Market Lane Coffee - Prahran Market

Stopped in for a flat white coffee with oat milk. Staff greeted me with kindness and made a great coffee. The beans used are not quite to my liking as don’t like the fruit notes, but otherwise well made!

Market Lane never disappoints. The coffee is consistently outstanding! smooth, rich, and perfectly balanced every time. You can really taste the care that goes into every cup. The staff are always friendly and genuine, creating such a welcoming atmosphere whether you’re grabbing a quick takeaway or sitting in to relax. Their attention to detail and passion for good coffee really make this place stand out. Definitely one of my favourite spots for a beautifully made coffee and great service.

They have 5 barristas on hand behind the counter here. All staff rotate around all customer service duties, making an efficient operation. Coffee lives up to its reputation of the Market Lane brand. Complimentary sparkling water was a bonus.

Coffee was good, but they only offer full‑fat milk and some non‑dairy alternatives—no low‑fat milk. No sweeteners either, just brown sugar. At $6 a cup, I’d expect basic choices like low‑fat milk and a sweetener to be available especially for calorie conscious coffee drinkers. I would not come back.

20th December 2025 Geez the team really nailed it today. Busy but super nice and super efficient. +Great Coffee 🎄☕️ #drinklocal #eatlocal

This was, hands down, one of the worst coffees I've ever had. It was burnt, super bitter, and tasted sour. I can't believe I paid for this. Such a disappointment! I couldn't even finish the cup. Definitely wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Love the coffee/hot chocolate here and service is amazing with still/sparkling water served at table complementary… high standards are consistently enforced with friendly dog zone outside!! Love it

This cafe located at Prahran Market, serves coffee, pastries and sandwiches. Coffee quality is very good. Almond croissant is nice and sandwiches also delicious. Service is acceptable. Chairs are very uncomfortable by the way. Food quality: 4.5 Staff and behaviour: 3.5 Parking availability: 4 Vibe: 4.5 Value for money: 4

Market Land Coffee, we all know their coffee is impeccable..though I could without the sass from Customer Service Rep at the counter and a less confusing bin situation. Unless there is a crisis of some sort I always order and have for some time ordered a 'double ristretto soy latte' yes this this sounds obnoxious and like I'm an absolute yuppie, but ristretto tastes better- seriously try it. Anyway, I asked for this at the busy counter, people behind me, it was hectic and everyone seemed to be in a hurry. The gentleman questions my order, not what it is as is usually the case, rather he recommended I not have the extra shot nor ristretto as their mix is strong. I advised him I was aware and it was fine and he questioned this, we then entered into a very passive aggressive conversation about whether I could handle the strength. Feeling uncomfortable holding up the line I just asked him to give me what he thought was best, I was very frustrated- I hadn't had my morning coffee. Seeking a boost of sugar which I never put into my ristretto but this bland weak latte needed, I made my way over to the table of lids, spoons, sugar etc. very confusing indeed was the storage of the dirty and clean spoons! The clean spoons (stirring stick) are in a bin shaped ceramic thing and the dirty spoons are in a matching ceramic cup, with the dirty ends down- you know I picked the wrong container. Gross. I don't know. It was actually a very upsetting time. Okay, arguably they have the best beans but does this mean they can skimp on service?

A lot of people have recommended this place but it seems nothing special to me. Got two different specials but both tasted just Okey. Perhaps need more sophisticated taste ;)

There's a smell that accompanies a good coffee shop. I'm sure it has something to do with the in-house roasting, but I'd rather think it's due to the scent of pride the barristas emanate knowing that their coffee is about to rock your world. Either way, Market Lane is rich with just that smell. And wouldn't you know it, it's amazing. They source it, they roast it, and they go to painstakingly coffee-nerdish lengths to serve you a fantastic cup of coffee. They'll even teach you how to do it yourself if you're around on a Thursday morning at 10am, which I happened to be. Grab a seat at the communal table and enjoy. Then be upset that you don't wake up next door to the Prahran Market every morning.

