Contemporary cuisine: the best places to taste it in Ballarat

"L,espresso delivers without doubt the most consistent quality in service , food, coffee wine, ambiance, and music , and has done forever. It is an..."

Sandra O'Malley

"Great little spot in Ballarat- perfect place to watch time go by. Fresh tasting food - linguine prawns were great brunch. Nice wine selection and..."

Gordon Tansey

"I don't know if this is the best coffee and breakfast place in Ballarat. When you have found such a quality venue there is no need to go elsewhere...."

Linda Bentvelzen

"Traveling around the country and went here on a recommendation. Totally on point! Food was amazing, delicious, plentiful and well priced. The freshly..."

Angela Abramley-Stanczyk

"The best food in Ballarat, pity it's only open on Friday evenings and no other. love visiting l'Espresso.. the service is amazing, atmosphere..."

Luigi Athalie Bazzani

"amazing coffee and breakfast! the atmosphere is great too. Loved the..."

সামারা তিন্নি

"Awesome food, coffee and service! Would highly recommend to anyone visiting Ballarat. Staff were helpful and the wine list very..."

Kevin Tan Nguyen

"No place like it.....great coffee, great food, great..."

Warren Wiggins

"Definitely worth the drive from Melbourne. Great coffee, delicious food and friendly service are hard to come by. L'espresso is the triple threat..."

Bec DeLacy

"Simply, best Coffee and food in Ballarat!!! My go to breakfast every time I'm in..."

Michael Van der Velden

"This is the nearest place to heaven. The coffee is excellent. The food is sublime and the staff are the very..."

Chris Andrew

"Love this place. Great food and excellent coffee. Can't ask for..."

Rae Malloy

"The best thing about driving to Melbourne from Adelaide is lunch right here or breakfast the other way..."

Sophie Abbott

"My all time favourite place to eat in Ballarat. Great food, great customer service, great atmosphere, the perfect place to just sit and..."

Georgina Reed

"Beautiful. Nice and cosy, but not claustrophobic. Great food freshly cooked on site (not pre made and microwaved). Gorgeous. Will be back. Only..."

Rachel Clarke

"Amazing food. Always have my breakfast and..."

Arun Dutta

"Beautiful food. Great coffee. Loved the fit out. Can't wait to go back there next time in..."

Charmaine Peach

"I'm eating my smashed avocado and lemon goat's cheese breakfast as I type - had to tell you all how amazing it is. I've always had a superb meal here..."

Leah Heinrich

"Need a coffee break, breakfast, lunch or dinner? Worth..."

Annette Evangelistis

"Probably the best coffee in Australia and has been since I can remember. Just passing,..."

Barton Porter

"Love everything.... atmosphere, service, food and..."

Ann Wpk

"L’espresso has been a key feature on Ballarats Sturt Street for as long as I can remember. It’s a quaint little space that’s very cleverly laid..."

Dayna Hoskin

"Living in Ballarat for 5 years, this was always the local favourite for food and coffee. Not a typical brunch place (which is great and nothing super..."

Ngocolat

"Fantastic cafe that I’ve had the pleasure to eat and drink at twice now.Love the quirky side of them selling CD’s and vinyl records..."

La Ola Es Mia Cocina.

"Definitely the best place to have breakfast or just to have a coffee. The almond croissant was delicious. The pancakes were fluffy and the bacon was..."

Luisafdsanchez5

"3.5We had breakfast and the cosy quirky L’Espresso cafe today in Ballarat. This little cafe was cluttered with tables and also sold vinyl..."

Espy Eats

"I love L’espresso, it’s been around for years and has kept its authentic cool. Great coffee, dinner and an interesting music collection. I’m..."

Saxon Quinn

"This seems to be an institution amongst the locals and it's not hard to work out why! It has the feel of a prohibition speak easy bar and a touch of..."

Srslyfoods

"My boyfriend and I came up to Ballarat for a weekend getaway. We came across this cosy cafe and we absolutely loved it. Food was great, coffee was..."

JJB

"Coffee with lovely aroma. Breakfast Florentine Egg simple and has the needed favour and cream with porch egg done just right. French toast has home..."

