Cute ambience, however average service as the waitress messed up all our coffee orders. I ordered the French toast and it was okay. However the mix of all the elements of the cinnamon and the basil and the nuts stuff ruined it for me. It came with like 6 pieces of French toast and a dollop of cream it wasn't enough. I couldn't finish the whole meal. Cute little restaurant located in a little alleyway. read more

I actually entered here because of their tapas' happy hour instead of their coffee, espresso bar! The place looks like it was a classic mini cinema before it was renovated to a hipster kind of cafe because of the theatre seatings still in place and the format of how the dining tables are laid out. I'm digging it. I like my white wine with seafood tapas ordered, fried calamari lacked flavor, sausage bites were a bit dry, but adored the chickpeas added to it, and mussels were the winner in tomato sauce! They had a special on tapas to choose from on a chalkboard menu for a set price. Service was dandy. I like the whole ambiance while munching away on a variety of ingredients with complimenting and refreshing white wine to quench the thirst. Satisfied, surely. read more

It was so bad they put relish on everything the egg was cols it was muggy and the people could barley understand us so that is why it's not worth your money read more

Came here for happy hour, was not disappointed. Their feed me special, $40 for bottomless sangria with 3 tapas was great. The sangria was delicious as was the food. We sat outside and the ambiance was great. It was a little chilly but the heating lamps kept us warm. Our waitress Julia was so helpful and kind. We definitely recommend and would come back again. read more

This was a mistake. First it was clear that the wait staff was irritated from a long day of work because she was very terse in her responses. Secondly, the food was bland and did not live up to the ambiance of the laneway. We ordered the Prawn Risotto and the Pumpkin Risotto and both were underwhelming. The flourless orange cake was just terrible. Third, there was a 15% surcharge is added to the bill on weekends. This was not disclosed prior to seating. What make this even worse is that the restaurant was mostly vacated since it was 15 minutes prior to the kitchen closing so it was "surge pricing" minus a surge. Sorry to say this was the worst meal we had in Australia during this visit. read more

Degraves Espresso Bar - Pumpkin Risotto (bland) - Restaurants Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

Came here for breakfast after reading such good reviews, but to be honest I wasn't too impressed and found myself eyeing the dishes of other diners outside on Degraves. I found the breakfast menu to be rather limited and ended up ordering the french toast, which I felt was overpriced for the 3 sticks with watery syrup and the berry compote. (My companion ordered the BLT, which was very good and fresh, so perhaps this place is better at non-breakfast foods.) The redeeming factor was the coffee - my cappuccino was deliciously strong, and I would gladly come back for another cup! read more

Degraves Espresso Bar - french toast - Restaurants Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

Looking for a mocha? Find it here. Small little store front for a quick order with some seats inside which was a bit crowded for me. Mocha was pretty standard. Cash. Wait time was around 5-7 minutes. Busy. read more

People ask who I miss most from Australia. I answer: Degraves Espresso Bar. I now live in Seattle, the city of coffee, but it just doesn't compare. The coffee is perfectly made, strong and delicious. I started many mornings with a macchiato, then a latte. Accompanied by French toast. As long as I got their early enough. They ran out of baguettes most weekends. The seating is a little cramped, but quaintly so, with theatre seats at the tables. read more

Degraves Espresso Bar - The most amazing French toast. Worth flying back to Melbourne for. - Restaurants Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

Excellent friendly service. Beautiful outdoor seating space in the middle of Degraves street. Perfectly executed flat white and a good custard tart. Not too sweet and the cutest perfectly flaky. A good spot to take a break from if you've been out and about exploring the city. read more

Degraves Espresso Bar - Custard tart and of course a flat white - Restaurants Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

Yes, it's another darn Melbourne institution, but this one isn't as deserving as many of the others. The coffee at Degraves Espresso is pretty hit and miss, no doubt owing to the ever-changing roster of baristas. The wait staff turn over just as quickly, and often have no idea what they're doing (on one visit I had to ask for my orange juice three times). The food is likewise patchy, although the pre-made focaccias are always delicious once toasted. Inside, Degraves Espresso is cramped with lots of tables, some set with old cinema chairs which adds novelty. The real appeal here is sitting outside and soaking up the atmosphere - as one of Melbourne's best known laneways, Degraves Street offers excellent people watching as it's full of both locals and tourists every day of the week. The limited sunlight in the little alley means it's frightfully cold at times, so I wouldn't go out of my way to visit in winter. *Important* Make sure you've got enough cash as they don't accept cards - I've been caught out and it's awkward! read more

Degraves Espresso Bar - Restaurants Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

No Mulled Wine for second time in a row - false advertising people Good food at cheap for what it is prices. Old railway furniture is unusual touch but is very old and worn and needs replacing. read more

