The most expensive and tasteless sourdough baguette ever tasted. For a $7.50 baguette you would hope that it might be halfway decent, but no. It's really hard to believe sourdough could taste so bad. Very disappointing. read more

Dench Cafe - Dench baguette...don't be fooled by its exterior. - Bakeries Near Me - Fitzroy North, VIC

4.2 for mine. Best cafe I've come across in this area. It's slightly tucked away but not too much. It's a feel good space with an understated but cool style. The lovely ambient music playing at just the right volume helped the mood as well. The server I had here was a beauty. Sharp as and full of information, personality and humour. Sometimes not easy to pull off without coming across as a smart Alec but no danger of that here. A very good operator. It was cold day and I felt like a soup. Chestnut and mushroom was the server's recommended option, with my preference of seeded bread not sourdough (people, read the Harvard studies about the wonders of whole grain). The soup was superb. A perfect soup for my taste. Ideal food for this weather. I also went nutso over the bread which was toasted so perfectly you could have mistaken it for an art piece. I was advised that this bread was their best seller and I can understand why. It was fantastic with great texture and flavour and just the right accompaniment for the lovely, very well made soup. There was sensational coffee here as well. Deep, rich and delectable. Best I've had for a while. I was advised it was Code Black coffee . A beautiful brew with incredible length and brilliantly made too. I'm in a bit of shock about how much I enjoyed it here. Things are done simply but with a quiet understated style, confidence and best of all, competence. A good place that I heartily recommend. read more

See all

Probably the pinnacle of all things baked in Melbourne. The Brioche here is astounding; its more of a sweetish bread loaf type arrangement as opposed to the "brioche buns" everyone is becoming accustomed to. Fresh breads, pastries, ready to go filled baguettes, foccacia's and panini's (usually with a few potions) to go. Either for lunch or later in the day snack. Dench makes or a very good Picnic destination. The parks nearby make it even better. This place is very good and very popular; its a rush on the counter from the wee hours in the morning to at least 1pm. A full page "from our Kitchen" breakfast menu is available, but it can be hard to snare a spare spot here. Ergo, it may take a while to navigate and eat everything listed. A local's favourite, but surely a Melbourne favourite too. A great coffee destination; though it would be hard to pass by something to accompany that coffee. Dench continues to serve great quality everything that is baked, with a European touch. Sending the old hat and outdated "Aussie bakery" on it's way. Its time for a clear quality focus on food, and that's exactly what's happening at Dench. There's a bigger dining/eating space in the back- it's needed! read more

Dench Cafe - Bakeries Near Me - Fitzroy North, VIC

This place is a bit of an institution in North Fitzroy and for good reason. Dench bread is famous through this region as being top notch sourdough, it's perfect every time and it's a staple at our place. Further to this, they do cakes, sandwiches, coffee and have a super little dining/slurping area for stay home dads and unemployed folk to while away their time on a shitty winter afternoon. The downside of Dench is the popularity. This place can get mega pushy on weekends and you'd be advised to stand your ground when lining for bread and if you want takeaway coffee, there's a great spot next door. That's not to say Dench coffee isn't good, it's super, but the crowd here can be aggressive and line-pushing, so you've gotta be on your toes. 'Tis the problem in joints without table service, but it's the only problem they have and that says a lot. read more

Dench Cafe - Bakeries Near Me - Fitzroy North, VIC

Love the bread... all of it. The girls behind the counter are really friendly and helpful and will take the time to talk you through their loaves etc. The wait staff in the dining section need to learn from the counter staff and be a little more ... something (i can't put my finger on what is lacking). The corn & ricotta hotcakes are amazing and the coffee is pretty good too. read more

Dench Cafe - Corn & ricotta hot cakes - Bakeries Near Me - Fitzroy North, VIC

A regular favourite. The specials are always inventive and super tasty. Coffee is always great quality. read more

Dench Cafe - Bakeries Near Me - Fitzroy North, VIC

See all

The thing about gluten-free food that isn't SUPPOSED to be gluten-free is that it can often be totally rubbish. It takes time, dedication and necessity to be prepared to sort through all the completely disgusting GF bread options and come out with something edible. Dench takes it a step further. Their gluten free bread is better than the original. Toasted, it tastes like a cross between a crumpet and a croissant. It's heavenly, I assure you. If like me, regular bread does some unmentionable things to your body, get here - pronto. read more

Dench has been around for quite some time, and continues to surprise me every time with all its subtle nuances. Even John Dench the founder and chief poobah makes his way around the cafe (even clearing and cleaning the tables). The service continues to offer first class service where even outsiders like Thornburyians and Northcotiens are equally and warmly embrace as we sip on the greatest chai lattes I've ever had. Their ham hock and chorizo was exquisite, full of life (unlike the Adelaide Crows) and scrumdiliumptious! The collection of breads are out of this world and can never overlook the Dark Rye.......Dench continues to lead the pack with its quality and I for one will raise it from the rooftop and yell out quite ceremoniously All Hail Dench... read more

