Cancel

Open app

Search

Higher Ground

4.2 (89 reviews)
Closed 7:00 am - 11:00 pm

Higher Ground Photos

HIGHER GROUND ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Hipster
Trendy
Casual
Moderate noise

Recommended Reviews - Higher Ground

Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
Yelp app icon
Browse more easily on the app
Review Feed Illustration

Reviews With Photos

High ceilings
Christina R.

Make a reservation! This place can get quite busy and I saw quite a few people waiting to be sat during our time there (and it was a Monday morning). If you've got luggage with you, you're safe, as they seem to have luggage storage by the door. Walking up, there's a cool industrial vibe. They sell quick coffee and pastries right outside for people who just want fast take away. The inside is really large with tall ceilings and a lot of natural lighting. Very chic! Service was pretty good. Our orders were taken pretty quickly and our food and drink came out pretty fast. Paying was super easy, even though we were sat upstairs. The food is really good. I love the tight menu with interesting flavor additions. I can see why people rave about the coffee. It's really good here.

Delicious Latte
Paulette C.

We were greeted by the best host, Manny. We waited for about 15 minutes, which was not bad, considering there were a lot of people waiting to be seated. Once seated, we were greeted by our server, Lia. She arrived at our table very shortly after we were seated. She was so nice and answered our questions. Our food was delicious. Someone else had Yelped that it was the best food they had in all of Melbourne. We would have to agree!

Pancakes
Tina B.

Highly recommended booking a reservation! We got in swiftly and were seated. The juice, food, and service was great!

Natalie C.

Came here as a walk-in customer at around 8:05am on a weekend. We got a table right away for a party of 4. The environment was very relaxing and hip. It's situated in an old building with exposed bricks and large arch windows. The area was decorated with lots of green plants. For drinks, I ordered a large latte and the rest of my family members order large flat whites. The latte was on the bitter side. It was not because the beans were over roasted. It was either the beans itself had a bitter note or the milk to espresso ratio wasn't quite right. I ordered the slow cooked Tasmania salmon with poached egg (got to get my last local Aussie food fix before heading to the airport!). The rest of my family ordered egg benedicts with a side of thick cut bacon and the Instagram-worthy ricotta hotcakes. The presentation of my salmon dish was lovely. The pinkish red beet root puree contrasted with the potatoes and salmon. The salmon had a soft and tender interior and a lightly torched exterior. I like how it was skinless. The thick cut bacon wasn't too fat and wasn't overly salty. The bearnaise sauce in the egg benedict dish tasted pretty good. It was creamy and rich. However the sourdough bread crust was quite tough. The ricotta hotcakes was BEAUTIFUL! Decorated with edible flowers, sprouts, seed mix and fresh fruits. However, it was also ENORMOUS! The diameter was at least 20cm and at least 6cm thick. I would suggest sharing this between 2 people. The hotcakes itself had blueberry incorporated in it. The cream on top was denser than the typical whipping cream I normally have. When we left at around 9am, there was a significant line up outside. It's great that they have a patio/porch and coffee bar for people to wait at.

Grace P.

The food is good. But what Higher Ground really kills is the delivery of their vibe. First on the food - the dishes are nothing super wild, but each dish is put together so perfectly with a lot of complexity. When you order an egg hash, you aren't getting eggs and some rando vegetables. You are getting this beautiful symphony of perfectly balanced vegetables and delicious bread and more. The building from the inside sort of looks like a hipster hotel lobby? Or perhaps a rustic chic wedding venue? Or a movie set turned restaurant? But everything from the hanging plants, the lights, to even the bathroom sinks scream "EXQUISITE". And yet you aren't paying the price tag you expect to from this quality of everything. The catch is, you will probably have to wait quite a bit outside in a long line.

Soaring ceiling....
V C.

