Cafeography
Melbourne

Outdoor seating cafés in Melbourne

Footpath tables, parklets and courtyards, and a forecast that can turn in minutes.

Photo: Karolina Grabowska www.kaboompics.com, Pexels License

Melbourne's outdoor tables come with a weather warning. The Bureau of Meteorology explains the city's reputation for four seasons in one day by its position between hot, dry inland air to the north and cold Southern Ocean air to the south, in the westerly belt where strong winds push cold fronts quickly across the city.1

A typical sequence starts with warm northerly winds and clear skies; when a front arrives from the ocean, everything can change within minutes, with falling temperatures, rain and sometimes thunderstorms.1 Outdoor seating here takes three forms: tables on the footpath, parklets built into parking spaces, and courtyards behind the shopfront.24

Local tip: Take a footpath table in the morning on a hot northerly day: the Bureau of Meteorology warns that when the cold front arrives, conditions can change within minutes.1

Where these cafés are: CBD (48), Carlton & Parkville (29), South Melbourne & Southbank (26), Fitzroy & Collingwood (25), Brunswick (17), Northcote & Thornbury (14), North Melbourne & Kensington (13), Fairfield & Ivanhoe (13), Richmond & Cremorne (10), Moonee Ponds & Ascot Vale (10), Elsternwick & Caulfield (8), Docklands (8), Port Melbourne & Albert Park (8), Hawthorn & Kew (5), South Yarra & Prahran (5), Abbotsford (5), Fitzroy North & Clifton Hill (4), Williamstown (4), St Kilda & Elwood (4), East Melbourne (3), Armadale & Malvern (3), Footscray (2).

At a glance

264Cafés listed
127With opening hours
05:15Earliest opening
00:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Locale 542, from 05:15 (Mon Closed · Tue–Fri 05:15–15:00 · Sat–Sun 06:30–15:00).
  • Closes latest: Neruda's South American Cafe, until 00:00 (Mon–Tue Closed · Wed 11:00–00:00 · Thu–Sat 09:00–22:30 · Sun 09:00–18:00).
  • Most listed streets: High Street (10), St Kilda Road (8), Collins Street (7).
  • Most common features: takeaway (33%), wheelchair access (21%), card payment (17%).
Carlton & Parkville

Amicus Espresso

  • 185 Pelham Street
  • Mon 07:30–15:30 · Tue–Thu 07:30–17:00 · Fri 07:30–14:30
  • +61 402 440 858
  • Wi-Fi
  • Outdoor seating
  • Takeaway
  • Air-con
  • Card payment
  • Vegetarian options
  • Wheelchair access
  • Toilets
  • Smoke-free indoors
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Melbourne's four seasons in numbers

The CBD averages 601.3 mm of rain a year and has rain on about 139 days, counting anything from 0.2 mm. It gets only 48.6 clear days a year, making it the cloudiest capital city in Australia; May is the cloudiest month, with about 18 cloudy days.3

Summer is the easy season for a footpath coffee, with average highs of 27.0°C in January and 26.9°C in February. After a hot spell, cool south-westerly winds off the Southern Ocean usually push the heat out.3 In July the average high is 14.5°C and the low 7.5°C.3

Smoke-free terraces and café blinds

Since 1 August 2017, Victoria's Tobacco Act has banned smoking in outdoor areas of cafés and restaurants used for eating, including footpath dining areas and courtyards, whenever food is being eaten or is available. The ban covers e-cigarettes and shisha too, and venues must display No smoking signs.2

Where a venue keeps an outdoor drinking area for smokers, it must be separated from any dining area, including a neighbor's, by a 4-metre buffer or a wall at least 2.1 m high, such as a water-resistant café blind. If the separation isn't there, smoking is banned in the drinking area as well.2

Footpaths, parklets and what they cost a café

In the City of Melbourne, every table on public land needs a permit under the Activities Local Law 2024, whether it stands on a footpath, a median strip, a nature strip or in a parklet.4

Fees for 2026–27 are charged by the square meter, and the central city costs most: A$120.50 for footpath space against A$37 outside the central city and in Docklands, and A$612.40 for a parklet against A$141.60 elsewhere. Applying costs A$228.10 for a footpath permit and A$686.30 for a parklet.4

Where Melbourne's outdoor café tables are

The CBD has the most cafés with outdoor seating, followed by Carlton & Parkville, with Fitzroy & Collingwood and South Melbourne & Southbank level behind it. Outside the center, High Street through Northcote and Thornbury has one of the longest runs: ASV Bakehouse at 392 opens at 06:30 on weekdays, and Espresso Room at 410, Fork & Path at 487, Short Round at 731 and Little Henri at 850 all have outdoor tables.

In Fairfield, Station Street has Cafe Pantheon at 88 (daily 09:00–20:00), Harvest at 108, Stathmos at 109 (from 05:30 on weekdays) and Three Locals at 127. On St Kilda Road, Foremost at 312 and Slater St Bench at 431 open at 07:00 on weekdays.

For an evening table, Marios at 303 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, stays open until 22:00 (22:30 on Fridays and Saturdays). On Lygon Street in Carlton, Heartattack and Vine at 329 runs to 22:30 Monday to Thursday, and Tiamo at 305 serves daily 12:00–21:30.

Sources

  1. Why Melbourne can have 4 seasons in one day, Bureau of Meteorology, via Mirage News (August 3, 2026), accessed October 2026
  2. Smoke-free outdoor dining: factsheet for the community, Victorian Department of Health and Human Services (May 2017), accessed October 2026
  3. Climate of Melbourne, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. Outdoor Dining / Footpath Trading Permit - City of Melbourne, Australian Business Licence and Information Service (business.gov.au), fees for 2026–27, accessed October 2026
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Other ways to browse Melbourne

Specialty coffee

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72 cafés

Open by 6am

35 cafés

By area: CBD South Melbourne & Southbank Carlton & Parkville Fitzroy & Collingwood Brunswick Northcote & Thornbury Richmond & Cremorne St Kilda & Elwood

FAQ

Outdoor seating in Melbourne: questions

What is the weather like for outdoor seating at Melbourne cafés?

Changeable. Melbourne sits between hot inland air and cold Southern Ocean air, and cold fronts can turn a warm, clear northerly day into rain within minutes. The CBD averages 601.3 mm of rain on about 139 days a year. January highs average 27.0°C; July averages a 14.5°C high and a 7.5°C low.

Can you smoke at outdoor café tables in Melbourne?

No. Since 1 August 2017, Victoria has banned smoking, e-cigarettes and shisha in outdoor dining areas, including footpath tables and courtyards, while food is being eaten or is available. A smokers' drinking area must be separated from dining tables by a 4-metre buffer or a wall at least 2.1 m high, such as a café blind.

Which Melbourne streets have the most cafés with outdoor seating?

Outside the CBD, High Street through Northcote and Thornbury has a long run of terraces, including ASV Bakehouse, Espresso Room, Fork & Path, Short Round and Little Henri. Station Street in Fairfield has Cafe Pantheon, Harvest, Stathmos and Three Locals. For evening tables, try Marios on Brunswick Street or Tiamo and Heartattack and Vine on Lygon Street.

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