Coffee Shorts - Little Lonsdale St

I don't pretend to be a coffee expert, able to taste all the different characteristics of the beans grown at 6000ft in the Guatemalan highlands. I do love sitting down for a great coffee; but nothing is worse than a burnt, overly sour coffee. 

Most mornings I'll start up my Rancilio Silvia at home on which I pull my own shot, so when I'm out I'd expect something at least up to my own (mostly average) standard coffee. My habit is usually a caffe latte or flat white in the morning, and a macchiato or just a short black if I'm drinking in the afternoon. Below is a list of my favourite local coffee providers, just along Little Lonsdale St in the city. 
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Cafenatics QV
Red Cape Lane, QV Building, Melbourne VIC 3000




The Cafenatics chain has made a big name for itself since starting in 2004 in the Melbourne CBD, they now have around 10 shops dotted around the city. The QV location is my local coffee shop, if I'm not making a coffee at home I'll grab one here on my way to work. Always friendly, remembering my order and saving a muffin for my breakfast; consistently good coffee (across most of the Cafenatics I've been too as well); not overpriced, $3.30 for a "regular" 8oz (if you have a "large" 12oz Keep Cup it's the same price), $5.50 for a coffee/muffin combo.

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2Pocket Coffee
277 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne VIC 3000



2pocket is one of the newest coffee shops to open in the city selling fairtrade coffee, tea and other products. Their mission is "to support disadvantaged producers to improve their lives through business and commerce." A regular coffee is $3.80, while a large is $4.50 - and also beans @ $15 for 250g. When you keep in mind that a portion of the profits go back to the producer and supplier, it's a great price for a coffee. Got my coffee here this morning on the way to the market, still a bit quiet but very friendly and good coffee.
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Hardware Societe
120 Hardware Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 



Sitting at the top of the Urbanspoon "Melbourne Brunch Spots" list is Hardware Societe. This cafe always has a queue on a Saturday morning, I reckon if you weren't in before 9am you might not get a seat for 45 minutes! Whilst I haven't had the food here, the production line pumping the Padre beans through the coffee machine means that I've never waited more than a few minutes for a coffee. The coffee is decent, and the mini-donut on the top is a neat touch.
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1000 £ Bend
361 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000



This hip little hangout has a very non-descript entrance, but inside the old Harley-Davidson assembly factory has been turned into a cafe with a large gallery out the back and a film room upstairs. The comfy grungy couches and outdoor seating area gives everyone a place to sit and relax, and maybe get a spot of work done with the free Wi-Fi. Coffee before 10am only costs $2.50 for a small (weekdays only), and on tight-arse Tuesday nights they serve $8 burgers and $2.50 pots. 
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The League of Honest Coffee
8 Exploration Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000 



The team behind Padre coffee run this Mon-Fri coffee shop, featuring the absolutely beautiful green Slayer machines on the deck. I'm a big fan of the Padre "Daddy's Girl" coffee blend, regularly running it through my EM0480. Definitely honest, good coffee here though I don't visit as often as I'd like. I'll usually visit Padre @ South Melbourne Market on a weekend for my Padre fix.
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The Moat
Basement @ The Wheeler Centre, 176 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne 3000 VIC



I love a hidden cafe or bar, knowing that just above you or behind the door are hundreds of people passing by who have no idea what's there. The downstairs entrance to The Moat (under the Wheeler Centre, State Library) fits this bill perfectly. I've only ever popped down for coffee, but the food I've seen makes me want to return for even more.
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Plantation
Shop 253, level 2, Melbourne Central 300 La Trobe Street, Melbourne VIC 3000



This coffee shop is a hidden gem in the Melbourne Central shopping complex, run by the guys from St Ali. The focus of this outlet is cold drip coffee, but their regular coffee is great too. $3.80 for a regular is on the expensive side, but I'll sometimes grab the "Dark Horse" blend from here if I'm low on beans (roasted by Sensory Lab/St Ali). 
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In the future I'll have a few other lists in this series of "Coffee Shorts", around the city and near my work. Let me know if you have a favourite coffee place not on my list, make a comment below and I'll give it a visit!  

B.