From the same talented group that created Top Paddock and Kettle Black, you can expect some magical looking brunch here at Higher Ground! On my last trip to Australia, I had the pleasure to visit this gorgeous cafe. No matter what time of day this place would always be bustling with tourists and locals alike. Even on a Monday morning, we were lucky to be seated within an hour (can't imagine coming here on the weekends) but thankfully, they have a small coffee station for us to enjoy a cuppa coffee while waiting on the patio. Upon entering, the interior has simply won me over; soaring ceiling, oversized sunlit windows, ripped exposed brick walls which give that calming rustic and industrial vibe. It's the kind of place that I don't mind spending a couple of hours. As for the food, I had Higher Ground's most iconic dish, their Ricotta Hotcake: It was a beautifully plated thick hotcake infused generously in maple syrup, topped with fresh berries, seeds, cream and garnished with eye-popping edible flowers. The portion was HUGE and tasted quite pleasant, but I like the Top Paddock version a tad better to be honest. For coffee, I ordered the Mocha and it was very smooth and velvety! And just like all these fancy coffee places in Melbourne, it leans towards more on the sour note. The service, it could be better, our waitress was arrogant and she overcharged us for things we didn't order. In all, I still had a great time at Higher Ground. Beautiful place, delicious and slightly fancier modern Australian brunch experience with prices that can be intimidating. But if it guarantees quality and sweet delight, I'd say it's worth the splurge.

Jennifer K.

Higher Ground Melbourne is our last stop during our Weekend in Melbourne before heading to Airport. Conveniently located across from Melbourne Southern Cross Station as we were going to catch The Skybus which takes us to the Airport. Love the openness and spacious interior. The old warehouse like structure has converted into this beautiful space! Menu is really simple and short. Since we were here for breakfast, we opted for: Benedict Eggs: Dry-Cured Ham, Emmental, Bearnaise, Sourdough, Vinegar Powder ($20) Roasted Wild Mushroom on Polenta ($19.50) I love the the Mushroom dish as it has the perfect contrast in texture and taste. But I do love mushrooms. I would order that again as this is one of the best vegetarian dish I had. Flat White as usual was great. I had yet to have a poorly made coffee in Australia. And if you are not a coffee drinker, they also have a good selection of loose leaf tea. Highly recommend if you are in the area. They do have Day/Afternoon/Night menu depends when you visit. If you are not hungry, their drink menu is also quite extensive!

Iced tea
Kenny C.

Popped in for a quick tea and cake and instantly saw why people love to hang out here. The interior ambience is extremely trendy as it mixes a bit of the old and the new, and the food is quite tasty. I ordered the iced tea which had a eucalyptus blend and was taken aback by how tasty it was.

Ricotta hotcakes and spiced cauliflower eggs
Hansel B.

Good brunch spot in Melbourne. The place is pretty big. It has some communal tables and some lounge type seating. If available, I recommend the second floor overlooking the main dining room, a little quieter up there. Food: Spiced cauliflower and Ricotta hotcakes. The hotcakes take a little longer to make so make sure you order those in advance. Hotcakes are good, but i would prefer if it was more moist. They are known to have good coffee, but not my thing. I had the Iced chocolate drink. It's good, but a little small.

Kale and cauliflower salad with kingfish
Jeffrey R.

Absolutely delicious! If you arrive and there is a bit of a wait, there is a comfortable outside seating area from which you can order coffee and juice while waiting for your name to be called. The beet root juice is especially good and not overwhelming on the beet. If you're looking for an alcoholic drink, the rhubarb spritz was a standout. For meals, we ordered the kale and cauliflower salad which comes on top of an almond hummus and with a poached egg. You can add on kingfish sashimi which was especially fresh and a good compliment to the dish. We also had a minced lamb fry up overtop of fried eggs and sourdough bread with sides of yoghurt and eggplant. This was a very hearty dish which is great for someone that has worked up quite an appetite. To top it off, there is a lot of energy inside of Higher Ground. The facilities themselves are impressive and there is music that is loud enough to be heard but not so overwhelming where you cannot have a conversation. This is a must-see for breakfast in Melbourne!

