Pellegrini's Espresso Bar
Espresso bar · Melbourne ·
Iconic Italian espresso bar since 1954, serving pasta & coffee
Iconic Italian espresso bar since 1954, serving pasta & coffee
"Posh‑but‑unpretentious and amber‑lit, it’s more fine whisky than plastic beers—exactly the right pace for this resort." - Rosalyn Wikeley
"Founded in the years after World War II by Italian immigrants who found Australia a coffee desert, this Bourke Street café is credited with introducing true Italian espresso to Melbourne by importing one of the country’s first Gaggia machines. It still evokes its mid-century heritage with a long bar and high red-vinyl stools (though outdoor tables are now used as well), a lively atmosphere where patrons pair strong coffee with plates of pasta, and a lasting reputation for helping kick-start the city’s espresso culture." - Nina Caplan Nina Caplan Nina Caplan has been writing about the arts, wine, and travel for over 20 years. Her wine and lifestyle columns appear regularly in Club Oenologique, The New Statesman, and The London Times's luxury magazine, Luxx. She is the author of an award-winning travel memoir steeped in wine and history, "The Wandering Vine: Wine, The Romans and Me," which was published by Bloomsbury in 2018. She has followed her interests all over the world, from climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge and searching for Edo (19th-century Tokyo) to eating her way around Montreal and exploring the vineyards of Champagne. She is also a travel and wine consultant and an occasional podcaster. A lifelong Francophile and fluent French speaker, she lives between Burgundy, France, and London and has overflowing wine cellars in both places. She is working on a book about France. * Guild of Food Writers Drink Writer of the Year 2020 * Fortnum & Mason Drink Writer of the Year 2018 and 2014 * Louis Roederer International Food & Wine Writer of the Year 2016 * "The Wandering Vine" was Fortnum & Mason's Debut Drink Book of the Year 2019 and Louis Roederer Wine Book of the Year 2018 * Author of "The Gourmet London Restaurant Guide" * Former editor of Metropolitan, the trilingual magazine on Eurostar * Former features editor of Time Out London Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
"An Italian‑Australian institution since 1954, where the original owners imported one of the first‑ever espresso machines into the city; today it serves Vittoria Coffee, and it’s not uncommon to see dapper Italian gentlemen in tan suits and fedoras shooting the breeze over macchiatos and biscotti." - Alexandra Carlton
"Open since the 1950s, Pellegrini’s is a Melbourne institution. The tiny time capsule serves espresso and classic Italian dishes all day long, with waiters in all-white plonking down bowls of spaghetti bolognese and glasses of watermelon granita like they’ve done a thousand times before. It sometimes feels like they’re doing you a favor just by serving you, and they kind of are: seating is limited, and you’re competing with some seriously dedicated regulars. Nabbing a seat though will set you up perfectly for a fuel-up between tourist sites in the city." - ellen fraser
"Eating a simple plate of spaghetti Bolognese at the Pellegrini’s counter is a quintessential Melbourne experience. Opened by Italian immigrants after World War II, Pellegrini’s was one of the first espresso bars in the city and is largely considered the birthplace of Australian cafe culture. Not much has changed here since 1954; the food is the same and so is the narrow room with its checkered floor and red-vinyl stools. There’s no menu so you’ll have to chat with the staff to learn what’s on offer that day. Your best bet is one of the old-school plates of pasta and a glass of the signature melon granita. An espresso is also a must." - Audrey Bourget