The original Market Lane Coffee. It's been around for so long, caused many debates, and helped develop my understanding of coffee. I can't help but love it. They have caused a lot of controversy over their decision not to serve skim, almond, or soy milk. I respect them for having the courage to do that as there were many unhappy people. They hold free weekly cupping sessions to help educate people on speciality coffee. As well as paid classes for baristas and roasting. Market Lane are about traceability and connecting with people. So they have a lot of in depth information on coffee farms and the people involved in the whole process. They also regularly travel overseas to work with the farmers. Through everything and everyone I've come to know at Market Lane, they are passionate about doing things how they feel is right by them and their products.

I'm not sure why I haven't been here before, it's like 2 blocks from my uni! Have heard many things about Market Lane and it has not disappoint. I tried a pour over coffee from Bolivia called 'Juan Ticona' - it was yummmm. Sweet after taste. When they serve you coffee, they also give you a little card which explains the origin of the bean. This cafe's layout is so pleasing to my eye I just want to stay here all day. They have a shelf with bits and pieces you can buy. Things like the cups they serve coffee in, coffee (all different types), milk jugs, sugar and instruments to help you make coffee (and not just the standard espresso). The packaging of the products make me want to buy everything. Even sugar - which I don't use in my coffee or tea! I looked around like a kid in a candy shop for quite a while before placing my order. Felt like a weirdo but you can't rush things like this. Definitely will be coming here again to try the different pour over types. The only sad thing, I ordered a hit cross bun and they didn't toast it :( But I will live!

Conveniently located in a cool part of town, run by nice staff and serving great coffee; Market Lane offers the perfect spot to hang out, have a coffee date or do a bit of reading, study or work stuff away from the distractions at home. The layout is vibrant and inviting. They also have seating outside which are perfect on a warm summer day. They say they are not multi-taskers. They are right about that - they don't serve lunch and a couple of sweet treats and pastries are all you'll get. They focus on one thing and one thing only - coffee. Why wouldn't they when they are so good at it?! They're got loads of different types of coffee from various regions of the world and they also run classes. In the words of my mate (while checking out their coffee cards and menu): "Man.. This is life stuff!". Check it out!

These guys (and gals) take coffee very very seriously. But they don't take themselves too seriously, which means you can come here for a coffee and not worry too much about all the "serious" stuff. OR... You can come here and TOTALLY GEEK OUT. Hooray! (if you're rolling your eyes right now, please ignore this next little bit) - Pour-overs are made with your choice of single origin. You'll get tasting notes which highlight where the coffee was grown, how it was processed and what characteristics it has. - Public "cupping" sessions are held Thursday to Sunday at 10am. Here one of the baristas will lead you through the art of tasting coffee. It involves lots of slurping, spitting and talk about flavours and textures. Don't worry though, first timers are well and truly looked after. - They sell little notebooks for tracking your coffee tastings. Cute. - Regular roasting and brewing courses are conducted in-house. - You can buy beans (roasted in house) and all sorts of home brewing equipment. - They even have a coffee club which means you will get freshly roasted beans delivered to your home every two weeks.

Great coffee, excellent service! Out of habit I asked for skinny milk in my latte (BLASPHEMY! But a little white lie to myself re: slightly less calories to add to my otherwise calorific daily intake). The barista kindly informed me that they use organic full cream milk (instead of the scoff and hiss you'd normally get at a trendy cafe with no skim milk). Really enjoyed my coffee, maybe a bit TOO much as I was nursing it to make it last longer... And while gesturing wildly in conversation tipped the glass and spilled :( Within SECONDS a member of staff was on hand and helped with the clean up - without making me feel like a complete douche... And even came back with a clean cloth to do a second wipe of the table. Also have the option to add ice to any coffee, which is fantastic - I always feel like a cold coffee, cold drip is a little too strong, and normal "iced coffees" laden with sugar, cream and ice cream not so appealing... Loved my latte with ice :) Thank guys for the lovely service and excellent coffees!

