This is Where Interior Designers Take Their Clients for Coffee in Melbourne
A super stylish, design-savvy space. Ample comfy seating. A lively vibe that’s not too noisy for a professional chat. And a steady stream of fresh coffee brewed from high-quality beans. These are the key elements to meeting spots in Melbourne worthy of your client meetings.
Feature image courtesy of @highergroundmelbourne
Everyday Coffee has long been luring caffeine-seekers to its Midtown and Collingwood locations. But for its newest café in Carlton, owners Mark Free and Aaron Maxwell opened up shop in a Queensberry Street design studio belonging to a couple of loyal, longtime customers. The result is a meeting place with excellent brews made from house-roasted beans, pastries from sister bakery All Are Welcome, and a bookstore stocked with design titles from fellow tenant Perimeter Books.
The bones of this former CBD power station have been left raw and rustic. But the coffee, food, and furnishings are all modern refinement. It’s a bright, airy, and gorgeous space for spending a morning with a client: natural light floods through arched windows, the ceilings measure 15-metres high, and plants drip down from the mezzanine. Plus, Higher Ground’s daytime menu is just what you’d expect from the same team as Top Paddock and Kettle Black: think inventive sweet and savory creations like ricotta hotcakes, pretzel bagels with poached eggs and avocado, and a spicy egg scramble with cauliflower and curry leaf.
Bring that client with an appreciation for a more glamorous era to this 1892 teahouse, housed in the ornate landmark shopping destination, Block Arcade. Go for breakfast and order a cappuccino, flat white or one of 20-some distinctive teas along with fresh-baked seasonal scones, Parisian crepes, or egg dishes like omelets or shakshuka. Or, impress your client with a reservation for a proper afternoon high tea amid the green-and-white Regency wallpaper.
For a casual client meet-up, head to this modern coffee roaster, retailer, and cafe in Collingwood. Order a single origin coffee or delicious chai latte, energizing seasonal juices, tonics, and shrubs. Or prep yourself for a hectic day of client meetings with a nourishing smoothie like the Cherry Pie, made with cherries, strawberries, vanilla, oats, and almond milk.
In the mood for a little decadence? Head to QT Melbourne — one of the city’s hottest and most design-driven hotels — for coffee and sweets at The Cake Shop. The casual café serves up Five Senses coffee, espressos, and cold brew to go with their hyper-color pastries and cakes made for “Modern Marie Antoinettes.”
Serious coffee connoisseurs flock to Code Black’s four locations in Melbourne, North Melbourne, Brunswick, or Docklands for strong brews and design. Go for the bright and modern architectural spaces showcasing raw industrial metals and woods. Stay for the array of beans sourced from Ethiopia, Colombia, Brazil, Honduras, and Guatemala.
It doesn’t get more classic than Melbourne’s Grand Dame herself, The Hotel Windsor. Located in city centre opposite the historic Parliament House and Treasury and its 19th-century gardens, the iconic hotel boasts the longest continual tea service in Australia, dating all the way back to 1883. Since then it’s hosted everyone from international royalty to Harry Houdini and Metallica. It’s the perfect spot for a client who appreciates some pampering: every day, three-tiered silver stands are piled high with French patisseries, ribbon sandwiches, and savoury pastries for afternoon tea in the elegant One Eleven tea lounge.