise, have a deli, and let you take your beverage to go. This study is ground-breaking because it examines the many ways that coffee can be enjoyed.
Industry Beans
Fitzroy
If you're looking for the best coffee in Fitzroy, look no further than Industry Beans, a roaster, cafe, and coffee authority. The speciality coffee company not only supplies a sizable portion of Melbourne, but also ships their brew all over the world, offering espresso blends and single origins sourced from the world's most important coffee-producing regions.
Their refurbished Fitzroy is a bright white beacon for quality coffee, with booth and table seating available inside. If you're ever in the city and craving takeout, their Collins Street location is open seven days a week.
Patricia Coffee Brewers
Melbourne CBD
Patricia is a speciality cafe in the business district of the city, and it serves a steady stream of coffee to its regulars and curious customers who want to try some of the coffee and flaky baked goods that line the glass benchtop. Patricia is smack dab in the middle of the city's commercial district.
You can enjoy your coffee and pastry in the crowded standing area or out in the laneway on a milk crate like a true Melburnian.
All of the coffee beans are roasted offsite in-house, and regulars can choose from a number of tasty seasonal espresso and filter blends. Both have helped Patricia evolve into some of the CBD's best coffee.
ONA Coffee
Brunswick
When it comes to the world of speciality coffee, ONA Coffee is a behemoth. Melbourne, Australia is something of a coffee Mecca, and the team has finally set up shop there after years of doing business in Canberra, their hometown, and Sydney. In this cafe, you can get a cup of coffee for anywhere between $5 and $25, and you can choose from more than 15 different kinds of beans, milk, batch brews, and pour-overs.
Market Lane
Various Locations
This coffee empire has locations all over Melbourne, including one in the heart of Prahran Market, and is renowned for producing some of the finest coffee on both sides of the Yarra.
Market Lane's coffee has always stood out for its exceptional quality and artisanal refinement. A roastery that produces many kilogrammes of coffee right there on the premises can be found inside the coffee shop. In addition, there is a special brew-at-home section here for all of your coffee-making needs.
Terror Twilight
Collingwood
This whitewashed corner cafe off Smith Street is a fantastic choice if you're in the mood for a cup of coffee. With a sleek but relaxed fit that lets the light beam through, a rotating range of records playing overhead, and the option of booth seating, the ambience is perfect for in-depth conversations over a variety of delectable brew options.
Terror Twilight used to sell Wide Open Coffee Brewers' roasts, but now they make their own special blends in-house. Dining mugs filled with batch brews are served alongside the standard line-up of single-origin and blend options, as well as a variety of milk options, to keep up with demand from a diverse customer base.
Dukes Coffee Roasters
Melbourne CBD
Once located on Chapel Street, Dukes Coffee & Tea has raised the bar with the quality of its coffee service since moving to the big smoke. The restaurant, which is easily accessible from Degraves, has tiled floors and heavily stained wood throughout the rest of the establishment to create the atmosphere of a New York bar in the 1930s.
Padre Coffee
Brunswick East & South Melbourne
Attempting to corner the market in both northern and southern Melbourne, Padre justifiably earns a spot on the best coffee shops in Melbourne list. One of the group's primary goals is to aid the people directly involved in the production of their coffee. Try some of their Lucky Boy blend if you're looking for a cup of coffee. Check out their Instagram to see what they've been up to lately.
Everyday
Collingwood
The name itself provides the key. Many regulars spend their weekday mornings at this cafe off Johnston Street, where they congregate with their dogs, bikes, and engaging in lively conversation across the outdoor seating area.
It may have a casual atmosphere, but the company's coffee is anything but chill. Customers from Everyday, as well as those from "All Are Welcome" in Northcote and "Midtown" in the city, as well as those from various partner retailers, can take advantage of the onsite roaster. To see smiling faces huddled around a coffee maker is to know that coffee is more than just a beverage for these people.
Seven Seeds
Carlton
All of us at Seven Seeds have extensive experience in the coffee business. The people behind it hail from ST. Ali, another Melbourne coffee shop that we've highlighted. Seven Seeds has already made a name for itself in Melbourne's illustrious coffee culture with their distinctive brews and unwavering commitment to the grind, and their history speaks for itself. If you're ever in the neighbourhood, be sure to check out their other establishments, Brother Baba Budan and Traveller Coffee.