I had an affair with Dench. My regular morning coffee shop closed for renovations for a few days and I had no other option but to find somewhere else to get my fix... I don't regret one second! I used to pop in each morning at 7:30am, they remembered my name, my order and always had a smile on their face. I missed this kind of love and attention from my other coffee shop. Dench is known for it's bread, but I will always remember it for it's coffee, service and eggs... Oh my, the eggs... My affair with Dench was short-lived (I soon moved out of the area) and I have moved on, but it remains popular with the ladies and men of North Fitzroy. Check it out and you'll see what I mean. read more

Dench Bakers is a lovely bakery & cafe in pretty Fitzroy North. I visited for the first time on a quiet Monday morning in between PT clients in the nearby Edinburgh Gardens. The staff were super lovely, the shop warm and inviting and the baked goods looked deliciously impressive. I got a menu and water as soon as I sat and a coffee (tea) order taken immediately too. I ordered the porridge to warm me up on a cold winters morning. It came steaming hot, with a delicious creamy consistency and poached quince and flaked almonds sprinkled on top. It was just what I wanted and really hit the spot. At around $15 for my food and tea, it's reasonably priced - add in the friendly and welcoming service and it's a winner in my book! I'll be back again... read more

Dench is a lovely bakery and cafe. Whether you have the time to sit and chat over breakfast, brunch or a coffee ( which is all great by the way - try the mushroom ragu ). Or you are on the run and picking up a loaf of bread, a delicious looking sandwich, roll or sweet. This cafe has something for everyone and with friendly staff to boot I can't see why you wouldn't. Bread is cooked fresh daily, a favourite is the olive and rosemary loaf, get in early or you will miss out. read more

Best bread in Melbourne, hands down. The cafe food is good, but I usually just go there to buy a loaf of sour dough. read more

In my humble opinion, Dench is incredibly over rated. They really only shine in the bread department, settling for being merely competent in all other areas. Very tasty bread, with some ok gluten free options. The sourdough olive loaf is exceptional, but they never seem to bake enough of it, always running out by 2pm or so. Reasonable coffee. Very average meals. Service is bewildering, ranging from genuinely friendly to rage inducingly snide and hipster-ish (Yes you might be a starving ukelele prodigy by night, but during daylight hours, you work in a cafe... So get over yourself and lose the attitude!) It is also unbearably crowded on weekends. Overall, there is better to be had in North Fitzroy read more

Found in North Fitzroy, Dench is famous for its bread and its pretentiousness. They have the most amazing little tart things called Canelle (can-nel-ay). They're so cute and tasty that I ate mine at the counter before I could pay for it, so had to get two! They're hot cross buns are so popular you need to book six months in advance for them, and while the breadness is amazing, it's also not the cheapest. $13 for a sandwich is a little crazy, but at the same time it is an amazing sandwich. The upper crust elitism does wear on you a little bit, so a take away coffee could be your best bet, which is amazing!. Or, on the odd occasion it's not bustling with people, the waiters are quite entertaining to watch work. My friend used to come here just to watch the ladies, though now he's married. read more

Despite being very busy on the day we appeared for breakfast, the staff were relaxed and managed our party by saying wait 10 minutes. A table promptly appeared. My choice of poached eggs with smoked salmon turned out to be an excellent choice with the poached egg cooked perfectly. Poached eggs on toast with a side of mushrooms was the breakfast of choice for my intrepid companion. Quality of coffee was excellent as was the service. I can see why this is such a popular place in the lovely village of North Fitzroy. A table of elegantly dressed Bridesmaids at a nearby table provided the entertainment. read more

Dench gave a good coffee but the food was a little under whelming. I ordered a ham sandwich and was presented with a rather dry French bread with a basic filling. the scrambled eggs on the next table looked a much better choice. The staff were cool and hip ( regulation tattoos etc) and totally suited to the genre the owner was wanting to project. Next time I would just go for morning coffee rather than lunch. Also they didn't bother to offer me my change which irked me. read more

Prepared to be flexible in my views and am pleased to be updating my review of Dench. Lovely pastries and very nice coffee (though maybe not as nice as St Ali North's coffee). Great to see more payment options (formerly cash only) and the removal of self-service sugar for weekend coffees. Staff are extremely friendly and attentive. Specials board is always full of delicious options. Highly recommend the Xmas meringues. read more

After our meal the woman behind the counter was extremely rude and seemed very inconvenienced by us simply trying to pay.... it was unpleasant read more

I had breakfast there with a friend, the coffee was good, the poached eggs were cooked to perfection and the bread was high quality. It's a bit pokey though. read more

Great fresh breads. Good service. Relaxing environment. A little pricy, but still all tasty. I really liked the vegan salad (and I'm not even a vegetarian)... read more

I had the turkey and cranberry sauce sandwich and it was really good! My fiancé had the chicken and veg soup, which comes as a half serve too! They have a great thing for the kids called a kids basket, and it comes with pears and strawberries and a cheese sandwich and all sorts of other little goodies. Our little man was very happy about it! read more

Best place for breakfast in North Fitzroy! Friendly staff, amazing food, interesting art always on the walls.