This place is great as a cafe and even greater as a bar. Warm vibes all round, even in the cosy little courtyard. Bar staff are phenomenal. Would recommend as a spot for chill drinks, cute dates and friendly catch ups. A+ �
Currently settling in with the best coffee ever!
Great place with friendly people creating a warm and friendly vibe to warm one's cold soul on a Monday morning.
Stumbled upon this place in Brunswick. Really cool setup in an old shoe store. Greeted by friendly staff, Great menu. Excellent coffee and when the food arrived we weren't let down. It was delicious. We are so lucky in Melbourne with the quality we have access to.
My favourite cafe in Brunswick and the perfect place to write my book on a Saturday afternoon. Great coffee, delicious food, and heart warming smiles from all the staff. Don't ever change!
So happy this is my local. Staff never rude, food n coffee always great.
One of the best coffees around
10/10 for coffee
10/10 for food
10/10 for customer service
10/10 for friendliness
10/10 decor
delicious and delightful staff and atmosphere
THE BEST CHICKEN SANDWICH I HAVE EVER HAD
Carolina is often pumping, but the staff are always on top of it with great service and consistently good coffee. The food has been great every time (The okonomiyaki fritters were amazing this weekend), and the ambience and fitout is gorgeous. Love this place!
Our absolute favourite cafe in the hood! Food is always consistently excellent and the courtyard is really lovely. Coffee is good and friendly service!
In a old Italian shoe shop is a cafe called Carolina. The service was really friendly and polite.
A good piccolo latte, a nice citrus/earthy flavour. Gosh I'm so happy that we have a long weekend in Melbourne hahaha
I got a bottle of water with sliced of lemon, it's the attention to detail that makes a difference. The courtyard out the back is big, and a great place to chillax.
The coffee is by Industry Beans and the house blend is Rose Street. Nice.
I like the ppl watching seats at the front of the cafe too. This place is definitely worth a visit, and there is a really popular oushbike track next door too.
Happy days. Enjoy your weekend everyone.
I haven't tried their food yet, but coffee was good. My friend who used to lived in the area recommended me this place. He still comes by quite often so it must be good.
元靴屋さんの店舗はそのままの部分も多くて靴の型なんかも飾られてます。フードはまだ食べてないけど、昔この辺住んでた知り合いのお気に入りのカフェで、引っ越した今もわざわざ来るみたいやから、おいしいんやと思う。
Gorgeous sweet little calm cafe, with great people and feelings. Very welcoming and soft nature, with stunning food. And by stunning I mean, every taste and flavour sensation one needs in a single dish. Great coffee. Love sitting in the window. Big meals. The Avocado and Pea smash is divine with the beetroot and walnuts extra thingys. Osh, makes a mean chai latte with a zingy powdery top. The mushrooms are one of the best things of had in a long time! Super yummy and ambient with fabulous food. It rained today also so it couldn’t have come together much nicer. Thankyou x
I know this is a big call... but I think this was the best coffee I’ve had in a very long time! Creamy milk, and the coffee was nice and strong but also smooth.
Food was sooo good! Really great selection too. As they say there’s something for the whole family! 👌
The staff were really nice and I can’t wait to go back. The only thing, this store doesn’t do split bills. Am marking down 1 star for this.
Very quaint and unassuming cafe on Nicholson street. Easily missed, but shouldn’t be!
Lovely staff, cute outdoor garden seating and quality menu.
Food was delicious. Absolutely recommend the okonomiyaki and also the ol’ traditional avo on toast (with a side of hash brown of course).
Vegan friendly? 8.5/10
Service: not great
Stopped by here because it was close to our airbnb during our stay in Melbourne. It looked really cute, very welcoming however we were quite taken aback by a staff member who we found a little too abrupt for us. Not everyone seemed to be too attentive or ‘too chirpy’ either and it felt quite cold.
Our second day we visited (we needed food asap), service were from different people and we found it a little more welcoming.
The vegan choices are nice, very simple vegan breakfasts which I quite enjoy. The tofu sandwich was nice- also quite simple but if you enjoy that simplicity then this is a great spot. The pickle jam they use however is quite tasty and interesting!
