Located in a restaurant filled alleyway. This place is one of many. I'm glad we stopped by. Beautifully presented food and tasty! The bloody Mary was so good. Just the right taste of spice. I enjoyed my brekkie plate. The pancakes were nice and crisp with a gentle sweetness. My partner enjoyed his soup as well. I am obsessed with Affogatos so this one certainly hit the spot. read more

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This is another one of those really charming cafes that happen to be hidden down one of Melbourne's many laneways. I should mention that it is best to get here pretty early since I have discovered that it does get quite packed with all of the morning workers swarming through here. However, it is a pretty cool place to grab some breakfast, and they also have some really nice options on the menu as well. Oh, and the staff are also really, really good. read more

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Really great breakfast spot, food made from scratch to order, fresh juices and smoothies, all the food looked so delicious when we saw our neighbors being served, great place to start your day and centrally located in CBD. Great staff. Highly recommended!!! read more

Cafe Issus - Avo toast with poached eggs and microgreens - Cafes Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

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Food was amazing! A must try! I got the Jackie Chan and the Big breakfast! Both were delicious! read more

Cafe Issus - Food was amazing! A must try! - Cafes Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

Trekking through the laneways of Melbourne CBD we crossed this little place for lunch. It is the famous Melbourne Cup Day so things are a little quieter than usual in the area, with a few shops actually closed today. What made us stop here was the fact that they weren't the norm of this lane (ie just serving breakfast and/or pizza). The better half started with a raspberry hot chocolate which she thought was awesome. Deciding on the menu was made a little easier by two potential menu items not being available. I had the pulled pork bun whereas the other half had the open lamb souvlaki. Didn't really care for the presentation of her meal as the lettuce looked like it wasn't fresh. Mine was fairly delicious however I wouldn't come here if I was on a health kick - food was a little greasy, but good all the same. It was a tough star rating. I think a 3.5 would be suffice for this place. read more

Cafe Issus - Cafes Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

A nice place to eat breakfast in Melbourne CBD. You can sit along the alleyway and people watch, which is perfect on a beautiful day. I ordered the açaí bowl and liked it, but think it could have been a bit more flavorful. The passion fruit on top was a nice touch. The latte was okay. read more

Cafe Issus - açaí bowl - Cafes Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

NOTES: ~ I texted my friend saying "I just found the cutest cafe!" and "cutest" auto-corrected into "firestone". This has absolutely nothing to do with the review but made me giggle for the next 5 minutes. Background Information: I had a pretty rough and upsetting weekend and whenever I'm upset, I always gorge on food so I went out and planned to get my favourite dumplings at Shanghai Street only to find that it was closed. You know those times when you become disappointed because you didn't really get what you hoped for, but things turn out better than expected? This is one of those times. I hungrily ended up walking around the CBD, trying to find a place to satisfy my stomach only to see nothing but closed restaurants (it was Sunday after all, so I guess it's understandable). I ended up stumbling upon a beautiful, dimly lit laneway that had a wonderful charm and my heart immediately lit up and my mouth dropped. I feel like if you're a Melbourne-native and grew up among the laneways, it's a lot harder to appreciate. But seeing as how I recently moved here a few months ago, every time I stumble upon a laneway I feel like a tourist all over again. Ambiance: Absolutely wonderful. Usually, I don't like cramped tiny restaurants, but I can make an exception for this place. Dimly lit, wooden tables, cushy seats - it actually looks like someone's backyard relaxation spot or something. Adorable. Customer Service: I was served by this tiny, cute Asian girl who never stopped smiling. She was very very friendly, and the food came out at a respectable time given how packed this restaurant was. Even the chefs smiled every time they passed by. You could really make yourself feel at home here! Food: I ordered the Osso Bucco, a side of Potatoes w/ Mayonnaise, and a Banana Milkshake. I don't remember their exact names because it has a lot of description with it. Osso Bucco - Terrific! A tad expensive, but the meat was tender and fall-off-the-bone. The mashed potatoes it laid on top of was creamy and delicious, the tomatoes tangy and flavourful. Potatoes w/ Mayonnaise - It's not only mayonnaise - they add a lot of flavouring with spices and honey as well. The potatoes were chopped and cooked perfectly - very soft and went well with the mayonnaise. Banana Milkshake - Yum! Tasted like bananas mixed with honey, you cannot go wrong with this. Their portions are huge and delicious, so it's well worth the value. --- Issus helped me fall in love with Melbourne and made me remember what made this city so special - the laidback, strange charm it possesses of finding hidden gems everywhere you look. There's just something magical about it. I will definitely be coming back as well as exploring the laneways a lot more. And thank you for cheering me up from my disastrous weekend. This is my new favourite restaurant in Melbourne :) read more

