Where to get the best coffee in the Melbourne CBD

From the sibling duo that brought you Richmond’s Mayday and the CBD's Maverick, Greta is a European-inspired café-slash-wine bar that serves tasty bites and piping hot coffee. Axil Coffee Roasters supply the beans; made any way you like (there's no coffee menu). Enjoy your brew with their excellent beef cheek sandwich that comes with a side of gloriously excessive Napoli dipping sauce. 

What we love: From Wednesday to Friday Greta is open until 10pm so that you can transition seamlessly from a cup of joe to an Espresso Martini.

450 Flinders Ln

Nestled in a small CBD laneway with a brick shop front and mysterious blue door, Little Rogue runs the risk of contrivance. However, this is no ordinary Melbourne café. Little Rogue has an effortlessly cool factor, backed up by an excellent brew. They stock a rotating variety of roasters, including the Netherlands' Manhattan Coffee Roastera, and import distinct beans from around the world, which you can also purchase to take home. Their drinks menu also caters to the non-conforming caffeine intakers with one of the city's best matcha lattes.

What we love: Besides the excellent coffee, the best part of Little Rogue is their Japanese bakery sibling Bakemono – which is situated just across from them. This means you can pick yourself up with a caffeine hit and then slow it down with a carb overload.

12 Drewery Ln

This cafe is a serious brunch destination, offering up comfort foods with a flavour-packed Asian bent (think char siu pork benedict and kimchi fritters). The coffee's also mint, thanks to Brunswick's famous Code Black behind the beans. Whether you like yours black, white, single origin, or as a cold brew, the friendly baristas at Operator 25 have you sorted for a caffeine fix that not only does the trick, but tastes great. In summer, you might even be able to get your hands on a cooling coffee Spritz. 

What we love: This perennially popular eatery is situated inside a heritage-listed former telephone exchange building. 

25 Wills St

Bright and brimming with good vibes, Patricia initially served coffee using beans from the Melbourne greats (Proud Mary, Seven Seeds, Everyday). In 2016 they started roasting their own product wand now serve their “Patricia Blend” – you can buy a bag of it to take home with you for $65. Don't bother asking for a latte, a cappucino or a flat white. They keep things simple around here, categorising their coffee orders into just 'black' or 'white.' A range of small pastries is available from Australian suppliers; we suggest the perfect little canelé for your coffee pairing.

What we love: The service here is sunny and helpful, a lovely connection to start your morning in a positive mood.

493-495 Little Bourke St

There’s a new brunch destination making a buzz at the Rialto, the first flagship cafe from Cremorne’s lauded Square One Coffee Roasters. It’s the latest venue from The Mulberry Group (TMG), the trailblazers behind some of Melbourne’s most happening cafes and bars in recent years, including Top Paddock, Higher Ground, The Kettle Black, Lilac Wine Bar and Liminal.

What we love: Alongside great coffee, this eatery is offering one of the best breakfast menus you can get this side of the CBD.

525 Collins St

Bright and airy, Vacation coffee shop has curated an environment that feels just like what it says on the label – a holiday. Retro tiles and papaya pink details make this the perfect vacay from your busy work week, latte in hand. They roast their beans in Brunswick, and as their adorable pineapple mascot implies, they have a mellow, fruity flavour. At one of the higher price points on our list, it might not be doing your holiday funds any favours, but why not take a vacation in your city in the middle of the day?

What we love: This is one of the top places in town to order Melbourne's iconic 'Magic' coffee.

1 Exhibition St

This moody Code Black outlet is a relative newcomer to the scene, having only just opened its Flinders Lane digs in July this year. So what makes it so good that it's already got a spot on this list? It's all in the name 'Morning Bar.' Here's a slinky new haunt that feels less like a coffee shop and more like an all-day bar. Yes, you can stick to your humble latte, but you can also branch out with a coffee Negroni or a 'Smoky' cold filter coffee cocktail with raspberry, guava, mezcal, chardonnay and elderflower tonic.

What we love: The creamy, cloud-like 'Velvet Morning'. It's a specialty coffee drink made with Ex-Wife espresso, cream and a vanilla custard blend. Just pure heaven.

189 Flinders Ln

Inside the brightly light, cream-hued Workshop Brothers café lives delicious coffee. Axil Roasters have been providing the blends and Monk Bodhi Dharma providing the single origins, but Workshop Brothers have branched out and created their own everyday blend called the Huntly. It’s a peachy tasting medium roast with a crisp sweet aftertaste, delicious in a flat white. Hungry, too? Grab a chocolate croissant to go for a winning taste combination.

