Brother Baba Budan

Stepped in craving a coffee and received a Sub-​par almond latte for $ 5.
When I crave coffee it’s relatively easy to make me happy. Guys, 711 coffee makes me happy when I crave coffee. I become some sort of coffee harlot. But this place did not make me happy. And it cost five dollars, which is at least a dollar over the average.
Can confirm that the increased cost was not invested on tech; cup did not levitate, nor was it some kind of bottomless cup which refills itself once empty.
It was just expensive, bitter and ordered in a super cramped humidity box.

Awesome chairs on the ceiling. Heavy-​handed cappuccino that is in my top 2 coffees EVER.

Another hipster café. I asked for week cap, and on the end for more milk because it totally regular (no week). Gluten free cake was good.

The coffee is reliably good here and there is a good selection of cakes and pastries too. The lemon & blueberry tin is delicious with a flat white.
This is a perch-​on-​a-​stool or at the communal table type of place and has a lovely, convivial buzz about it.
Don’t forget to check out the ceiling décor!

I think the muffin from blueberry and lime is made in the heaven. I totally enjoy it. This is a nice place to come with friends. The atmosphere is nice and friendly, and so are the employees. I would recommend it and come here again.

Chairs hanging from the ceiling? Check. Tattooed baristas? Check. A small, cosy space with loads of wood? Check. Decent coffee? Not so much.
Maybe it’s because in part I’ve had such high expectations for the coffee in self-​declared coffee capital of the world, Melbourne. But in truth, the flat white here was markedly worse than the excellent one I had at humble Café Quince in Clifton Hill and clearly worse than the decent places in London. Quite simply, I couldn’t really taste the coffee — no richness, no depth. Disappointing.
The staff were really friendly and service was quick. But unfortunately that didn’t make my coffee taste any better.

Everyone knows this joint by now. It’s busy busy busy but the crew still give a smile and good service. Tasty little cakes to go with your coffee. I take my beans home but wish I could still bsb a spot on the big communal table

Stopped in here for an afternoon snack and coffee.
Small bustling space, limited seating yet no problem getting a seat at one of the two bar areas.
The coffee was outstanding, really I have to say perfect.
Their flour less orange cake wasn’t bad, and they had a reasonable selection of other sweets.

Love Melbourne coffee, however I’d just give an ok for this coffee spot. Felt the coffee was a bit too bitter for my liking.

Love the different flavours of the coffee! Incredibly friendly service, too. We came in, ordered 2 long blacks and the barista asked if we want to try the coffee of the day for the beans. We said yes, he explained that it was from Guatemala and told us some stuff about it. We sat down, poured ourselves some water, and within no time at all the coffee was ready. Beautiful, thick crema, unique flavours and we were even given a little flavour profile card explaining the different notes. Fantastic experience, I wish there were more coffee shops like this around!
(don’t forget to try the donuts, they’re delicious. We went for this cheesecake donut, and it was perfect).

Cute little place, nice and cosy. The staff are always super friendly and like to get you served quickly. The coffee is made quickly and is consistently excellent. Always cool funky grooves playing at the right dB. The atmosphere is relaxed and those hanging chairs from the ceiling are a cool mind twisting feature!

Brother Baba Budan, or BBB as it’s often referred to by locals who sell sea shells by the sea shore, is to Melbourne as the Harbour Bridge is to Sydney. Oh yes. I just did. I’ve been going to BBB at least three times a week since it opened. So there. The linkage between those statements is weak at best, but regardless… BBB do coffee. They do it well. That’s all they do. And it’s really awesome.
It’s an unassuming little place, with a cosy wooden interior and some seats fixed to the ceiling. When you walk in it’s warm, it smells great and your feet will lift off the ground. I’ve not personally experienced that last part but I have heard of people from friends of mine who saw people that did. It feels like you’ve walked into the home of a loving, caring relative who you’ve not seen in a little while. Let’s call her Aunty Betty. Aunt Betty will lovingly prepare and serve you a beautiful cup of coffee and then strangely ask you to pay for it.
BBB is not your Aunt Betty. But go there for great coffee.

