St Kilda takes brunch seriously. This is not a suburb where you grab a quick toastie and move on. Cafes compete for the best ricotta hotcake, lines form before opening, and the brunch menu is the main event rather than an afterthought. Melbourne’s cafe culture runs deep here, shaped by the European heritage of Acland Street, the creative crowd that has called St Kilda home for decades, and the simple fact that beachside living makes people want to eat well on a Sunday morning.
We ate our way through the suburb. Every dish mentioned was tried, every price checked, every verdict earned. Five spots in St Kilda proper.
1. Loretta’s
The dish to order is the ricotta hotcake with honeycomb butter, mixed berries and maple syrup at 22 dollars. It is impossibly fluffy, the kind of thing where the first bite makes you stop mid-conversation. The honeycomb butter melts into golden pools and the berries are fresh enough to justify the price. Coffee is Allpress and excellent. The savoury side is equally strong: eggs Benedict with house-made hollandaise at 19 dollars is reliable, and the corn fritters with avocado and chilli jam at 20 dollars are the sleeper hit that regulars order while tourists queue for the hotcake.
Small room, about 25 seats. Mismatched furniture, warm lighting, a counter stacked with pastries. Weekends mean a 20 to 40-minute wait before 11am. No bookings. Go at 9:30am on a weekday and walk straight in.
Address: 397 Bay Street, St Kilda VIC 3182 Budget: 25 to 35 dollars per person with coffee.
2. The Cat’s Kaka
Japanese-fusion brunch on Acland Street, opened late 2025 and already earning its place. The miso scrambled eggs on shokupan with pickled ginger and nori at 19 dollars are silky, savoury and served on thick pillowy Japanese milk bread. The matcha waffles with black sesame ice cream at 21 dollars are a dessert-quality brunch move that somehow works before noon. For something lighter, the onigiri set with miso soup at 14 dollars is a gentler entry point.
Clean lines, light timber, about 30 seats. Feels like a Tokyo side-street cafe dropped into Acland Street. Similar queue situation to Loretta’s on Sunday mornings. Excellent for gluten-free and pescatarian diners.
Address: 52 Acland Street, St Kilda VIC 3182 Budget: 25 to 40 dollars per person with coffee and a side.
3. Baked.
New in early 2026 and already essential. Baked is a bakery first and a cafe second. The sourdough is baked on-site from 3am, and the almond croissant at 7.50 dollars is twice-baked with frangipane and toasted almonds that crunch perfectly. The sourdough toast with house-made jam and cultured butter at 12 dollars is simplicity done right. The seasonal fruit tarts at 9 dollars change weekly.
This is not a place for a two-hour multi-course brunch. It is a place for a coffee, a pastry, and the kind of morning that starts gently. Minimal, bright, about 15 seats. Go early because by 11am the best pastries are gone.
Address: 67 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda VIC 3182 Budget: 15 to 20 dollars per person with coffee and a pastry.
4. Galleon Cafe
The Galleon has been a Carlisle Street fixture for years and serves the kind of no-nonsense breakfast that fixes things after a big night. The Big Breakfast with scrambled eggs, bacon, chipolata, tomato, mushrooms, sourdough and hash brown is generous and properly cooked. The bacon is crispy, the mushrooms are done in butter not microwaved, and nobody comes here for latte art.
Classic Aussie cafe with wooden tables and a chalkboard menu. Locals outnumber tourists two to one. There is always an older couple reading the paper in the corner, which is the best review a cafe can get.
Address: 9 Carlisle Street, St Kilda VIC 3182 Budget: 25 to 35 dollars per person with coffee and juice.
5. St Kilda Sea Baths Cafe
Not where you go for specialty coffee excellence. Let us be honest about that. But it is where you go to drink a decent flat white while watching the bay from the terrace of a heritage-listed bathing pavilion dating from 1910. On a quiet weekday morning, the view and the sound of waves justify the premium. This is a mood pick, not a coffee quality pick, and we are being transparent about that.
Address: 10 to 18 Jacka Boulevard, St Kilda VIC 3182 Budget: 20 to 30 dollars per person.
What We Skipped and Why
Hotel breakfast buffets. Standard hotel fare. Not worth a guide entry.
Delivery brunch. The toast arrives cold, the eggs are wrong, and you have ruined your Sunday.
Acai bowl chains on Acland Street. They are the same everywhere. You can get the exact same bowl in Bondi.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the best brunch in St Kilda without a queue?
Baked on Fitzroy Street opens at 6:30am and moves fast. Galleon Cafe on Carlisle Street rarely has more than a 10-minute wait even on weekends. Both are better options if you value your Saturday morning over standing in line.
Is there good vegan brunch in St Kilda?
Sister of Soul on Acland Street is the standout. The okonomiyaki and nasi goreng are properly flavoured. The Cat’s Kaka has rice-based options that work for gluten-free and plant-based diners.
How do I get to St Kilda for brunch?
Tram route 96 from the CBD to The Esplanade for Fitzroy Street spots, or get off at Acland Street for the Acland cluster. Route 16 runs via St Kilda Road. Parking on weekends is rough. Try side streets off Carlisle Street.
The Verdict
St Kilda’s brunch scene runs the full range. Loretta’s and The Cat’s Kaka are the destination spots where you queue and do not mind. Baked is the early-morning pastry stop for people who take sourdough seriously. Galleon Cafe is the no-frills classic that fixes whatever ails you. And the Sea Baths Cafe proves that sometimes the view matters more than the coffee.
For more on eating in St Kilda, check our best cafes guide for the all-day spots, or the cheap eats guide when the brunch budget has been depleted. The best coffee guide covers where to get a proper flat white without the full brunch commitment.
Explore More of St Kilda
- St Kilda History
- St Kilda Things To Do This Weekend
- St Kilda Cocktails
- St Kilda Cheap Eats
- St Kilda Rent Guide
- St Kilda Date Night Guide
- St Kilda New Openings
- St Kilda St Kilda For Retirees
💬 Discussion
Join the conversation — no account needed