Eat. Sleep. Create. Repeat.

"We came here to visit from Geelong.Setting was unique;The way to go to the toilet was to walk through the kitchen, that way I got to see..."

Rose

"Dropped by this cosy cafe on our day trip. My partner had the risotto which tasted good but we felt it could’ve been accompanied by something else..."

Bear Noms

"A busy and crowded happening place for breakfast in the beautiful place Ballarat . A must visit place breakfast . A very nice cozy place with smiling..."

Deep Animesh

"A busy cafe in Ballarat, I hear it’s been around for many years. The service and coffee was good and the food had flavour. It’s nowhere near the..."

Brunch Diaries

"Service was friendly and lively, the set-up of the cafe is cool and eye grabbing. My breakfast was delicious and fresh, and coffee was perfect...."

Rob Anthony

"Great café, really good coffee and a great range of CDs to browse through and buy. The food is very good but not a great range for vegetarians..."

Jocelyn

"No wonder why it was so packed around lunch time on Thursday not even weekend ! A lot of delicious choices in the menu which made it difficult to..."

Zomatoaddict

"Fantastic food, great ambience, friendly and accommodating service!!All are reasonably priced and yummy! We love the food and the service so much..."

Michelle

"L'espresso is one of my favourite cafes in Ballarat. Always busy and great coffee. Today, I had one of the best almond croissants of my life here. A..."

Alex

"Nice coffee. Didn't need to wait too long before the food was served. Really nice scrambled eggs, and the prawn pasta was quite nice too. Good..."

JP

"If you’ve made it past the title of this post, then congratulations! You’ve reached the beginning of what I describe as my ode to my favourite..."

Kieren ORiley

"Excellent coffee, great service and lovely French feel. The records and cds were a nice addition too. Will definitely come back next time I'm in..."

Amychamberlin

"Awesome place! The interior (although being slightly dark) is well decked out. The walls are lined with old vinyl records, portraits of artists and..."

Elicia Hajis

"Detour to Ballarat for lunch and L'Espresso was a pleasant surprise! The confit duck was really delicious. The cherry almond cake just came out..."

JiTe

"L'espresso is my favourite local cafe (as can be seen by the wide variety of food photos over this year) for a numerous amount of..."

Kieren O'Riley

"Desperate for a coffee on the way through Ballarat, we found L'Espresso quite packed still at 4.45pm on a Sunday. Coffee and croissants were lovely...."

JeannetN

"I went here today as I found this place on Zomato 😊I'm not a fan of Victorria coffee but today was the exception. I had a really good..."

Timinmelbourne

"This cafe is so cute! They have cd's available for purchase and a little library if i remember correctly. Pretty good vibes! My friend and I were not..."

Judene Messi

"Great food and service, perfect for the kids very accommodating they cleaned their plates. The. Gnocchi was delicious, would recommend it for a good..."

Chantaldamico

"One of the good cafe in BallaratI like the latte they do, nice service and welcoming staffThey serve a limited but very nice menu for..."

Zainab

"Good food, great service and affordable price!!! I ordered a crispy skin duck it was fantastic the duck cook to perfection and i aslo ordered a..."

Noey Natnaree Triamkedsub

"Best place in Ballarat. Amazing coffee, brilliant wine, delicious cakes and a wonderfully curated record store with hard to find CDs and vinyl..."

AJW

"Was recommended to try this place ........ And it didn't let us down . Beautiful coffee , great little vibe and very warm welcoming staff..."

Coffee Snob

"We've been coming here for years every time we're in Ballarat and it just gets better. Friendly staff and great food and coffee and a nice..."

Grome

"My favourite cafe in Ballarat. I purely go there for coffee and cake, it's got that really nice warm feel that makes for a relaxing cozy experience...."

James

"Some of the best food and coffee in Ballarat.Difficult to get a table sometimes and its for good reason, the food is exceptional.Staff are..."

Lexie

"Ordered French toast and Parmesan egg. French toast was one of the best I have ever had. We had a very good experience here. Coffee was good..."

Love Food

"Never a let down. The steak sandwich is the best I have had in Ballarat and the coffee is always good here. I am a big fan of the chia pudding..."

