Cafeography
Melbourne · Brunswick

Cafés in Brunswick

Sydney Road's Lebanese bakeries, Lygon Street in Brunswick East and roasters in converted warehouses.

Photo: Peter Withiel, Pexels License

Brunswick is about 5 km north of the CBD, in the City of Merri-bek.1 It grew on clay and bluestone: brickworks and quarries were its largest industry from the 1850s, and textile and rope factories followed in the early 20th century.1 After the Second World War migrants from Italy, Greece and Malta settled here, followed more recently by arrivals from Lebanon and Turkey.1

Across Brunswick, Brunswick East and Brunswick West, the biggest café clusters are on two long strips: Sydney Road, whose Brunswick and Coburg section is called Melbourne's longest continuous shopping strip, and Lygon Street in Brunswick East.2 Between them are roasters, several of them in converted industrial buildings.3

Local tip: Pair a Sydney Road bakery with a specialty coffee: A1 Bakery and Market Lane's Sydney Road café are both on the tram 19 line and both open daily from 07:00.

At a glance

124Cafés listed
30With opening hours
06:30Earliest opening
00:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Bertoncello Cafe and Bar, from 06:30 (Mon–Fri 06:30–15:00 · Sat 07:00–14:00).
  • Closes latest: Neruda's South American Cafe, until 00:00 (Mon–Tue Closed · Wed 11:00–00:00 · Thu–Sat 09:00–22:30 · Sun 09:00–18:00).
  • Most listed streets: Sydney Road (24), Lygon Street (12), Albert Street (5).
  • Most common features: outdoor seating (14%), card payment (12%), wheelchair access (8%).

Lux Foundry Cafe

  • 21 Hope Street
  • Mon–Fri 07:00–15:00 · Sat 07:00–16:00 · Sun 08:00–16:00
  • +61 3 9387 8075
  • Wi-Fi
  • Card payment
  • Partial wheelchair access
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Lady Melville Cafe & Courtyard

  • 227 Melville Road
  • Mon–Fri 07:00–16:00 · Sat–Sun 08:00–15:00
  • Smoke-free indoors
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Neruda's South American Cafe

  • 66 Breese Street
  • Mon–Tue Closed · Wed 11:00–00:00 · Thu–Sat 09:00–22:30 · Sun 09:00–18:00
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Coffee chains in Brunswick

Getting around Brunswick

Tram 19 runs along Sydney Road from Coburg North to Elizabeth Street in the city, and the Upfield line parallels it about 200 m to the west, with Jewell, Brunswick and Anstey stations in the suburb.2 Trams 1 and 6 serve Lygon Street as far as Albion Street in Brunswick East.8

The railway is due to change. Eight level crossings along a 2.1 km stretch of the Upfield line are to be replaced by an elevated railway by 2030, and Brunswick will lose one of its three stations in the process.4

Sydney Road: Lebanese bakeries and Turkish snacks

Sydney Road was called Pentridge Road until 1859.2 Italian, Greek and Balkan food once dominated the strip; since the 1980s Lebanese and other Middle Eastern food has become prominent.2 A1 Bakery at 643–645 Sydney Road, opened in 1992 by the Raji Farah and Choueiri families, bakes za'atar pizza, spinach triangles and cheese pies and serves coffee with them.5 It opens daily 07:00–17:00.

Zaytoune Lebanese Sweets, at 648 Sydney Road, opens daily 10:00–22:00, and Al Nada Sweets is at 160. O'Kahve at 633 Sydney Road is known for Turkish burnt lentil soup and the kumru, an Izmir-style toastie.6 Choukette, at 318 and open daily 07:00–15:00, is known for its plain croissant.6

Roasters between the strips

Code Black Coffee was founded by Joseph Haddad in 2012; its Brunswick café, at 15–17 Weston Street, opens daily 07:00–17:00.3 Market Lane Coffee, founded in 2009, roasts on Weston Street and runs a café at 383 Sydney Road, open daily 07:00–17:00.3 Ona Coffee, set up in 2020 by Saša Šestic, the 2015 World Barista Champion, works from a warehouse conversion on Ovens Street.3

Wide Open Road's founders came to Brunswick in 2009 to roast coffee. At 274 Barkly Street the original brickwork is kept, and the roaster sits behind a window at the back of the café.7 Wood And Co Coffee, at 369 Albert Street, dates from 2015.3

In Brunswick East, Padre Coffee began in 2007 as the Brunswick East Project at 438–440 Lygon Street.3 Chava's Espresso Bar at 455 and Big Sister Cafe at 446 are on the same block.

When to go

The Sydney Road Street Party closes a large part of the road to traffic each year in late February, and leads into the Brunswick Music Festival in March.1 On ordinary weekdays, Sweet Evelyn at 128 Union Street, Bertoncello Cafe and Bar in Sparta Place and Duke of Grantham at 16 Grantham Street all open at 06:30.

Sources

  1. Brunswick, Victoria, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Sydney Road, Melbourne, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Roasters of Brunswick: the world in a cup, Brunswick Voice (June 16, 2026), accessed October 2026
  4. Station to be axed under skyrail revamp, Brunswick Voice (September 19, 2024), accessed October 2026
  5. A1 Bakery is the Lebanese heart of Melbourne's Brunswick, SBS Food (Audrey Bourget, June 24, 2021), accessed October 2026
  6. 40 Brunswick dishes to tantalise your tastebuds, Brunswick Voice (October 25, 2024), accessed October 2026
  7. Wide Open Road, Broadsheet Melbourne (updated November 27, 2024), accessed October 2026
  8. Lygon Street, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
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In Brunswick, also browse: Specialty coffee Brunch Outdoor seating Bakery cafés

FAQ

Brunswick cafés: questions

What is A1 Bakery on Sydney Road in Brunswick known for?

A1 Bakery at 643–645 Sydney Road, Brunswick, is a Lebanese bakery opened in 1992 by the Raji Farah and Choueiri families. It bakes za'atar pizza, spinach triangles and cheese pies and serves coffee alongside them. It opens daily 07:00–17:00, on the tram 19 line.

Which coffee roasters are in Brunswick, Melbourne?

Brunswick's roasters include Code Black Coffee, founded in 2012, with a café on Weston Street; Market Lane Coffee, roasting on Weston Street with a café at 383 Sydney Road; Wide Open Road on Barkly Street; Ona Coffee on Ovens Street; Wood And Co on Albert Street; and, in Brunswick East, Padre Coffee on Lygon Street, which began in 2007.

When is the Sydney Road Street Party in Brunswick?

The Sydney Road Street Party is held every year in late February, when a large part of Sydney Road in Brunswick is closed to traffic, and it leads into the Brunswick Music Festival in March. On other days tram 19 runs along Sydney Road, with Upfield line trains about 200 m to the west.

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