You want a cozy cafe near Murrumbeena without wasting Saturday on a dud latte. Start with the strongest local pick, then use the shortlist below when you need cheaper, closer, sweeter, or more reliable options.
The Verdict
Murrumbeena Pantry is the pick if you only want one cafe to try first. It is actually in Murrumbeena, it sits right on Murrumbeena Road at 227, and its 4.9 rating from 224 Google reviews gives it the cleanest mix of location and local approval in this list. That matters here because a lot of the strongest nearby cafe options technically spill into Hughesdale, Oakleigh, Ormond, Carnegie, and Chadstone. Good suburbs, useful options, but not always what you want when you are trying to stay properly local.
The backup choice is Dose One Cafe at 1 Willesden Road in Hughesdale, mainly because 404 reviews at 4.8 is harder to fake than a tiny perfect score. If you are closer to Poath Road, Take 8 Cafe and ORIANNA SUSHI CAFE make more sense than crossing back through Murrumbeena for the sake of suburb purity. For a cheap-feeling cafe run, Chichi House Cafe, Perasma Specialty Bakery & Quality Cafe, Spilt Milk, and Pipperilli’s Cafe are the useful affordable-marked picks. Don’t treat Chadstone’s The Cupcake Queens as your everyday cozy cafe move unless you are already at the centre; it is a sweets stop, not the relaxed local default you came looking for.
Local Reality
Murrumbeena’s cafe map is less neat than the suburb name suggests. The useful cluster runs across Murrumbeena Road, Poath Road, Willesden Road, Neerim Road, and the Oakleigh edge near Warrigal Road and Station Street. That means your best pick depends heavily on which side of the railway line, school run, or shopping errand you are already on. Murrumbeena Pantry is the obvious local anchor. ORIANNA SUSHI CAFE on Poath Road and Alice’s Bistro - Cafe & Events Space on Neerim Road keep the list grounded inside Murrumbeena, while Dose One Cafe and Chichi House Cafe are just over in Hughesdale and are often more convenient if you are already near Willesden Road.
If you are coming from Chadstone Shopping Centre, The Cupcake Queens is the easy add-on, but it is not the same mood as a neighbourhood cafe. If you are drifting toward Oakleigh, Cote Terra, SAINT NIC, Perasma Specialty Bakery & Quality Cafe, and Pipperilli’s Cafe give you more options without pretending you are still in the middle of Murrumbeena. Skip this list if you need a guaranteed quiet laptop session; the data here verifies venues, ratings, review counts, and some price bands, not power points or table dwell-time. If you are west of Warrigal Road, probably check Oakleigh first. If you are east toward Koornang Road, Luka Carnegie or Spilt Milk in Carnegie may be the cleaner move.
Who This Suits
If you are a new Murrumbeena local, pick Murrumbeena Pantry first and use it as your baseline. If you are a review-count person, pick Dose One Cafe because 404 reviews at 4.8 is the most convincing volume signal near the top of the list. If you are chasing affordable cafe options, start with Chichi House Cafe, Perasma Specialty Bakery & Quality Cafe, Spilt Milk, or Pipperilli’s Cafe. If you are already doing errands at Chadstone, The Cupcake Queens is the practical sweet stop. If you are closer to Carnegie than Murrumbeena Road, Luka Carnegie or Spilt Milk will save you the unnecessary backtrack.
Cost-wise, do not over-read the missing price fields. Several venues have no listed price band in the source data, while Chichi House Cafe, Perasma Specialty Bakery & Quality Cafe, Spilt Milk, and Pipperilli’s Cafe are marked affordable. The Cupcake Queens and Cote Terra are marked mid-range. That gives you a useful filter, not a final bill. Check current menus before you go, especially if you are feeding kids, ordering more than coffee and pastry, or choosing a place for a longer catch-up.
Time of day changes the decision. For a calmer local cafe run, aim earlier rather than trying to squeeze in when everyone is moving between groceries, sport, and weekend errands. For Chadstone, go only when you are already there; making a special trip for a kiosk cafe stop defeats the point. For Oakleigh and Carnegie edges, treat them as alternate zones rather than second-best options. They are useful when your day is already pulling you that way.
What to Do Next
Try Murrumbeena Pantry first, then use Dose One Cafe as the higher-volume backup if you are closer to Hughesdale. For the broader suburb picture before you choose your weekend route, read the Murrumbeena Suburb Guide.
| Venue | Rating | Reviews | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murrumbeena Pantry | 4.9/5 | 224 | — |
| SUM Cafe and Thai eatery | 4.9/5 | 153 | — |
| Take 8 Cafe | 4.9/5 | 109 | — |
| Dose One Cafe | 4.8/5 | 404 | — |
| ORIANNA SUSHI CAFE | 4.8/5 | 130 | — |
| SAINT NIC | 4.8/5 | 122 | — |
| Chichi House Cafe | 4.7/5 | 423 | $ |
| Perasma Specialty Bakery & Quality Cafe | 4.7/5 | 218 | $ |
Verified Venue Details
1. Murrumbeena Pantry
Address: 227 Murrumbeena Road, Murrumbeena
Rating: 4.9/5 (224 reviews)
2. SUM Cafe and Thai eatery
Address: 750 North Rd, Ormond
Rating: 4.9/5 (153 reviews)
3. Take 8 Cafe
Address: 88 Poath Road, Hughesdale
Rating: 4.9/5 (109 reviews)
4. Dose One Cafe
Address: 1 Willesden Road, Hughesdale
Rating: 4.8/5 (404 reviews)
5. ORIANNA SUSHI CAFE
Address: 115 Poath Road, Murrumbeena
Rating: 4.8/5 (130 reviews)
6. SAINT NIC
Address: 38 Portman St, Oakleigh
Rating: 4.8/5 (122 reviews)
7. Chichi House Cafe
Address: 13 Willesden Road, Hughesdale
Rating: 4.7/5 (423 reviews)
Price: Affordable
8. Perasma Specialty Bakery & Quality Cafe
Address: 9 Warrigal Road, Oakleigh
Rating: 4.7/5 (218 reviews)
Price: Affordable
9. The Cupcake Queens
Address: Chadstone Shopping Centre, Kiosk 15/1341 Dandenong Road, Chadstone
Rating: 4.7/5 (178 reviews)
Price: Mid-range
10. 360 Three Sixty Leo House
Address: 2/1384 Dandenong Road, Hughesdale
Rating: 4.7/5 (171 reviews)
11. Luka Carnegie
Address: 144 Koornang Road, Carnegie
Rating: 4.7/5 (120 reviews)
12. Spilt Milk
Address: 288 Neerim Road, Carnegie
Rating: 4.6/5 (307 reviews)
Price: Affordable
13. Alice’s Bistro - Cafe & Events Space
Address: 486 Neerim Road, Murrumbeena
Rating: 4.6/5 (264 reviews)
14. Pipperilli’s Cafe
Address: 18A Haughton Road, Oakleigh
Rating: 4.6/5 (114 reviews)
Price: Affordable
15. Cote Terra
Address: 17 Station Street, Oakleigh
Rating: 4.5/5 (882 reviews)
Price: Mid-range
About This Guide
Every venue in this guide is a verified, currently operating business sourced from Google Places API. Data last refreshed: 2026-03-31. If a venue has closed or moved, let us know.
