Little Collins

Little Collins was created by Leon, Nic and their team for people who fall in love with New York and still dream about the cafés of their hometown: a little world with the energy and diversity of the city and the “slightly cheeky” sensibility and café culture of Melbourne. It has been open for a decade and counting in Midtown East. The mascot, Little Collin, “this dapper little mug”, was given the job of being the face of the shop.

The coffee comes from two roasters. Counter Culture Coffee roasts the batch brew and part of the pour-over list, and Onyx Coffee Lab the rest; each pour-over is listed with its lot, producer, region, process and variety. The espresso menu runs from a macchiato, piccolo latte and flat white to a café bombón and a babyccino, with cold brew, a hibiscus berry iced tea and loose-leaf teas brewed to order.

The kitchen serves an Australian-style breakfast, from the Smash of avocado and feta on multigrain toast and a Bircher muesli to shakshuka, buttermilk pancakes and eggs Benny, then an afternoon menu of sandwiches, wraps and salads. In the evening there is a short list of organic and biodynamic wines, beer and cocktails, among them an espresso martini made with Little Collins espresso, and the café also caters.

Photograph: Little Collins