Coffee shops all over Melbourne attest to the high quality of Seven Seeds Coffee, making it something of a cultural icon in the city. Seven Seeds is well-known all over town for its excellent selection of beers and ciders. Check out Brother Baba Budan on a busy day in Carlton to see if the hype is real.
This coffee roaster was the brainchild of Mark Dundon and Bridget Amor. Having successfully operated the St. Ali on a smaller scale for a while, the two partners decided to branch out and open a roastery.
Seven Seeds, with headquarters in Fairfield, is widely regarded as Melbourne's best coffee supplier. The roastery imports the vast majority of its coffee from Peru, Brazil, and Colombia. At Seven Seeds, the coffee shop, you can choose from a number of different beverages and pastries. Seven Seeds offers a wide variety of filter coffees, including blends, single origins, and decaf options.
Can you tell me anything about the roaster's methods of operation? Seven Seeds, as a participant in the Transparent Trade Colloquium, has pledged to be as consistent as possible in their approach to transparency regarding their sourcing. Find additional details on this on the business's website.
Rumble Coffee
Thompson St, Kensington VIC
Rumble Coffee's founders and managers have experience at some of the city's best coffee shops. To create a wholesale coffee roasting supply chain that is quality-driven, consistent, and most importantly transparent, a dedicated team of coffee experts got together and founded this roaster. The roaster's location on a quiet side street in Kensington, a bare-brick warehouse conversion, is a physical manifestation of the guiding philosophy.
Rumble is committed to ethical business practises, and not just in name. This firm is unquestionably committed to ethical sourcing. Unlike most breweries, Rumble is open about how much they pay per pound for their beans.
Through the company's website, customers can also gain access to the Transparency Project, Rumbles platform, where they can share their dedication to ethical sourcing with the company's other customers. Customers have access to a yearly report outlining the company's bean sourcing policy and providing an explanation for any increases or decreases in the cost of purchasing beans.
Rumble provides its customers with a wide selection of roasted blends made from beans sourced from all over the world, including exotic locales like Papua New Guinea, Peru, and Colombia. If you're looking for a recommendation, though, look no further than Rumble's Shadowboxer signature blend.
Unlike most roasting companies, Rumble's espresso bar is not located in a remote area. Rumble's developers are working hard to make it possible to follow the action as it unfolds in real time. The coffee shop is strategically placed in the heart of the action. A sizable portion of the roasting process is visible to the public.
The truth is, Roasters has nothing to hide. The bar offers a wide selection of condiments for patrons to choose from. Yet, in contrast to your expectations, the brew actually wins in every single test!
FAQs About Melbourne Cafes
The three largest coffee chains in Australia are Gloria Jeans Coffees, Starbucks Coffee and Hudson's Coffee. Starbucks Coffee began in Australia in 2000, but because all stores are company-owned, growth has been slow compared to Gloria Jeans Coffees, franchised.
Here are our top picks
- Blacklist Coffee Roasters
- The Cupping Room
- Monday's Coffee Store
- Gordon St Garage
- Room 10 Espresso
- Good Day Coffee
- Laneway Specialty Coffee
MELBOURNE has been voted the city with the world's best coffee by travel website booking.com, beating Rome, Vienna and Sydney to top place. MELBOURNE has beaten Rome, Vienna and Sydney in being judged to have the best coffee in the world.
In the classic Aussie coffee creation, a flat white contains a single shot of espresso followed by a steamy pour of milk and a thin layer of foam. Order it 'skinny' if you want skim milk instead of full cream. You'll find delicious coffee across the country, but only Melbourne is known as the 'Coffee Capital of Australia.
"Generally, the roasts used by Australian venues are much smoother, lighter and more caramel than a lot of US coffee which is a much darker roast and more bitter. "There has been, especially in the past five years, a much greater appreciation for quality espresso coffee.
Conclusion
Melbourne has its own unique coffee culture that can't be found anywhere else. Melbourne is home to a number of speciality coffee shops where the beverage is treated with the respect it deserves. Recently, Booking.com held a contest to find out where you can get the best coffee. Sydney, Rome, and Vienna were all surpassed by Melbourne. The best coffee roasteries in Melbourne have been ranked by the city's coffee experts.
The list was difficult to complete because the criteria used to create it were so broad. When it comes to takeout sanga, Proud Mary has one of the best rotating menus. They employ roasted beans produced at their plant just around the corner. Melbourne locals know and love Axil Coffee Roasters because of their in-house roasting and dedication to providing consistently high-quality brewing. St. Ali is more than just a coffee shop; they also sell swag, have a deli, and allow you to take your drink to go.
