Like Mumbai runs on Vada Pav, Melbourne runs on coffee. The city is dotted with trendy, hipster cafes every few metres. Most cafes in Melbourne go that extra mile to source the best beans, roast them to perfection and create luxurious experiences for their patrons. It's really tough to find a bad cup of coffee in this city.
Melbourne takes its coffee seriously; there are day- to month-long barista courses that are highly popular. Tourists are encouraged to go on coffee tours around the city to try out different brews and blends. Here are my favourite spots to get coffee in Melbourne:
Patricia is all about minimalism. (Meenakshi Iyer)
1) Patricia – This charming little café located at Little Bourke Street is bare, not the kinds where you'll spend hours chatting with friends. However, it promises a great cuppa every time you visit. The menu has straight-up black, white and filter coffee and a few pastries. The ceiling here sports a neon sign that reads 'sunshine', which adds to its contemporary look. Done up in a minimalist fashion, the café also sells beans and some coffee-making equipment.
2) Leroy Espresso – If there's one thing Melbourne's hip folks love (after coffee) is a good eggy brunch. Leroy Espresso at St Kilda's manages to fuse these two great loves. Like the rest of the world, Melbourne too is obsessed with avocados. And this place has one of the best avocado smashes the city has to offer. The café also has tonnes of vegan and gluten-free options, keeping in with global food trends. Ask for a coffee and you'll be served some excellent coffee art on it.
3) Brother Baba Budan – Named after a 17th century Sufi, this café has earned a sort of cult status in the city's every-expanding coffee scene. The café is made of a single communal table and a small bar. Similar to Patricia, it offers only coffees and cakes on the menu. Watch out for the coffee of the day, usually made with single origin beans.
4) Workshop Bros – Situated in the CBD area, among bustling high-rises, this café feels like a breath of fresh air. The interiors of the cafe are clean and modern keeping with its neighbourhood. The menu offers blends from local roasters and there are quick nibbles on offer throughout the day.
Degraves Street has many cafes with outdoor seating. (Shutterstock)
5) Degraves Street – This lane, just across Flinders, is lined with many cafes and thronged by tourists to check out the city's café culture (which, in my opinion, is so much bigger than just Degraves Street). Most cafes here have outdoor seating, creating the Parisian café vibe.
The writer tweets as @culturecola