On the hunt for a slice of carrot cake, my prayers were answered when I caught a glimpse of one last slice, whispering my name from a tray through the Desgraves Espresso Bar window. My friend and I had no choice but to pay a visit, and enjoy a treat break during our city wander. Immediately upon entering the small, intimate space just off the narrow street of the same name, Desgraves offers a casual cafe atmosphere while harkening back to older times. The chairs appeared to be antique, and the tables reminded me of pioneer times school desks. Chalkboards above the window list the enticing brunch options and a variety of wines. I ordered the remaining carrot cake slice, paid, and sat at one of the tables in the corner. We were brought water in a glass bottle that was once upon a time filled with wine. Not long afterwards, the slice of carrot cake arrived, having been topped with a dusting of icing sugar, along with two generous scoops of vanilla bean ice cream. I was very impressed with the presentation, and the taste was divine. My friend and I discussed the necessity of returning for breakfast sometime, and once I find myself in Melbourne again, I will stop on by for some breakfast and an espresso-based beverage. read more

Degraves Espresso Bar - Carrot Cake! - Restaurants Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

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This place is pretty chill. It is situated on Degraves St in Melbourne so you get to sit outside under umbrellas and people watch while eating your meal. It definitely has a Europe feel to it. The service was good and the food was good. Pretty decent place to eat at when you're in Melbourne and want that Degraves St experience. read more

Degraves Espresso Bar - Restaurants Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

1. Great Staff 2.Great Staff 3.Great Staff I am going there back just to see those good-tempered, nice, polite staff. I enjoyed the atmosphere and tasty coffee as well. read more

Degraves Espresso Bar - Restaurants Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

Well, a cafe that uses cinema seats - cool. In fact that is probably the thing I like the most about this place, oh and the staff, there pretty cool as well, but they don't beat the cinema seats - in fact nothing beats the second-hand cinema seats, not that I realised they were cinema seats until the third of forth time I came here, and when I discovered that it was like 'cool, cinema seats'. Make sure you bring cash because they don't have eftpos, which can be a little embarrassing, but I always ask before I buy anything because I really don't want to get caught out and have to leave something like my mobile phone while I go and get some money from the nearest autoteller. The menu isn't that extensive, and they don't make the tea the way I like it but who cares - they have cinema seats. read more

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I think you have to take a place like Degraves Espresso Bar for what it is and enjoy these aspects without expecting too much. Due to its location on one of the most recognised laneways in the whole of Melbourne, it gets absolutely rammed and is an absolute tourist trap. With so much going on, I wouldn't imagine that there breakfast service would be too great. You should probably expect long waits and a bit of chaos thrown in for good measure. The long and short of it with Degraves Espresso is that their coffee is very good. And although you are a little bit crammed, the laneway offers a great spot to people watch and generally watch the world go round. It's a great spot to shoot the shit with friends or kill some time if you are in between things in the city. As with many things in this laneway, you are going for the setting rather than the incredible offering. Good coffee all the same. read more

Degraves Espresso Bar - Restaurants Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

Ambiance: Degraves Espresso Bar is a very popular, tiny little cafe on Degraves Street. They're very minimal when it comes to decor and goes with the whole rustic cabin-y feel (I'm talking plain wooden chairs, wooden tables, grey and brown everywhere). Customer Service: I could tell that the servers were lovely people, but with the constant influx of customers, they start feeling really rush and the atmosphere turns a bit hectic. Don't expect super-friendly service, but they are polite and courteous. Food: I ordered Eggs & Toast breakfast with a side of Smoked Salmon. It was a satisfying breakfast, but there was nothing really special about it - everything was a bit bland and lacked flavour. The other breakfast selections were rather plain as well. You have your general dishes that you can find in pretty much every cafe - Eggs Benedict, Big Breakfast, etc. but where's the imagination? The flavour? In recalling my experiences with Degraves Espresso Bar, nothing exciting or inventive came to mind. --- I wouldn't really recommend Degraves Espresso Bar to anybody, but I wouldn't tell people it's a bad idea either. It certainly gives a satisfying meal in a great location with decent wait times, but nothing beyond that unfortunately. read more

A few things... #1 Food was varied - my green eggs were top notch but my buddies both expressed their dissatisfaction with their food. #2 - Coffee was average and the waitress could not even tell the difference between a mocha and a cappuccino and a mocha. Disgrace. #3 - Service was varied - the guy was great but the girls were really rude and standoffish. That seemed to be the general vibe from reading other reviews as well. They told off the table next to me as their young kid had a doughnut with him. Geez. The girls were very snappy. #4 - Food exhaust fumes just visibly blowing in your face while you're trying to eat is not attractive at the slightest. #5 - The menu was uninspiring and plain. #6 - Payment only available in cash - who does that anymore in this day and age? Take your money somewhere else. It's just prime location because it's in DeGraves St and you can people watch. read more