What we love: If you're a regular here, they'll remember your name and order. It's not a necessity at a coffee shop, but it always adds a personal touch.

190 Queen Street

People's Coffee is half prepackaged sandwich shop, half hipster Brooklyn café. Located in the CBD's Bensons Walk, this streamlined coffee operation serves their drip black, white or as a batch brew. Fives Senses are the beans on offer here, and
they're as good as ever with a bold, roasty flavour. In addition, there's a selection of pre-packaged sandwiches and salads, hot sandwiches, and a New York "everything bagel". 

What we love: Need a bite to take the edge off your caffeine hit? The lunch eats here are top-notch!

7 Bensons Walk

From their humble beginnings in Collingwood (where they still roast their beans) Midtown is Everyday Coffees’ second location. There’s a chocolatey Colombian blend for milky coffees or some interesting single-origin options available. 

What we love: Every Wednesday, they've started slinging their famous BLT bagels for just $15 a pop. It's a brekky for champions! 

213 Little Collins St

The ability to nip out of the office for a cheeky coffee is one of the key skills of the modern professional. Those who partake in the unofficial mini-break within the 3000 postcode get extra points now that a trip up Little Collins Street means you can dive into Industry Beans. If you've tasted the brews from their original café roastery in Fitzroy, you'll know this second outpost is an absolute boon to the CBD. 

What we love: Not only is the coffee here dang satisfying, but it's also a serene and lovely place to hang out in, due to the tasteful wood and white colour scheme and clean interiors.

345 Little Collins Street 

Market Lane Coffee, one of the first specialty coffee shops in Melbourne, continues its reign with the success of its booming sustainable coffee business, and further openings of stores across Melbourne. There's a reason why this charming no-nonsense coffee shop has developed such a cult-like following, having served its devoted community members consistent, top-quality and ethically sound coffee for many years.

What we love: Proximity to the market stalls, of course! After your espresso hit, you can stock up on fresh produce, cheese and goodies to take home with you. It's always a great vibe at QVM.

Shop 73-76, Queen Victoria Market

Inside the beautiful old Ross House building on Flinders Lane is Dukes Coffee Roasters. It’s a beautiful space to drink beautiful coffees in, fitted with light wooden benches and green-and-blue tiled floors. They’re committed to ethical trading with coffee sourced from farms and small co-operatives that they bring home to roast here in Melbourne. 

What we love: A cosy and relaxing atmosphere here makes the queue not such an unpleasant wait. A quintessentially Melbourne experience.

247 Flinders Lane

Named after Baba Budan, the 16th century figure reputed to have smuggled seven coffee beans into India from Yemen, this café is an offspring of Seven Seeds roasters. With espresso, filter and pour-over available, takeaway is your best bet, as seating is limited (besides the ones on the ceiling). Expect wait times most of the time, as this revered café attracts crowds.

What we love: Knowledgable coffee staff happy to help you widen your bean horizons.

359 Little Bourke St

It's difficult to walk through the city without seeing one of Axil’s branches slinging high quality, ethical coffee. Single-origin options are rotated daily at all locations. In addition, their Bourke Street, the Manse and Melbourne Central branches are now offering full-service food until 3pm, so it's the perfect option for a caffeinated lunch.

What we love: This well-known coffee purveyor tends to be reliable, efficient and consistent.

Bourke Street, Flinders Gate, Flinders Lane, Lonsdale Street, Spring Street, Collins Arch, Southern Cross Lane, Wesley Place, Melbourne Central, the Manse

Hole-in-the-wall charm does not mean sub-par coffee. They’re using the Pony blend from Clement (of the Sensory Lab, Market Lane and ST ALi family) so you’re guaranteed a milk coffee with a caramel apple flavour. All black coffees are made with a Sensory Lab single origin, and the busy baristas are happy to run you through the tasting notes of whatever’s on offer. Despite the constant queue, the team at Tom Thumb are always smiling. There is a small spot to sit in, hidden away upstairs where you can enjoy a Reuben bagel and watch the foot traffic of Flinders Lane wander past, but Tom Thumb’s real game is takeaway. 

What we love: In terms of snacks, there’s no better afternoon pick me up than the Butterbings, two brownie cookies with thick buttery cream in between.

53 Flinders Ln