Latte with almond milk

See all

4 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 1
Love this 4
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Tina B.
0
13
17

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

6 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Really cool funky place with great service. The food was good but not amazing. I would go back but it's nothing to rave about.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

6 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of V C.
1174
856
5605

7 years ago

Helpful 67
Thanks 0
Love this 62
Oh no 0

9 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

7 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Sat next to the open kitchen pass line. Very hip vibe. Great coffee definitely the sampler barista. Went for breakfast save room for desert

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

9 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Miriam W.
3588
3485
2991

9 years ago

Helpful 6
Thanks 0
Love this 6
Oh no 0

8 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Darya S.
1448
3362
3249

9 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

8 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

10 years ago

Helpful 5
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

10 years ago

Helpful 10
Thanks 0
Love this 7
Oh no 0

7 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Jack D.
1043
577
1782

10 years ago

Helpful 9
Thanks 0
Love this 10
Oh no 0

10 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 0

10 years ago

Helpful 4
Thanks 0
Love this 3
Oh no 0

7 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

10 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 5
Oh no 0

10 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 0
Photo of Jo H.
1
18
17

9 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Tammy L.
88
32
36

7 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

10 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of LS O.
38
17
167

7 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

8 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

8 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

Page 1 of 3

Higher Ground Reviews in Other Languages

Review Highlights - Higher Ground

We had Minced lamb fry up and Kale and cauliflower salad, Price is all an average range for city breakfast and brunch.

Mentioned in 4 reviews

Read more highlights

Verify this business for free

People searched for Coffee & Tea 275 times last month within 5 miles of this business.

Verify this business

The Town Hall Hotel - A cozy bar at the front of the venue

The Town Hall Hotel

4.1(19 reviews)
1.3 kmNorth Melbourne
$$

The Town Hall Hotel is a North Melbourne pub icon. Sporting a relaxed urban grunge vibe, this hotel…read moreis clearly a popular local hangout. Casual Sunday, every day. I will leave the merits of the atmosphere to other patrons for comment. That said, it is a truly Melbourne pub experience. In terms of thirst, there is a good selection of wine and beer. For those who like to eat, the menu is frequently updated and has a variety of options. I ordered the Mexican Parma for dinner. It was served on top of chips. The Parma was very soggy and tasted quite bland. The guacamole topping and pub style salad didn't elevate the dish either unfortunately.

I must say that they seem to have a huge collection of music, though I couldn't tell what CDs they…read morehad because they wouldn't let me behind the bar to have a look. The musical memorabilia covering the walls of the front bar seem to suggest classic rock, but I haven't been around too long to find out (namely because this pub gets really, really crowded on a Friday night). It is also quite narrow, which means that it can also get quite cramped, especially when you try to make you way to the beer garden out the back because they seemed to have squeeze a restaurant in the middle. While I've always found a set in the beer garden, it is also small, and very crowded, so while I do really like the ambience of the place, I really not enjoy squeezing my way through large amounts of people.

Photos
The Town Hall Hotel - One of the rooms inside with a theme for each one

One of the rooms inside with a theme for each one

The Town Hall Hotel - Back bar

Back bar

The Town Hall Hotel - Taps at the bar

See all

Taps at the bar

Bang!

Bang!

2.7(3 reviews)
0.2 kmMelbourne

Oh boy, where to begin... BANG is totally my style. HEAVY ass music and some fun old sing-along pop…read morepunk hits, for the most part. Cheap drink specials (cheap for Melbourne, at least) all night (or until they run out of stuff). Multiple rooms with DJs. But man, the DJs SUCKED the night I went. The main dude was hammered and kept playing repeat songs. If a new DJ comes on and plays a song another DJ played earlier, I can understand that. But this guy was a repeat offender TEN times, not even kidding. And when he repeated a song, it was within four songs of one another. It's not like he didn't have enough music to choose from. Just incredibly annoying. The "club" goers were awesome. Super friendly. Felt like I was hanging out with a bunch of my friends even though they were strangers. Saved money by checking into the Facebook event, so definitely remember to do that. Highlight of the night was Ollie from Bring Me the Horizon "DJ'ing" and openly admitting he had no idea what he was doing. Was cool to see him up close and personal. If you like heavy music and want to be surrounded by kick ass people who like the same music as you, definitely give it a go. I just really hope the DJ isn't so intoxicated he plays Misery Business three times within a 40 minute time span.