It's going to be hard to go anywhere else for coffee after coming here! It was a bit of a wait, but the coffee was fantastic, which explains how busy it was. They roast their own beans and it was fascinating to see the equipment, but the design of the shop is otherwise simple, but nice. You can't get brunch here though, as no kitchen, but I wasn't complaining about my carrot cake (and my partner's almond filled biscuit was yum too)!

The original Market Lane coffee shop and it's a great spot for a coffee whilst doing the grocery shopping at Prahran market (as I was). This cafe is much bigger than the other branches around town and there's an outdoor area which was great today to enjoy the winter sun. The coffee is great as usual and luckily they had small carrot cakes available today which was beautifully moist and not too sweet. Perfect combo with the strong latte I had. $9.50 for the lot. Nice.

Amazing coffee, great 'watching the world go by' seating area, friendly and professional staff. What more can you ask for? Market Lane is definitely as good as it gets.

Bought seasonal blend here. Slightly bland. Not much crema. Also had it in store with similar experience. Surprisingly, home roast from colleague had more aroma and crema. Nice design of interior and looks including staff. Good place for meet up given spacious.

When I came to Parham Market ,I always like to order one cup of coffee at Market Lane Coffee ,Today isn't weekend ,so there's few customers.and the Latter is the flavor of strong. I like it.

The godfather of Melbourne coffee? Sure feels like it. Their reputation is well-deserved.

On the north side of the Prahran market, this is easily the best coffee I have had in Melbourne, which is saying a lot. Melburnians love their coffee, but despite the various dimensions of coffee options (tall/short, light/dark, etc.) the coffee here is a little monotonic. Don't get me wrong, the espresso is excellent--almost universally so--but espresso is just one planet in a galaxy of coffee options. Melburnians, at least the ones I have spoken with, almost without exceptions look down on the coffee drinking habits of Americans. How is it possible, they think, to drink that light colored flavorless swill you call coffee they say to the american and, mostly, they are right. But, just like not every wine needs to be an enamel threatening Shriaz, similarly not every cup of coffee needs to be a punch in the taste buds. There is a place for a more delicate cup of coffee. Enter the "pour over" coffee. In this form of preparation, excellent beans are exquisitely ground and both the water and the coffee is weighed out expertly before the sub-boiling water is poured over the grounds just so by men and women who, for some reason, are dressed like 19th century artisans. The result is a cup of coffee, that if made correctly, rivals decent wine or scotch in complexity of flavor. Also, to answer the question of a young woman standing next to me when I received me cup of what, to her must have seemed like dangerously weak coffee, a cup of the stuff does have plenty of caffeine. I know this may be a mark against it, but this kind of thing is all the rage in the hipper and more advanced coffee shops in the US. Give it a try. There is no better place, that I have found this side of the international date line than Market Lane Coffee. There other coffee is excellent as well, but that almost goes without saying.

A good place for coffee and a cake if it's not too crowded. Mushroom BBQ "burgers" on the weekend are a bonus - they are hearty snack but the wait can be lengthy. Nice array of coffee equipment. A convenient stop off when one is st Prahran Market. But I buy less coffee here than I used to: 1. It can be a longish wait, milling around with others in mid-cafe until one's name is called. 2. I prefer 2% latte VS full strength (their only offer) which is too creamy for me these days. I get that they are purists but 2% is a health choice. 3. I'd like the option of a large size latte some mornings, so I go to any of their local competitors.

Love this place. Dench bread available to take home which saves a trip up north. A new special on Saturdays are the Mushroon burgers served from the BBQ outside. These need to be tasted to be believed. A Dench roll, chipotle mayo, Damien Pike mushroom cooked in dill butter and the gentlest hint of Bermuda onion! The coffee is of the highest quality and served in the usual hipster formats. And the wifi is free and high speed.

This is what you would call a third wave coffee shop with plenty of seating. Important to note no skinny milk only real milk from Schulz. This would be one of the best coffee accessory shops with a great range of unique coffee related gifts. There is a mail order coffee service where fresh coffee beans can be delivered to you all over Australia. There is limit food with biscuits cakes and Dench's bread and jam. This one of Melbourne's best coffee shops.

