Melbourne Cafe Reviews

Atomica Cafe
268 Brunswick St
Fitzroy 3065
(03) 9417 4255

Catch the No. 112 tram. Ask to get off at Johnson St. You’ll be near-by here.

At last. Brunswick St Fitzroy. Here we are at one of Melbourne’s best known cafe precincts. You’ve got a lot of options here, but I’ve opted for a place recommended to me for their coffee. The first thing I notice is music being a tad too loud, booming around and off the tiles. But, you’ve got to consider where you are – I thought about this for a minute – Brunswick street is a bit like Sydney, hyper and happening. Music a bit on the pumping side is part of the atmosphere here. One of the blokes behind the counter would have a dance every now and then.

We lodged ourselves at the very back, with a view through the café. I ordered a lemon tart and a long black. Water was a bit annoying because it was help yourself and no bottles were there, so you could only get a glass at a time.

There’s a different feel here than at cafes in Brunswick. Service is brusque, but not unfriendly. The staff are a bit flighty.

The lemon tart had a thin white-choc coating on top and was fresh. The long black had a fair crema, was hot, and good – but not full-strength. I was actually expecting a stronger coffee.

We ended up staying here for about two hours. It wasn’t packed, which is a great plus for this area. I liked the useful factor to Atomica. It isn’t just a trendy place – they make coffee. They sell it too. Six grinders filled with beans stand on the wall behind the counter. Prices for buying coffee by the kilo are listed on the wall. I saw a small amount of ground coffee on the floor. It’s this side of a place that allows you to linger a while, it’s not a sterile environment, it’s got a buzz.