St. Ali ★ 4.6
St. Ali in South Melbourne is Melbourne's original brunch destination: the warehouse and espresso-led egg menu set a standard hundreds of cafes have followed.
Order: Eggs Florentine with St. Ali espresso
Where to brunch in Melbourne. the morning rooms worth the queue, and the kitchens still doing it right at noon.
Brunch picks
Bentwood ★ 4.5
Bentwood in Fitzroy applies wine-bar sensibility to brunch: benchmark granola plates, natural wine from midday and the suburb's best outdoor courtyard.
Order: House granola with seasonal fruit and labne
Mammoth ★ 4.4
Mammoth in Armadale runs the weekend brunch queue that defines the suburb: seasonal ricotta hotcakes, Inglewood coffee and a room that handles pressure well.
Order: Seasonal ricotta hotcake with roasted pear and burnt butter maple
Tall Timber ★ 4.3
Tall Timber in South Yarra is the suburb's most consistent brunch room: house-roasted espresso, solid weekend kitchen and avo toast that never needs updating.
Order: Smashed avo with fermented chilli and seeds on sourdough
Auction Rooms ★ 4.4
Auction Rooms in North Melbourne set the third-wave template in 2009: excellent espresso, reliable brunch plates and a room that handles weekend chaos well.
Order: Bacon and egg roll on brioche with house ketchup
Hardware Societe ★ 4.4
Hardware Societe on Hardware Street is the CBD's most popular brunch queue: baked egg pots in cast iron, copied across Melbourne for years and still the best.
Order: Baked eggs with chorizo and gruyere
Journeyman ★ 4.4
Journeyman on Chapel Street in Windsor is a consistent south-side brunch room: direct-trade Dukes espresso, seasonal produce and a loyal following since 2014.
Order: Persian feta potato croquette with fresh corn salsa and poached egg