Best Brunch Cafes in Geelong | Local Guide

Geelong's cafe and brunch scene has been transformed by the city's extraordinary urban renewal over the past decade, with the Geelong waterfront precinct (the restored Corio Bay foreshore), the Little Malop Street food and cafe strip, and the emerging Pakington Street (Newtown) village cafe scene together creating a brunch landscape that is increasingly competitive with Melbourne's finest suburban cafe precincts. The combination of Geelong's growing population (250,000 and rising, with significant inward migration from Melbourne), the city's proximity to outstanding Surf Coast and Bellarine Peninsula produce, and the urban renewal investment in the inner city has driven significant quality upgrading of the Geelong cafe sector over the past five years.

Little Malop Street — Little Malop Street (Geelong CBD) is the heart of Geelong's specialty cafe scene, with a concentration of outstanding coffee operations and brunch destinations in the compact CBD laneway. Atlas Specialty Coffee (Little Malop Street) is Geelong's most celebrated specialty coffee bar, with a commitment to single-origin espresso and filter coffee that meets Melbourne's finest standards. Tulip (Aberdeen Street, adjacent to Little Malop) provides outstanding produce-led brunch using Bellarine Peninsula and Surf Coast ingredients. The Little Malop Street precinct has become Geelong's most talked-about food destination and is now regularly featured in Melbourne food media.

Pakington Street, Newtown — Pakington Street (Newtown, Geelong's most charming inner-suburban village) provides Geelong's most pleasant neighbourhood cafe strip, with heritage shopfronts, specialty food retailers, and outstanding cafes creating a walkable village brunch experience. The Saturday morning Pakington Street circuit (farmers market at the end of the street, coffee stops along the way) is Geelong's equivalent of Melbourne's inner-suburb weekend morning ritual.

Geelong Waterfront — the Geelong Waterfront promenade provides outstanding alfresco brunch options in the summer months (October-April), with the restored bollards, the Carousel, and the Corio Bay creating one of Victoria's finest outdoor dining backdrops.

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