Bang! Nightclub is held exclusively on Saturday nights at the Royal Melbourne Hotel on Bourke…read moreStreet. It is a lung shaking experience of voluminous hard metal that will be pulsing through you for hours after you leave. It is a popular meeting ground for Melbourne's punk, Emo and metal heads so, naturally, coloured clothing is a rarity. Entry prices vary from free to around $20 depending on what bands are playing. There are always guest lists that offer cheaper entry as well, check Facebook to stay updated on these. They accept cash only at the door although there is an ATM just inside. After squeezing through a human sieve that is the outdoor smoking area, you reach the main room. This has a large curving bar that is always surrounded by queues. Expect to be waiting upwards of five to ten minutes for service. Live bands play in this room and there is commonly a merchandise table set up with t-shirts and CDs for sale. At the back of this room is a small corridor shaped room that plays a mix of genres. Like everywhere else in this venue it is extremely crowded and it is a real fight to wiggle your way in. Between these two rooms are a second bar and the cloakroom, $4 an item. Just before you head up the stairs to the second floor, check out the little room hidden away on the left. It plays nineties tunes and has a karaoke machine set up. There are also some welcoming armchairs that snuggle around you as you sit down. After the crush of people in other rooms, this is a good space to take a breather and rest your ears from the onslaught of metal. Upstairs is the home to yet another live band that rotates with a DJ. It is also home to head banging and strobe lights. Definitely not recommended for anyone who has epilepsy, this floor is a plethora of bright flashes intermixed with brief moments of darkness. It is full on to say the least. A result of the lights or the general drunken state of the patrons I can't say but the floor up here is almost completely covered in beer all the time, not to mention the bottles. At one point I walked off without my shoes because they got stuck to the floor. Aside from this, the atmosphere here is insane. The crowd is united in their passion for the bands and when a crowd favourite is played you can bet your how-have-they-not-burst-yet eardrums that you will know about it. As for having a conversation - forget about it, it's impossible. For a night that will ring in your ears, thump through your knee joints and echo through your teeth, there really is no better place than Bang. There are so many rooms and different areas to enjoy and with different bands every week there is always something new. Personally, I cannot stand Bang and will happily never be going there again but for people who enjoy punk/metal/hard rock music it would be pretty good. I find it way too loud and don't like the ear-raping I got during my visit. Also, having my shoes stick to the floor because it was so sticky with the beer film was extremely gross!

Photos
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!

See all

Revolt Productions - Young Husband Studio's - Revolt's location in Kensington

Revolt Productions

4.7(3 reviews)
2.7 kmKensington

Revolt art space is a wonderful, amazing venue located in the suburb of Kensington, which is about…read more10 minutes away from the CBD. When I first came here it was to see one of my favorite bands (Bonjah) play on Australia day 2010. I was blown away. The huge 'factory' is abundant with art. It's visual candy - everywhere. There are separate rooms with couches filled with sculptures and paintings. It has a main stage with with ample room for standing to watch a band or performer. Performers vary from dancers to mimes to comedians to actors. Revolt is open most days - it has a chill atmosphere you can just call in have a coffee and read a book or attend one of the many events which can be found on their website. The staff at Revolt are a family - literally. They took lease of the space in 2009 and have worked hard to make it what it is today. I was lucky enough to volunteer during the 2011 Fringe Festival which was a great experience. I encourage you all to call into Revolt & check it out, if only for the visual experience. You will be amazed at this place & wonder why you have never visited there before. They serve alcohol & have bar food. http://www.revoltproductions.com/home/

Revolt is a secret pirate cave of wonderment. I want to say more, but I don't think I could capture…read morethe excitement of the first time I entered and wandered around the many rooms and spaces that have amassed in this new performing arts centre in Kensington. It's a maze, designed with both performers and audience in mind. The crew make sure you're getting a truly unique experience by either attending or using Revolt to stage your event. What's more (and the bit I think I like the most) is their philosophy of supporting new artists. For someone with a great idea but not a big plan on how to market that idea, this is possibly the place to approach to stage it. It's a bit of a secret, really, tucked down a back street in an unassuming warehouse district, but not one that should stay so.

Higher Ground - coffee - Updated May 2026

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...