It’s 9pm on a Saturday and a queue of people snakes around a city street.
You would be forgiven for assuming they’re lining up to enter a nightclub. But chances are, they are after a nightcap of a different kind.
Friends Toma Takahashi (left) and Genki Horie enjoy the desserts at Amiri Cafe.Credit: Justin McManus
Dessert bars have been booming in Melbourne’s CBD. While an after-dinner treat used to mean a trip to an ice-cream shop or Brunetti for creamy cannoli, today’s options are boundless. Think frozen yoghurt, bingsu (Korean shaved ice dessert) and sweet toast.
Those in the sector say that since restaurants established the pandemic-era practice of strict dining slots, people look to dessert bars for another table to park themselves at, and kicking on over cake is cheaper than a round of cocktails.
Amiri Cafe, which opened in March 2024 in the city’s QV shopping centre, has a wide-ranging menu, but after 1pm, its artistic Instagram-friendly desserts dominate.
One dish looks like a hard coconut but is, in fact, a pandan cake with coconut cream. There is also a bingsu where mango jelly has been fashioned to look like salmon sashimi.
“Our ‘durian deluxe’ is very popular. It looks like a real durian. People have asked if they have to peel it,” manager Sasinun Kanjanakul says.
The cafe is busiest between 7pm and 11pm, and being close to universities, Kanjanakul says international students are her biggest customer base, followed by families with children on weekends and office workers on weeknights.
She says going out for after-dinner sweets is more popular among Asian youth than heading to a boozy bar.
“It’s more affordable to share a dessert with friends to catch up,” she says.
Six late-night dessert bars to try
- Amiri Cafe, QV Melbourne, CBD
- Brunetti Classico, Lygon Court, Carlton
- Nimbo, 119 Hardware Street, CBD
- Yo-Chi, 194 Faraday Street, Carlton
- Homm, 294 La Trobe Street, CBD
- Snow Moon, The Causeway, CBD
“When I’m getting old, I’ll want to drink. When I’m young, I want to get dessert.”
Japan-born Genki Horie, 28, has lived in Melbourne for two years and says he often goes for dessert after dinner, more than he did when he lived in Tokyo. Amiri Cafe and Brunetti are among his go-to eateries.
Chian Ting opened Nimbo on Hardware Street in 2022 after finding herself missing sweet flavours from home in Malaysia, such as pandan, kaya (coconut jam) and ube (purple yam).
“Back home, we have a lot of late-night chill-out places … so we thought it would be a good idea to offer a late-night dessert spot [in Melbourne],” Ting says.
Nimbo’s Chian Ting with a matcha mango bingsu.Credit: Justin McManus
She says that since restaurants began implementing strict dining times, people are more likely to hop to another venue to continue hanging out.
Nimbo specialises in carefully crafted bingsu. There are year-round favourites with flavours of red bean and matcha as well as seasonal dishes, such as a mandarin bingsu for Lunar New Year and blueberry grape shortcake for Valentine’s Day.
Ting says when Nimbo first opened, young international students were her biggest customer base, but the trend has now spread beyond.
In the world of Melbourne’s late-night dessert spots, Brunetti is often considered the original.
Brunetti Classico owner Fabio Angele runs the original Carlton shop, which has been satisfying after-dinner sugar cravings since the 1990s.
Brunetti is open from 6am, but Angele says nighttime is when throngs of people flock to the cafe for cannoli, tiramisu and tarts.
“That’s our core business,” Angele says. “We get really busy at night. Desserts are our bread and butter.”
Pastries at Brunetti Classico.Credit: Eddie Jim
Angele says it is exciting to see so many dessert bars launching in Melbourne with creative twists on cakes such as the lamington or the Italian pandoro.
“It’s great, we’re all for desserts and sharing ideas.”
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