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    Abacus Bar

    3.6 (21 reviews)
    Open 7:00 am - 11:00 pm

    Abacus Bar Photos

    ABACUS BAR ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Classy
    Good for groups

    Recommended Reviews - Abacus Bar

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    Scrambled eggs
    Sheenal S.

    I went here on the recommendation of a friend after seeing photos of the pumpkin croquette and Chilli scrambled eggs. My friend arrived to a large open venue with a live DJ (eat sleep DJ) and opens eating area. We were greeted by a host who told us there would be a five to ten minutes wait. There were a few tables facing the sun that looked quite uncomfortable. You would literally be sitting sideways trying to eat. They had a couple of round tables that weren't for sharing. After 15 minutes we got a seat at the bar facing Aldi's. I ordered a skim cappuccino which was slightly sour and very strong. Not for me. My friend got a refreshing orange juice. I got the chilli scrambled eggs with charcoal bun and seaweed. My chilli scrambled eggs were spicy but that's all I could taste. The charcoal bun was too rough to cut into. Tasted burnt. I've had nice buttery charcoal bread before. But this was dry and very burnt tasting. The eggs were not buttery and weren't nice. The seaweed combination was nice but i felt like it was lacking flavour otherwise. My friend devoured her chia buckwheat crepes which were smothered in chocolate sauce, broken bits of Tim tam, lots of strawberries and very yellow looking poached pear. Service is very good. They clear tables quickly and do split billing but i feel that i didn't make the right meal selection. The toilets are upstairs and very clean. Reminds me of an office building.

    Suzie R.

    Abacus is hard to miss if you've been down Chapel Street, it's a big unit on the corner and when they fold back the windows in summer, it dominates the block. Tables are set in smaller groups, providing much needed intimacy, in an otherwise grand space. The finish is undoubtedly high class and the gorgeous attention to detail, such as the hessian sacks of sugar, really add to this. Abacus offers both a day and evening menu, as well as some great looking options for those Friday drinks. Unfortunately it was a little early for alcohol when we visited so we sampled their coffee and day menu. Both the batch and nitro coffee were enjoyable. The batch is a pleasant, mild blend without the bitter undertones of many batch brews. It's delicious and easy to drink. Now I'm not usually a fan of Nitro but Abacus' blend has a light sweetness which worked well, and I actually found myself leaning toward this slightly over the batch. I opted for the pumpkin croquettes, and avocado, served with feta, black beans, corn and a poached egg. I was initially concerned it would be too sweet, but the smooth pumpkin croquettes, and delicious, ripe avocado, were nicely balanced with the huge chunks of feta, and the salty chopped tomatoes. For someone who usually swears by bacon on all savoury breakfasts, this was an incredibly enjoyable vegetarian meal that also plated beautifully. My other half went for the cape clear rashers, which in sharp contrast to my dish, are a meat eaters dream: alongside the chunky rashers are pigs cheek, crackling, blonde sausage, a chunky chutney, poached egg and toast. Again, it looked gorgeous on the plate and he found the elements well balanced - with those rashers being the clear hero of the dish - closely followed by the crispy crackling. Other parts of the dish were well cooked, and it gave a lovely fine dining twist to a traditional brunch. Dishes are priced at the higher end for brunch (most are $18+) but I think you'd agree they are well worth it for the quality on offer. Although considerably stuffed after our brunch, we managed to squeeze in one of their chocolate fondants each. These are the perfect little finale to your brunch, or a naughty treat with one of their delicious coffees. Despite feeling somewhat "fancy", Abacus has a real laid back vibe. Helped by the comfy seating, and the large space, it's great for those long brunches with friends, that overdue business meeting that you know is going to need a LOT of coffee (their bottomless batch at $6 is a bargain), or those chilled out afternoon drinks after a tough day. It's lively, but not loud, busy but not crowded. Service was highly attentive, yet not invasive. Cafe/bar/restaurant - I'm unsure what to classify Abacus as - it has the atmosphere of a swanky bar, the food of a great restaurant and it's coffee will more than hold it's own against most of Melbourne's cafes. It's a great laid back, all rounder that's well worth making the trip to Chapel Street for a visit.