Destination of choice for coffee lovers Prahran Market is home to one of many ONA Coffee shops in Melbourne. Location-wise, Patricia is right smack in the heart of the city's business district. The coffee at Market Lane has always stood out for its high quality and refined artisanal touch. Since opening in Melbourne, Dukes Coffee & Tea has become known for its excellent coffee. While Terror Twilight still sells some Wide Open Coffee Brewers' roasts, they focus more on creating their own unique blends.
Padre deserves its high ranking among Melbourne's best cafes. If you're looking for the best coffee in Melbourne, look no further than Seven Seeds Coffee. Many of the beans used in the roastery's coffee come from South American countries like Peru, Brazil, and Colombia. Seven Seeds has promised to maintain a high level of consistency in their sourcing transparency practises. The company's website has more information about this.
Content Summary
- After World War II, a large number of Italian refugees settled in Melbourne, Australia, where they ignited a lifelong fervour for richly flavoured coffee.
- If you find yourself in Melbourne for business or pleasure, you're in luck, because Melbourne has a coffee culture that's unlike anywhere else in the world.
- Melbourne won Booking.com's recent global coffee championship, beating out Rome, Vienna, and even Sydney.
- An excellent coffee shop map of the exciting Australian city of Melbourne is presented here.
- There is no longer any debate over whether or not Australian coffee is the best in the world.
- The history of coffee and the method used to package the bean is a topic of interest for many coffee drinkers.
- Thus, we have compiled a list of the best coffee roasting companies in Melbourne.
- Small Batch uses the space it occupies in a North Melbourne factory as a distribution hub for its products.
- Incredibly well-balanced flavour is what sets Small Batch coffee apart, and it shows in every cup.
- The Proud Mary in Collingwood is a well-known coffee shop in Melbourne.
- Any list of Melbourne's finest coffee would be remiss if it failed to include Axil Coffee Roasters and its founder, David Makin.
- Industry Beans is a roaster, cafe, and coffee expert; if you're looking for the best coffee in Fitzroy, you won't find better than their brews.
- ONA Coffee is a giant in the speciality coffee industry.
- The team has moved their operations from Canberra, their hometown, and Sydney to Melbourne, Australia, widely regarded as a coffee Mecca.
- Before, Terror Twilight sold roasts from Wide Open Coffee Brewers, but now they create their own proprietary blends.
- Coffee Roasting in Melbourne's Central Business District at the Duke's
- Dukes Coffee & Tea, formerly of Chapel Street, has relocated to the big smoke, where it has set the standard for coffee service.
- The areas of South Melbourne and Brunswick East are also included.
- Padre, which is making an honest effort to dominate the coffee shop scene in both northern and southern Melbourne, deserves to be on any such list.
- Seven Seeds is staffed entirely by industry veterans who know their way around a coffee shop.
- Melbourne is home to a renowned coffee scene, and Seven Seeds has already made a name for itself there with its signature brews and unwavering dedication to the grind.
- Seven Seeds Coffee is a Melbourne institution; its reputation for excellence has been attested to by countless cafes across the city.
- All over town, people rave about Seven Seeds and its wide variety of beers and ciders.
- With a main office in Fairfield, Seven Seeds is widely considered to be Melbourne's top coffee provider.
- Many of the beans used in the roastery's coffee come from South American countries like Peru, Brazil, and Colombia.
- The owners and operators of Rumble Coffee cut their teeth at some of the best cafes in the city.
- A committed group of coffee experts founded this roaster with the goal of establishing a wholesale coffee roasting supply chain that is quality-driven, consistent, and, most importantly, transparent.
- Rumble's dedication to moral business practises goes beyond lip service.
- There is no doubting the firm's dedication to conducting business in an ethical manner when sourcing materials.
- Customers can connect with the company's other customers who share a commitment to ethical sourcing through the Transparency Project, Rumbles platform, which can be accessed through the company's website.
- Roasted blends from Rumble come from far-flung places like Papua New Guinea, Peru, and Colombia, and the company offers its customers a wide variety of options.
- Rumble's espresso bar is not in a rural area, which is not the case for the vast majority of roasting companies.
- The cafe is located in a prime spot right in the middle of all the action.
- Many steps of the roasting procedure are on display for the general public to watch.