Most travelers already know that Australia is a pre-eminent destination for a top-notch cup of Joe. But even by Australian (and global standards), Melbourne has a venerable coffee scene. The city's unparalleled enthusiasm for the technical aspects of preparing and consuming coffee is beginning to manifest in new ways: All over the city, veteran roasters are placing greater emphasis on seasonality, while upstarts are pioneering new brewing methods, or relaying South-American and African ideas to Western audiences for the first time. We’ve rounded up 10 purveyors demonstrating exceptional ambition right now—and where we think you'll find the best coffee in Melbourne.
And when you are visiting Melbourne for a genuine coffee experience, considering a comfortable hotel close to these hip coffee scenes might enhance your exploratory journey. The convenience of a nearby accommodation could allow you to start your day with a local flavorful brew, ensuring a pleasant start to your day or perhaps a delightful end to your evening.
Seven Seeds Coffee Roasters
Seven Seeds, located in a warehouse just north of downtown in an area frequented by students and creative young professionals, is the new venture from Mark Dundon, the godfather of Melbourne's coffee scene. And so far, it's a smash hit. The Seven Seeds Espresso Blend has a touch of fruit, the Golden Gate Blend is caramel-y, and the single origins rotate regularly. There's batch and single-serve filter options, too, plus home-brewed lemonade and iced tea. Don't miss the decadent, espresso-infused French toast, which is served with espresso crumb, chocolate soil, and berry coulis.
Wide Open Road
Wide Open Road is a true all-rounder in Brunswick. Yes, the roastery churns out one of Melbourne's best blends, but the baristas also brew exquisite tea, and the kitchen serves up terrific cafe meals that defy any one genre. Espresso drinkers can choose from the signature Bathysphere Blend, another blend tailored to milky drinks, and rotating single-origin coffees. There are also loose-leaf teas by Larsen & Thompson; brewing for these is carefully timed and temperature controlled.
Industry Beans
More coffee laboratory than traditional cafe, Industry Beans leaves caffeine addicts wide-eyed. The warehouse complex in Fitzroy houses a dining area, a roastery, an upstairs "tasting lab," and training spaces for baristas. For drinks, the options are dazzling: Two espresso blends plus single-origin espressos; three single origins for filter coffee; and one cold coffee that comprises two single origins that are prepared separately before being combined in the glass. Food includes breakfast faves like avocado smash.
Aunty Peg's
Aunty Peg's, an offshoot of the popular Proud Mary cafe in on-trend Collingwood, serves coffee from beer taps—essentially iced coffee that's been prepared by a beer brewer in nearby Geelong. It's frothy, refreshing, and loaded with caffeine. There's espresso, too, made using beans roasted onsite. And that milk ban? It's to better showcase the complexity of the coffee—if you're keen to learn more, there's ample opportunity to interact with the baristas.
Acoffee
If the blindingly white, ultra-sparse cafe space in Collingwood didn't make it clear, ACOFFEE's co-owners prize simplicity. A drink here is an invitation to focus on what's in the cup—and nothing else. Options are limited: There's a house blend (roasted nearby) for black and white espresso drinks, a pour-over option, cold brew, matcha, and a juice. ACOFFEE opts for a lighter roast than most other cafes in Melbourne, all in an effort to preserve the flavor complexity.
Market Lane Coffee (Prahran Market)
While most Melbourne roasters focus on proprietary coffee blends, Market Lane is primarily about single-origin coffee, which is roasted in small batches within bustling Prahran Market. For coffee nerds, it's a must-visit. If you're in a rush, you can simply grab a flat white made with the Seasonal Espresso blend. But it's more satisfying to chat with the staff and identify a single origin that best suits your tastes. The pour-over filter options are revelatory.
ST ALi
ST ALi helped popularize locally roasted beans in Melbourne, and today it remains one of the city's best-known caffeine purveyors (there's even licensed merch). For coffee fiends, a visit to this mothership in South Melbourne is mandatory. The cafe uses a proprietary blend for its milk-based coffees, as well as its own organic blend for espresso-based black coffee. There's also hot and cold filter. For an extended experience, the so-called "Coffee Adventure" serves up six different coffees.
Gold Drops
Gold Drops appears to be a standard Italian-style espresso bar downtown, but it's actually Melbourne's sole purveyor of "natural" coffee. The key difference with natural coffee is its enhanced fruitiness, which alters the profile of milk-based espresso drinks considerably. The cafe also offers batch-brewed filter—the staff will help you decide which option is likely to suit you best. Owner Ari Abad is an evangelist for natural coffee and will always find time to chat. It's innovative places like this that make the city truly exciting for coffee devotees.
Axil Coffee Roasters
Three-time national title–winning barista Dave Makin is part of the team behind Axil, which has two other cafes in addition to this flagship cafe and roastery in Hawthorn. Most of the beans are sourced directly from growers to help maintain ethical standards, and the house blend changes seasonally to reflect global conditions and to complement the food menu. It can be hard to hear in the main room, a converted warehouse space, so don't be afraid to gesticulate wildly when ordering—the waiters here are used to it.
Dukes at Ross House
This takeaway-focused cafe downtown—where the menu is tight, the baristas are battle-hardened, and the laneway location is 100 percent Melbourne—uses beans roasted just a couple of miles away by the eco-minded Dukes Roasting Company: Different seasonal blends for black espresso-based coffees and milky espresso-based coffees. There's also batch-brewed filter and American-style iced coffee; aside from some pastries from local baker Mosaic, though, this place is resolutely coffee-focused. Come here for a quintessential Aussie grab-and-go experience—long lines of suits included.