Hottest new cafe openings: South East edition
FROM Brighton to Berwick, Officer to Aspendale, these are 22 of the hottest new cafes, restaurants, burger bars and distilleries to pop up in Melbourne’s south eastern suburbs.
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IT’S true what they say; Melbourne really is the cafe capital of Australia. And, considering the rate of cafe, coffee shop and cocktail bar openings all over the city, it’s not hard to see why.
The last quarter has seen a wave of newcomers rolling onto the south east side, popping up everywhere from Mulgrave, Mount Waverley and Wantirna to Scoresby, Bentleigh and Berwick.
To keep you ahead of the specialty coffee and shish kebab curve, here’s our guide to some of the south east’s hottest culinary additions.
HOTTEST NEW CAFES AND EATERIES IN THE SOUTH EAST
ARMADALE
Coming soon to Armadale is funky new Japanese joint, Sonny Chiba (14 Beatty Ave), which is set to swing open its doors this month. Further down the road, the wholefood cafe at Willow Urban Retreat (1203 High St) is dishing up delicious, nutritious eats that have been designed in consultation with a naturopath to support health and wellbeing. You can stop in for a morning yoga or rebounding class and pick up breakfast and a golden latte to go.
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ASPENDALE
If you’re looking for French-infused Vietnamese by the bay — Le Feu (145 Nepean Highway) has you covered. This modern Vietnamese restaurant is plating up authentic southern-style favourites, including bolalot (beef mince wrapped in betel leaves), sweet potato and taro fritters, stuffed chicken wings, wagyu brisket and sticky lamb ribs. Or, warm up with a bowl of steaming hot Ha Noi-inspired pho.
BEACONSFIELD
Burger lovers, listen up. Burgled Burgers (corner Brunt Rd and Princes Hwy) new Beaconsfield outpost has some seriously nice buns. From breakfast through last bites — there’s a burger for that. The options are stacked, literally. Try your hand at The Bogan — an Aussie-inspired burger layered with beef, bacon, egg, tomato sauce, cheese, beetroot, caramelised inion, BBQ sauce and aioli. Some would say the omission of pineapple makes this about as un-Australian as a burger gets, but the punters seem to love it. The Italian Job — with beef, salami, bocconcini, lettuce, red peppers, aioli and tomato relish is another crowd pleaser. Or, follow the Lederhosen and go for The Berlin, which is loaded with Kransky, sauerkraut, pickles, cheese, ketchup and mustard. There are also milkshakes, coffees (or beers, if the mood strikes) with which to wash them down.
BENTLEIGH
Bentleigh newbie Miss Ruby (454 Centre Rd), which opened in May, is bringing a new Instagrammable breakfast offering to Centre Road’s already star-studded cafe breakfast line up.
BERWICK
New kid on the Bezza block, Mad Benji (Shop 12, 215-225 Parkhill Drive), is bringing a healthy dose of brunch, lunch and burger gems to the Parkhill Plaza scene. Brunch items include acai bowls smashed avo and potato rostis with tomato, avocado and coriander salsa, honey-candied bacon, mascarpone and a sprinkle of bacon dust. And it would be remiss of us not to mention the slow-cooked bulgogi pulled pork burger with cheese, lettuce, sesame seeds, spring onion and coleslaw.
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BRIGHTON
From the team behind Elsternwick breakfast sweetheart Glover’s Station comes Bayside’s newest brunch beauty, Saint Martin’s (116 Martin St). Here, in the carb department, the menu features Burnham Bakery bread, Dr Marty’s Crumpets, sticky beef rolls and semolina gnocchi — to name just a few of its mouth-watering options, while lighter morning fare includes mandarin panna cotta, activated almond bircher and poached ocean trout atop an avocado puree, poached egg, buckwheat, quinoa, broccoli, kale and goji berry salad.
ELSTERNWICK
Keep an eye out for Glen Huntly Road newbie Wishbone (4/376 Glen Huntly Road), a social enterprise cafe due to open this month on the bustling Elsternwick strip. The sustainably focused cafe-come-bar will have specialty beans on pour, a Japanese-inspired menu and a Spotify-powered playlist that will keep the good vibrations pumping out all day.
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HAMPTON
The friendly folk from Mr Mister in Windsor have welcomed a younger, Bayside brother, Little Mister (2 Small Street). The sprawling, corner cafe — kitted out with polished concrete floors, blonde bentwood chairs, painted bricks and white, timber-panelled walls — is situated just off the main strip, away from the hustle and bustle of Hampton Street, making it a lovely, sun-drenched spot to relax over a coffee or brunch. The potato rosti with slow cooked pork shoulder, pumpkin hollandaise, kale chips, poached eggs, pickled apple and sourdough is sure to get your weekend off to a great start. Or, for a brighter take on Melbourne’s signature smashed avo — have a crack at the smashed pumpkin and sweet potato with almond feta, pickled shiitake and pomegranate.
KNOXFIELD
Get into the spirit of things at Knoxfield’s own small batch distillery. Tiny Bear (7/10 Henderson Road) is a dream come true for high school chemistry teacher turned entrepreneur Damien Henderson, who opened the Henderson St cellar door with the help of his wife, Amanda, in June. As well as a selection of craft gins (one herbal, one high-strength and one spices), a coffee liqueur and even a limoncello, Tiny Bear also offers gin making masterclasses and weekend cellar door tasting sessions.
