The founders of Tivoli Road Bakery have opened a new bakery after a six-year pause. Plus, get fluffy focaccias, chilli-cheese twists and amped-up cinnamon scrolls at these other newbies.
Aastha Agrawal
Melbourne’s appetite for good bread and better pastries never wanes. Spanakopita croissant scrolls, summer-ready danishes topped with mango and coconut, and ultra-soft cinnamon scrolls with vanilla frosting are among the treats at six new bakeries around town.
Urbanstead, Abbotsford
Husband-and-wife duo Michael and Pippa James founded Tivoli Road Bakery in 2013 and ran it for six years. Now, they’re back with Urbanstead, “a play on farmstead or homestead; a place to connect, share, learn and grow together”, explains Michael. The warehouse space will stock and sell goods from local makers but the main attraction is the impeccable baked goods.
Bread is naturally fermented over several days and shaped by hand, and pastries undergo a three-day lamination process to develop texture and flavour. Highlights include Lard Ass butter croissants; black garlic and cheese scrolls; pork, apple and fennel sausage rolls; and onion-rosemary focaccia. The space also hosts workshops, pop-ups and Sunday classes that bring the community together around the bench.
Signature item: Wholegrain galettes ($9.50) such as strawberry-rhubarb, and broad bean, potato and gribiche, baked fresh throughout the day.
203 Langridge Street, Abbotsford, urbanstead.au
Beurre, Canterbury
Influenced by the flavours of her Singaporean and Pakistani heritage (and a childhood love of Vegemite), Zahara Valibhoy opened her first bakery in August, after baking at Laduree in Paris and making her own custom cakes in Melbourne. The smell of freshly baked pastry greets you at the door, while a playful mural and butter-yellow counter invite you to settle in.
Her menu follows two guiding questions: “What do I feel like eating, and how do I make it taste exceptional?” plus “a deeply ingrained belief that an overly sweet dessert is a no-go”. The result? A thoughtful line-up of tarts, choux pastries, cake slices and a rotating gluten-free option, alongside a cabinet filled with fruity danishes and other sweet treats. Savoury lovers aren’t forgotten, with spanakopita croissant scrolls and a Vegemite and cheddar croissant.
Signature item: Morning buns ($8), which are like cinnamon scrolls but amped up.
129 Maling Road, Canterbury, beurre.com.au
Aokuma, Hawthorn
At this inner-suburban spot, pastry chef Daniel Huang draws on eight years of experience, including five at Gelato Messina, to create home-style baked goods shaped by his own nostalgic food memories. Everything is prepared with an emphasis on simplicity, comfort and quality ingredients. Fluffy strawberry shortcake is made with mascarpone cream (and no gelatine or alcohol), and Basque cheesecake has a perfectly gooey centre.
Seasonal specials rotate, with blueberry and lemon frangipane tarts taking the place of tiramisu for summer. Whether popping in for a sweet treat or a hearty sandwich, customers are returning regularly for food that feeds the soul as much as the body.
Signature item: A fluffy and airy strawberry shortcake ($13).
97 Burwood Road, Hawthorn, instagram.com/aokumacafe_hawthorn
Baker Bleu, South Yarra
If you’re a fiend for baked goods, you’re likely no stranger to this bakery group known for its sourdough, bagels and dark-crusted loaves. Its fourth Melbourne store sits opposite the Royal Botanic Gardens, which “visitors can stroll through from the city, right to our bakery,” says co-owner Mike Russell.
Staying true to the ethos of working with local producers, the new location offers the full Baker Bleu range of bread and pastries, plus some Christmas specials: ham sandwiches and mince pie-inspired croissants. In a first for the bakery, there’s also soft-serve in a different flavour each month.
Signature items: Pizza rosso (from $12), a topped focaccia that’s exclusive to South Yarra, plus the rotating soft-serve ($8), currently a panettone flavour finished with caramelised panettone crumbs and cherry coulis.
183 Domain Road, South Yarra, bakerbleu.com
Luna, Carlton
Open since June, this bakery has nabbed a prime spot near the University of Melbourne, drawing in students who “always come back once they’ve tried the goods”, says co-owner Daniele Crisante. He and partner Stella Lee bring a decade of hospitality experience (including at South Melbourne’s Crux & Co) to a menu with an Asian-Italian bent.
Expect chilli, cheese and sesame twists; mango-coconut danishes; and a pastry filled with raspberry, the chewy rice cake mochi and matcha custard. Coffee is from Cru+ roastery in Hawthorn East.
Signature item: The maritozzo ($9.50): a pillowy brioche bun filled with custard and chantilly cream.
232 Faraday Street, Carlton, instagram.com/luna_bakery_carlton
Elka, Heidelberg
Owner Michael Younan (ex-Sourdough Kitchen) says he hears “multiple times a week” how grateful locals are to have an outpost of this bakery – Melbourne’s fourth – in the Heidelberg neighbourhood. Minimalist and spacious, it offers soft milk-dough cinnamon scrolls topped with vanilla cream-cheese icing, cardamom buns layered with cardamom-orange butter, and ready-to-go sandwiches and baguettes.
Pastries undergo a three-day lamination process and sourdough loaves use heritage and stone-ground flour sourced from the Yarra Ranges, yielding a soft interior and a dark crust.
Signature items: Cinnamon scroll ($6.50) and cardamom bun ($6.50).
120 Burgundy Street, Heidelberg, instagram.com/elkabakerymelb
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