ST. ALi Coffee Roasters - South Melbourne - South Melbourne, Victoria

Aacus Ee

Lamb Kebab : $30+
Coffee : $6+

Food is average and portion is small.
I did not feel the price justified the food quality & portion.
Left hungry.
Coffee is average too.

Service was good and atmosphere was nice.
But definitely did not live up to the hype or reviews seen here

Simon R

In my books this is best Cafe in Melbourne, immaculate vibes, friendliest service, and most importantly the food is absolutely delicious! My partner and I are from Sydney and use this place as the gold standard when trying new cafes. When we last visited in June we both opted for the Dirty Eggs and a few months later now we still bring up how good this breakfast was. The entire staff have a deep respect and love for what they do and it’s downright beautiful to witness, we can’t wait to visit again very soon!

Maria Diana Syrakis

Dropped past with my family last week and to say I was impressed is an understatement. This hidden gem in South Melbourne by far offers some superior level coffee and food. I absolutely adored my squid ink risotto and my son’s pancake was something! Beautiful and fresh. Hubby enjoyed the dirty eggs. The staff were really friendly and super accomodating to our son/his pram (he’s disabled and unable to walk) Parking is available on street and timed. We will definitely be back. Thank you for such a great experience.

Katie Goldberg

St Ali used to be my go-to brunch spot, and I frequently brought out-of-town friends here. I was excited to try their new menu, but unfortunately, it was a major letdown. Most of the dishes are now centered around eggs, which wasn’t appealing to me, so I opted for the avocado toast.

As you can see from the photos, the bread was burned and bitter, and the avocado was also charred (unsure what the chef is thinking, as the charred flavour needs careful balancing which just isn’t there for this dish). There was no seasoning aside from dukkah (despite the menu promising some hummus), which was overpowering and made the entire dish overwhelmingly bitter. I struggled to eat it.

To add some flavour, I ordered extras—a hash brown for $7 and halloumi for $8—but even with those additions, the dish still came to a steep $37 for a flavor combination that was not balanced and something I absolutely hated. Easily one of the worst brunch experiences I’ve had, especially in a city with so many better options.

On top of that, the service was seriously lacking. The older gentleman at the front was extremely dismissive when we arrived, even though we had a booking for that time. He just told us to wait outside, in the pouring rain, without any care or effort to acknowledge us. As a food blogger, I go out a lot, and the service can either make or break your experience - with this experience being the latter. Sadly, St Ali seems to have forgotten that in their pursuit of $$$.

To make matters worse, our table was broken and kept rocking the entire meal, which only added to the frustration. Sadly, I won’t be coming back again, which is a shame because their coffee is still amazing.

Su Ann Chong

Kid loved this place so much we came here twice in two days ?

Congee - while the kid liked it as is (with XO/ chilli) we adults preferred it with more spice and kick. Second time round, there wasn’t (enough) chili oil, kid needed to request for more 🙂

Hummus Breakfast: crispy chickpeas were a nice touch to the entire dish with a different texture. Curry leaves too elevated the dish

Naan dish - was great, mopped up everything with the naan

Chill scrambled - taste was a bit flat in my opinion - lot more spice would’ve really made the chili “chili”

Dirty eggs - didn’t feel like it was a favourite to me as it was too tomatoey but I reckon a passata lover would be delighted!

Feroz Siddiqui

We've been hitting up this joint since 2022 like it's our second home. The staff? Usually sweeter than a grandma's hug. But fair warning: weekends and holidays turn this place into a human sardine can. Avoid unless you enjoy your eggs with a side of claustrophobia!

Now, let's talk grub. It's good, but portions are small so you might need extra sides if you don’t want to be left hungry. We ordered the avocado toast, and boy, did they take "toast" literally! Everything was charred to oblivion - even the poor avocado looked like it had a bad sunburn. Halloween special or secret arson attempt? You decide!

The Tokyo omelette - That's where the magic happens. They throw in some unagi (fancy talk for eel), and suddenly your taste buds are doing the cha-cha. Who knew fish could make eggs so exciting?

Heads up for our halal homies - this place is medium rare. They used to have a salmon dish, but now your options are just eggs.

Lastly, brace your wallet. You'll be dropping $30-40 per person for a mains and coffee. That's right, folks - in Melbourne, you can either have brunch or pay rent. Choose wisely!

Yusra Kaiser

Really cozy place. Lovely staff. Fun atmosphere.
Had breakfast, Mexican and Tokyo breakfast pretty nice and chilli scrambled good too.
Would be better if they had halal options.

Coffee is great.

Mel K

Very good coffee. Coffee is smooth. Hot cross bun also very good. This is a very busy cafe. Seating available inside and outside. Staff are friendly. Very limited parking nearby, but lots of street parking on main street. Walking distance from tram.