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Degraves Espresso Bar
Ph: (03) 9654 1245; 23 Degraves St, Melbourne 3000
Australian Modern, $, * for Ambience
Open mon-fri 7am-9pm; sat-sun 8am-6pm, Closed Some public holidays; Licensed; No cards, No bookings, Seats inside 50, Outside seats 30
Photo Tony Knox
Mietta's Review
The frenzy surrounding this place when it first opened may have settled, but it is still constantly busy, and if your not quick you may be forced to take away your lunch because seats are at a Premium. The coffee is always good here, so too the filled pannini's and the breakfasts, and early Friday evenings pawing over the short list of predominantly Spanish wines, it's great for a drink after work.
Other published opinions
The Age Cheap Eats 2007 "The 'no-smoking' campaign has yet to hit the cobbled laneway outside Degraves Espresso, where folk (primarily an artsy, roll-your-own crowd) suck down cigarettes like it's 1964."
The Age Cheap Eats 2006 This is the place to take out-of-town visitors who want to experience Euro-Melbourne: the black clad and bohemian come to this laneway classic to catch up, read the paper and sip superb long blacks, or quaff the house red.
The Age Cheap Eats 2005 "DEGRAVES STREET is one of the city's most character-filled lanes, packed with lunch cruisers and cafes jostling for umbrella space. So what makes Degraves Espresso Bar the standout? Sparky low-fuss service draws consistent praise"
The Age Cheap Eats 2004 "the Degraves team rarely misses a beat. Service is friendly and attentive, the ambience Old World easy-going and the food warmly comforting"
The Foodies' Guide 2004,Allan Campion & Michele Curtis,'Chic European-style hang-out.Popular for its coffee,but also for the great paninis filled with Cajun chicken and avocado or chickpea and eggplant.'
The Age Cheap Eats 2004,Somewhere really special,Good vegetarian options,'Service is friendly and attentive,the ambience Old World easygoing and the food warmly comforting...Missteps arise with slightly powdery cakes,but the spot-on coffee is more important to the satisfied jumble of boho students and suits who cram into this understated veteran.'
The Age, Sunday Life, 8/2/04, John Lethlean,'Insouciant, bohemian, professional and European, Degraves is the real deal in an age of American-inspired caffeine-fix franchises.'
Herald Sun, Citystyle, 23/9/03, Donna Coutts, Score 15/20,' the epitome of Melbourne's inner-city cafe culture. It's always packed, slightly grungy, takes coffee seriously and does - a decent-thought not cheap-lunch dish. Service is casual but fantastic.'
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