    Fish pan-fried
    Marnie O.

    Relatively limited menu, but with some tasty options, and a funky modern decor suited to South Yarra. However, many of the options were pricey (three small speck and gruyere croquettes for $19), and focussed more aesthetics than actual taste. On top of this, the coffee was adequate. I had the 'Fish Pan-fried' for $23 and I was expecting big things. Beautifully served, with a deceptively large portion. One piece was crispy and deliciously tender. However, the main portion of fish still had fins attached, which not only made it quite difficult to remove the fish bones, but also meant there wasn't very much fish left.

    Avocado & Pumpkin  Cape clear rasher

    Nice restaurant High ceilings Variety in food, discovery should be fun Regular prices

    Sharon H.

    Abacus recently opened in South Yarra. It's an open, simple and high ceiling restaurant with lots of trees facing the busy Chapel Street - easy to spot and easy to fall in love with. The interior is simple and cozy with bars and DJs.

    Amazing space
    Brad D.

    Decor, ambience ,Padre coffee, this place ticks all the boxes, service was amazing and I can't wait to try the food and wine later in the day! A must see and I love the Noosa style bench seat for people watching on Chapel street

    Avocado and Pumpkin.  In the back, a speck and gruyere croquette.

    Unsure of what I wanted for breakfast this morning, Abacus hit the spot. Very elegant, healthy breaky. Reasonably priced in a great atmosphere.

    Waiting
    Rong Y.

    This is a new opening bar on Chapel St . There are spacious space and opening windows .Wonderful ! But because of too much customers ,the ordered food is provided too lately .But the Latte is wonderful .

    Beautiful fish taco.

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    Review Highlights - Abacus Bar

    . It's a great laid back, all rounder that's well worth making the trip to Chapel Street for a visit.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

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    Market Lane Coffee - Latte

    Market Lane Coffee

    4.0(45 reviews)
    0.1 kmSouth Yarra
    $

    Market Land Coffee, we all know their coffee is impeccable..though I could without the sass from…read moreCustomer Service Rep at the counter and a less confusing bin situation. Unless there is a crisis of some sort I always order and have for some time ordered a 'double ristretto soy latte' yes this this sounds obnoxious and like I'm an absolute yuppie, but ristretto tastes better- seriously try it. Anyway, I asked for this at the busy counter, people behind me, it was hectic and everyone seemed to be in a hurry. The gentleman questions my order, not what it is as is usually the case, rather he recommended I not have the extra shot nor ristretto as their mix is strong. I advised him I was aware and it was fine and he questioned this, we then entered into a very passive aggressive conversation about whether I could handle the strength. Feeling uncomfortable holding up the line I just asked him to give me what he thought was best, I was very frustrated- I hadn't had my morning coffee. Seeking a boost of sugar which I never put into my ristretto but this bland weak latte needed, I made my way over to the table of lids, spoons, sugar etc. very confusing indeed was the storage of the dirty and clean spoons! The clean spoons (stirring stick) are in a bin shaped ceramic thing and the dirty spoons are in a matching ceramic cup, with the dirty ends down- you know I picked the wrong container. Gross. I don't know. It was actually a very upsetting time. Okay, arguably they have the best beans but does this mean they can skimp on service?

    There's a smell that accompanies a good coffee shop. I'm sure it has something to do with the…read morein-house roasting, but I'd rather think it's due to the scent of pride the barristas emanate knowing that their coffee is about to rock your world. Either way, Market Lane is rich with just that smell. And wouldn't you know it, it's amazing. They source it, they roast it, and they go to painstakingly coffee-nerdish lengths to serve you a fantastic cup of coffee. They'll even teach you how to do it yourself if you're around on a Thursday morning at 10am, which I happened to be. Grab a seat at the communal table and enjoy. Then be upset that you don't wake up next door to the Prahran Market every morning.

