Best coffee Victoria: Red Bean Coffee Rosters, Common Folk, Wolf of Watton, Double Shot Cafe
Melbourne has long been known as the coffee drinking capital of Australia. So who makes the best brew? Here’s our top picks and a map of recommended cafes to explore.
South East
Don't miss out on the headlines from South East . Followed categories will be added to My News.
Many of us wouldn’t dream of starting the day without a cup of coffee.
Whether it’s a simple flat white from the servo on the way to work or an extra hot, triple shot latte with half soy and half almond from a hipster cafe, the daily brew borders on religion for Melburnians.
Our team of reporters has searched the suburbs and regional towns to find the best coffees in Victoria.
Check out what they discovered.
COMMONFOLK COFFEE
16 Progress Street, Mornington
465 Nepean Highway Frankston
336 Balcombe Road, Beaumaris
1C Murphy Street, South Yarra
Mornington Peninsula bean hunters have long known just how good the coffee is at Commonfolk.
And now coffee drinkers from South Yarra to Frankston are in on the secret.
Commonfolk has expanded from its Mornington headquarters to open cafes in South Yarra, Beaumaris and Frankston.
Business owner Sam Keck said Commonfolk Coffee was roasted fresh in small batches in Mornington and delivered to the cafes several times a week.
“Our coffee doesn’t just taste good, it also does good,” he said.
The coffee is sourced in a socially responsible and regenerative way, with farmers paid a fair rate and investment made into the industry to ensure its future.
In addition, 20 cents from every cup sold goes back into the Cup that Counts – an initiative designed to support a sustainable specialty coffee industry.
Funds from the scheme were used to help establish Zukuka Bora Coffee Company – a collective that works directly alongside small scale coffee farmers on Mt Elgon, Uganda.
MR ED COFFEE BAR
2320 Frankston Flinders Rd, Bittern
Mornington Peninsula early birds in need of a coffee fix before the sun comes up head straight for this mobile cafe.
Mr Ed Coffee Bar is on hand from 5.30am to 10.30am in Bittern, serving piping hot coffee and a small selection of baked treats to kick start the day.
The business is also a regular at local markets including Emu Plains in Balnarring and Little Beauty in Frankston.
When Leader put the call out to readers to nominate their favourite coffee, the small business was shown a lot of love.
“Mr Ed Coffee Bar is the best!,” a reader declared.
ANGELS CAFE
19 Havelock St, Beaufort VIC 3373
Ian Smith’s secret to running one of the best coffee shops on the Western Highway is a simple one:
Stay open every day.
He would even open on Christmas Day if he was allowed to.
Ian, along with wife Susan, run one of Beaufort’s best coffee shops and have something for everyone – regardless of your coffee order.
Not only are they passionate about their town but take pride in making coffees for a loyal customer base of locals and the host of travellers passing through the town everyday.
Their coffee not only satisfies your craving, but does the job in keeping you warm on those frosty Victorian mornings.
WOLF ON WATTON
90A Watton St, Werribee
You will rarely find a spare seat inside Werribee’s Wolf of Watton.
And for good reason.
Not only is this corner cafe one of the suburb’s go-to hang out spots, but makes some of the best coffee in Melbourne’s west.
The coffee complements an extensive menu and lively atmosphere that has locals coming back for more.
RED BEAN ROASTERS
121 Plenty Road Preston
A café and coffee roasting house in Melbourne‘s north, Red Bean Coffee Roasters serves up quality coffee that’s made by people who are passionate about it.
The business began ten years ago when coffee roasting couple Lou and Laura Fiasco wanted to bring “good coffee” to Melbourne‘s north.
“We couldn‘t find good coffee,” Lou said.
“We just started experimenting with different origins and different beans, really enjoying the flavours.”
The café sells coffee with origins in Nicaragua, Lake Kivu in Africa and Brazil.
They also pride themselves on values of sustainability, using all biodegradable products.
“It‘s also about sustainability for the farmers growing the coffee as well, for us that’s incredibly important,” Lou said.
As well as running a café, the roasting house sell beans wholesale to other businesses.
They sell Rainforest Alliance accredited coffee, which supports coffee farmers to work sustainably.
THE LILYDALE GENERAL
110 Beresford Rd, Lilydale
Making great coffee is important to the crew at The Lilydale General.
Manager Mel said they took a lot of pride in making sure every cup was perfect.
Using Axil Coffee Roasters, the talented baristas at the popular cafe are passionate about making the best brews.
“I think the thing that makes us really popular is our baristas, as well as the coffee and the way it is made,” Mel said.
“We are just very particular about how the coffee is made, how the coffee shot is weighed; we make sure the steaming of the milk is perfect, make sure the machine is spotless clean and make sure every single coffee we make is the best one we can make.
“We’re very particular about our coffees and we have quite a lot of training for our baristas.
“The baristas are always tasting the coffee to make sure the taste is correct.
“We’re very strict and take a lot of pride in what we do.”
In return, the cafe gets a lot of love from customers.
“We make sure they feel warm and welcome and make sure they get a great coffee at the end,” Mel said.
The popular cafe, open for breakfast and lunch seven days a week, just celebrated its 10th anniversary.
“We’re a lovely warm friendly place to come with good food, coffee and service,” she said.
URBAN CHILL CAFE
4/1370 Thompsons Rd, Cranbourne
Cranbourne’s best coffee spot has been named as Urban Chill Cafe.
Located at the Springhill Shopping Centre on Thompson and Narre Warren Rds, the popular shop offers all milk variations, and has newly added bubble tea to the menu.
A standard latte and cappuccino starts at $5.50 and if you’re lucky, you might even get a spot of coffee art to start off your day right.
DOUBLESHOT CAFE
55A Evans St, Sunbury
The people of Sunbury know their coffee and one cafe is quickly becoming the local’s favourite at DoubleShot Cafe.
Owner Rick Portelli took over the business last year and admits it has been something of a whirlwind.
While Mr Portelli worked lots of long hours and weeks in those first few weeks, the pay-off has been rewarded with customers loving the gluten-free menu, good staff and use of local suppliers.
“I’ve never worked in hospitality before, never had coffee training just got thrown in the deep end and taught myself to make coffee,” he said.
“It doesn’t feel like it's been a year but then at the same time, it feels like it's been a decade.
“It’s just exploded and I’ve honestly got no idea why, I make coffee that I think tastes good and we’re very focused on customer feedback.”
One of the biggest changes to the cafe has been the installation of and plenty of plants to ensure kids with ADHD or sensory issues can feel comfortable at the cafe.
“A lot of people come in and say it is really cosy and really quiet, they can come and sit down, chat without being overloaded with too much noise, or super bright lights,” Mr Portelli said.
“I’ve got autistic kids that come in and don’t have meltdowns because they feel safe here.”
BOHEMIA CAFE & BAR
127 Kepler St, Warrnambool
Bohemia Café & Bar makes one of the most delicious and heartwarming
coffees.
Cafe Manager Stephen Hickman said the secret to making a good coffee was a barista who could “stretch milk properly” and produce a “good medium coffee bean that’s not bitter”.
He said he regularly received positive feedback from customers about Bohemia coffee.
“We’re very happy with our coffee,” Mr Hickman said.
“We know the coffee is very good and tastes good – it’s got
a good roasty flavour.”
The first step towards brewing a great cup was attracting staff who loved drinking coffee.
“We all love coffee that’s why we love making good coffee,” Mr Hickman said.
“If you don’t drink coffee it’s very hard to make a good coffee isn’t it?