Worst, ah. Degraves is one of those places that is generally never really mind-blowingly amazing, but always very passable (for both location and brunch). This place unfortunately is neither of those things. All outdoor patrons here will smoke right into your food. It's just a pity the food is already so poor in quality, that the smoke actually doesn't detract all that much from it. I had the vegetarian breakfast. The beans were burnt and just ... odd in terms of herbs used. The poached eggs were rubbery and overly vinegared. The mushrooms tasted like water, as did the tomato. Nothing was really edible. read more

It's alright. Not as great as it used to be though. I feel like it got a great reputation a few years ago, the locals moved on but all the tourists still head there. I don't normally need sugar in my coffee to drink it, theirs did. We had fruit toast with marscarpone & honey only to have the honey in those hotel style, disposable packs. Not worth visiting if you're in Melbourne. There are loads of other places worth trying out (Caffe e Torta being one of them!) read more

If you haven't been to Degraves Expresso Bar, you haven't really tried Melbourne's coffee yet. Located in the heart of the city, this is the place you want to bring your clients and colleagues to give a real taste of Melbourne coffee. The building is a little small and unassuming but I always get my coffee in a reasonable amount of time and poured right in front of me. Great bean blend and perfect milk texture provide a strong case for this coffee and will wake you up and put a smile on your face to take on the rest of the day. I'm now a regular. See you guys there. read more

We popped in this spot on a chilly morning before heading to the zoo. We liked their movie theatre style seats. FYI, they are cash only! Surprisingly, we had some of the best service at this spot! Their menu sounded really good and it was hard for me to choose, but after confering with our server, I got the poached egg bruschetta and Brian O got the eggs Benedict. Both were very good and the eggs were perfectly poached. There were several other breakfast items that sounded equally as lovely and I wouldn't hesitate to go back here on another visit. I am surprised by the more poor reviews as this was a place that impressed us. They serve tapas at night and can't speak to those, but service and breakfast were a real win here! read more

Brucshetta was amazing and Spanish eggs were so rich and tasty. Best coffee I have had in a long time. Nice atmosphere & fast service. read more

Degraves Espresso Bar - Restaurants Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

Love the food and really filling though would give it 4 to 5 stars if it had credit card facilities for ease of access. Though locals love it and it's full in early hours of night so must be good and I did find it a relaxing place to eat. Greg read more

Degraves Espresso Bar - Entrance outside the bar - Restaurants Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

Tip jar on the counter says: "Every time you don't tip, a puppy dies." ... Um. "That'll be three hundred and sixty cents please" says the deadpan skinny hipster behind the counter. Um... Um... Degraves. Hello. You weird me out but you have a strange charm that keeps me coming back every now and again hoping this time you won't burn my coffee, serve it to me without a lid or heap more froth than allowed by law in to my latte. And sometimes I get an awesome coffee from you and I remember that you're alright. Then there was that one time when a non-descript hipter waiter with moth ball holes in his sweater bought out eggs that were so deliciously scrambled on sourdough bread that my faith in you for brunch was restored. And most of the time, your ciabatta's in the window after being toasted are wonderfully delicious. And of all the cafes down Degraves street (even though you're about as reliable as Metro trains) you're still my favorite. read more

I can only rate and comment on the lattes and service and both were great. I was doing my wandering tourist thing - my challenge on that day was going through all the lanes and arcades. Found this place, sat down out in the street, ordered a latte and people watched. Then ordered another latte - by the way the lattes are good and reasonably priced. Plus like what has been said in other reviews Degraves Street has a nice feel to it. One of my favorite lanes. read more

Degraves Espresso Bar - latte x2 - Restaurants Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

This is my go-to plaec for coffee in the city. It's in a central location and the coffee is ALWAYS of high standard. It can quite often be busy, and if you're sitting outside it isn't always the most comfortable since the seating is the packed middle section of Degraves. Inside is nice and comfy though, really casual with what I think are vintage movie theatre seats. The service can be a bit touch and go, but I've found if you're proactive in getting someone's attention things are a lot easier. It's not the kind of place to wait to be seated or wait for an order or expect people to check up on you. I do only come here for coffee though, I haven't tried any of the food as it seems overpriced. I've had a juice and cocktail that have been on the average side. There are definitely better places to eat and have cocktails in Melbourne, but I'll keep coming back here for my coffee needs. read more

Went here for breakfast and had the signature French toast with maple syrup and strawberries -the meal was delicious! Coffee was great here too. Friendly staff, will definitely be going back. read more

Degraves Espresso Bar - French toast with strawberries and maple syrup - Restaurants Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

Pretty average for the price. The quality of the food was very basic. Service is ok. Felt rushed. With so many choices nearby I would definitely choose somewhere else next time. No split bills. Cash only. read more