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This place was very cool. It's on a small street with a lot of character. We shared the middle eastern egg breakfast which was soo good we went back the next day for the same. The meatballs were delish. The side of sausage was eh; the first day we had bacon that was much better. It was plenty of food for me and my gf to split for a light breakfast. We also had the banana milkshake and the banana berry milkshake. The first day the banana shake was amazing but the second day I think they forgot the honey. The big globs of honey made it especially sweet and good. The berry banana shake was fantastic. I also had a glass of the chasing thieves Chardonnay which wasn't bad. What can I say, I'm an american on vacation, I like booze with my breakfast. read more

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Absolutely amazing breakfast. The Issus eggs breakfast was one of the best poached eggs/hollandaise breakfasts I've ever eaten. Absolutely top notch. I'll be back. read more

Two and half out of five stars. Judging by the other reviews I must have got them on a bad day. I was a little underwhelmed by this place. It seemed really nice, tucked down a cosy laneway in Melbourne. The food was decent but they charged a lot for it ($6.50 for a glass of juice!). And the service was not particularly good. They stuffed up my order and while they did apologise and fix it, then they proceeded to ignore us when we wanted to pay. I stood by the register for a solid 7 minutes (Yes I timed it) with staff walking back and forth in front of me. I tried catching their attention and each time they said "Just a minute". Eventually someone from out back came to let me pay, but it still really pissed me off. The food was decent but not out of this world. My sister ordered the bread with pesto and ricotta, which was really nice, but expensive/small for what it was. Overall, the experience was fine but I wouldn't go out of my way to go to this place again. 3.5 stars for the good, less one for the crappy service + prices. read more

Fantastic friendly service. Had the eggs Issus which were fresh and delicious. Also had the zinger juice with mint. Highly recommend this cafe. Coffee was hot and strong. Will be back read more

The eggs Issus may not have been the best (burnt bread) but the portions were wonderful, coffee was excellent and the ambiance above-par. Be prepared that your meal may come out one-at-a-time - that worked out fine for me, as I got to get a head start on my partner. I'd definitely go again, and try some of their other offerings. Finally? Get the rosti. In fact, get two. YUM. read more

Cafe Issus - The Eggs Issu - Cafes Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

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This is the best breakfast in the Melbourne lanes, the Korma baked eggs are to die for! I'm a coffee snob and their coffee is 10 out of 10!!! read more

I highly recommend this place if you're looking to sit down, have some good food and do a little bit of people-watching. I'm so glad I chose this cute place among all the others along Centre Place, it's a unique Melbourne experience that I truly enjoyed. Just sit outside and soak in the buzz that this place is known for. I liked how the waiters were upbeat and friendly. Although the place was busy, I never felt the pressure to vacate my seat. Most of all, I really loved the "pass it on" concept of donating a small amount to feed the homeless. I added just AUD3.50 to my bill if I remember correctly to help someone in need. You'll get a piece of post-it note to write your message and I truly hope all the donations are really going to fill someone's stomach. I had an excellent dining experience here. Will 100% return! :) read more

Really, really good latte! Tasty breakfast of scrambled eggs with baked beans (made here).

Bright and early, in a sprightly lit lane of Melbourne beckons this subtle, elegant spot. Not loud, but spirited, subtlety is everything with Issus. Their food, well executed, coffee divine, setting perfect. This is Melbourne to me, inside and out. Highly recommended. read more

Great coffee. However after looking at the reviews and having the brunch I am actually surprised of the rating. I had the Mediterranean eggs which were over cooked as were the meatballs. The sauce was like it came out of the jar and certainly not the way I was expecting from the reviews and as compared to other similar dishes I have had in other establishments. read more

Hard to find but worth the effort. Very good coffee, interesting menu to complement the standards and friendly staff.

Greeted by a super friendly host, and was offered a seat inside (it was raining) even though I was getting the $5 take away coffee and egg&bacon roll special. Also okay for $5 card payment, which is super helpful (I was training so no pockets for money.) Their dinner menu looks fab as well - a super positive experience wnd w new go to! read more

Delicious food and a fun atmosphere! The eggs Benedict were outstanding. Highly recommend the Bloody Mary!!!(but be warned it is on the spicy side!) read more

Poor service and medicore food unfortunately. Came here for a good breakfast and all started well. They told me to pick any seat, so I chose a large empty bench table in the corner. They then agreed to do a side of one pancake, which was pretty tasty. Unfortunately, the rest of the experience was not. The kickstarter drink tasted like watered down orange juice and I got no hint of ginger that was supposedly a key ingredient. The scrambled eggs I ordered came out pretty runny and not well cooked--unfortunately had to send them back. The guy server (young short guy with a hat) got a bit of an attitude that I sent it back. They came out again better cooked, and although had no flavor, I decided to gut my way through. I was half way through eating when they asked me to move to accommodate a larger group -- literally as I had a bite of food on my fork. The guy that asked (glasses, very short hair) was nice enough about it but didn't offer anything for my inconvenience. I rushed through the rest of my meal in 5 minutes. When I went to pay, I discovered they tried to slightly overcharge me on one of the items. The cashier (young, short hat guy) made a bit of a deal about it. Ordinarily I wouldn't care, but I reminded him that I had to rush through my meal because they asked for my table. Definitely wouldn't come back here. read more