Beat the back-to-work blues with mid-morning breaks centred on cake and coffee, bargain lunch plates and iced matcha.
Being back at the office mid-summer might feel like a drag, but we’ve got 11 reasons to feel excited about your workday in postcode 3000 and surrounds. This slate of new venues in Melbourne’s CBD covers ice-cold caffeine (and matcha), and plenty of bakeries for when sweet o’clock strikes. Add them to your hit list and each workday will feel like an event.
Coffee and matcha
Regulars
Run by husband-and-wife duo Prem (Tori’s) and Eddie Pan (ex-St Ali), Regulars is blowing up Melbourne’s icy drinks repertoire. The breakout star, the dirty coffee, is chilled to a finger-numbing minus 85 degrees, but there’s also a berry cold brew that straddles drink and dessert, plus a pomelo sunrise that’s a summer-ready mix of espresso and grapefruit syrup.
38 Little La Trobe Street, Melbourne, instagram.com/regularsmelb
Four Kilo Fish
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Hawthorn’s Four Kilo Fish is one of the few cafes in Melbourne pouring Chinese specialty coffee from the country’s Yunnan province. And now with a new location in the city, it’s even more accessible. Order online to skip the queue for signatures such as cold brew spiked with sweet-tangy tamarind.
2/15 Collins Street, Melbourne, fourkilofish.com.au
Attakai Garden
The new name to know for matcha in Melbourne is Attakai, which you can find in Collins Arcade (and just outside the CBD at its fully fledged cafe on Bouverie Street, Carlton). The former is drinks-focused, serving iced matcha with a variety of seasonal fruits as well as the Mat Blanc: cold brew with a matcha “cloud” floating on top.
260 Collins Street, Melbourne, attakai.com.au
Tori’s
The matcha mania got so real at Niagara Lane cafe Tori’s that the crew opened a second city spot. It’s slicker than the vintage-furniture-filled original, but the offering is similar. Matcha drinks (and desserts) still reign, including exclusives such as the Earl Grey or jasmine matcha, but bagels and pretzels have also joined the line-up.
124 Exhibition Street, Melbourne, toris.com.au
Lunch and dinner
Apa’s Canteen
Have you tried the food of Bhutan, the South Asian country on the Himalayas’ eastern edge? Apa’s, a new canteen on “the city’s hottest food strip”, is all about it. There’s Bhutan’s national dish, ema datshi, a fiery stew made of chilli and cheese, plus hoentey (buckwheat dumplings made with turnip), and a lot more.
4/353 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, instagram.com/apascanteen
Frenchie
Prix fixe takes on a new meaning at this playful Parisian-inspired bistro and bar opening in mid-February. The top-end-of-town spot has a menu to combat bill shock, where every item – from caviar bumps to duck a l’orange to cocktails on tap – is priced at just $14. Expect tableside theatrics, late-night service and a little bit of chaos.
1/15 Collins Street, Melbourne, frenchierestaurant.au
Common Cuts
Steak is the way to go at new city grill Common Cuts, which dishes up steak frites from $28.50. But it’s not the only option. Wagyu brisket lasagne is souped up with bone marrow, croquettes get fancy with spanner crab filling, and the cheeseburger features a wagyu patty. There’s also brunch on weekends, with bruleed croissant toast in the mix.
380 Russell Street, Melbourne, instagram.com/commoncuts.melb
Treats
Tatik’s Delights
Billing itself as Melbourne’s first Armenian bakery, Tatik’s has graduated from online orders to bricks and mortar in less than two years. At its red-splashed shopfront in Southbank, try layered cakes including the 12-tiered bestselling honey cake and the choc-caramel mikado with 10 layers. There’s also gata, the sweet, buttery Armenian bread.
84 Moray Street, Southbank, tatiksdelights.com
Hector’s Deli and Kiosk
Not only has sandwich supremo Hector’s opened a new CBD deli – in Scott Pickett’s former Le Shoppe site on Little Collins Street – serving all its signatures, it has also dropped a doughnut-dedicated kiosk on Bourke Street. The open-air shop is all sweet treats, no sandwiches, selling doughnuts that range in flavour from cinnamon to strawberry milk. And one delicious outlier: apple fritters.
430 Little Collins Street, Melbourne; 350 Bourke Street, Melbourne; hectorsdeli.com.au
Time After Time
No, the croissants aren’t burnt at the new laneway bakery from Alt Pasta Bar’s team. They’re intentionally coloured pitch-black with charcoal. The visually striking creations come with contrasting toppings – such as matcha custard or figs, honey and house-made ricotta – alongside more run-of-the-mill bakes and brekkie plates.
7 Howey Place, Melbourne, instagram.com/timeaftertime_mel
Mondo Gelateria
Matcha and mango. Strawberry shortcake. A Black Forest-like blend of cherry and chocolate. They’re just three of the 28 gelato flavours you might find at this sweet new thing on Elizabeth Street. As well as scoops, Mondo deals in gateaux like yuzu and pistachio mousse cakes, and innovative cold brews including one inspired by a Bellini’s peachy notes.
215 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, mondomelb.au
With Emily Holgate
