Overview
We all know Melburnians love coffee. It makes sense, then, that one of the best specialty roasters in the country has just opened a cafe in our fair city. If you love a good cup of joe but haven't heard of Ona, things are about to change. The award-winning coffee company has a swag of popular Canberra cafes, plus one in Sydney that opened back in 2018, and has just opened a 'coffee sanctuary' in Brunswick.
The warehouse location on Ovens Street, tucked behind bustling Sydney Road, boasts a similar set-up and offering to its siblings. Step inside the bright, minimalist interior and take a seat at the interactive coffee bar and you'll see that Ona 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 a 20-plus list to choose from. You'll find frothy milk coffees, single origin espressos, batch brews, pour overs, iced coffee and cold brew.
There's also a reserve list that looks more like a wine menu you'd find at a high-end bar — but instead of grand crus and hard-to-find champagnes, it features a lineup of Ona's famed frozen coffees. Ona vacuum-seals and stores small portions of rare and expensive beans, which it then sells for up to $25.5 per cup — in this case a geisha grown on one of Panama's highest coffee farms.
Though you're undoubtedly here for the java, Ona Coffee Melbourne's food menu is worth a look, too. Brekkie-style items include eggs on toast, a pork and fennel sausage breakfast roll, hotcakes and avo with whipped corn tofu. You'll also find miso cauliflower, a chicken roll with sambal mayo and salmon gravlax served with confit beets, rye crumb and a boiled egg, plus sides like fried chicken, chips, bacon and wilted silverbeet.
Sustainability is entrenched in everything Ona does, too, with the aim to create not only the best brews in the world, but also the most sustainable. From the solar panels atop its new cafe right down to sourcing the beans and using local produce where possible, Ona practices what it preaches. Plus, it's a caffeine lovers' haven — and just might serve up some of the best (or at least most OTT) coffee around.
Ona Coffee Melbourne is located at 22 Ovens Street, Brunswick and is open from 7.30am–3pm, Monday–Friday and 8am–3pm on weekends and public holidays.
From 11.59pm on Wednesday, July 1, until at least Wednesday, July 29, stay-at-home orders have been reintroduced in ten Melbourne postcodes, which means their residents can only leave for one of four reasons: work or school, care or care giving, daily exercise or food and other essentials. For more information, head to the DHHS website.