Cafeography
Melbourne · Northcote & Thornbury

Cafés in Northcote & Thornbury

High Street from Westgarth to Thornbury: espresso bars, Portuguese tarts and bakery cafés.

Photo: Jeremy Wong, Pexels License

Northcote and Thornbury sit 6–7 km north-east of the CBD in the City of Darebin, with Merri Creek to the west and Darebin Creek along Thornbury's eastern edge.12 Cheap land gave Northcote a working-class reputation from the 1880s, and by 2011 a housing research report described it as the most intensely gentrified suburb in Melbourne.1 In Thornbury, Greek is the most common language spoken at home after English.2

In both suburbs about half the cafés are on High Street, originally Lower Plenty Road.1 In March 2024 Time Out named High Street, which carries on north into Preston, the coolest street in the world, and singled out Casa Nata's Portuguese tarts.3

Local tip: Casa Nata opens only Wednesday to Sunday from 09:00; on a Monday or Tuesday morning, ASV Bakehouse at 392 High Street opens at 06:30.

At a glance

78Cafés listed
11With opening hours
06:30Earliest opening
16:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: ASV Bakehouse, from 06:30 (Mon–Fri 06:30–15:30 · Sat–Sun 07:00–15:00).
  • Closes latest: Todo Good Coffee, until 16:00 (Mon–Fri 07:00–15:30 · Sat–Sun 08:00–16:00).
  • Most listed streets: High Street (26), High St (13), Separation Street (3).
  • Most common features: outdoor seating (18%), bakery café (5%), takeaway (5%).

Todo Good Coffee

  • 1A Timmins Street
  • Mon–Fri 07:00–15:30 · Sat–Sun 08:00–16:00
  • Wheelchair access
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Coffee chains in Northcote & Thornbury

Getting to Northcote and Thornbury

Tram 86 runs along High Street, and route 11 serves St Georges Road to the west.1 Westgarth, the southern corner of Northcote, has its own station on the Hurstbridge line.1 On the Mernda line, Merri, Northcote and Croxton stations serve Northcote, and Thornbury has a station of its own.12 A cable tram already ran the length of High Street by 1890.2

High Street, south to north

Near the southern end, Barry opened at 85 High Street in 2013, a week after the Sahely family opened Touchwood in Richmond; it poured 5 Senses coffee from a custom Synesso machine.4

Further north, Penny Farthing Espresso at 206, Top of the Hill at 208, Tinker at 235 and Cuppa Turca at 262 sit close together. Dan's Deli at 382, ASV Bakehouse at 392 and Espresso Room at 410 form the next cluster. Between 600 and 700, The Old Dog Cafe (618), Lan Coffee (640), Prior Thornbury (637), Local Bean Cafe and Bar (659–661) and Crunch Cafe (669) line the Thornbury end.

Thornbury's stretch has Taso's Cafe & Patisserie at 695, Short Round at 731, Thornbury Espresso Bar at 792, Casa Nata at 846 and Little Henri at 850. Casa Nata trades only from Wednesday to Sunday, 09:00–15:00.

Side streets and morning hours

Off High Street, Mr Miller at 114 Miller Street opens daily 07:00–15:00 and Bakes & Bagels is at 115. Rat The Cafe is at 72 Wales Street, Espresso Alley at 4 Separation Street and Artiga Specialty Coffee at 327 Mansfield Street.

Hours favor mornings. ASV Bakehouse opens at 06:30 on weekdays, Mr Miller, Short Round and Bicycle Thieves at 07:00, and most in the two suburbs close by 15:30. Fork & Path at 487 High Street opens Monday to Saturday, 07:00–15:00, and Crunch Cafe closes on Sundays.

Parks and creeks

Northcote was subdivided around 1853–1855 and was probably named after Sir Stafford Northcote; a bridge over Merri Creek opened in 1858, and the town hall followed in 1890, the year the borough was proclaimed.1 Thornbury takes its name from a property of the early settler Jobbo Smith, dating from 1850.2

All Nations Park covers 13 hectares on a former brickworks site, and its artificial hill is sometimes mistaken for Ruckers Hill.1 The Darebin Creek Trail follows Thornbury's eastern border.2

Sources

  1. Northcote, Victoria, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Thornbury, Victoria, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Aussie street named coolest in the world, 1News (March 14, 2024), accessed October 2026
  4. A Family Affair at Barry, Broadsheet Melbourne (October 1, 2013, updated April 24, 2018), accessed October 2026
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In Northcote & Thornbury, also browse: Specialty coffee Brunch Outdoor seating Bakery cafés

FAQ

Northcote & Thornbury cafés: questions

Why was Northcote's High Street named the coolest street in the world?

In March 2024 Time Out ranked High Street, which runs through Northcote, Thornbury and Preston, first on its list of the world's coolest streets, and singled out Casa Nata's Portuguese tarts in Thornbury. About half of the cafés in Northcote and Thornbury are on High Street, and tram 86 runs along it.

How do you get to Northcote and Thornbury cafés from Melbourne?

Tram 86 runs along High Street through Northcote and Thornbury, and route 11 serves St Georges Road to the west. On the Mernda line, Merri, Northcote and Croxton stations serve Northcote, and Thornbury has its own station. The suburbs sit 6–7 km north-east of Melbourne's CBD.

Where can you get Portuguese tarts in Thornbury, Melbourne?

Casa Nata at 846 High Street, Thornbury, bakes Portuguese tarts, and Time Out singled it out when it named High Street the world's coolest street in March 2024. It opens Wednesday to Sunday, 09:00–15:00. Little Henri at 850 High Street is next door.

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