You can't beat a good sandwich. And Burnside, down on the big bend intersection of Smith and Gertrude Streets, has some great ones. They prove that sometimes there's no need to complicate things and recreate the dining experience. Sometimes it just is.
That pretty much sums up the Burnside experience: simple food, good location, great coffee. The owners are a little bit like the A-Team of Melbourne coffee. Chris Handley, Sean Albers and Jona Gunn —from Cheerio, Brother Baba Budan and Seven Seeds respectively — know what they are doing, and have have brought their knowledge to the busy Fitzroy corner. The area is not in the least starved of good coffee, but locals seem to be flocking to Burnside just the same.
Open from 6.30am weekdays, swing by for a Seven Seeds coffee on the way to work or while waiting for the tram. Croissants, doughnuts and pastries from Noisette are all available and sitting neatly on the counter until all gone, and muesli and and toast are on the menu too. But from 10am, you can get the sandwiches. Soft, fresh seeded or sourdough bread is filled with quality ingredients like veggies, tuna and olive, chicken, or pastrami and sauerkraut. You can take away or perch on the wooden benches and stools handmade by Jona.
Add some low-key funk as background music, uncluttered decor and a few friendly staff, and there you have it — another quality coffee haunt for the inner north.