Wine Not?

"Have been enjoying coming to L'Espresso about once a year for the last decade or two.The atmosphere is always buzzy and friendly although..."

Mark From Melbourne

"Good atmosphere and the staff were friendly here, however it is very cramp inside. Would have been better sitting outside. Had the open steak..."

LittleM

"Gets very busy here .. Use to be my family's regular but now go to olive grove. Staff are always soo nice but cramped and very busy so makes you feel..."

Mmmfoood

"I asked a workmate for food suggestions in Ballarat and L'Espresso was one of them; turned out to be good advice. Good was very good, coffee was..."

BlueberryHill

"Howdy ho saying a big good morning from Ballarat! We fueled up at perhaps the most popular brunch place in this region before visiting Sovereign..."

Evelovelle

"If you love the Brunswick St vibe and love music then this place is for you!! The moment you walk through the doors you find yourself surrounded by..."

Sam

"Popped in for a lovely breakfast this morning. Had good old fashioned bacon and poached eggs, with some delightful Tuki sausages on the side. The..."

Jonnybgoodston

"A favourite!. Best coffee and food in ballarat. attentive staff and awesome..."

Anthea Stevens

"First night of the summer menu. Fantastic! Best French inspired food in town. Great wine list- all well priced. Great..."

Sam Lovibobd

"Lovely Breakfast. Passing through Ballarat on a Sunday and quickly realised the options where limited. We stopped at L'espresso and were not..."

BlueJay

"Great meal on a busy Friday night. We loved it and I'm struggling to understand a couple of these negative reviews. We rocked up with no reservation..."

LFD

"Brunch Favourite. Always head here for Sunday brunch when in Ballarat. Last time it was the beetroot risotto with goats cheese. Bit of a wait till..."

Princess.m

"Lovely service. A last-minute and very impromptu overnight visit to Ballarat had us hunting for somewhere to breakfast, and we somewhat randomly..."

MsVyv

"Great coffee. Awesome, friendly service. Poached eggs were a little overdone but everything else (bacon, avocado, ciabatta) perfect! And sitting..."

Hipsta85

"Good as usual - great service - fantastic food.... Keep going like..."

MrJan

"Icon for Ballarat .. This restaurant was my favourite place to eat when I lived in Melbourne for many years. Now I live here was so looking forward..."

Janetcastles

"As the name suggests, they do good espresso, which is the most important thing in the..."

Z.L.

"Came here for lunch today and we were very impressed. Coffee was great , the antipasto dish the eggplant capsicum provolone with olive pesto and the..."

Brunswick Gal

"In Ballarat for work and was worried about where I would get a decent coffee. Coffee is good but be prepared to wait. Not the best service but they..."

Rebecculous

"A wonderful visit and late lunch coming from Halls Gap. Just don't bother with Ararat and head straight to Ballarat on your way to Melbourne. Great..."

Woofman

"Yummo just like any cool cafe in Brunswick great ambience generous portions lovely coffee - for lambs fry fans best lunch menu..."

Sim

"Great food and coffee. I ha.... Great food and coffee.I had the French toast with poached pear and wow. Not to mention the table service was..."

Nate

"Flawless coffee. Great breakfast and lunch. Lovely service. Very impressive music collection on display for purchase. Worth travel to for any of the..."

Steve Zissou

"Consistently good. A real institution and for good reason. Perfect coffee, interesting wine list, wonderful food, efficient and friendly staff. No..."

Kel Phlips

"Best Breakfast. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed breakfast today at L'Espresso. Would highly..."

Kris

"I've not found a better lunch in Ballarat. Excellent if very cozy. Probably time to lose the CDs..."

Matt

"Crowded and a touch chaotic but what a seriously delicious breakfast. Perfectly poached eggs on GF toast with roast tomatoes and the most INCREDIBLE..."

Sophiee8327

"Nut tart to die for. Stumbled across this Gem during a weekend away at Ballarat. Chose it based on how busy it was. Good decision. We shared a nut..."

Mark C

"Best meal I've had in a while. Went there for dinner on a whim as we were just driving through. The ravioli gnudi in walnut sauce was so tasty, and..."

