Cafeography
Melbourne · South Yarra & Prahran

Cafés in South Yarra & Prahran

Toasties at Prahran Market, Pardon on Greville Street and a latte art champion on High Street.

Photo: Paul Macallan, Pexels License

Prahran starts about 5 km south-east of the CBD, and its Chapel Street mixes fashion boutiques with cafés.8 The fixed point for food is Prahran Market on Commercial Road, owned by the City of Stonnington, which has traded since 1864 and calls itself Australia's longest-serving market.1 It opens from 07:00 on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and from 08:00 on Sunday, so Monday and Wednesday are its days off.1

Coffee on this side of the Yarra tends to come with something else attached: a cheese counter, a grocer, a short wine list or a world title. Trains on the Sandringham line stop at Prahran station, and tram routes 5, 6, 64, 72 and 78 serve the suburb.8 Toorak Road and the upper end of Chapel Street carry the same trade north into South Yarra.

Local tip: Prahran Market closes on Monday and Wednesday, so plan a Maker & Monger toastie for one of the other five days.

At a glance

129Cafés listed
12With opening hours
06:00Earliest opening
18:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Tom Dick and Harry, from 06:00 (Mon–Fri 06:00–14:00 · Sat–Sun 08:00–13:00).
  • Closes latest: Laurent, until 18:00 (Daily 07:00–18:00).
  • Most listed streets: Chapel St (14), St Kilda Rd (9), Chapel Street (8).
  • Most common features: outdoor seating (4%), bakery café (2%), smoke-free indoors (2%).

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Coffee chains in South Yarra & Prahran

Commercial Road and the market

Maker & Monger began as a food cart at Prahran Market in 2015 and moved into a permanent stall in the heritage harvest hall in 2019, a room Anthony Femia nicknamed the "chapel of cheese".2 The orders to know are the All-American toastie, two American cheeses with onion and parsley, and the original Swiss raclette. A breakfast menu with Welsh rarebit and whipped ricotta on wholegrain toast arrived in April 2024, served until 10:30.2

Tall Timber, at 60 Commercial Road, comes from the people behind Coin Laundry and Station Street Trading Co. As of 2018 it roasted Niccolo coffee on site, using the house blend for white coffee and rotating guest roasters for black, with a courtyard and seats on the street.4

Greville Street, once the hippie end of town

Greville Street was the center of Melbourne's hippie community and now holds cafés, bars, bookstores and music shops.8 Pardon Coffee opened here in 2013 as the second shop from Courtney Joel and Jon Freeman of Cup of Truth, in Shop 4 at number 155 with its door on Izett Street.3 It started without a kitchen: a short rotating list of sandwiches, Matt Forbes' filled doughnuts and single origins from Monk Bodhi Dharma.3

For a later cup, Oscar Cooper across the road pours until 17:00 every day, while St Edmonds nearby stops at 15:00.

High Street: a world champion and a grocer

Tone coffee, at 121 High Street, was set up in 2023 by Caleb "Tiger" Cha, the 2015 World Latte Art Champion, who also judges at the World Coffee Championships and grades green arabica.6 Its signature drinks include one named the Tiger Bomb.6

Further along, Morning Market on the corner of Grandview Grove opened in 2021 as Andrew McConnell's second store under that name, after Fitzroy in October 2020.5 It works as a grocer as much as a café: Single O coffee and Baker Bleu sourdough and pastries sit beside Meatsmith steaks and sausages, fresh produce and local flowers.5

South Yarra in small rooms

Park Pantry, on Park Street, has 16 seats and Industry Beans coffee, and from the early afternoon it runs as a wine bar.7 As of 2023 its small list took in German rieslings, a Provence rosé and a Gevrey-Chambertin pinot noir.7

Toorak Road splits the day between two shops: Tom Dick and Harry opens at 06:00 on weekdays and is done by 14:00, and Laurent, further along, stays open until 18:00 every day.

Sources

  1. About Prahran Market, Prahran Market, accessed November 2026
  2. Maker & Monger, Broadsheet Melbourne (updated April 17, 2024), accessed November 2026
  3. Prahran's Pardon, Broadsheet Melbourne (July 4, 2013, updated January 25, 2018), accessed November 2026
  4. Tall Timber Eatery, Broadsheet Melbourne (updated July 18, 2018), accessed November 2026
  5. Andrew McConnell opens second Morning Market, Hospitality Magazine (April 26, 2021), accessed November 2026
  6. Tone Coffee, Chapel Street Precinct, accessed November 2026
  7. Park Pantry, Broadsheet Melbourne (updated September 25, 2023), accessed November 2026
  8. Prahran, Victoria, Wikipedia, accessed November 2026
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In South Yarra & Prahran, also browse: Specialty coffee Brunch Outdoor seating Bakery cafés Open by 6am

FAQ

South Yarra & Prahran cafés: questions

What days is Prahran Market in Melbourne open for coffee and food?

Prahran Market, on Commercial Road in Prahran, opens from 07:00 on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and from 08:00 on Sunday. It does not trade on Monday or Wednesday. The market has served the neighborhood since 1864 and is owned by the City of Stonnington.

What is Maker & Monger at Prahran Market in Melbourne known for?

Maker & Monger is known for its All-American toastie, made with two American cheeses, onion and parsley, and for its original Swiss raclette. It began as a food cart at Prahran Market in 2015 and moved into a permanent stall in the heritage harvest hall in 2019. Breakfast was added in April 2024.

Who runs Tone coffee on High Street in Prahran, Melbourne?

Tone coffee, at 121 High Street in Prahran, was set up in 2023 by Caleb "Tiger" Cha. He won the World Latte Art Championship in 2015, judges at the World Coffee Championships and is a qualified grader of green arabica. A drink called the Tiger Bomb is among its signatures.

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