Market Coffee Guide
Melbourne is synonymous with good coffee and is considered by some as the coffee capital of the world. Visit any suburb in Melbourne and you’re guaranteed to find a good barista, serving up a smooth flat white, almond latte or cold brew.
South Melbourne Market also has so many great options when it comes to coffee. Whether you consider yourself a bit of a coffee geek or just looking for a caffeine pick-me-up during your weekly shop, you’re guaranteed to find a coffee that hits the spot.
To celebrate World Coffee Day on Saturday October 1, we’ve put together our Market Coffee Guide, which covers places to sit and relax, the perfect spots for your grab-and-go, plus traders who sell beans to take home. There’s even a sensational tiramisu recipe from Nonna Grazia, the mother of Pieno Di Grazia owner, Maria Capuano.
If you're grabbing a takeaway, we encourage you to bring your own reusable cup. If you do forget, you can pop your takeaway cup in one of the Simply Cup collection tubes located around the Market. This partnership with Closed Loop's Simply Cups program means takeaway coffee cups will be recycled instead of ending up in landfill - a great addition to the Market's sustainability initiatives.
So, get your coffee snob on and get ready to explore the Market’s fabulous coffee scene.
Eat & Drink
Located at the end of the Deli Aisle, Burhan's is the ideal spot to recharge with a quick coffee while you shop. While Burhan's Espresso offers breakfast, lunch and in-between items such as Bircher or toasted muesli, wraps, biscuits and slices, it is the coffee that is owner Ziggy's passion. "We are always trying to perfect our coffee," he says. "We roast our own 4 blend; it's a smooth, mild roast of beans from Brazil, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia."
Bradley Johnston has created a little oasis in the heart of the Market's Food Hall. Stop by for a delicious coffee from Crompton Road, a crunchy salad or ham and cheese toastie.
Delicious Crompton Road Coffee from Brad at Canteen.
The perfect spot for your grab and go, Clement is about two things: great coffee and great people. This unassuming hole-in-the-wall café serves up cups of happiness and delicious pastries, along with bags of beans to take home.
Inspired by the vibrant markets of Barcelona and Madrid, La Central is the perfect spot to sit down and take a break from your shopping. Choose from your regular latte, cappuccino or espresso, or you could try a traditional Spanish coffee including Cortado (espresso with milk), Bombón (espresso with condensed milk) and Carajilio (espresso with a choice of brandy, Anisette, Black Run or Baileys).
The home of great mixed blend La Lapa coffee from Costa Rica. La Lapa is in nestled away in SO:ME Space and is a great place to stop for a rest in the middle of your busy Market shop.
La Lapa is nestled away in SO:ME Space - the perfect pit stop for a coffee and a cake.
Firmly focused on ethical and sustainable growth, Padre coffee was born in the dawning age of specialty coffee in Melbourne back in 2008. Perfect for a takeaway latte to power your market shop, or to pick up a bag of coffee beans.
A vibrant food store serving an array of Italian cuisine & espresso in the Market’s Food Hall. Drop by for a coffee at their espresso bar, salad from their insalataria or take home traditional Italian meals from their casalinga. They also offer their delicious beans to take home.
Take a break from the hustle and bustle of the Market and head to Proper & Son for a coffee from local roasters, Industry Beans. While you’re there, why not treat yourself to one of their famous egg rolls on a toasted bun with crisp salad. Owner and Chef Eugene Lavery describes Proper and Son as 'fast food service with a slow food ethos, setting the menu weekly based on what we find within the Market and what's in season.'
Drop by Pieno Di Grazia for a coffee at their espresso bar.
Take Home
Along with the Market's resident cafe's who offer cups of coffee and take home beans, there are also plenty of other traders who sell coffee products.
Whilst not strictly caffeine, chocolate (or cacao) contains one of the metabolites of caffeine – the stimulant Theobromine. If you're looking for something sweet, head to Atypic Chocolate, the Market's bean-to-bar chocolaterie, crafting single-origin small-batch chocolate.
Their long black chocolate blend is made with single origin coffee beans to create the most luxurious and tempting bar. Their café latte milk chocolate blend brings you the best of both worlds. Made with ground coffee beans, this concoction will make you froth.
Rita’s Coffee and Nut shop is a family-owned business, dedicated to sourcing and supplying the highest quality products. Grab your fresh beans or ground coffee along with some nuts, gourmet chocolate, homemade rocky road, dried fruit, grains and preserves. It's almost impossible to leave without buying more than you came for.
For more than 70 years, W.B. Smith has been at the Market offering a smorgasbord of kitchenware. If you're after a good quality coffee grinder, Bialetti stovetop or a coffee plunger, they've got you covered!
Grab your fresh beans from Rita's Coffee and Nuts.
For the non-coffee drinkers
Non-coffee drinker in tow? Tea Drop's bar promises to give coffee-crazed Melbourne a run for its money. Tea Drop was founded by Sri Lankan born Ashok Dias. Coming from a land renowned world over for the finest brew, he grew up with a distinct understanding and passion for tea.
There are over 100 flavours of tea to choose from including the South Melbourne Breakfast tea, the micro cold-brewed nitrogen iced tea, and the Malabar Chai which is spiced, creamy and delicious, like a warming hug.
There are over 100 flavours of tea to choose from at Tea Drop.
Tiramisu Recipe
Tiramisu is a coffee-flavoured Italian dessert. It is made of ladyfingers (savoiardi) dipped in coffee, layered with a whipped mixture of eggs, sugar, and mascarpone cheese, flavoured with cocoa. The recipe has been adapted into many varieties of cakes and other desserts. Its origins are often disputed among Italian regions Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia.
This sensational recipe for Tiramisu is from Nonna Grazia, the mother of owner Maria Capuano from Pieno Di Grazia.
Sensational Tiramisu from Nonna Grazia.