Now this is what makes Degraves street popular. Degraves espresso bar looks small from the outside, but one look at the shared tableway outside and you'd know how popular this place is. I had read so many reviews and couldn't wait to sample their great coffee. After scanning the bar from across the street and not finding a single spot for 2 days in a row, I was just about to give up when, I got lucky the third time. I headed inside the store and grabbed a seat by the window. Hmm.. I actually preferred the view from inside the store and away from the crowd. Yes, the coffee aroma is a bit strong, but that IS the reason I was there wasn't it? So I ordered a Latte and it was pretty good. The staff are friendly and prompt and still have time to chat despite the queues. I could see why this place is popular. This place is a crowd magnet, I wonder what they're mixing in their latte! read more

This is my go to place for coffee in Melbourne. The staff are friendly and bubbly, and depending on the barista you can have some amazing latte art on your coffee. Porridge for breakfast today, topped with honey, cinnamon and pear. Even with a head cold it tastes gorgeous! I love the setting as well, tucked down an alley (not an ominous one though!), the interior is warm and inviting. read more

Two reasons why you should visit this place: - It's located in SUCH a lovely street. Have a seat on the tables in front of the restaurant! - The carrot cake is to DIE for. The cake itself was amazing, and it's served with terrific vanilla ice cream. Like the best vanilla ice cream I've eaten in years (I'm usually not a huge fan on the flavour but this one tasted like magic). And it was pretty cheap compared to what we got. The coffee was pretty decent as well. read more

Meeting friends in the city? Degraves Espreso is your go-to place. Easy to find, great atmosphere in the iconic Degraves Street, even though you'll be waiting for a table on a busy weekend. Inside is very squishy, but not unbearable. Being so close to your fellow brunchers creates a warm, fuzzy sense of community (as long as your neighbours are the friendly types!) Outside in the street is the best place to sit. You're right in the midst of the hustle of the street. A very 'Melbourne' place to be! The service here is never great. The staff are friendly enough, but they'll take a while to serve you and may forget what you've just ordered, but if you can forgive this, Degraves Espresso is a great place to come. The coffee is consistently good, albeit very strong! The poached eggs on rye with avocado is my staple here, and never fails to satisfy my weekend brunch cravings. On cold winter days, I love to come and sit in the window and order the daily soup - always hot, delicious and extremely tasty. Whether you're catching up with a friend, or on your own with a good book, come and soak up some Melbourne vibes at Degraves! read more

Great staff and great food. It's a nice place, you can spend a good time inside or outside. I specially recomend coffee and juices (only mornings). read more

Popped in there for a quick Tapas, got a seat quickly on what appeared were converted cinema seats. Cute decor! Service was good, staff friendly, food yummy but I didn't like that it is cash only. The menu isn't cheap so I would expect eftpos when going in. I would have given 4 stars if there was eftpos read more

I am by no means a self-hating Melbournian and will appreciate all that she has to offer. When I came here for breakfast not too long ago I had the best bacon this city has had to offer me as well as some perfectly cooked poached eggs as I watched a sample of Melbourne walk past me through one of the most iconic alleyways in the city. A perfect experience any day of the week. I cannot say that for some of the other tacky places that have opened up on this strip in the last couple of months (they will stand out when you see them) so if you are going to come down this way make sure to stop of here. read more

Degraves Espresso Bar is a tourist trap place. They menu is mostly filled with tasty European food. The coffee is strong and delicious as well just like their super kind staff. The price of each meal is worth for its money. read more

Recently I paid a long overdue visit to Degraves Espresso. This place has been a favourite of mine since back in high school when we would sit outside and pretend to drink coffee. 7 years later, the coffee is still excellent. The service ranges from ok to fabulous, but I still think it's worth it. This cafe is known to my friends and I as "Bad News Cafe": not through any faults of its own, but because bad things seem to happen around it. So if you find yourself suddenly and unceremoniously single, this is your place. In fact, call me and I will come and buy you a piece of cake. read more

Take away coffee was delish, sat inside while a waited and the atmosphere was very fun. All of the staff were very friendly and more than willing to help. read more

We had planned to do one of the self guided walking tours in Lonely planet, which goes through Collins Street, Degraves Street, Hosier Lane and AC/DC Lane, when we found this cafe. We kept coming back to Degraves Street (closer to Flinders Street Station and next to Young and Jackson pub) and decided to start this walking tour from Degraves street. This was our last day in Melbourne and the cafe ambience was perfect for us to plan the rest of our trips in Australia using information from a nearby travel company. We had cafe machiato and cafe latte here. Cafe machiato was strong enough and well brewed. Will definitely recommend a visit to this cafe to take a break from doing touristy things and just relax. read more