Love their selection of delicious filter coffee... Always something new and exciting to try.

It amazes me that this place gets such good reviews. Despite the great location and big windows there is not much to say about it. My main take always are that it is largely focussed on getting people through reasonably quickly. The biggest difficulty is that the coffee is terrible. I've been here twice and both times it was not worth drinking. I won't be coming back.

Market Lane Cafe CBD, Melbourne Jun 23, 2014 NEGATIVE How is it that. I once had a great coffee at the South Yarra one but this was one in the CBD was so disgusting and biter. I find it frustrating they are so overpriced for a long black ($6, what on earth?) and they don't do milky coffees!! what!?!?

With the over saturation of too many coffee chains and untrained baristas in the industry, most people can't even recall when they had a really good cup of coffee. If this is you and you feel like the state of the coffee industry is in trouble, read on... If you love a good (read: great) cup of coffee and are dying to have one that isn't made by someone who has been trained overnight, Market Lane Coffee will be your next best friend. Situated within the Prahran Market complex, this treasure of a find calls itself a coffee roastery, cafe, and retailer. And as I have experienced first hand - it lives up to its reputation. Have an expresso or if you prefer a latte and smell, taste and feel the difference of coffee beans painstankingly sourced from around the world and roasted with love to create the perfect cup just for you. And if like me, you've got a bit of a sweet tooth, order the Mandarin polenta cake. It's really good! For the even more budding coffee lover, they offer private coffee cupping (groups of four or more) so you can taste (blindfolded) the coffee and further cultivate your love for your obsession.

Perfect hidden location behind the Prahran Market where you can watch the hustle and bustle of the market shoppers and enjoying an excellent cup of coffee. I sat down against the window and people watched while there. Such a nice relaxing atmosphere. The staff is very friendly and vibrant and the coffee is excellent! If only I could convince myself I could afford to join their bean delivery program. Downside, I wouldn't have known where to get the excellent coffee if I hadn't had my full of coffee knowledge husband with me!

Their cups say they love to make coffee, but not how you want it. One size, no choice of milk, cold, slow service. Pathetic in the city of #coffee #melbourne. Dozens of better places nearby. Give this place a miss!

The perfect weekend for me consists of a trip to the market to buy fresh food for the week ahead. A pit stop at Market Lane Coffee is one of the highlights of Prahran Market: delicious coffee made on organic milk with something sweet and decadent on the side. The staff are always friendly, the decor is super Melbourne, and they know how to accommodate singles with a decent amount of bench seating and communal tables. Interestingly enough, they only serve organic milk (no soy, no nut mylk) and as a lactose intolerant person, I can somehow tolerate a latte. Prices are very reasonable, and $4 a cup using organic milk is surprising - a lot of places will add a premium for organic. Definitely worth the stop for a great coffee and a good spot for people watching.

The best coffee in my books, it has great vibe and a good relaxed atmosphere to sip coffee and watch the world go by.

Great neighborhood coffee shop with delicious flat whites and a variety of other styles for those who like something different. The space is charming, with lots of light through tall windows, outdoor seating, and you can see the roaster. This is a good stop before the market, and they're open on days the market isn't. Come for a good jumpstart to your morning.

Come here as my friend recommended, and it was good! Coffe was soft easy to drink, not too strong and not too acid. Good quick service!

This place takes coffee damn seriously. It's due to this fact and because of it's sleek minimalist décor that it is so reminiscent of two of Melbourne's most popular and fashionable coffee houses: De Clieu and Seven Seeds (though with a noticeably less hipster vibe to it, which is nice). - They use un-homogenised organic milk. - They sell Dench bread - There is a coffee tasting room at the back, which has people pulling very serious concentrating fasces. Something that I found quite funny about this place is the fact that they essentially refused to make me a cappuccino. My boyfriend ordered a cap and I ordered a flat white and when the barista handed us the coffees, he specified that one was the cap and one was the flat white, but there was no chocolate powder on the cap, and having watched him make the two drinks, I could see that they were clearly both just flat whites. I've heard it said that serious baristas mock people who order cappuccinos and mochas, because "that's not serious coffee", and I do believe that was the case here. Of course, I could just be reading far too much into the situation, and maybe they just ran out of chocolate. In any case, the coffee was delicious, and I got what I ordered, so they can serve people whatever they like as far as I'm concerned.