    Photos
    Market Lane Coffee - Latte

    Latte

    Market Lane Coffee - Boutique Coffee

    Boutique Coffee

    Market Lane Coffee

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    Miss Jackson

    Miss Jackson

    4.3(70 reviews)
    2.2 kmSt Kilda
    $$

    Brunch is always better with a side of banter, and you can be guaranteed plenty when you visit Miss…read moreJackson. Steve and Matt (the faces you will see on most visits) are hilarious and encapsulate good service - they're friendly, accommodating, and take an interest in their regular customers. This alone is worth visiting Miss Jackson for, but throw in their great menu and you'd be crazy not to put this place on your list of regular brunch haunts. Breakfast covers a lot of the usual suspects - but the winner is the corn cakes with bacon, avo and chilli jam, accompanied by a strong Allpress coffee to wash it down. The corned beef sandwich with pickles makes for a sturdy lunch and the home made slices and muffins are a great afternoon pick me up. A rotating specials menu offers seasonal variety - recently; a panfried garfish with a panzanella salad got two out of two thumbs up. Sit outside if you fancy some sun, at the large communal tables if you want to read the papers, or in the back room if you're after discretion. Either way, you won't be sorry.

    Being lactose intolerant and hating Soy milk is a bit of a pain but Bon Soy teamed with delicious…read morecoffee makes Miss Jackson a delicious go-to breakfast place! We ordered 4 meals and 6 coffees =$95. 2 Spanish eggs which had changed from the last time we came here, a serving of the pot set avocado and goat chèvre, pumpkin bread with cured salmon, and I had the lamb and quinoa salad + extra poached egg (the egg makes the meal a breakfast right?) which was a bit skimp with the lamb but still tasty. Definitely one of my fave places for a fab coffee in St Kilda!

    Photos
    Miss Jackson
    Miss Jackson
    Miss Jackson

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    The Final Step - The Final Step Coffee Shop - Coffee with a Conscious

    The Final Step

    4.4(10 reviews)
    0.9 kmSouth Yarra
    $$

    Great tasting coffee! Space is not big, but there's enough seating to hide in the shade - in fact,…read morethey have a few little benches outside on the sidewalk, very DIY - I like it! And best of all, all you lovers of cold drip brewed coffee, make a note to visit this place! Plus, the staff is awesome - friendly, easy going (wait, could I be in the north part of town, lol) ... and they are there to give you the best coffee experience!

    The New Zealand style flat white at the Final Step was my first introduction to Australian coffee…read more When my husband was offered a job in Oz three years ago we were living in Paris (where contrary to popular belief, the coffee is dreadful, undrinkable swill), and whenever we asked any of our expat Aussie friends about the pros and cons of Oz they kept talking about one thing: It wasn't kangaroos, and beaches, and bikinis, and Ugg boots, and beer. No, it was coffee. "The coffee is amazing!", they'd crow. "Out of this world". "WE ARE KINGS OF COFFEE"! I was dubious. I'd lived in Portland Oregon, land of Stumptown beans and tatted baristas and pour overs so I was like, "whatevs people. It can't be that good". I was wrong. I discovered The Final Step a few weeks after we arrived here. The coffee was a revelation: Rich and complex and marvelous. Ben, the owner was awesome and welcoming and really made us feel at home in our new city. We don't live in South Yarra anymore but I still pop in at least once a month for an NZ and one of Angie's yummy cakes. A warm, friendly place with great bevvies and tasty sweet stuff. Yes please.

    Photos
    The Final Step - The Baked Goodies

    The Baked Goodies

    The Final Step - Project wall... 100% of TFS profits are going towards the Social Opportunity Group and their project "food for thought".

    Project wall... 100% of TFS profits are going towards the Social Opportunity Group and their project "food for thought".