Al

"A lovely reprieve from the drizzle on Easter Sunday. Great breakfast and coffee and lovely..."

Caitlin Luder

"Outstanding food & service. Hubby & I took his parents (visiting from UK) here for dinner before they headed back home and we all loved it. The..."

Debs Mercer

"The Best Breakfast!. I came to L'Espresso once in the afternoon and turned my nose up when I found out they didn't have chai lattes. But I gave them..."

Lizzie

"Best coffee and breakfast in ballarat, I lived in ballarat for 12 months and this place was my favorite hands..."

Brent Clayton

"One word describes l'espresso - lovely. Good food, service and the iced coffee was delicious. Family friendly and really lovely staff. Can't wait to..."

ILove2Eat

"Best coffee in country victoria. Do not go to, or through Ballarat and miss having coffee, breaky or lunch at L'Espresso !Coffee rich and..."

Toorust

"Best breakfast in Ballarat followed by bibo down the road, not a bad lunch too. Just read the critic review, they capture it..."

Mr Tiger

"Sensational breakfast. Do try the pancakes and the Parmesan scrambled eggs are..."

Robin

"Top class coffee and great breakfast food in a nice..."

Lach

"You were right Urbanspoonites, this is definitely the hot spot with the locals! Reminded me of a Melbourne-type cafe, with quirky surrounds and..."

Two Bears And A Fork

"James. From 7am without doubt the best breakfast in Ballarat. Great coffee, freshly squeezed..."

James

"Great cafe! Coffee was spot on and the food was fab. The risotto I had was cooked to perfection!! Great balance in flavors and rice at perfect..."

Love2eatout

"Coffee here is as good as it gets full flavour and very smooth.Do not believe the previous tweet, I drink coffee here almost everyday and it is..."

Denis Farney

"A winner!. Absolutely great coffee, I had the soup of the day - cauliflower and blue cheese and it was divine. I shall be..."

Koko T

"We are from Melbourne and this place serves coffee worth travelling the distance for! Enjoyed a yummy breakfast of zuchinni fritters (me) and toasted..."

Sue Osborne

"Best in the Rat. Our favourite place for coffee, breakfast, lunch or dinner, or a late night dessert after a movie. The food is always excellent and..."

Georgina Dircks

"Quality option. Good coffee, friendly service, tasty food. We had the prawn pasta and the ham focaccia. There were a couple of other interesting..."

Scaramanga

"Hands down the only decent place in ballarat for a decent bite to eat. Wish they would use better bread in their foccacias though. Good coffee. Fried..."

Megan

"Consistently good. I often meet a group here for drinks and/or food. And its always..."

B.rattydiner

"Best Ballarat Cafe. After moving to the Ballarat area from inner-Melbourne, I've been very glad to have L'Espresso in the neighbourhood. The best..."

Nack

"A little gem. This cafe was recommended by a local, it is funky and breakfast is excellent.After a series of breakfasts over 3 weeks there were..."

Chris Hall

"I always get this place and Europa mixed up. This is the good one with good coffee, good service and good food! Go to Europa when this place is..."

Lal Lal Bois

"A Ballarat icon. Great coffee, amazing potato rostis, great selection of CDs. Only thing missing: chai..."

Meg Rayner

"Yum. Great place. We had the sausage & mushroom Ragu + lamb kofta with tzatki, bread, salad. Coffee And service was nice just couldn't find room for..."

Adam

"Amazing country cafe. I've moved to Ballarat from Melbourne, and love going out for breakfast, coffee, etc. I have to say this place rivals any inner..."

Brad

"Always. Every time we go to Ballarat, this is where we head. Great coffee and great tunes aplenty. Cool cafe - better than most in Melbourne - a true..."

Nick Rivers

"Cold rainy day in Ballarat. Stopped in for lunch. Orecchiette with Italian sausage chilli broccolini, mushroom risotto, limonata, English breakfast..."

Eat Drink Anon

"Classic. I live in Melbourne, but there was a time where I had brunch at L'Espresso every Sunday. It's always good food, good service, good..."

