Where to Find the Best Coffee in Melbourne for 2026
Whether you're a coffee snob searching for the perfect pour, an over-worked employee needing a quick caffeine hit, or just love to explore Melbourne's cafe scene, these top coffee roasters and brewers will sort you out.
Where to Find the Best Coffee in Melbourne for 2026
Whether you're a coffee snob searching for the perfect pour, an over-worked employee needing a quick caffeine hit, or just love to explore Melbourne's cafe scene, these top coffee roasters and brewers will sort you out.
Good coffee is about as synonymous with Melbourne as footy, trams and graffiti-covered laneways. And exploring the endless expanse of coffee roasters and brewers to find your perfect pour is a rite of passage for any Melburnian. Whether you're searching for premium beans, a classic espresso, the latest trendy cold-foam, or a good ol' latte, the options for great coffee in Melbourne really are close to limitless.
And while exploring is fun, for many Melbourne-folk, the feeling of finding your favourite local coffee shop, with an affable barista who knows your coffee order by heart, and a table you sit at so often it should basically have a reserved sign on it, is one of the more comforting and joyous feelings that improves the daily grind. So whether you're looking for your next weekend adventure at a new spot or a local to call your own, use our guide to the best coffee in Melbourne to find what you're looking for.
Recommended reads:
The Best Cafes in Melbourne
The Best Coffee Shops in Melbourne's CBD
The Best Bakeries in Melbourne
The Best Breakfast in Melbourne
-
22
If you look hard enough, you’ll find INI Studio hidden within what looks like a small garage on Queensberry Street that’s been painted white and decked out with white cube furniture. Minimalism is the name of the game here — that is, until you purchase some of its coffees.
The team here roast their own beans, pumping out a decent selection of filter brews and perfectly pulled espresso shots. But we mostly love INI’s more unusual coffee creations. Our pick? Either the iced citrus long black made with a shot of coffee, a few slices of lemon and a dusting of lemon rind or the rich cream iced latte — both perfect for hot Melbourne days. Pair it with a croffle (part croissant, part waffle), and you’ve got yourself one damn fine morning treat.
-
21
For premium pours and banging bagels, head to Belafonte. From an unassuming shopfront in Ormond, grab New York-style bagels, schmears, wholesale roast coffee and drinks, but don’t forget to check the opening hours. It’s only open 12 hours a week.
The owner capitalised on his many years of experience running some of Melbourne’s most formative coffee programs (including Square One Coffee Roasters, Veneziano and Dukes) to create his own operation, which he says focuses on solving problems for other cafe owners. For example, Belafonte supplies beloved Monforte Viennoiserie with its coffee cans. While they bake and roast seven days a week for their wholesale partners, the store only trades for 12 short but sweet hours a week. The coffee here is worth the effort.
-
20
Carlton, coffee and cocktails. A fearsome combo that viral cafe Good Measure nails. During the daylight hours, this Lygon Street space plays host to those in search of the precious bean juice, but when the sun sets, it trades coffee for cocktails. The best news? There’s no “best time” to see it firsthand, with both faces being equally strong. If you visit during the day, be prepared to face a line. Many patrons are likely to be lining up for one particular specialty treat: Mont Blanc.
This coffee is filtered, iced, served in a tumbler, and a far cry from Melbourne’s typically bougie coffee until it gets its ceiling of fresh cream and a dusting of orange zest and nutmeg on top. Grab that and a pastry, a spiced, sweet cinnamon babka, a slice of cheesecake or a thick sando to go. Instead of Mont Blanc, you could grab an Irish Coffee with Archie Rose Double Malt, ice-filter coffee, black sugar, cream and tonka bean. It may be crowded, but in this instance, its for good reason.
-
19
Founded in 2008, when Melbourne was just discovering its burgeoning coffee scene, Padre Coffee now has several locations across Australia. The Brunswick store started it all, and to this day, it retains the excitement and heady atmosphere of those early days of coffee exploration.
You can easily come in, order a quick coffee, and be very happy. But we recommend you take your time, perhaps trying some of Padre’s more experimental espresso blends and filter brews. Let the baristas lead the way, and they can walk you through some of their more interesting seasonal coffee blends — each made with sustainably sourced beans.
-
18
Maker Coffee has been part of Melbourne’s coffee scene since 2015 and now has several locations across Melbourne. It sources beans from around the world and focuses on sustainable, socially aware producers — a growing trend we love to see in the industry.
Head to any of its smaller stores to sip on its extensive range of espressos and filter brews, or head to the main Richmond location for even more options and to chat with the roasters about what they’re working on. Here, you’ll also find stacks of pastries and cakes, plus a few light bites to eat.
-
17
Located on the corner of Flinders and Exhibition Street, this pastel pink cafe doubles as a retail outlet where customers can purchase coffee not just by the cup but by the bag. It’s also somewhere you can go for high-quality brews without being a qualified expert. The team are approachable and friendly about the coffee it roasts and serves.
