Melbourne’s café and bakery scene is in a particularly energetic moment, with established names expanding and a new wave of operators refining what the everyday stop can be. Across the city, the appetite for well-made coffee, brunch bites and a reliable baked good shows no sign of easing.
From early-morning espresso rituals to late-afternoon shelves of still-warm pastries, here are the best new cafés and bakeries in Melbourne to visit right now.
Upper Middle, South Melbourne
Front-of-house veteran Franck Sammut, who spent eighteen years at France-Soir, has opened Upper Middle, a casual all-day spit in South Melbourne.
“The menu and the space both draw on the food and places I love: simple things done well, European touches, and a room with personality. My hope is that it becomes part of people’s daily routine, a spot they return to without thinking,” says Sammut.
Led in the kitchen by head chef Lakshay Kapoor (Le Cordon Bleu, formerly Bistro Thierry), the offering spans brunch staples and St Ali coffee, alongside a baguette and pizza bar serving everything from margherita to nduja with pickled chilli and jalapeño honey. Our pick: the baguette with DOP prosciutto, stracciatella, tomato, basil pesto and rocket.
Bloomwood, CBD
A second CBD outpost on Bourke Street cements Bloomwood as a go-to for pastries that sit between French technique and Asian-influenced flavours, drawing a steady city crowd since its debut on Exhibition Street in 2024.
Moving between the familiar and the unexpected, the pastry case is anchored by viennoiserie like buttery pain au chocolat and crisp croissants, alongside playful reinventions: miso banoffee Danish, Dubai chocolate cookies, shio salt bread and a Hong Kong custard shio. Past creations such as the black sesame mochi flower offered a more intricate bite — layered with black sesame custard, mochi, blackberries, ginger sesame cream and black sesame jelly.
Drinks complete the picture, from matcha clouds to well-executed coffee, reinforcing Bloomwood’s appeal to both pastry purists and those seeking something a little more exploratory.
Hector’s Deli, CBD and Carlton
Cult Melbourne sandwich shop Hector’s Deli has opened its eighth location in Carlton, arriving on Lygon Street shortly after launching its second CBD site on Little Collins Street. The expansion continues a steady rollout, which has become a go-to for fast, well-made sandwiches across Melbourne. Known for its signature toasted tuna melts on rye, generously filled salad sandwiches and chicken schnitzels tucked into steamed milk buns, Hector’s Deli also serves a tight line-up of drinks and doughnuts. The Carlton store adds a location-only item to the menu with a doughnut maritozzo, filled with whipped cream, condensed milk and vanilla.
Hector’s Deli has been running since 2017, when chef Dom Wilton first opened in a former milk bar tucked into Richmond’s backstreets. Quality ingredients and a commitment to consistency paid off. Key elements such as bread, pickles and sauces are made on-site at Hector’s Bakery in Richmond, and while the menu remains the same, each fit-out is designed to suit the location.
Butter Days Bakery, Malvern
Melbourne has a new sweet stop worth queuing for at Butter Days Bakery. Owned by John Demetrios (Vue de Monde, Omnia, Yugen)—winner of season two of MasterChef: Dessert Masters—and his wife Martina Cissig Demetrios (Embla, Trader House), the bakery blends classical pastry technique with Scandinavian influence. The signature is the Sunshine Bun: a savoury-sweet malted dough filled with lemon and cinnamon-scented custard. Sweet offerings continue, from Swedish kanelbulle and chocolate-dipped profiteroles to brown butter sablés Bretons filled with fruit custard and macadamia swirls. Those who prefer savoury can go for Danishes with everything bagel seasoning, cream cheese, dill, capers, shallots and lemon topped with smoked salmon, or cheesy pinwheels.
Nico’s Sandwich Deli pop-up, Fitzroy
A freshly made crisp chicken sandwich bathed in a glowing blue light sounds more like a mirage than a genuine snack option for late-night revellers, but it’s real! In March, Nico’s Sandwich Deli opened an after-hours sandwich automat in Fitzroy, modelled on examples they’d come across in Amsterdam. Staff on hand keep the vending machine freshly stocked, and for the six-month stint it’s operating, there is a rotating menu of limited-edition sandwiches.
