Two things come to my mind when I think of Melbourne – eating and endless routes for mindless walking. The food is delicious and with the city being as flat as a pancake, walking is a bliss.

Why not combine the two and endeavor on a little cafe adventure? Here are top five café recommendations, suggested by trusted sources and personally tested a couple of weeks ago. Don’t just walk aimlessly along the common touristy route – choose a café from the list and make your way there.

Proud Mary Cafe

172 Oxford St, Collingwood VIC

3066Open Monday – Friday 7am to 4pm

Saturday – Sunday 8am to 4pm

1. 

   Collingwood gem – walkable distance from the CBD along the city streets and a park. Love the vibe. Grab one of the high chairs for the best view of the coffee stations. Those guys have some skills, very chatty too and happy to share some tips for the best coffee making techniques.

   I also had a beary strange looking pastry there called croffin. It’s a new thing apparently – take a muffin and a croissant, shove it in a muffin case and stuff with delicious custard when baked. I have to say that it was mind blowing. If and only if I was not particularly worried about my waistline.. it would’ve been on my menu daily. 🙂

   

   

   

   

   

   Aunty Peg’s

   200 Wellington St, Collingwood, VIC 3066

   Open Monday – Sunday 8am to 5pm

   Directly related to Proud Mary (this is where their coffee comes from), this industrial-looking warehouse only serves varieties of black coffees and a selection of delectable sweets. Nice clean interior, lots of coffee beans and coffee making accessories to choose from. It was a winner for me – the overall look suggested a slightly underground and artisan feel. Knowledgeable and passionate staff, something that a lot of eateries and coffee bars are lacking sometimes.

   

   Manchester Press

   8 Rankins Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000

   Open Monday to Friday 7am to 5pm

   Saturday – Sunday 9am to 5pm

   Find in tucked in a small alleyway – get there after 9am on the weekend and the line outside is pretty much guaranteed. Being slightly jetlagged on the first day on the trip, we got there before the doors opened along with about 20 other people. Seated by 9.01am, got our food quarter of an hour later. Oh and the café was completely full by about 9.10 am so it pays to get there early unless you want to join a wait list. Good selection of bagels and coffees. Would love to go back.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   Brother Baba Budan

   359 Little Bourke St, Melbourne

   Open Mon to Sat 7am to 5pm

   Sunday 8am to 5pm

   A tiny coffee shop a few metres away from Manchester Press. I mean it is a tiny coffee shop – probably seats 15 people max. Coffee is rich and delicious and despite its central location there was a great community feel. Watch out for chairs on the ceiling – a quirky addition which works surprisingly well for the place.

   

   

   

   Grain Store

   517 Flinders Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000

   Open Monday – Friday 7am to 4pm

   Saturday – Sunday 8am to 4pm

   In theory, this place has all attributes of being amazing. Good coffee – check, fresh and delicate food – check, lovely selection of pastries – check. Staff was polite and professional. I had a problem with this place though. Imagine going somewhere fancy for breakfast on a VERY COLD Sunday morning. You get seated, start eating eventually… but this front door (2 meters away from you) opens every 60 secs (no joke). It opens with a bang and a blast of arctic air. Every 60 secs… and no one was rushing to shut it to keep the customers inside toasty. We spent half an hour finishing the delicious meal, but I was cold and frustrated and just wanted to get out of there. Our breakfast mains were great, not sure if I want to experience the nonstop door opening again though!