Vegan, paleo, gluten-free, kid-friendly, creative – whatever your brunching needs, the best Ballarat cafes deliver with locally refined flair.
Sure, the Victorian Goldfields city of Ballarat promises beautiful streetscapes with storied, heritage buildings and a glut of cultural assets — but its local cafe scene is just as alluring. Serving up masterful technique, fresh seasonal ingredients, stellar caffeine fixes and endlessly endearing ambience, the best Ballarat cafes should be experienced one meal at a time. Here, a roundup of the finest.
The shortlist
Best coffee: Cobb’s Coffee
Best pastries: 1816 Bakehouse
Best for dietary restrictions: Hydrant Food Hall
Hidden gem: Shep St Sandos
1. Eclectic Tastes Cafe & Pantry
Refuel with a hearty brunch filled with locally sourced ingredients. (Image: Eclectic Tastes Cafe & Pantry)
Perched near the shores of Lake Wendouree, Eclectic Tastes Cafe & Pantry has won local hearts with its range of patisseries since 2016, nailing everything from berry muffins, cheesecake and pecan tarts to vegan apple cake. Run by the team behind Eleanora, one of the best Ballarat restaurants, it does an excellent job of showcasing local produce and homemade goodies, such as handmade sourdough crumpets served with whipped ricotta, freeze-dried raspberries and honey from Backyard Beekeeping Ballarat. Once you’ve consumed as much as physically possible from the brunch and patisserie selection, pick up a few gourmet treats for the road from the Ballarat cafe’s retail section — pralines from chocolatier Koko Black and pantry staples from Melbourne’s From Basque With Love are always heavily stocked.
Cuisine: Modern Australian with strong Pan-Asian influences
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Inviting
Review: 4.5/5
Location: 2 Burnbank St, Ballarat
2. Nolans
Enjoy generous servings from the scrumptious menu at Nolans. (Image: Supplied)
Shining a light on native ingredients, while supporting local Victorian farmers and suppliers, the team at Nolans nail every meal of the day inside The Goods Shed, a sleek events venue. The coffee is silky-delicious (and there’s a cart serving up takeaways for two hours from 6.30am on Monday and Tuesday), the fit out is sumptuous New York-bistro plush, and the menu excels creatively. Think a fried chicken Benedict with chipotle hollandaise, a fried pastrami and egg roll with burnt onion jam, a smoked salmon bagel with lemon myrtle cream cheese and a sourdough pizza with vodka nduja and hot honey.
Cuisine: Modern Australian with international influences
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Classy
Review: 4.5/5
Location: The Goods Shed, Lydiard St North, corner Nolan St, Ballarat
3. Fika Coffee Brewers
The aptly named cafe translates to ‘coffee break’. (Image: Visit Victoria)
Located in a plum position in central Ballarat, this atmospheric little spot does a great line in brunch. With Tassie oak-inflected interiors rendered in clean lines that complement its Scandi name (which means coffee break in Swedish), Fika Coffee Brewers utilises St Ali beans to serve alongside imaginative menu items. Have fun choosing between the likes of Dr Marty’s Crumpets (with whipped ricotta, ruby grapefruit and pistachios), the Tradesman egg and bacon roll with special sauce, sardines on toast with dill, fennel and garlic aioli, and the crowd-pleasing pulled pork roll with slaw and cheddar.
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Hipster
Review: 4.5/5
Location: 36A Drummond St North, Ballarat
4. Yellow Espresso
Relaxed brunch offerings at Yellow Espresso. (Image: Visit Victoria)
Beloved by locals for its laidback ambience and reliable culinary chops, Yellow Espresso is a Ballarat cafe with plenty to offer. The staples are nailed, including pancakes stacked with blueberries and strawberries, homemade muffins, avocado on toast and corn fritters, but the gang often splices things up with clever additions such as the Biscoff smoothie bowl topped with one of those addictive golden cookies. Grab a spot by the window for a side of people watching, too.
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Relaxed
Review: 3.5/5
Location: 13 Sturt St, Ballarat
5. Hydrant Food Hall
Homemade hash brown topped with poached eggs. (Image: Visit Victoria)
The menu at Hydrant Food Hall, located in a quiet laneway off one of the CBD’s main stretches, changes seasonally, spanning inventive dishes beyond great avo on toast. Think a homemade ramen with pork bone broth, a calamari rice bowl with pickled cabbage, or a breakfast board dressed in granola, mini escargot, an array of fruit and more. The team is also able to cater to lots of different dietaries, from dairy-free to nut-free and gluten-free.
Kids aren’t left out of the equation here either. In fact, we’d be surprised if the grown-ups weren’t a bit partial to hot picks including rainbow-coloured pancakes with marshmallows and fruit, and the kids waffle with vanilla ice cream and sprinkles. For little ones hyped up by a sugar high, there’s also a children’s activity play bag ($2.50) available to keep them occupied.