MALVERN
If you love the Julien Moussi cafe formula, one of his latest south eastern additions won’t disappoint. Clubhouse Malvern (1290 Malvern Road), which occupies the prime double-fronted real estate that used to house Sissi & Co, features Moussi’s typical, polished interior, finetuned menu and, as always, his signature Inglewood beans. The black forest panna cotta — a Moussi menu staple — and green breakfast bowl with quinoa, avocado, kale, haloumi, yoghurt, black dukkha, pita chips and a poached egg are smash hits for a reason.
Where dinner is concerned, the new Tarim Diyari Uyghur (19 Glenferrie Road), which replaces the old Lao Tuo Jia, is a must visit. If you love the idea of carb-heavy, meat-laden Chinese-meets-Middle-Eastern cuisine, get around this new Glenferrie Road gem. Think Middle Eastern meats cooked in Asian-inspired spices. Popular items include traditional nan bread (which is like an Uyghur-style pizza bread) topped with braised lamb ribs, handmade noodles with stir-fried lamb, capsicum and black fungus or Uyghur traditional shish kebabs.
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MOUNT WAVERLEY
Moussi is again dominating in Melbourne’s south east, with yet another cornerstore cafe popping up in a leafy, residential strip in Mount Waverley. Stanley (63 Stanley Street), a long, narrow cafe with plenty of potted greenery and a lush, heated timber courtyard, is bringing good food, specialty coffee and retro nostalgia vibes to the backstreets.
On another happy note, Mount Waverlians were excited to see the Proud Peacock (28 Hamilton Place) shake its tail feather once again. The former Pinewood Vietnamese family-run favourite, which burned down late last year, reopened in a beautiful new venue last month, bringing a haute new interior to Mount Waverley’s main shopping village. But don’t be fooled by the warm, thoroughly refined fit-out, it’s still the same delicious food (and MSG-free pho) diners fell in love with at the cheap and cheerful Pinewood hot spot. There’s even a soft drink and lolly station where you can help yourself — a nod to the old bottle-lined walls of the previous venue. And, to top it off, friendly owner June is still handing out free ice creams for dessert. If you’re after an authentic Vietnamese feast that comes with one of best — and most generous — displays of hospitality in Melbourne, this is where you’ll find it.
MULGRAVE
It’s been a long time coming, but Brandon Park Shopping Centre finally has a seriously cool all-day cafe. Young and Foolish (Kmart entrance, corner of Springvale and Ferntree Gully roads, Mulgrave), which opened in March, is slinging pretty-as-a-picture breakfast plates. The ricotta hot cakes topped with lemon yuzu curd, coconut crisps, meringue, lemon verbena syrup and fresh berries, and the fancy breaky brioche stuffed with chilli-scrambled eggs, bacon, chives and tom relish, are already Insta famous. Or, pop in for dinner and get around their Mediterranean-inspired evening eats. They’ve also got share-style options including Port Phillip Bay mussels in white wine, lemon and parsley, chargrilled calamari with skid ink aioli, mushroom arancini and even a salumi board. And burgers.
PAKENHAM
The Hache (Shop 4/106 Henry Rd) burger bar-come-schnitzel joint threw open its doors in April and is already making its mark on the local burger scene. You’ll definitely need two hands for the Double Double, which is twice as nice with double beef, double cheese, lettuce, grilled onions, American mustard and tomato sauce. If you’re feeling clucky, try one of the schnitty rolls, a loaded parma or treat yourself to classic fried chicken burger. Side kicks include loaded fries and ‘tater tots.
SANDRINGHAM
The latest venture from chef Ryan Lording (Plain Sailing, Left Field) has docked in sunny Sandringham. Port of Call (7 Bay Road) sailed into action last month and the hotly anticipated venue is already bringing Lording’s signature fine dining brunch vibes and breakfast queues to the Bay Road strip. The seasonal greens, pea, zucchini and ricotta fritters and spiced pumpkin waffles are already a hit.
SCORESBY
Artisans Provedore (Scoresby Village, 1/1333 Ferntree Gully Rd) is the new kid on the Scoresby block and is bringing specialty coffee (by Dukes Coffee Roasters), locally grown Yarra Valley Tea Company leaves and a locally grown approach to everything on the sustainably-sourced menu.
SPRINGVALE
A new Chinese/Vietnamese eatery has landed in the food mecca that is Springvale. Golden Chopstix (2-3/60 Buckingham Avenue) opened in late June and is already in contention for having the best pho in Melbourne. The duck and BBQ pork are also getting rave reviews.
WANTIRNA
Coffee and New York-style bagels are a match made in breakfast heaven at Wantirna newbie, The Bagel Store (17 Crestdale Road). The brunch spot is also dealing baked goods, New York cheesecakes, yoyo biscuits and Portuguese tarts. There is even a small pantry section stocked with specialty American items including Hersheys chocolate sauce, Cheetos and Lucky Charms.
WINDSOR
The inner south east’s unofficial eat street just keeps going from strength to strength. And the latest addition to Windsor’s mouth-watering food scene is modern Italian eatery Tipico (242 High St). The contemporary diner is the creation of Melbourne hospitality powerhouses Andrea Da Como (Baby, D.OC.) and Marco Scalisi (Ti Amo, Tokyo Tina), and brings with it an innovative mashup of familiar flavours, bold pairings and pretty plating. Think fried sardines and polenta chips, spinach and ricotta ravioli with saffron and smoked pumpkin, endive and pear salad with mandarin dressing. The Windsor end has also welcomed a new internationally renowned burger and ribs bar, RocoMamas, (156 Chapel St) to its tantalising strip. This is the South African burger king’s first and flagship Aussie outpost, where it’ll be treating customers to its piled-high “smashed burgers”, along with seriously messy ribs, wings and fully loaded fries.
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