Higher Ground

Located at the Southern Cross end of Little Bourke Street, Higher Ground is from the team behind quintessential Melbourne cafes Top Paddock and The Kettle Black — and boy is it a beauty.

The huge, high-ceilinged 160-seat venue sits on the corner of Little Bourke and Spencer Streets in a former warehouse. The interior is impressive, to say the least; a palette of exposed brick and green marble is spread across a multi-level space, which includes a raised area, an open kitchen, and a large mezzanine that holds couches, tables and its own bar.

The Higher Ground venue is serving up the superb cafe fare that its two siblings are known for, with the all-day menu including the likes of the avocado pretzel, always popular spanner crab Benedict, and a particularly good chilli scrambled eggs. The famous Top Paddock ricotta hotcake made the menu since the beginning and has reserved a spot on the call sheet ever since.

With Higher Ground, the hospitality legends of the Darling Group have done it again and elevated Melbourne's cafe scene to — dare we say it — higher ground.

Appears in:

Where to Find the Best Breakfast in Melbourne for 2023