Agathé Patisserie Petite, Melbourne CBD

French patissiere Agathé Kerr trained in Paris before launching her popular shop at South Melbourne Market. She’s now opened this tres petite stall (like, just a few metres) in Royal Arcade. Drop in on most weekdays for traditional French pastries or one (or more) of her signature matcha croissants to kick-start your morning.

Agathé Patisserie Petite
Royal Arcade, 335 Bourke Street Mall, Melbourne, VIC
agathe.com.au

Barbarella Gelato and Wine, Melbourne CBD

The group behind Kirk’s Wine Bar (and plenty of other venues, including Spring Street Grocer, The European and City Wine Shop) have done what none of us knew we wanted and paired a gelato stall with a wine bar and café, and it works brilliantly. Who’d have thought? Stop in for a drop from their tight wine list, a scoop of pistachio gelato or (and?) a smoked salmon bagel.

Barbarella Gelato and Wine
Block Arcade, 282 Collins Street, Melbourne, VIC
barbarella.melbourne

Napier Quarter, Fitzroy

Part-French bistro, part-espresso bar, part-wine bar, Napier Quarter is a lot of things to different people. What we can tell you is that owner Daniel Lewis is pushing a strong Euro vibe and keeping it simple. Go in for Conservas Cuca anchovies and boiled egg on toast, or bookend a lunch of sausages and leek with a Bloody Mary and a Maidenii vermouth on ice. Simple, restrained and worth a long look. Even for dinner.

Napier Quarter
359 Napier Street, Fitzroy, VIC
napierquarter.com.au

Humble Rays, Carlton

Humble Ray is very ‘right now’, going the way of many cafes, including Devon in Sydney, by being eminently Instagram-able and adding Asian touches and outrageous dessert-breakfasts to more traditional fare. So their ‘French Toast Forever’ is capped off with Persian fairy floss and tonnes of fruit, while their eggs Benedict has yuzu cutting the fattiness of hollandaise. It’s a pretty beautiful space, too, so charge your iPhone for photos.

Humble Rays
71 Bouverie Street, Carlton, VIC
humblerays.com

Bowery to Williamsburg Tel Aviv, Melbourne CBD

After Joost Bakker closed his no-waste project Brothl on Hardware Street, Oliver Lane’s Bowery to Williamsburg café moved in, doing NYC-inspired plates. Now they’ve changed tack, focusing on Israeli fare, so there are heaped salads heavy on grains like freekeh, pitas stuffed with breaded eggplant and haloumi or lamb and pomegranate, and a whole section on the menu dedicated to shakshouka. Short on time? Grab a takeaway pita and a sweet mint tea to go.

Bowery to Williamsburg Tel Aviv
123 Hardware Street, Melbourne, VIC
facebook.com/bowerytowilliamsburg