Coffee is great here with all their details written on a small blackboard about coffee notes and extraction time. Very smooth and almost chocolate-y. Not as strong as I enjoy but definitely a nice start to the day. but
One of the best breakfasts I've had for a long time, this bad boy will get the juices flowing - coffee was amazing... forced to sit outside but was happy to rue that, Rubén sandwich was delishhhh
Really yummy Pork Belly burger and Chai tea! I visited this cafe on a Monday for lunch, so not sure if it might be super busy on the weekend
Food: 4
Service: 3
They have tables at rear (outside)
Carolina is on Nicholson St near Park St. But it was hard to find them!
Look at the photo and you will agree.
The area used to be the nest of Italian hand made shoe makers and that's why?
Our choice: Okonomiyaki- style fritters with shiro miso dressed salad, pickled ginger, sesame, nori, chilli, Japanese mayo and tonkatsu sauce 15 (GF/V)
Added fried eggs 19
Tasmanian salmon gravlax with ‘bubble and squeak’ croquette, poached eggs, parsley fennel salad and ‘tartar’ sauce $19
I am an expert of Okonomiyaki and I knew their fritters were flat and that's ok. I liked the dish but their salmon gravlax was more beautiful, all harmonised and tasty.
Their service wasn't so nice since the wait staff weren't so attentive which is a shame...
Drink: I had chai latte. I like their pot-served style.
Their fritter was ok but I will come back to them for Salmon Gravlax😄
That Mushroom Sanga is devine!! W' the potato hash as a side is also a low key favourite. Best spot to chill is out the back on a nice sunny day!
Astronaut Mike Dexter
+4.5
Consistently good coffee, good people and really nice vibe. The mushroom blue cheese sandwich is probably my favourite cafe breakfast in all of Melbourne.
Great coffee, amazing decor! Love the old school wooden finish, feels welcoming and to top it off the staff are excellent too! I had eggs on toast with a side of kransky and avocado , this was a while back though and i think their menu has changed. All in all....nice chill place for brunch! Definitely be back :)
The atmosphere was relaxing, the music was tasteful and not too loud to have a conversation.
The coffee was really good, and my Okonomiyaki style fritters were absolutely delicious. My partner ordered the Breaky muffin and he reported that it was quite tasty.
Staff were friendly, service was good and food arrived promptly. We didn't feel forgotten as can often be the case during lunch hours on a weekend with other cafes.
An all around great first experience. I'll definitely go back there again.
I rate these guys a 4.0 at this stage... My rating is based off their coffee, which is excellent!! Totally delicious espresso!! I'm confident my rating will it be 5.0 once I get myself around to trying the foods, their food porn looks great👌🏽
Rating on Sunday brunch.
Overall experience was pretty good. The staff were really friendly and nice. The courtyard was beautiful and perfect for a sunny morning.
I had the carrot cake French toast. It was quite nice, albeit a bit dense for me.
My boyfriend had the smashed avo, which he reported was excellent.
Would come back to sample the rest of the menu.
Fantastic friendly staff who were on the ball !
Nothing was too much trouble
Great recommendation from our waiter as the menu looked so good we couldn't decide
Had 2 sandwiches , the mushroom and chicken and we shared - both were delish
Definitely will be back - thanks Carolina - what a gem
The slow cooked lamb sandwich was delish..well there is nothing more to say but must use 140 characters..so much characters soo little to say
I found the staff OK despite recent comments about hipster arrogance and indifference. The cappuccino was superb, creamy and luscious. I will be sampling the breakfast menu shortly. The place has been tastefully renovated exuding the memory of the previous retro Italian shoe shop.
Lovely food - quality ingredients nicely cooked. Some different options from your average cafe. Don't drink coffee so can't review it but looks like they take it fairly seriously. Nice welcoming staff too.
Excellent coffee and the food is quite inventive.. Though I found the scrambled eggs to be a little on the oily side. Lovely little place well worth a visit
Delicious food and coffee for a solo Sunday breakfast. Was sitting on the tram home, saw Carolina through the window and jumped off. Probably the best move I'll make all day.
I just love Carolina so much! Everyone is always so lovely and warm. Food is consistently delicious and coffee spot on (with an incredibly lovely barista to boot). We come here all the time because it ticks all the boxes. The tea is also a highlight - so nice to have such fresh, flavoursome tea, none of this T2 generic rubbish. We will continue to support this awesome local!
