Melbourne - The Place to Brunch
Known for it's colourful brunches and home of the best coffee I've ever tasted, Melbourne is the place to be for food lovers and caffeine addicts.
I knew before travelling to Melbourne that I was going to have an endless choice of cafes/restaurants to try various variations of eggs Benedict and sweet treats.
But how do you narrow it down to the best? Well, I've made it very easy for you, here are my top 5 favourite brunch spots in Melbourne:
I am definitely not vegan but I do enjoy the odd vegetarian meal from time to time.
Vegan food however is not usually my kinda thing and honestly I would never choose to go to a vegan restaurant but when you're with your vegetarian sister and vegan bestie you just have to compromise.
I hate to admit it but Matcha Mylk Bar blew me away!
I went for one of the most popular dishes, mac n cheese waffles. I know, how is it possible being vegan? But to be honest in this day and age there's a vegan alternative for everything.
It tasted incredible and if you didn't tell me it was vegan I probably would have never known.
The flavours were outstanding and everything was so colourful. My sister and best friend had the 'big breakfast' which even had vegan bacon and scrambled eggs (scrambled tofu). I have so much respect for vegan food after seeing how much effort and skill that goes into it.
You need to go here even if it doesn't interest you. There is literally something for everyone!
To eat: Mac n cheese waffles
To drink: Smoothie MAN-GO WILD FOR YOU: Manbullo Mangos, white chocolate, coconut flesh, banana, dates, vanilla, coconut mylk, served in a coconut
Prices: Expensive but worth it
Menu: Click here
2 Birds 1 Stone, the most comforting brunch I had in Melbourne! You just can't beat their homely dishes, full of flavour and healthy sized portions (which is very important to me).
The menu is packed with temping options and I really admired how they do everything they can in store from making their own crumpets and jam to smoking their own salmon and ham!
You'll definitely struggle to choose what you want off the menu as everything sounds incredible, which is why I ordered two mains and I encourage you to try both!
The Breakfast
Ricotta Pancakes
To eat: (1) Ricotta pancakes with rhubarb and raspberry compote, vanilla mascarpone, seasonal fruits and toasted pistachios.
(2) The Breakfast - eggs on toast with avocado, spinach, mushroom, roasted tomatoes, halloumi and bacon.
To drink: Iced latte
Prices: Average/not expensive
Menu: Click here
Kettle Black, a real life dolls house wedged between modern buildings. I fell in love with it from the minute I saw a picture of the cute building on their Instagram.
The interior is your typical Melbourne style with a bright open space and minimal decor, my kinda vibe.
Kettle Black is what I would describe as a 'fancy cafe'. It's defiantly got the cafe feel to it but the food is more like something you would get in a restaurant.
Unfortunately the portions are small but incredibly tasty. I was a bit disappointed that my $23 buttermilk chicken burger came with no sides but nonetheless it was heavenly! This is the cafe you go to for a real treat or fancy splashing out on lunch.
To eat: Buttermilk fried chicken in brioche roll, kale cashew slaw, sriracha mayo, pickled chilli.
To drink: Iced coffee
Prices: Expensive
Menu: Click here
With such a big outdoor eating area and a playground this is the perfect place for families or big groups. It's got such a community feel to it as it's situated in the town of Brighton.
It's the place you go for brunch but could sit there for hours drinking coffee and chatting in the sun. Speaking of coffee this was the nicest coffee I had in Melbourne and it was such a cute touch serving it in a conical flask.
Serving comfort food at it's finest! It's like your typical brunch menu with adventurous twists, like eggs Benedict in a bao bun with pulled pork or scrambled eggs with sriracha chilli in a croissant, delicious!
To eat: Little Benny Bao - bao bun, overnight braised pulled pork shoulder, asparagus, hollandaise and two poached eggs
To drink: Iced latter or iced purple latte
Prices: Inexpensive
Menu: Click here
Saving the best for last.
Rustica is one of the most successful and recognised bakery-cafes in Melbourne.
From the moment you walk into their cafe on Brunswick St. you will be tempted with artisan breads and freshly baked pastries.
I'm a massive pastry fan and always treat myself to a croissant at least once a week so you could say that my standards are fairly high. No exaggeration, I had the best croissant of my life here - crushed pistachio and cherry. It actually makes me sad that I will never have a croissant as good as this again.
I can't describe how good the lobster eggs Benedict was. It was one of the nicest meals I've ever had in my life.
Both myself and my sister preferred this brunch to anywhere else we tried in Melbourne, or Sydney at that. The portions were big, the prices were small, I just can't fault it.
Oh one more thing, Rustica does brunch/breakfast all day. What's not to like?
To Eat: Eggs Benedict w/ lobster, charcoal brioche poached eggs, greens, herbed hollandaise + crunchy prawn cracker crumb - No eggs Benedict will ever compete with this
&
Croissant with pistachio + cherry or Vanilla cream + Blueberry Danish.
To drink: iced latte with coconut milk
Prices: Inexpensive
Menu: Click here
Just a side note: usually I talk about coffee but there really is no point going into detail. I didn't have one bad coffee in Melbourne, it really is a city for the the coffee lovers.
I hope you enjoyed this post!
Besos,
Zoe Elizabeth
