You want brunch in Selby, but the actual choice is whether to stay local or roll five minutes into Belgrave. Here is the straight pick: where to go first, when to skip it, and which backup saves the morning.
The Verdict
Selby General Store & Cafe is the first pick if you want brunch in Selby itself. It is the only venue on this list with a Selby address, at 117 Belgrave-Gembrook Road, and its 5/5 rating from 10 Google reviews makes it the clean local answer when you do not want to turn brunch into a Belgrave parking mission. It is the one to try first for a quiet, close-to-home coffee-and-food stop rather than a bigger destination meal.
The catch is that most of the stronger-volume brunch options sit just over in Belgrave, not Selby. If you want the safer high-review choice, Earthly Pleasures Cafe has 995 Google reviews and The Blacksmith has 783, both rated 4.4/5 and both marked mid-range. If you want something quicker and cheaper, Belgrave Bakery is the affordable move, rated 4.6/5 from 232 reviews. Cognoscenti Food & Wine is the best-looking all-rounder on paper, with 4.8/5 from 357 reviews at 1628A Burwood Highway, but it is a Belgrave choice, not a Selby one. Do not pretend Tacos ‘N’ Tequilas Belgrave, Meat & Dumpling Belgrave, or Babaji’s Kerala Kitchen - Belgrave are brunch just because they are good nearby food options. They belong in the backup plan, not the first coffee run.
Local Reality
Selby brunch is really a small-hills decision. If you are near Belgrave-Gembrook Road, Selby General Store & Cafe is the sensible low-friction stop. You stay in the suburb, avoid the Burwood Highway cluster, and do not have to make brunch feel like an errand. That matters on wet Dandenong Ranges mornings, when a five-minute drive can become annoying fast.
Belgrave is where the list gets deeper. Around Burwood Highway you have Cognoscenti Food & Wine, N&N Bánh Mì, Belgrave Bakery, Little Hendrix Cafe, Jimmys kebab Belgrave, Cafe Lemon8, Tacos ‘N’ Tequilas Belgrave, Meat & Dumpling Belgrave, La Collina Pizzeria, and Babaji’s Kerala Kitchen - Belgrave all sitting in the same general food strip. Earthly Pleasures Cafe and The Blacksmith are the big review-count cafe options, while Killik Handcrafted Rum over on Monbulk Road is more of a later-in-the-day call than a classic brunch answer.
The practical warning: if you are hungry now, do not overthink the 15-place list. Pick Selby General Store & Cafe if you are staying local, or drive to Belgrave Bakery if you want a fast affordable option. Skip this article as a pure brunch guide if you are chasing a long, inner-north-style cafe menu with endless substitutions. If you are west of Belgrave station or already pointed toward Tecoma, you may be better off widening the search rather than doubling back into Selby.
Who This Suits
If you are a Selby local who wants the nearest credible brunch, pick Selby General Store & Cafe. If you are meeting someone from out of suburb and want the safer crowd-tested cafe choice, pick Earthly Pleasures Cafe or The Blacksmith in Belgrave. If you want a quick, affordable bite, pick Belgrave Bakery. If you want something sharper than eggs-and-toast energy, N&N Bánh Mì is the better casual detour. If brunch has already slipped into lunch, Babaji’s Kerala Kitchen - Belgrave, Meat & Dumpling Belgrave, La Collina Pizzeria, or Tacos ‘N’ Tequilas Belgrave make more sense than forcing a cafe order.
Cost-wise, expect the Belgrave cafe options to split into affordable and mid-range. Belgrave Bakery and La Collina Pizzeria are marked affordable in the source data. Earthly Pleasures Cafe, The Blacksmith, and Killik Handcrafted Rum are marked mid-range. Several venues do not have a listed price marker, so check the latest menu before you go, especially if you are bringing a group or trying to keep brunch under control.
Time of day matters here. Early is better for the actual brunch mood, especially if you want coffee, bakery food, or a quiet table. Late morning pushes you into the busier Belgrave strip, where parking and queues can make the simple option feel less simple. In winter, choose the closest good option and keep moving; in warmer weather, Belgrave gives you more room to turn brunch into a wander.
What to Do Next
Start with Selby General Store & Cafe if you want brunch in Selby, then use Belgrave Bakery as the quick backup. For the broader suburb picture, read the Selby Suburb Guide before planning the rest of the day.
| Venue | Rating | Reviews | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selby General Store & Cafe | 5/5 | 10 | — |
| Cognoscenti Food & Wine | 4.8/5 | 357 | — |
| N&N Bánh Mì | 4.8/5 | 44 | — |
| Killik Handcrafted Rum | 4.7/5 | 429 | $$ |
| Belgrave Bakery | 4.6/5 | 232 | $ |
| Little Hendrix Cafe | 4.6/5 | 188 | — |
| Jimmys kebab Belgrave | 4.6/5 | 118 | — |
| Cafe Lemon8 | 4.6/5 | 92 | — |
| Tacos ‘N’ Tequilas Belgrave | 4.5/5 | 299 | — |
| Meat & Dumpling Belgrave | 4.5/5 | 271 | — |
| Belliful of Bliss | 4.5/5 | 113 | — |
| Earthly Pleasures Cafe | 4.4/5 | 995 | $$ |
| The Blacksmith | 4.4/5 | 783 | $$ |
| La Collina Pizzeria | 4.4/5 | 530 | $ |
| Babaji’s Kerala Kitchen - Belgrave | 4.3/5 | 1,803 | $ |
Venue Details
Selby General Store & Cafe
Address: 117 Belgrave-Gembrook Road, Selby
Rating: 5/5 (10 reviews)
Cognoscenti Food & Wine
Address: 1628A Burwood Highway, Belgrave
Rating: 4.8/5 (357 reviews)
N&N Bánh Mì
Address: 1652 Burwood Highway, Belgrave
Rating: 4.8/5 (44 reviews)
Killik Handcrafted Rum
Address: 64 Monbulk Rd, Belgrave
Rating: 4.7/5 (429 reviews)
Price: Mid-range
Belgrave Bakery
Address: 1687 Burwood Highway, Belgrave
Rating: 4.6/5 (232 reviews)
Price: Affordable
Little Hendrix Cafe
Address: 1692 Burwood Highway, Belgrave
Rating: 4.6/5 (188 reviews)
Jimmys kebab Belgrave
Address: 1684 Burwood Highway, Belgrave
Rating: 4.6/5 (118 reviews)
Cafe Lemon8
Address: 1677 Burwood Highway, Belgrave
Rating: 4.6/5 (92 reviews)
Tacos ‘N’ Tequilas Belgrave
Address: Unit 2/1678 Burwood Highway, Belgrave
Rating: 4.5/5 (299 reviews)
Meat & Dumpling Belgrave
Address: 1682 Burwood Highway, Belgrave
Rating: 4.5/5 (271 reviews)
Belliful of Bliss
Address: 17 Bayview Road, Belgrave
Rating: 4.5/5 (113 reviews)
Earthly Pleasures Cafe
Address: 1627 Burwood Highway, Belgrave
Rating: 4.4/5 (995 reviews)
Price: Mid-range
The Blacksmith
Address: 1/1700 Burwood Highway, Belgrave
Rating: 4.4/5 (783 reviews)
Price: Mid-range
La Collina Pizzeria
Address: 1640 Burwood Highway, Belgrave
Rating: 4.4/5 (530 reviews)
Price: Affordable
Babaji’s Kerala Kitchen - Belgrave
Address: 1/1644 Burwood Highway, Belgrave
Rating: 4.3/5 (1,803 reviews)
Price: Affordable
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.
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