    The Final Step - Cappuccino & Takeaway Goodies

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    Cappuccino & Takeaway Goodies

    Fourth Chapter - Strawberry Oreo's - Gluten Free, Dairy Free, and Vegan. Photo from website

    Fourth Chapter

    4.2(14 reviews)
    1.0 kmPrahran
    $$

    Summary: Clearly one of the best breakfast and brunch places in Melbourne. Super classy. Lovely…read morespace with terrific inside and outside areas. Good menu here with excellent healthy and not so healthy dishes available depending on your inclination. Superior coffee served here as well. Great place. Highly recommended. Review The class starts here at the front door. Wait til you see it. It's amazing. It leads to a stunning space inside. The space has high ceilings and stark white walls. There's beautiful greenery throughout the cafe with a number of oversized hanging baskets with cascading philodendrons. It's a lovely look and it doesn't stop there. There's a wonderful courtyard out the back as well. It was a stunning spot on a sunny day like today. There's several nice areas out there. The one I'd go for would be on the side bench with a view through to the adjacent park. It looked amazing. I started today with a silky long black. They serve mighty coffee here. Superior beans are used and the brew is expertly made. We started our meal with cauliflower fries which were simply amazing. They were piping hot with a lovely peppery flavour that we both really enjoyed. I love cauliflower but would never have believed it could taste this good. The fries were incredible. We shared two main dishes. Both were excellent and both were large. The first was a pumpkin salad with kale. It's a great dish for sharing. The pumpkin is creamy and superbly cooked. The dish includes finely chopped kale, chopped almonds, avocado and sesame seeds among other things. We loved it. It's very tasty with great textures. Similarly, the southern fried chicken bao is a cracking dish. The chicken is gorgeous. It's so tender and clearly good quality meat. Add lovely pickled cabbage, sriracha aoli and chilli and lime cashews wrapped in a thrillingly soft bao and you've got a real winning dish. It was fantastic. My partner finished with a flat white which had some very cute coffee art. Like me, she declared the coffee to be superb. We were so impressed with Fourth Chapter. As I said in the summary above, this is clearly up there with the very best breakfast and brunch places in Melbourne. Our sincere thanks to Costa for the kind invitation to dine here today. Our thanks too to his excellent staff.

    The ornate white front door can tell a story of its own, having remained through at least the last…read morethree tenancies, however the star of this story is owner Sarah Jane Whitfield and her fourth cafe. In partnership with her chef sister Jessica, Fourth Chapter has begun. Upon passing through the door there is an immediate feeling of home, but not your home, someone else's grand home that you wish you had. The high ceiling, white painted walls, light timber furnishings and an array of hanging basket plants provide a bright, clean atmosphere with a light touch of modernism. There is also an element of colour theming with yellow and white cups and plates. Seating is limited, which adds to the cosy vibe, with a handful of small tables, front window bar seating and a large group table in the middle. A small courtyard out the back provides some more small tables and a bench overlooking the neighbouring Victoria Gardens. The food menu is extensive with all day breakfast and lunch after 11am. There is a balanced mix of both healthy and slightly less healthy, treaty choices with a number of vegetarian, vegan, dairy free and gluten free options. Highlights include the acai bowl with optional whey protein, smashed avocado with pesto and saganaki, beetroot and cheddar waffles, sweet potato nachos, southern fried chicken baos and pulled beef brisket cheeseburger. The southern fried chicken baos with pickled cabbage and sriracha aioli are simple perfection with a well balanced mix of crunch, tang and spice. Coffee is by Niccolo with a blend and single origin available with soy, almond or coconut milk. Golden, matcha and Prana Chai lattes are also on offer. Tea is a selection from Mayde along with a range of smoothies and kombucha. For something different and artistic, there is the Sisko hot chocolate - a sphere of chocolate that melts as you pour hot chocolate over it to reveal a marshmallow inside. Fourth Chapter is off to a strong start and is one to watch as the story continues to be written.

    Photos
    Fourth Chapter - Cheerful yellow dishes at Fourth Chapter. Photo from website

    Cheerful yellow dishes at Fourth Chapter. Photo from website

    Fourth Chapter - The Bowl with Pumpkin, Poached Egg, Pickled Cabbage, Mushrooms, Brown Rice, Avocado, Tomatoes, Kale, & Hummus. Photo from website

    The Bowl with Pumpkin, Poached Egg, Pickled Cabbage, Mushrooms, Brown Rice, Avocado, Tomatoes, Kale, & Hummus. Photo from website

    Fourth Chapter - All day breakfast menu. Photo from website

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    All day breakfast menu. Photo from website

    Abacus Bar - breakfast_brunch - Updated June 2026

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