Ellen Burns

"One of ballarat's finest. Simple and delicious food complimented by excellent service. The rabbit stew on Friday evenings is delicious and it's the..."

Anthony Stewart

"Excellent breakfast. Creamed rice a little undercooked but coffee great, zucchini fritters were an enormous and delicious start to the day...."

Juicy

"What a lovely place. Enjoyed a late, leisurely lunch here and service and food were faultless. Lovely greeting upon arrival, beautiful ambience -..."

Helenh

"Love it. Great place for a coffee, breakfast, lunch, dinner or supper.ever changing menu. attentive service.am heading there for..."

Daryl

"Just had a nice lunch at this vibey place. Lovely confit duck, although they should of cooked it skin side down in the oven to ensure a crisp skin,..."

Mfga

"Brilliant!. It's always a pleasure exploring the Italian-inspired menu at L'Espresso. The ambience and service inside are outstanding. The only..."

Geepicurean

"Best Breakfast in Ballarat. We breakfast at L'Esprssso every week, have tried others but always come back. Food always wonderful with friendly..."

L'esspresso Devotee

"Great food every time. This cafe feels like it could be in Fitzroy in Melbourne. We've never had a bad meal here, and the freshly squeezed orange..."

Chuckee

"With a cabinet filled with delectable pastries and cakes to complement any cup of Amanti coffee for next time, I left this place with anticipation of..."

Eclectic Taste

"Scrambled free range eggs with smoked salmon - "served on Irrewarra sourdough". A simple but delightful dish. Fluffy eggs, and it worked well with..."

Bitingtravels

"L'Espresso in Ballarat is my absolute favourite breakfast spot in Australia. We stay in Ballarat every time on our way to Melbourne just so we can..."

Natalie

"I’ve never near Ballarat except on a school trip to Sovereign Hills many years ago. My grasp of Victorian geography is pretty rudimentary and I..."

Melbourne Glutton

"What a find!!! This cafe is just brilliant. A warm inviting atmosphere on a cold Ballarat day. The coffee is no less than perfect and you won't be..."

t clarke

"As always L'Espresso is terrific. Friendly helpful staff, excellent coffee and a mushroom bruschetta to die for. It's my Ballarat go to and it has..."

Bollybroad

"I’ve visited here after reading the positive reviews. Great to see that they are adhering to their Covid plan. I wanted a takeaway cafe and was..."

Split the Bill

"We have had many visits over the years and always very good. Great coffee! Very good food. The only problem is that they are often so busy that I..."

Ian S

"Simple, classic cafe in Ballarat Ham, cheese, tomato and pesto toastie: The toastie was nice and warm, the fillings were average but the bread for..."

Flavourlicious

"Pretty top food. I had some chilli prawn pasta which was amazing. Such good clean food. Really taste and really fresh. I also had an apple cake and a..."

Trent Cliffe

"ABSOLUTE GEM IN CENTRAL BALLARAT We went out hunting for breakfast early on a Sunday morning and found L'espresso open from 8 am :) It's Italian..."

Reset

There are 9 restaurants

Cuisine

Dietary restrictions

Meals

Structure

Dishes

Contemporary cuisine: the best places to taste it in Ballarat

Ranking

Sort A-Z

near you

Filters

Anne-Michael Fell

Steve Allen

Tara Gullock

Amira Willingham

Lisa Simpson

Andrew Bradley

Louisa Johnson

Stephen Matthews

Emma Varghese Cullis

Rob Fookes

Nicole Scullion

Michelle Govan

Arosh Gunawardena

Beverley Li

Kate Kirk

Will

Sheryl Nicolson

Leanne Mouritzen

Steph Do Carmo

Scott Lim

Gastrology

Jaaaase

Nat

Hungry Koala

Paul Martino

Julie 'Hicks' Jenner

Maphilldas

Krystal Corazon

Zainab

Jackie

Garth Christie

MrJan

BlueberryHill

Mary Ellen Lynch

BlueJay

Jay

Stephen Matthews

Kris

Nack

Jav

Chris

Pominoz

CairnsLocal

Jacqueline Purnell

David Sage

Millicent Backway

Anh Vu

Seagulls on the Run

jefah

Sonia Ross