There's a lot to like about Market Lane... being huddled in the side of Prahran markets means it's often directly in your path when you're actually doing your grocery shopping. The coffee is (of course) extremely acceptable. They also sell a unique range of crockery and coffee-type paraphernalia if you feel like trying to recreate it all at home. The sad part? They're not open Mondays. Right now, I understand why. But on a Monday morning when I'm in the area I really, really don't.

This place is one of the best for coffee roasted on site. The double extraction makes the coffee taste that much better.

Really disappointed! Coffee was only so so, which for Melbourne is as bad as saying it was bad! Very limited food options so went with an almond croissant and it was dry and tasted two days old, which it probably was. Can't say I would ever go back here unfortunately or recommend it based on this experience, especially as there are just too many amazing places in Melbourne for a great coffee.

Love the feel and style of this place.I don't know much about coffee but the staff helped us pick something wonderful out. We had Nkara coffee which is juicy with melon, jam and berry flavors!

Possibly the best coffee in melbourne - hard to fault. I'll have 5-6 coffees here a week over the past 2 years.. yet to have a 'bad' or even average coffee.

Oh Market Lane, let me count the ways I love thee. Well I could but we're all time poor people and to stick around to hear me count the ways I love this place and their coffee would make you very late for that very important date. Suffice to say being able to finally visit the Market Lane hub after drinking their beans in a Brisbane café was a little bit like being a kid in a candy store. Sitting atop a solid wooden bench with my long black and reading the latest Kinfolk Magazine, I totally got the irony and embraced it. It was the perfect way to finish a brisk walk around the suburb and I dare anyone to walk in there and order a bad coffee.

My absolute favorite cafe to go to for a flat white. Easy and comfortable inside, right next to the market to people watch. My only suggest is...don't ask for a tea, their specialty is coffee.

Its coffee... and its good. The only thing about this place is it may take a while as the staff are serious about the brew and due to its popularity its always busy, so be paticent it will be worth the wait.

Best coffee in the South Yarra/Prahran area.

Woohoo is right. I loved everything about this place. I went twice in one day. My only disappointment was that my cab had to pick me up at 6:45am for the airport and I couldn't get one last cup before I left to go back to the California. I loved the vibe. The staff was so sweet and gave great recommendations. A fantastic experience!!

Need some good and consistent coffee when out and about in Melbourne? Then you can't, shouldn't and wouldn't miss Market Lane Coffee. With 3 locations, 2 of which are at tourist hot spots Queen Vic Market and Prahran Market, you could certainly get your fix while checking out the rest of the farmers' produce. A small selection of coffee complements like cakes, pastries, muesli and bread are available for the munching. You can also take home a large range of single estate beans and brewing equipment for your home experiments. Free public cuppings are on at Prahran every Friday and Saturday, 10am - 11am.

Simply great coffee - straight up. Connected to the Prahan markets, so there's indoor and semi-outdoor seating to soak up sunshine on a nice day. Big, communal tables that are great for bigger groups, meeting strangers or catching up on work. I'll be back, hopefully to try out those delicious looking desserts!

Amazing coffee, great service and Dench bread! Too good....and the best coffee in Melbourne

After some pretty high expectations these were met but not exceeded. It was a nice flat white although not quite as strong as i would have liked. The almond croissant was pretty epic and I liked the atmosphere and setting. All in all a nice cafe.

Best coffee I have had so far in Melbourne - highly recommend. A little bit on the expensive side but worth it.

Ordered two large cappuccinos, after an 8 minute wait I finally received my coffees. Not impressed with size of coffee and inconsistency. One tasted good, the other far too bitter to drink. This is meant to be a coffee shop yet can't even serve 2 consistent caps.