Review Code Black - Brunswick

Good coffee, and helpful staff. Very attentive. Single origin lots of flavour. We took our dog and there were other dogs! What more could you want?! Great time.

Great coffee selection! The brews were delicious. Options that worked well for my stronger taste and for my partners smoother preference. The Mushroom meal was delicious, and the chickpea dish balanced it perfectly. We were served by an absolutely brilliant waitstaff, who gave great suggestions on helping us decide.

We were very pleased with our experience here, with both coffee and food. Very large warehouse including coffee roastery. Staff were friendly. Coffee selection was impressive. Even Managed to get shown around the place. When around, I would suggest you pop in ❤️💥🤲🏼

Coffee obviously good. Food is ok. Breakfast roll not bad value. The salmon was a bit skimpy on portion size but at least not over cooked.

Very stylish modern Melbourne cafe. Coffee is excellent as expected, well brewed and strong bean taste. Staff are friendly and lots of parking outside. Definitely want to come back and try their food.

I live next door to the Code Black Coffee Roaster’s HQ, which situated in the upcoming and trendy area of Brunswick. The building is black with several white and one golden circle. On top of the entrance it says in capital letters “YOU HAVE ARRIVED”. That was the reason why I went there to drink my first coffee after my arrival in Melbourne. I enjoyed this first coffee in Australia, a washed Kenya from the Komothai Kirura washing station. The design of the building is minimalistic and raw; a great combination of black painted bricks, metal, natural polished stones. This time I went for a full brunch, and ordered a filter coffee, to start with. When the coffee arrived, its aroma stroke me immediately. ETHIOPIA URAGA WINE PROCESS ANAEROBIC FILTER. Normally, I am not a big fan of experimental processing methods, but this coffee was clean, with an intense sweetness, a complex, well-integrated acidity, an oily, coated texture, bold body, and a lingering aftertaste, and intense flavors. That was an amazing start. To eat I asked for the breakfast roll – bacon, fried egg, aged cheddar, house ketchup and aioli, tomato, lettuce on ciabatta. The presentation was beautiful, and it tasted great. All ingredients were well balanced, and the sauce gave it a magical touch. In Europe, it is very rare to see blends in specialty cafés. Here in Melbourne, it seems to be more common to serve blends as a house espresso. Therefore, I went for a flat white with their house espresso blend: 3056 ESPRESSO BLEND. 3056 is the postcode for the Code Black Roastery. It is a medium roast. The flat white was super sweet and smooth. Again, the milk texturing skills of the barista were amazing. And the espresso cut well through the milk. To round up my excellent experience, I ordered a Lemon, ginger, and mint fizz. I saw another client enjoying it and could not resist the tempting presentation. It was refreshing and mouthwatering, just perfect for a hot summer afternoon in Melbourne. All baristas and team members were friendly and served me with a great smile (under their masks). Thanks a lot. I am happy to come back and taste some more single origins.

Was here during afternoon tea time and only ordered a hot chocolate, but I must say the hot chocolate was superb - Rich but not too sweet, and cool presentation as well (served in a ceramic pourer). The place has a cool dark interior and also an outdoor area that is great for bringing the dogs along.

It was the first time I went there, absolutely great, so yummy food, best service and such friendly and welcoming staff. I highly recommend this cafe, they deserve more than 5 stars! 👍👍👍

I was lucky enough to discover Code Black early in my month long vacation to Melbourne and it became a regular stop for our entire family. I tried a number of other cafes in Melbourne and this was by far my favorite. It's true it can be very busy at peak hours, and if you have the flexibility, it's best enjoyed away from peak hours and when you have time for the casual nature of the place. The staff are all very friendly and helpful -- the gentleman with the ginger beard especially so. I can be slightly coffee obsessed and living in the Seattle area I have plenty of nearby good coffee options, but if I ever get back to Melbourne, Code Black would be one of my first stops. I especially appreciate that they serve their long blacks with an individual hot water container to allow you to lengthen the drink yourself (too few places do this). This really enables you to appreciate the bouquet of the straight espresso and (should you choose) sample how different flavors are emphasized as you lengthen the drink. If you like comparing the subtleties between different single origins this is especially fun. My wife was very happy with the temperature, texture, and composition of her flat whites as well and the kids loved the hot chocolate. For other hot drinks the hot lemonade was an interesting refreshing choice. For food if you want something savory I recommend the duck & waffles and for something sweet the chocolate waffles. The vanilla-infused simple syrup with the crumpets makes the crumpets worth trying at least once (we tried to get something different on every visit and we enjoyed everything).

Food: I was lucky enough to try this as one of my first Melbourne brunches. The food is delicious, great range of brunch options, good portion sizes and possibly the most delicious coffee I've every tried. Atmosphere/service: It's a huge space, with an industrial feel. They also roast their own coffee on site. Atmosphere is usually busy, yet relaxed. It's a very popular brunch spot in the local area. Service is excellent - to give you an example, on my first visit, a waiter helped me search the cafe for the person I was meeting for a good few minutes! Would I recommend it: Yes, please go, even if it's just for the amazing coffee! Well worth it!

