About
There’s so many cafes in Melbourne, new ones seem to be popping up every day. We like cafes and we like coffee. This site aims to uncover some of these great places.
Melbourne Cafe Reviews has number of contributors, though mainly myself, Lawrence. (See below for more contributors.) I began the site with the intention outlined in the tagline above. Over the years some of my own preferences in cafes has changed. Though many of the cafes that receive warm reviews here remain favourites, I find now more than ever I seek out cafes that have a quiet, unrushed vibe. I think this is partly to do with the fact that many cafes in Brunswick, the area nearest I live, are becoming increasingly crowded. This has meant a slight shift priorities, to caring more for space than for a superbly made coffee.
Luckily, the standard of coffee in Melbourne is very high. This means you’re still likely to receive a top quality coffee even if it’s not at the local ‘favourite cafe’. In short, there’s gems out there. One suburb that miraculously manages to remain both a great part of Melbourne yet (in my mind) not overcrowded, is Carlton.There are some cafes here (yet unreviewed) that are outstanding. I’ve also noticed Brunswick East is developing into an interesting cafe scene, and there’s some inviting looking cafes popping up in the Flemington/Ascot Vale. I’d like to check out some less inner-city suburbs too at some stage, for example, what cafes does Reservoir offer? (In case you’re wondering: yes, there’s a slight North (of city) bias in regard to which cafes I review.)
As a final note, it is worth saying whilst good coffee is a central part of the ‘good cafe experience’ and obviously an aspect that will come up in each review, this site does not investigate the science of a well-made coffee. Our reviews, if anything, tilt towards giving greater consideration to atmosphere.
Lawrence Martin
Rural Reviewer: F N Soren
We welcome F. N. Soren to our review panel. She is Melbourne-based but enjoys rural forays. Years ago she sold her car in the interests of planetary sanity. “Who am I to burn up oil for my personal selfishness?” she said. She uses public transport, bicycle, her feet, taxis and the occasional hire vehicle. She loves to loaf away long hours in cafes reading papers, especially local rags, watching others, and reading Zen philosophers of the Kyoto School. (You may find their books at Collected Works. She travels only in Victoria. “Why go elsewhere?” she asks. “The food, the coffee and the prices are the best. I can source any book I want from Readings or Amazon. In any case,” she told me one morning over a lean ristretto, “I’m after meaning not experiences.”
She supports her habit by part-time mediation counseling and IT contracts. Her age is a strict secret and we’re not telling. Oh, and she keeps a white rabbit called Pansy and owns a toy hedgehog called Henrietta. Henrietta is her boon companion and travels everywhere in a capacious handbag. F. N. Soren is a fanatical knitter.
Despite Soren’s occupation (though she’d disapprove of the normative expectations in my use of the word ”occupation” here) she does not approve of email. She submits her reviews by post. It’s always a surprise to open the mailbox and find one of her reviews there.
Overseas & local Reviewer: John Martin
John has reviewed a number of cafes overseas for us. It’s unlikely he’ll provide any more overseas reviews, but the ones he has done have made me want to go to San Fransisco. John lives in country Victoria but visits Melbourne frequently. Like Soren, John occasionally provides a rural review for us, though Soren has tended to take over this roll. John has a keen taste for a fine long black and likes to the peruse inner-city suburbs for cool, chilled out cafes.