It isn’t just all coffee, though — the cafe also has a tight menu of muesli, toast and sandwiches. You also get a pretty good view out over the traffic of Flinders Street — if you have the time, sit in and do a spot of people-watching as you get your caffeine fix.
-
16
Behind the sleek and unassuming facade of Axil Coffee Roasters’ HQ in Hawthorn, you’ll find what can only be described as a quintessential ‘coffee barn’ for the city that lives and breathes coffee. A sizeable seating space for 75 is replete with a cupping room and a well-stocked retail selection of both beans and foodie equipment.
Theatrical and buzzing but large enough to be personable and original, Axil built a thriving reputation in only a few short years. As expected, the selection of coffee on offer is expansive, considered and consistently good. A changing list of single-origins, filter selections and a great house blend will keep everyone from the dowdiest drinker to the ultimate enthusiast pleased.
-
15
Abbotsford’s Au79 is best known for its banging brunch menu and freshly baked bread and pastries, but it also roasts some of the best coffee in Melbourne. Its signature blend is served in cafes across the city, but the ever-changing filter brews are mostly found only at its own cafe.
The brand now has outlets across many suburbs, including Richmond and Alphington, as well as an always-buzzing spot within Chadstone Shopping Centre.
-
14
Whether it’s chalk for the kids to play hopscotch on its sunny street corner or dog treats at the entrance, Cedar Street Cafe does everything you could hope for from your local neighbourhood cafe. Friendly, customised service, consistent food, a relaxed and laid-back energy, and importantly, consistently excellent coffee make this an easy choice for quick catch-ups or leisurely lunches.
Found on the corner of Cedar Street and Glen Huntly Road in Caulfield South, Cedar Street Cafe epitomises the ideal suburban cafe. Nothing too fancy or complicated. A barista who knows each local’s coffee order. Butcher’s paper and crayons on the tables (without having to ask) to keep the kids entertained. And a reassuring buzz of familiarity and friendliness that makes you want to come back every morning. If you’re passing by, its worth trying for a reliable cup of jo, and if this is your local, be grateful.
-
13
From its cosy flagship space on Flinders Lane, Dukes Coffee Roasters is championing specialty coffee with a conscience, focused on environmental and social sustainability as much as on the final drink. The team’s firm on its commitment to ethically traded and sourced coffee, with each lot of beans traceable back to the farm it came from.
The Dukes blends are crafted from mostly organic beans sourced from across Africa, Asia, and Central and South America. And they’re showcased through a whole swag of methods, from classic espresso to filter and French press. Pair it with a pastry and try to nab one of the few seats to get the best Dukes experience.
-
12
It’s been many, many years since Trevor and Steve Simmons launched their first Industry Beans coffee roastery and cafe in the backstreets of Fitzroy. It quickly became a landmark in Australia’s coffee scene, growing into a stable of venues across Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney.
The Fitzroy site houses a large dining space, an on-site coffee roastery and a dedicated retail area. The ever-innovative coffee menu features a mix of signature favourites like the Fitzroy Street blend alongside new seasonal creations to enjoy with the roaster’s top-notch rotation of caffeinated delights. They also offer iced drink variations that evolve with current coffee trends.
-
11
Located in a small but charming storefront in West Melbourne, The Flour is a calm, inviting cafe that entices people with great French pastries and unique blends of coffee unlike any they’ve had before. Started by April Yoonhee Bae, a wonderfully talented pastry chef, and her husband, Harry Hyun-suk Go, as an online bakery business back in 2017, it is now a vibrant and relaxing space to indulge in good food and even better coffee.
The baristas pour all the love and time into crafting each cup of joe, with many interesting and creative beverages on offer, keeping you coming back time and time again.
-
10
From the team behind A Minor Place, Wide Open Road on Brunswick’s Barkly Street offers much more than the unassuming shop front suggests. With the subtle signage and brick finish, the place comes to life as soon as you enter the door.
On top of the cafe space, Wide Open Road has its own roastery, cupping room and green bean storage. While it focuses on creating beautiful roasts for its own cafe, it also sells retail to the general public and a handful of wholesale customers. Coffee is a serious business here, and it does it incredibly well.
-
9
Coffee savants may be able to smell the roasting of beans from Sydney Road, but the Code Black warehouse front doesn’t give as much away. The industrial-sized frosted sliding door may only be open a crack, and if there’s no one sipping a latte out front, passers-by may be forgiven for thinking it’s closed. But inside, the place is big and bustling — like Wonka’s chocolate factory for the caffeine-addicted.
Opening back in 2013, it has consistently stayed towards the front of Melbourne’s roasting community pack. The guys see the process right through from beginning to end — from farm to cup — which is something rather nice to consider as that last bit of espresso lingers on your lips.