Who doesn’t love a place with chairs on the ceiling — super funky!
Maybe it was the cold but I was absolutely convinced the skim flat white I had there was the best I’d had in a very long time, possibly ever. The milk was so smooth and creamy even though it was skim — I am convinced that good baristas can disguise the poor taste of skim milk.
Be warned though — they are pretty busy and there isn’t a huge amount of seating though most people tend to be waiting for take away.

Worth a visit to this tucked away, dim lit, fab music café in the heart of the hustle and bustle of the city vibe. Coffee was beautiful!

Please look at the ceiling, I’ve been impressed!
Tiny little place but one on my favorite in Melbourne. Grab your take away coffee or seat for a moment. That wood atmosphere makes the place different!
And the coffee’s great!

I’m not sure if I just ordered the wrong thing but it tasted like coffee I could get anywhere. I ordered the iced coffee ($ 4) to go. It came in a super tiny cup with a super giant ice cube, so there wasn’t really much coffee in there. Maybe their other drinks are better? Or maybe it tastes better if you order a hot drink and actually take the time to sit and drink it? The flat whites look pretty good. Brother Baba Budan was #7 on Unilocal’s Top 100 Restaurants in Australia, but I don’t think it lived up to that hype.

I first found this coffee shop in Melbourne more than 2 years ago. At that time it was not easy to find a high quality coffee shop on the street in Hong Kong except Starbucks. Therefore I was sooooo amazed to discover the true coffee in Melbourne then. I remember it was a weekend in autumn /​winter (March /​April?) when I was exploring the Hardware Lane looking for a coffee shop (actually a lot of good choices in this lane) when I found a queue outside this BBB. So from my Hongkie instinct that anything with a queue must be good, I bot my first latte in Melbourne. And still I couldn’t forget the richness. So 2 years later I return — the coffee is the same and great the brothers coffee makers are still the same, but then I realise we have much better coffee everywhere in Hong Kong now. Disclaimer: I still think BBB coffee is very great! Hehe

Years ago, Brother Baba Budan was one of the few cafes in Melbourne that serve quality speciality coffee. Nowadays, there’s so many speciality cafes in Melbourne CBD.
So why is Brother Baba Budan still a popular coffee destination in Melbourne? Brother Baba Budan continues to serve consistent quality specialty coffee whilst being very efficient.
They make sure they get your coffee right and within a short period of time so you won’t be late for that morning meeting with your boss. You’ll be satisfied whether you decide to get a flat white, latte, soy chai latte or filter.
If you really like their coffee, Seven Seeds coffee beans is available for purchase.
It’s a small place, so seating area is limited to a communal table and a side table. There’s a better chance of getting a seat on a morning weekday than on a Saturday morning.
They don’t serve brunch/​breakfast, only pastry of the day kind of thing.
Brother Baba Budan is still a popular coffee destination in Melbourne CBD for two main reasons:
1. Quality coffee
2. Efficient service
I’ll leave it at that since the number of positive reviews speaks for itself.
Go Brother Baba Budan!

Please don’t hate me but I have to confess, I didn’t get what all the fuss was about when I first popped in for a flat white.
But being stubborn I don’t like to give up too easily so went back again, and again, and again.
DELICIOUS!
One of the best coffees on offer. I stick to flat whites or lattes and both are made to perfection.
Always busy — always worth the wait since that line moves pretty fast.
Now I just need to try one of those doughnuts…

Seven seeds coffee has always been one of my Favorite caffeine dealers and so it’s great to have their beans available in the city from a team that really know how to extract the most from each of them. In short: your coffee will be delicious.
This place is always incredibly busy but don’t be scared and hang around in the doorway, lock eyes with some staff and let them know how many seats you need or your takeaway order. I would suggest never coming here with more than 3 people. They just don’t have the room. Also just coffee and some cakes, they don’t do café food.