Loved it i had ocean trout gravlax with poached eggs. The eggs were perfectly cooked and its fairly priced. I can't wait to go again, i really liked the
old style look. Its in a handy location and the service was very quick.
Best fritters I have ever had! Love love love!
Went here with my boyfriend and it was absolutely lovely. Beautiful courtyard with delicious food and coffee. Would definitely recommend this place
What a delightful little place Carolina's is. Impeccable service and coffee with a great ambience. Parking is really the only issue here, but make the effort as it's well worth it :)
Melbournefoodreviewer
+4.5
Recent discovery. A nice mixture of homely and hipster. Great little courtyard, nice service and good coffee.
Awesome hipster cafe. I had the Black bean frijoles, they were delicious and very filling. There was a nice heat from the jalapenos and chili sauce, and the side of sour cream was perfect to tame the heat a little so you could enjoy the flavor. The cafe itself had a nice homely feel to it. Highly recommended, great food, good portion sizes.
Loved the food. Absolutely loved the picked onion and corned beef reuben sandwich. The coffee was quite nice, and the staff were exceptional.
Carolina. A lovely little cafe/bar. Been there for breakfast and drinks in the evening.
Tasty. Been here a few times for brunch. I recommend both the ocean trout gravlax with picked onion and corned beef reuben sandwich. Coffee is good too..
Yum. Walked by on Friday and was drawn in by the beautiful fit out. Food was excellent, coffee was great. One comment if anyone actually cares. Do everyone a favour and invest in a computerized till system. It will save you time, complaints and headaches (Woman in front very huffy at the old school till)
Babes. Babes the lot of em, and the food is swell xx
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Best courtyard in the North. I love this cafe! It truly has one of the most beautiful courtyards of any cafe I know, so lush and lovely. The food is always delicious and chef Iain is really inventive and obviously puts love into his meals. The coffee is delicious too; they are now using Industry Beans, and it's a great change.
I can't listen to people who complain about a wait on coffee and food at a weekend brunch service in a cafe; if you arrive at 11 on a saturday, along with everyone else, how can you expect the staff to possibly be able to magically make your order appear in 10 minutes? I feel these complainers have no patience to wait for good food and coffee, and as for complaining about the staff, they have obviously never had to deal with the pressure of working in a busy hospitality environment. In my experience, staff will respond in kind with the attitude you give them; if you are concerned or feel you have been waiting too long, ask in a friendly, polite manner and you will be surprised at what lengths they will go to to sort you out.
Carolina is homely, beautiful and the staff are warm and friendly. Ignore the negative reviews and definitely give it a go!
Great Cafe. On the pricey side, but with excellent portions and great quality. A definite brunch go-to in the inner north.
Fantastic place, ignore the million dollar development of st Ali north next door and enjoy balanced and exceptionally plated food from a place the does what it does exceedingly well
Sweet home Carolina. I've enjoyed breakfasts and coffees at Carolina (weekdays and weekends) and I can't help but leap to their defence when I overhear or read other customers entitled grumbling about the weekend service.
Carolina is about as 'mom n' pop shop' as you can get - literally! - and it's comfortable charm is owed to its personable homeliness. So, when service and kitchen staff are inevitably slammed for those 'horror' brunch peaks on the weekend, be patient and, well, thankful that they don't have the same faceless efficiency of some other popular brunch spots ("waitresses making conversation with regulars"?? such insolence! I wish they'd make friends with me!!).
These peak periods are only nightmarish if you set your expectations too high for 11.30am on a Sunday (anywhere!). Do as I do and beat those other suckers to the punch - arrive early, make yourself at home!
Great food but way too long a wait on a weekend. Waited half an hour for a coffee and was spoken to quite curtly when I expressed my disappointment. I think a coffee should be for free if half an hour late!
