Correction (10 October 2026): an earlier version of this page listed places and details we could not stand behind. It has been rewritten from scratch: every place below was confirmed at two independent sources on 9 October 2026, and every price was copied from the page it was published on.
This page answers one question: where in and around South Melbourne do you go for the coffee first, rather than the brunch? Six places made the list, five in South Melbourne and one just over the line in Southbank.
Each one was matched against two independent sources, such as its own site, the Australian Good Food Guide and OpenStreetMap. We did not record a roaster for any of them, so we name none. Hours appear only where a listing gives them, and we say whose listing it is.
The quick picks
| If you’re after | Head to | Order this | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coventry Street takeaway coffee | Market Lane Coffee | see below | not printed here |
| Coffee on Coventry Street | Code Black Coffee | see below | not printed here |
| Weekday coffee on Albert Road | Philoçoffee Espresso Bar | see below | not printed here |
| Weekday takeaway on Gladstone Street | Jimmy The Saint | see below | not printed here |
| Coffee from a market stall | Clement Coffee | see below | not printed here |
| Southbank cafe with a lunch menu | Betwixt Cafe & Bar | FRENCH FRIES GF VG | $12 |
Market Lane Coffee — 305 Coventry Street, South Melbourne VIC 3205
Market Lane Coffee is at 305 Coventry Street, and its own locations page gives that address. Its site lists hours for every day, with Sunday running 8AM to 4PM and Wednesday, Friday and Saturday closing at 4PM. AGFG lists takeaway and alfresco dining. A coffee-first stop with a full week of listed hours.
Go for: Takeaway, which AGFG lists, on the Coventry Street strip.
Code Black Coffee — 321 Coventry Street, South Melbourne VIC 3205
Code Black Coffee’s own locations page gives 321 Coventry Street, South Melbourne. OpenStreetMap agrees on the name and the street number. We could not find hours we could verify, so check with the cafe first. Short entry, because that is all the sources support.
Roaster: We did not record a roaster for this cafe, so none is named here.
Philoçoffee Espresso Bar — 162 Albert Road, South Melbourne VIC 3205
Philoçoffee Espresso Bar is at 162 Albert Road, according to its own site and OpenStreetMap. Both give weekday hours, and the site lists Mon – Fri, 7:00 am – 3:30 pm. The site carries no date we could read, so treat the hours as a guide. Weekday coffee, then.
Go for: A weekday stop, since the listed hours cover Mon – Fri only.
Jimmy The Saint — 15-87 Gladstone St, South Melbourne VIC 3205
Jimmy The Saint’s own site gives 15 Gladstone Street, and AGFG lists the cafe at 15-87 Gladstone St. The AGFG listing shows Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM, with Saturday and Sunday closed. AGFG is an owner-maintained directory, so confirm before you go. AGFG also lists takeaway.
The order: Takeaway, going by the AGFG tag, on a weekday.
Clement Coffee — 116-136 Cecil Street, South Melbourne VIC 3205
Clement Coffee’s own site gives 89/116 Cecil St, South Melbourne Market, and AGFG lists Stall 89 at the same address. The site lists Monday - Sunday, 6.30am - 4pm. AGFG lists takeaway, breakfast and alfresco dining. A market stall with a seven-day listing.
Go for: The early start, with 6.30am listed on the cafe’s own site.
Betwixt Cafe & Bar — 45 Sturt St, Southbank VIC 3006
Betwixt Cafe & Bar is at 45 Sturt St, Southbank, just outside South Melbourne. Its site lists Mon to Wed 8.30am to 3pm, Thurs 8.30am to 8pm and Fri 8.30am to 9pm. AGFG lists vegan options, takeaway and alfresco dining. Betwixt’s lunch menu prints FRENCH FRIES GF VG at $12.
On the menu (copied from betwixt.com.au/Lunch-menu.pdf on 9 October 2026):
- FRENCH FRIES GF VG: $12
- GARDEN SALAD GF VG: $12
- KARAAGE CHICKEN ROCKET SALAD: $25
- THAI SALAD: $25
The order: Betwixt’s lunch menu prints THAI SALAD at $25.
Quick answers
Which South Melbourne cafes list takeaway coffee?
AGFG lists takeaway for Market Lane Coffee, Jimmy The Saint, Clement Coffee and Betwixt Cafe & Bar in Southbank. These are directory listing features, so confirm with the cafe. We found no takeaway listing for Code Black Coffee or Philoçoffee Espresso Bar.
Which South Melbourne cafe opens earliest in the morning?
Clement Coffee lists Monday - Sunday from 6.30am on its own site. Philoçoffee Espresso Bar lists weekdays from 7:00 am on its own site. Market Lane Coffee’s site lists 7AM from Monday to Saturday, and Sunday from 8AM. Code Black Coffee has no hours we could verify.
Which cafes in South Melbourne are open on weekends?
Clement Coffee’s own site lists every day of the week. Market Lane Coffee’s site lists Saturday and Sunday hours too. Philoçoffee Espresso Bar’s site lists Mon – Fri only, and AGFG shows Jimmy The Saint closed on Saturday and Sunday. Betwixt Cafe & Bar’s site lists Monday to Friday. We could not verify hours for Code Black Coffee.
Is there a cafe with vegan options near South Melbourne?
AGFG lists vegan options at Betwixt Cafe & Bar in Southbank. Its lunch menu also prints GARDEN SALAD GF VG at $12. We did not find a vegan tag for the other five places, so ask the cafe directly.
How we checked
We checked every place on this page against at least two independent sources on 9 October 2026: OpenStreetMap, marketlane.com.au, the Australian Good Food Guide and the places’ own websites. Every price is copied exactly as printed on the page linked under Sources, on 9 October 2026. Menus, prices and opening hours change, so check with the venue before you go. The cover photo is illustrative, from Unsplash, and does not show any place on this page.
Seen something out of date? Email [email protected] with the page link and what has changed, and we will check it again.
Sources
- Market Lane Coffee: openstreetmap.org/7025225233, marketlane.com.au/locations, agfg.com.au/market-lane-coffee-south-melbourne-83089
- Code Black Coffee: openstreetmap.org/12419076137, codeblackcoffee.com.au/code-black-coffee-locations
- Philoçoffee Espresso Bar: openstreetmap.org/7808535857, philocoffee.com.au
- Jimmy The Saint: jimmythesaint.com.au, agfg.com.au/jimmy-the-saint-84348
- Clement Coffee: clementcoffee.com, agfg.com.au/clement-coffee-78932
- Betwixt Cafe & Bar: openstreetmap.org/10759217319, betwixt.com.au, agfg.com.au/betwixt-cafe-bar-83551, betwixt.com.au/Lunch-menu.pdf
