Live Your Best Life at The Top Five Cafes Serving All-Day Breakfast in Melbourne
Life’s too short to not have all-day breakfast in Melbourne
‘Why would anyone eat anything other than breakfast food?’ Arguably the most honest and real words ever spoken, by the Queen of Breakfast herself, Leslie Knope. While yes, we are aware that Leslie is a fictional character, you simply cannot argue with her. Who doesn’t love breakfast, especially if you’re Australian and even more so if you’re from Melbourne? Besides, when don’t you want to eat at a cafe that serves all-day breakfast in Melbourne? Never, friends, never.
Whether it’s ricotta hotcakes topped with strawberry compote and edible flowers; avocado toast topped with runny poached eggs and hazelnut dukkah or smoked salmon eggs Benedict, breakfast is and always should be an all-the-time food. Sadly for us, not all cafes serve this delightful meal all-day. But we’ve scoured the streets for places that do and found a list of cafes offering all-day breakfast in Melbourne.
All-day, every day, we be brunchin’
Why do we have such a fascination with breakfast and brunch though? Personally, we think it’s due to the fact that as a culture, we’re just so used to health-conscious, locally-sourced food and that translates across all key meal times. Also, all-day breakfast in Melbourne matches the coffee culture. The quality of an espresso must be of a certain standard, so it makes sense that the food you’re eating with said delicious coffee should also be of the same quality.
The thing we really love about all-day breakfast in Melbourne is how it breaks the mould. Which, is something that Australians historically love to do. There’s something so normal about a friend tucking into a plate of yellowfin tuna sashimi with soba noodles, while you feast on eggs Benedict topped with pulled pork… at any time of the day. Plus, who doesn’t love washing down a delicious feast in one of the cafes offering all-day breakfast in Melbourne with not only a fair-trade coffee, but also a sneaky brunch cocktail or bottle of bubbles?
The top five
So, we’ll stop harping on about our big feelings for all-day breakfast in Melbourne and let you get to the good stuff. Five of the best places to eat all-day breakfast in Melbourne. We’ve got the intel…
1. Two Birds One Stone
Bright, spacious and located in South Yarra, we have big love heart eyes for Two Birds One Stone and their menu. The coffee is by Five Senses and you’ll find your favourite beverage served just the way you like – aeropress, cold drip, syphon, pour over, and so on. The menu is typically Australian and home to both sweet and savoury dishes that are suited to early risers and late-afternoon brunchers respectfully. All-day breakfast is done so, so right here.
We love: Eggs Benedict topped with house smoked ham hock, beetroot puree, pickled lentils and béarnaise on toast.
12 Claremont Street, South Yarra, Melbourne 3141
2. Lolo & Wren
Artisanal cafe dining is what Lolo & Wren in Brunswick West is all about. Local and organic produce is the name of the game here – even the furniture, design and fit-out have been made from recycled materials. The menu is a creative take on cafe classics which is pretty refreshing, to be honest. Expect dishes such as Southern-fried soft shell crab; banoffee porridge; candy apple pancakes and chorizo cazuela. Heaven is this cafe doing all-day breakfast in Melbourne.
We love: Southern-style fried Australian soft shell crab with Louisiana remoulade, lettuce, tomatoes, red onion and spicy island sauce served on a soft sesame bun.
484 Albion Street, Brunswick West, Melbourne 3055
3. SMÄK Food House
We’ve spoken about SMÄK before, but that’s just because we love it a whole damn lot. It’s fresh, homely and very stylish. What else would you expect from a Swedish cafe, though? As for the all-day breakfast menu, expect things like chilli scrambled eggs with marinated goats feta; acai bowls; brekkie bowls; coconut milk pancakes and the masaman pulled pork burger with papaya slaw and a fried egg. Gluten-free, veggie and vegan diners are also sorted here. This spot is the full SMÄK, trust us.
We love: Waffle Benedict of orange braised ham hock on a thyme sweet potato waffle with poached pears, poached eggs and yuzu hollandaise.
6C Daly Street, South Yarra, Melbourne 3141
4. Ginger & White
Ginger & White is making healthy food great again. Sorry, had to! Not that it ever wasn’t, but to be quite honest you would be remiss for not realising just how healthy the food you’re eating here actually is. Never skimping on taste, this is one of our favourite places to feast on all-day breakfast in Melbourne. Whether you’re a smoothie bowl person, avo toast fanatic or if you think breakfast is best between two buns, you’ll be delighted here. Make sure you save room for a baked treat after though.
We love: Royal eggs of beetroot-cured ocean trout, pickled radish, potato hash, pea tendrils, two poached eggs, seeds and crackling.
342 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne, Melbourne 3205
5. Drugstore Espresso
Life is too short for bad coffee. Preach it pals, preach it. As all self-respecting Melburnians know, bad coffee can kill a cafe but thankfully we are blessed with the likes of Drugstore Espresso. The focus here is on coffee which is custom made by Rosso Roasting Co., and the menu is all about cafe classics that make all-day breakfast in Melbourne a staple of any diet. Are we big fans? Without a doubt.
We love: Blueberry and bacon doughnut burger made up of a lemon and blueberry levain grilled doughnut, blueberry jelly, American streaky bacon and chilli peanut butter cookie crumbs. Can be done vego as well.
194 Toorak Road, South Yarra, Melbourne 3141