Lovely vibe and fit out, much nicer than St Ali North around the corner... Better coffee too! Has a few good vegan options, and interesting ones at that! You'd be surprised how little many cafes in the area cater to vegans! Great portions sizes too. Will be back :)
I so love this cafe. It is in our top two in Melbourne. I am amazed it is not busier, and I find it extraordinary that St Ali a few doors down is so much busier, when it is not nearly as good. It makes no sense to me. Carolina ticks all the boxes. Gorgeous local vibe; lovely, warm, efficient and excellent service (bar one staff member, so if you have a bad experience - give it another chance); delicious, creative food; gorgeous fit out reflecting the old cobblers shop, and lovely, chilled, large courtyard with a gorgeous garden; awesome (usually) shaded sandpit to keep the kids happy (another table next to this would be good, and maybe some extra shade). I don't drink coffee, but hubby eats, sleeps and breaths it and says they are one of the best in Melbourne. They do Seven Seeds coffee, and he says they do it considerably better than Seven Seeds themselves. The chai is lovely. If you haven't been here, it is a must go.
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A little gem. Why this cafe is not busier at night astounds me. I know it can pump during the day, but I find it a delight in the evening too. The staff are attentive and very sweet, which is something of an anomaly these days and after being there about a dozen times, I cannot fault the food.
I've mainly had breakfast and lunches there but recently I went for an early dinner and had the steak special. Considering I'm pretty much used to paying around $30 for a steak these days and that's from a pub, not a fine dining restaurant where you are paying upwards of $40, Carolina's steak for $24 was one of the best I have had for years! Perfectly cooked and delicious.
The outside area is great as are the inside booths for a group.
The wine list is also good and the house wine is so reasonably priced, I dont think you'll find a pub that is cheaper.
Love this place, and maybe it's the 'hidden' position that keeps it quieter on some evenings, who knows, but one thing is for sure, some people are missing out!
An ideal local, with soul. This place has really hit its stride after being a bit patchy when they opened (a year ago). New chef a few months ago has improved the menu, and speed of service is much, much better. Coffee is consistently good (Seven Seeds), and service friendly. I always feel welcomed and comfortable here. Lovely courtyard is perfect for brunch, or evening drinks in the summer, and cosy indoors for winter. Great dinner menu and drinks too. This is a great local, with real soul.
Best coffee in the area, love the courtyard
Yay, finally hitting its stride. I left a critical review about this cafe a few months ago, noting that coffee and design were great but the food was letting it down and was patchy.
Well, a new chef has taken over, there's a new menu and the food is generous and delicious. This is now a superb local cafe and one I look forward to frequenting.
Great fresh & healthy food. Friendly but not intrusive service. Very enjoyable backyard. Had a lovely lunch there which would have been a perfect one if I didn't realize too late I missed $10 change... Double check yours on your way out!
My little girl's regular order:-)
Not bad. I had the french toast which was yummy and made of homemade brioche. Nice caramel flavour. Coffee ok, maybe a 7/10. Iced chocolate good, ice-cream but no cream. Zucchini fritters were not great, the flavour was the let down. They were served with mushrooms, avacado and tomato which were good. Enjoyed my brekkie, but wouldn't hurry to go back.
Nice place, good food. We came just on 3pm when the kitchen was closing (yes, we were *those* people... sorry...) but they obliged us with lunch anyway. Not sure whether other reviewers with negative service experiences here just happened to get somebody on a bad day (or somebody who has since been fired!) as we found the service to be friendly and warm.
We had the slow-cooked lamb with polenta and the lentil salad, both of which were very nice. I had to leave quite a bit of fat on my plate as I don't like fatty bits of meat, but I guess that was my fault for ordering a fattier meat; the lamb was tender and flavoursome otherwise. The salad was also yummy and a good portion
We sat in the courtyard, which was lovely and relaxed; the inside also looked nice. Coffee was quite good.
Loving this venue with its tribute to its history and the gorgeous area outside. Have been for breakfast, for lunch and for drink. Food has been great, although service seems disordered and occasionally confused. Was a little surprised when someone was smoking outside in the food area - thought that had been banned? If not, glad that I do not experience this often
Super cute very tasty cafe/bar in an old shoe store. Kitschy plates and cups carry good breakfast and coffee. Worth a visit.
Delicious and friendly. I have been back to this cafe several times now. the coffee is good and the food has been great. i had the eggs that came in a shallow pan. can't recall its name but it was really good. i also love the wooden booths and the general layout and feel.
Awesome coffee & delicious food! The thick cut bacon is a treat!!