-
8
When you think about the beginnings of Melbourne’s third-wave coffee movement, it can probably be traced back to St Ali. Not just a boutique, local roaster of rich, cult-inducing coffee beans, St Ali was also something much more — an industrial-style cafe on a South Melbourne back street serving brunch that was as good as its brew.
Despite the saturation of the city’s cafe scene and local coffee roasters providing stiff competition, St Ali has survived the movement to remain a pure Melbourne institution. While this can be put down to its cult-like status, the truth is that — in this town — good coffee and consistently incredible food get you a long, long way.
-
7
Say what you want about Melbourne’s hyped-up cafe culture, but some things just work. And sometimes they work really well — at least at Proud Mary in Collingwood. Even though it opened way, way back in 2009, Proud Mary still continually has to manage customer lines out the front — even on weekdays.
Since then, many cafes have opened (and closed), but this Collingwood fixture still stands tall and proud. Maybe it’s the coffee it roasts, sourced from around the world, or maybe it’s the solid cafe menu. Most likely, it’s the stellar combination of the two. You don’t become a Melbourne institution for nothing.
-
6
The origin of Small Batch stems from Andrew Kelly, who’s best known for originally opening Auction Rooms in North Melbourne. He has since sold the business, but it was up there as one of the best cafes in Melbourne when he ran it.
Nowadays, he has moved away from the brunch game, focusing on all things coffee at Small Batch. The ethos here centres around three vital pillars. Firstly, it must taste great. Secondly, it must have a positive social impact. And lastly, it has to support sustainable agriculture. Marvellously, it has achieved all this within its warehouse space in North Melbourne, where it also slings its own pastries and sells a heap of local produce. This hidden gem is easily one of the best Melbourne coffee spots.
-
5
Patricia Coffee Brewers might seem simple on the surface, perhaps yet another Melbourne cafe crammed into a barely workable space. But look again. As one of the first spots in the city to charm drinkers with a tiny standing-room-only space, it’s the mixture of old-school allure and Melbourne sensibilities that has coffee lovers – literally – lining up outside the door every morning (and afternoon).
Since its opening in 2011, this inconspicuous slice of the city has gone about serving excellent coffee that it roasts itself — white, black or filter — in its own simple way. Don’t come expecting fancy creations. Just come for great, simple coffee brewed to perfection.
-
4
We all know Melburnians love coffee. It makes sense, then, that one of the best specialty roasters in the country opened a cafe in our fair city. The award-winning coffee company has a swag of popular Canberra cafes, plus one in Sydney that opened back in 2018 and opened a ‘coffee sanctuary’ in Brunswick back in 2020.
Step inside the bright, minimalist interior and sit at the interactive coffee bar, and you’ll see that Ona Coffee Melbourne goes far beyond your standard cafe. For one, the bar has dedicated sections for espresso, milk work and filter brewing. But the most impressive part is the coffee, naturally, with an expansive list to choose from. You’ll find frothy milk coffees, single-origin espressos, batch brews, pour-overs, iced coffee, cold brews and more.
-
3
If you wander into Aunty Peg’s looking for a latte, you’ll likely end up trying something much more exciting. You’ll be talked through the coffee, perhaps given a taste or a smell (no obligation, of course). And before you know it, you’ll probably be sipping a nitrogen-charged cold brew straight out of a beer glass.
That seems like standard practice at Aunty Peg’s, which opened back in 2014 to showcase and sell the best beans Proud Mary can find. The drop-in coffee bar is attached to the Proud Mary roastery, which is conveniently just a hop, skip and jump from their flagship cafe. Head here with an open mind, and prepare to try some of the very best coffee in Melbourne.
-
2
Anyone who takes it upon themselves to ‘make coffee for the city that loves to drink it’ sets themselves up for a challenge. But it’s come as a walk in the park for Market Lane Coffee, which has established an enviable presence in Melbourne and, with it, has reeducated the public about what an excellent cup of coffee truly looks like.
Since 2009, it has spread itself across the city with an arsenal based on creating an obscenely good product. Born in a humble lane at Prahran Market — the roastery’s flagship store — this dynasty now includes outposts on Therry Lane in the CBD, Faraday Street, Carlton, the Dairy Produce Hall at Queen Victoria Market, and more. Visit any of these locations to sip some of Melbourne’s best coffee.
-
1
It’s easy to miss Seven Seeds on Berkeley Street, hidden in one of the quieter pockets of Carlton. This micro-roaster, cafe and retailer is hidden behind a wood-panelled door, which serves as a humble ruse for one of Melbourne’s most marvelled cafe creations.
The team here is renowned for bringing the best and tastiest characteristics out of a bean, and it’s one of the few roasteries to cup what it roasts on a daily basis. There’s only one size for coffee here, purely so these craft masters can delicately balance your shot in proportion to the water or milk that suits best. At a glance, it seems ostentatious, but at a sip, it is unquestionable. This is where you’ll find one of Melbourne’s best coffees.
Feature image:
