Drugstore Espresso

Went in for breakfast around 11AM. Really nicely set out — but that’s about it. Stuffed up coffee orders, the table water was warm, and then we waited 1hr 10m for food to come out. Avocado on toast. Maybe they grew the avocado from scratch. Or baked the bread. Or maybe it’s just incredibly bad service. Totally should have dined and dashed.

So I’m not going to lie, the food isn’t the only attraction at this joint. As they say, you eat with your eyes!
Would recommend the Coconut Husk Bowl and the smashed avo.
Just go and do yourself a favour.

Really good coffee and laid back staff in a prime area of the city. While I was in Melbourne this place was always packed.

This place is very hip from the staff, décor and music. I was recommended to go there for the burger.
Coming from the US, I have tried many burgers ranging from fast food to gourmet burgers. I must say this place knows how to make a burger.
Starting from the brioche bun, they use one that does not overpowering the flavor. Onion jam and tomato relish complements the flavor well. Especially with an addition of bacon gave it some savory kick. However, the patty was not cooked to perfection. It was a little over cooked so it was not as juicy. Luckily it was a wagyu so it wasn’t totally ruined.
Someone once told me it’s hard to mess up a burger using brioche and wagyu patty since those two by itself is already damn good. But surely, lots of places I’ve been to cannot live up to the ingredients and cannot make them complement each other. This place was not one. They know how to put things together to complement each other. However, they have a bit of room for improvement. This explains for the 4 stars instead of 5.
Overall, I like the burger here and would go back for more.

What makes Drug Store Espresso a winner, is the staff. These guys are on point when it comes to running a well-​oiled machine.
We came on a busy & bustling Saturday afternoon and were not disappointed. Yes, it was loud but the service and the food made my experience a definite piece of perfection.
I had the spicy kimchi pulled pork, kate moss juice and a couple of coffee’s. All perfect.

Perhaps the best brekkie I had on my 3 week mini-​tour of Australia. Had the beetroot fritters with poached egg and sampled my step-daughter’s pancakes with blueberry relish — all great flavors. Wonderful coffee. Friendly, attentive staff too!

Have walked past this store plenty of times and usually people about and food in glass counter looks good/​apetising. Ordered a beef sandwich, what the!!! $ 12, bread dry, couple of days old, definitely not fresh and tastes like a McDonalds Big Mac. First and last time for me.

Coffee is great! I especially like the iced coffee. Nice staff who are always full of energy (and probably caffeine). Can get a little busy on Saturday mornings.

Drugstore Espresso: excellent variety, great taste, vibrant atmosphere.
Breakfast options range from raw, vegan, vegetarian, paleo, gluten free and everything opposite from this list as well.
Ideal place to go with friends as there’s food for every type of diet, yet their menu is not overwhelming.
After a few visits, I must say that their coffee could be less bitter, and some menu items be a bit tastier (e.g. super salad was dry yet flavours were good.) You can’t go wrong with their smoothies, açaí bowl and outstanding saffron burger (after 12p). The staff is attentive, friendly and will help you make food selections if undecided.
Go-​to brekkie option in South Yarra. Hard to leave disappointed.

Brilliant coffee and awesome reubens. Friendly staff despite being a bit ‘north of the Yarra’.

Twice here for coffee and brekkie. Very good flavours and quality! Run by a bunch of guys.
They seem to care. All food was yummy — Bircher musli and pancakes etc. When other places nearby were closed for extended holidays these guys were there for customers! Even at 8am New Years Day!
I certainly appreciated that!

The first time I went to Drugstore I had a really bad experience, but have since been back and enjoyed much better service. I had the smashed avocado with polenta chips and really enjoyed it. Generous serving size and nice to see a different accompaniment than bread. The coffee was pretty decent. For my taste it’s quite weak, so I would recommend ordering a strong one.

Back for more great coffee, fresh tasty food and awesome service. Brought my kids on this trip and they are working through the juice menu. Now I’ve tried quite a few breakfast cafés in the area and Drugstore Espresso tops my list so far.

my go to coffee in south yarra. just tried one of their juices and it was almost perfect.
this place is everything you want in a café.

Everything about this café is perfect. Tasty food, delicious brewed coffee, beautiful restaurant design, cool music, and friendly, knowledgeable, and cute servers.
Highly recommended.

Friendly service, one of the new Third Wave of coffee shops to appear Melbourne.

It seems there’s few things that Drugstore Espresso doesn’t have. They do some wicked looking sandwiches and burgers, all day breakfast, decedent brasserie bread treats and saintly salads. They also serve booze and do a great cup of coffee. Yep, I’m a fan.