If you’re looking for a breakfast or brunch spot in Melbourne, you may want to put Manchester Press on your list. Located in CBD area, this coffee shop has a specialty in coffee and bagels served in a vintage-chic café with ecletic décor.

Manchester Press is a former printing press that turned into a beautiful café which famous by its coffee and bagels. For me, it is a hidden gem in one of Melbourne CBD’s alleyway and a perfect place to hide from the city hustle.

Aim to start my day with a stuffed tummy, I came here to give their bagels a shot. I heard the place could be packed in a minute so I came early to check this place out. I guess Melbournians start their day a bit late than the Jakartans, hence I didn’t see any line in the front door when I came.

With the famous red brick wall and graffiti, the alleyway looks so photogenic. The doodles on their white door and the bars with rustic American ambiance make it looks old but gold and fun. I can stay for hours in this alley and take a hundred of pictures (which I did :D)

Their cozy atmosphere spoiled me when I sat and going through their menu. The friendliness of the staffs excites me as I asked them so many questions just to decide which bagels to try.

Then I landed my choice on Savory Bagel and Hot Chocolate from the famous family-owned chocolatiers business: Koko Black. Koko Black is on my bucket-list the next time I visit Oz. It won’t hurt to try the family’s hot chocolate first in advance before visiting their store.

The Savory Bagel that I tried was Chook & Bacon closed bagel. Chook & Bacon Bagel consists of Roast Chicken in Sriracha Mayo, served with Iceberg Lettuce and Grilled Bacon. Chook actually is an Australian term for a chicken.

One portion of bagel is pretty big for me, not to mention the pretzel as sides. It costs me AUD 15 for the bagel and AUD 4 for one regular hot chocolate from Koko Black. If you want to try this place for breakfast, AUD 20 per person would be enough. But if you only want to try their coffee, you can prepare from AUD 5 to 7.

My friend ordered a different kind of Savory Bagel, and she goes with Smoked Salmon open bagel, which consists of generous Sliced Smoked Salmon, Baby Capers on top of a dill cream cheese schmear accompanied by Iced Latte.

This is a perfect place for breakfast or brunch, even the food menu is limited. I’m pretty sure I will go back to try another Bagel, maybe the sweet one next time. Comparing their service, quality, ambiance against the price, I gave an overall score 4.5 out of 5. 

Address: 
8 Rankins Ln, Melbourne

Opening Hour:
Weekdays: 7 AM to 5 PM
Weekend: 9 AM to 5 PM

Location:
Melbourne CBD, walking distance from Bourke Street or you can use Free CAT bus

Budget to Spend:
AUD 7 up to AUD 20