East
Mart 130
Nestled behind the Middle Park tram stop, Mart 130 is quaint and irresistibly delicious. Hidden from the road, this charmingly refurbished station master’s house can be a little tricksy to find. It’s worth persisting though. Decked out with all sorts of vintage maps and knick-knacks, Mart 130 exudes a quiet confidence, that comes from knowing [...]
Dr Jekyll
Dr Jekyll is a really enjoyable coffee experience. It’s a hang out that considers their customers to be part of the family, so much so, that they take customer suggestions to heart. One of these being to expand their premises. Previously, Dr. Jekyll was unable to cope with the constant flow of patrons wanting to take cover indoors instead of on their outside terrace. As winter hit Melbourne like a high-speed train, Dr Jekyll expanded to the shop front next door with a massive bay view window, allowing patrons to sit right on Grey Street and watch the cross-section of St. Kilda’s inhabitance walk past, definitely a source of conversation starters.
Glicks Cakes and Bagels
I will readily admit that I am addicted to carbohydrates. I love pasta. I love rice. I love potato. But most of all, I love baked goods. To me, hot bread is one of the best scents in the world and I am not one to walk by a bakery without grabbing a custard tart [...]
Red Door Antiques and Yum Cha
Red door is not only laneway yum cha in Windsor but also an oriental antiques store. The floor is scattered with four poster beds, drawers, tables, chairs, books, tea sets and other tidbits to keep you entertained while you wait for your delicate morsels of chinese food. Even our table and chairs were complete with price tags.
Bar None
Better known for a battalion of mediocre Italian restaurants, terrible shoe stores and ladies-who-lunch, Camberwell has been hiding it’s star talent. Bar None may very well be the treasure of the eastern suburbs.
Tucked between an alley of dumpsters and a Persian rug store, Bar None basks in the class and mystery of a backstreet city bar, but outshines them with the simple fact that it is not in town. Stepping out of the living room style basement at the end of the night, you are greeted, not with a hoard of drunkards jostling for a cab but the soft sounds of sleeping houses. Bliss.
Lucky Coq
If you live in or around Melbourne, and haven’t been to Lucky Coq for $4 pizza, you’re one of very few. A Chapel Street institution and sister of Bimbo Deluxe in Fitzroy, Lucky Coq is a reliable, endearing, comfortable and adaptable watering hole on the corner of High and Chapel Streets.
Las Chicas
Las Chicas. Two words that instantly make me want to curl up into a ball like a contented kitten and purr.
Words that conjure up feelings of warmth and the sort of satisfaction that only comes with a few things: an excellent vintage find, an episode of mad men and pumpkin polenta with avocado.
Mmm pumpkin polenta.
Mockingbird
There are certain basic requirements that must be met in order to create Melbourne’s next hidden gem: a laid back ambiance, comfortable nooks and a cocktail list complete with the favorites but also some intriguing suggestions. It needs to be a bit of a challenge to find, so that patrons feel a sense of discovering a treasure as they walk in. And it needs to appeal to the people who love nothing more than taking friends to a bar no-one’s ever heard of before – a place with the type of crowd – and drinks – that feel like undiscovered gold.
The Pelican
Located on the north (and much quieter) side of Fitzroy street, The Pelican is as versatile as it is effortless.