Just great. Fantastic find in busy Nicholson St, lovely courtyard, so quiet...just the place to spend time in the sun enjoying the great food and coffee - and the white grape juice with mint. Amazing! Can't wait to go back!
Great coffee. Very relaxed atmosphere. Very fresh and delicious food. Worth checking out!
Lovely courtyard & good food. Had brunch at Carolina yesterday and enjoyed sitting in their courtyard out the back - a great space for kids too, with the sand pit and soft surface. Food was good (though not an extensive menu and could do with a basic eggs & toast option) and coffee was great. Service was friendly and prices pretty reasonable. Will definitely go back.
Great coffee and fantastic fitout. Very friendly and comfortable
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January 3, 2015 Slightly hidden, Carolina is a mixture of both hipster and grandma, fronted by the original Invicta logo of a bygone Italian shoe maker. It was holidays and we were on the hunt for breakfast at a sapid 1pm. Greeted immediately, we were quizzed on whether we wanted to sit outside or inside. Outside, past the bustling kitchen, contains a lovely small, leafy courtyard, scattered with rustic tables and boldly pop-coloured chairs. Carolina uses Seven Seeds coffee – which went down wonderfully smooth and velvety. J opted for Chai Tea which arrived in the most adorable tea cup set. Because we visited the lovely Carolina right before their Christmas close, a few things were not available. No problem, Carolina’s menu is one in which everything sounds delicious. And upon spotting what the surrounding tables were being served, there was no doubt that Carolina delivered. I opted for The Reuben. (I’m kind of riding a pickle bandwagon at the moment). The Reuben had such lovely crisp toasted, buttery bread. The mustard and sauerkraut was a hot mess of delicious – oozing out at every given opportunity. My only gripe is with the corned beef, whilst delicious, there just didn’t seem to be enough of it to declare this sandwich a Reuben. Difficult to eat, and oh so messy, this was such a filling and flavoursome Reuben. This is not a dish for a first date. J opted for the achingly-sweet french toast. It says something about the power of a dish when you can order the espresso brioche french toast with salted caramel custard and still be surprised at its seductive decadence. It’s an astonishing tower of delicious indulgence, topped with sour cherries and hand-hewn curls of chocolate. I particularly enjoyed pairing the rich, cakey brioche with the crunch of the hazelnut salted toffee. A single serving should be more than enough for the stomach of any ordinary human, but that won’t stop you. australia bean beef bread brioche brunch cafe
The service was good, after a somewhat confusing beginning, and I'm looking forward to adding Carolina to the brunch rotation.
The brunch is good here. Super food and great coffee in a super sweet terrace out the back. Come early on the weekends or they might run out of the hashbrowns you need to kick your hangover (the halloumi toastie did the job though!)
Hadn't been here for a few years, but it's still as good as I remember! The staff were friendly and attentive, my chicken tandoori burger was excellent and the outdoor courtyard is always so lovely. I'm definitely not going to leave it as long before I go back!
Recently held an evening event here and I have to say it's the perfect place for you to gather friends if you're looking for a comfortable inside space for 40ish people. Tej and his team were super helpful all the way through and made it a breeze.
They arranged the food and drinks and all I had to do was pick what I wanted and show up. Genuinely couldn't have been happier and will be back in the future when I need to hold a doo!
Plus, it's a super cute cafe during the day!
Incredible food with a beautiful attention to detail and flavour. The atmosphere is calm and inviting echoed by the professionalism of the staff that take care of you. Always a pleasure to drop by and enjoy their creations.
Of course I can't leave out the coffee. I promise you it won't disappoint in completing the brunch experience. If you are near by, do you self a favour and drop by for a great time.
Thank you and keep up the amazing work! You set a standard locas have to step up to.
Has a good vibe. Compact interior and more tables in the courtyard, a few on the footpath also. Overall, quite a good little cafe. Coffee was very good. Breakfast burger was tasty, but not worth the $18 price tag on my opinion (brioche bun, 1 egg, 1 slice bacon and pickles).
I love coming here for brunch. The servers are lovely, the food comes out fast and it’s always really tasty and fresh.
I visited here since April 2019.
Today I just review my photos and recommend this restaurant to my friend who is about to visit Melbourne in the next week.
Love everything...Food /Coffee/Service/Place.
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