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Family-friendly
Review: 4/5
Location: 3 McKenzie St, Ballarat
6. 1816 Bakehouse
Get your fill of fresh sweets at 1816 Bakehouse. (Image: Visit Victoria)
An artisan bakery, patisserie and cafe next door to The Forge Pizzeria on Armstrong Street North, 1816 Bakehouse is a temple to all things dough. Take your pick of pumpkin loaves, semi-sourdough focaccia loaded with fetta, basil and olives, Nutella and pistachio cruffins, savoury and sweet pies and fresh sandwiches — all meticulously handcrafted daily.
Cuisine: Bakery
Average price: $-$$
Atmosphere: Bustling
Review: 4/5
Location: 18 Armstrong St North, Ballarat
7. Shep St Sandos
The lush cafe is decorated with indoor plants. (Image: Shep St Sandos)
King of the humble toastie, Shep St Sandos has turned the practice of jamming cheese and other tasty morsels between two slices of sourdough bread into an art form. House favourites include the mushroom melt, katsu chicken, and Reuben.
Beyond toasties, the coffee shop’s limited menu changes almost daily. Find a range of sweets, plus your obligatory caffeine fix. The cafe roasts its own beans, and the baristas pour a mean brew, too.
Cuisine: Modern Australian, specialising in toasties
Average price: $
Atmosphere: Lively
Review: 4/5
Location: 8 Shepperd St, Ballarat
8. Websters Market & Cafe
The casual diner on Webster St serves up a solid all-day brunch menu. (Image: Indie Lane Photography)
On Ballarat’s historic Webster Street, housed within a heritage corner store, lies Websters Market & Cafe. Having built up a loyal following of regulars, this Ballarat cafe serves up a solid all-day brunch menu with all the classics, alongside coffee from famed Melbourne roastery Industry Beans. The indecisive bruncher can have it all with the breakfast board (including honey and vanilla yoghurt with nuts, seeds and seasonal fruit, plus smashed avo and goat’s cheese on sourdough, a poached egg and more), or you can keep it simple with a panini or bagel.
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Casual
Review: 4/5
Location: 61 Webster St, Ballarat
9. Clothesline Cafe
The menu at Clothesline Cafe is an inviting ode to the unconventional. (Image: Visit Victoria)
There’s something a bit visionary about the set-up at Clothesline Cafe. A renovated old weatherboard home on a corner block among residential streets, this aesthetically pleasing and impossibly cool venue belongs among the pages of a design magazine. There’s caramel leather banquette seating, walls painted in a smoky grey, angular ceiling lights, and an impeccably landscaped courtyard. The menu too is an inviting ode to the unconventional: an Asian chilli scramble with house made sauce, gyros with house made tzatziki and more. You’ll find coffee from Melbourne roastery Code Black here, too.
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Cosy
Review: 3.5.5
Location: 202 Humffray St South, Bakery Hill
10. Cobb’s Coffee
Cobb’s Coffee works in collaboration with Melbourne’s Rumble Coffee. (Image: Cobb’s Coffee)
Showcasing the handiwork of Melbourne coffee roasters Rumble Coffee, Cobb’s Coffee works in partnership with the caffeine aficionados to deliver excellent AM stomach lining. While that liquid gold is undoubtedly a star attraction, there’s also a high-quality range of fresh sandwiches to tempt you. We recommend sinking your teeth into the HCT, consisting of ham, cheddar, mozzarella and homemade tomato relish, or perhaps the leek and cheddar variety with added mozzarella and Dijon mustard. Whatever takes your fancy, fluffy rustica sourdough utterly melts in your mouth with every bite.
Cuisine: Sandwiches
Average price: $-$$
Atmosphere: Slick
Review: 4/5
Location: 2 Lydiard St South, Ballarat
11. The Turret Cafe
Pick from a range of delectable all-day breakfast options. (Image: The Turret Cafe)
Step inside one of Ballarat’s prettiest heritage buildings to sample the delights of The Turret Cafe. Filling the bones of a restored 1890s home, this Ballarat cafe is a lovely pick for all-day breakfast classics delivered in a stately yet welcoming environment. Pick your poison out of mushroom bruschetta, zucchini and corn fritters, a beautiful Farmers Garden of seasonal produce and smashed avocado, and even The Turret itself: a potato rosti with chorizo, veg, a poached egg and hollandaise.
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Average price: $$-$$$
Atmosphere: Refined
Review: 4/5
Location: 802 Sturt St, Ballarat
12. Earl’s Deli
Earl’s Deli makes homemade spins on McMuffins. (Image: Visit Victoria)
Craving a jumbo sandwich? The team at Earl’s Deli, doing their thing down a totally unassuming laneway, feel you. Whipping up jam-packed sandos that demand full mouth extension to devour, the Ballarat cafe works with peak local produce to evolve its menu regularly. From a buttery egg mayo and lettuce mix, to gourmet grilled cheese and homemade spins on McMuffins, the menu is flavour-crammed and also dotted with sensational roastery. Grab a perfectly blended Inglewood Coffee Roasters’ concoction to help wash down all the culinary goodness.
Cuisine: Sandwiches
Average price: $-$$
Atmosphere: Trendy
Review: 4/5
Location: 11 Davey St, Ballarat
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