Leroy Espresso
| Where | 191 Acland Street, St Kilda, 3183—View map |
Contact | 03 9525 5166 |
Website | — |
Open | Monday to Friday 07.00am to 05.00pm Breakfast until 05.00pm |
Payment | EFTPOS, Visa, Cash |
Diet | Check with venue |
Seating | Inside and outside |
Kids | Welcome |
Pets | Welcome |
A casual breakfast in the rumpus room
Natalie Book 1 June 2008
A lot of people have a love/hate relationship with St Kilda and its main drags. But even as the chain stores continue to populate Acland Street and the beautiful people congregate at an increasing number of upmarket boutiques, old favourites are hanging in there. And you only need to stand near the corner of Acland and Barkly streets to take in the comforting triumvirate of Big Mouth bar and café, the Village Belle Hotel and brekkie favourite Leroy Espresso.
Leroy is a small space that tends towards cosy rather than claustrophobic, even when it’s busy. Decorated with posters announcing Melbourne’s diverse cultural life and bathed in hues of brown, taupe and orange most often associated with 1970s rumpus rooms, Leroy boasts beautifully presented food, friendly and attentive service, and an extensive menu that encompasses both savoury and sweet options. For those wanting to combine both, you can’t go past a huge stack of Canadian pancakes complete with crispy bacon and maple syrup – one of three ways you can take your pancakes or French toast.
Choice also abounds for more healthsome alternatives: select from house, fresh fruit or bircher museli and perhaps combine it with one of the smoothies or freshly squeezed juices from a long list of options. Meanwhile egg-based breakfasts are well represented alongside BLTs and breakfast sandwiches. You can tell a lot about a café by the way they do an old favourite. Leroy’s eggs benedict is just what an eggs benedict should be – fresh smoked salmon, lightly toasted muffin, artful garnish, hollandaise sauce tangy but not too rich or overpowering.
But of course it don’t mean a thing without good coffee, and Leroy regularly appears in polls of Melbourne’s best, with a takeaway window servicing those who can’t stop. And for those wishing to watch the passing parade, a limited number of tables are available outside. A sign near the counter may proclaim that ‘Prices may vary according to customer and attitude’, but really dishes average around the very reasonable $12–13 mark.
It all goes to prove that a good breakfast never goes out of style, even in St Kilda.