We were in Melbourne for a short stay and we've been told to go to Brunswick as it is a cool place. Once we arrived to that Station, I've asked to someone randomly in the street about where we could get a nice brunch in the area and this guy told us : Code Black ! If I could see this guy again, I would thank him probably a million times ! Haha This place was stunning ! The atmosphere from the outside untill you get inside is very eclectic and you feel like in a complete different world and time ! (That's the kind of impression you wanna have when you pay to eat outside...right?) Beside that, the menu was very interesting and creative. Not overpriced. The presentation in the plate looked great and it tasted soooo good. Plus, we had a lovely waitress (dont remember her name..) with who we had a nice chat. At the end, I had to order a coffee as they roast their own coffee beans (I think) basically right next door. And that was again, very tasty and successful ! I would really recommend this place to anyone stopping in Melbourne ! ;) The two french boys..

Coffee was on point and food was fairly tasty. My party enjoyed their food, homemade crumpets let the team down. $7 for two small pieces of extra toast for someone to eat the rest of baked beans with seems a bit of a rip off. I second other people's reviews of the need for a baby change table as well as there were multiple families and prams when we were there.

I was recommended Code Black from a friend in Sydney. The busy cafe had a strong buzz but I have to say the service was terrible. I was put on a bench with a bottle of water, no glass. Eventually I retrieved one for myself. The girl who sat me was running around looking after so many people. I tried to get eye contact a number of times but she either ignored me or was so into her tunnel vision she forgot the bench/table with the singletons.. After 10 mins of her passing me by I decided enough was enough and headed off to look for somewhere I could feel relaxed and get a nice breakfast. Won't be trying to give this place a second chance.

Nice food but vegan option means they omit the non-vegan ingredients for the same price!! Breakfast looked like a very expensive side dish

From the moment we walked in the door the staff were just so welcoming and friendly. Coffee (according to hubby) was excellent. And that was good as my toddlers were treating him to Father's Day breakky. But being a non-coffee drinker, and an avid hot chocolate drinker - the hot choc looked lovely but was quite bland. Shame because apart from that our entire meal was delish. Still, enjoyed our time there. Great, friendly staff was what really stood out. Thanks guys.

So much to like about this place. Great decor, friendly attentive staff, excellent food, wine & coffee. Definitely would recommend and we will be back!

I went into the cafe today as the ground coffee I bought on the weekend was too fine for my home machine. The lovely guy who served me - ginger beard - was very accommodating and gave me a fresh batch at the right setting. I've worked at cafes in the past and appreciate great customer service. Will buy coffee here again - also a great place for brunch.

Just awesome. Apparently two words are not enough. This place has a great menu, fabulous coffee and great staff.

Great coffee roaster, one of the best flat white I had in town. Will love to try the breakfast menu next time. I also love their special keepCup :)

Visited Code Black for the first time under good recommendation. It was an overcast Thursday morning and my brunch partner and I were in need of coffee and bacon. Despite the venue being quiet and filled mostly with 'creative types' sipping tap water and using the free WiFi to update their various blogs. We were positioned around the side on two small stools with a table no larger than a tabloid newspaper. After some back and forth with the waiter he made an exception and let us sit with the adults. Perhaps they didn't want my clean shaven face scaring the other customers? We were then presented with the riddle of a menu with the options of 'Before then' and 'After now'. I didn't realise this was one of those escape rooms I've heard all about! We used a hole in the space time contium to order bacon on eggs and a few coffees, which honestly was pretty good. But all in all, a bit wanky.

Staff were great, but the coffee comes luke warm and the poached eggs were solid, making the meal dry.

Food and coffee was on point! Love this venue as well. Overall we're super impressed as always!!

olutely amazing coffee was perfect so I had to take some beans home. The coffee coated back was to die for and filled me up for the whole day. Such good value and the Luke and the staff were amazing. Can't wait to go back. Would recommend to anyone.such a good vibe

I ate here most days of my 1 week stay. The food is lovely, the staff both friendly and efficient. I tried a different dish each day and they were all delicious!

Code Black Coffee Roasters was an excellent food & coffee experience.Our ten breakfast diners enjoyed their meals, coffees and smoothies. The atmosphere was a buzz,service 5 star and very children friendly.

Great place! Friendly staff, awesome music and the coffee? Ahhhh... well made brew using their own beans with a smooth rounded flavour. The cup size could be larger though but I’m being picky. I just love a good coffee. <br/>Had the brekky roll. Nice! These guys are doing a great job and it’s easy to see why they’re busy. Nothing beats a friendly greeting walking through the door. Well worth the visit.

I tried to book on-line and a message pop up: Restaurant operational status or hours may vary. Please contact the restaurant before visiting. I tried to contact using the number displayed on the website, phone rings out.

I used to love the avo toast here because it was just the right amount of avo and the preserved lemon on top was sooooooo tasty and special.. but they’ve changed it.<br/><br/>Instead of sliced avo, it was a huge pile of avo and peas, and while it looked pretty, the huge room-temperature pile of mush didn’t taste very good- really bland, a tad off tasting and there was too much.. and there was no preserved lemon, just lemon wedge on the side. <br/><br/>I’ve always found the staff here to be aloof and a bit rude, and today was no exception. <br/>I said to the staff after I had paid that there was no preserved lemon today, and asked if they’d run out as it was still listed on the menu? The girl said “there was preserved lemon”, I said, there wasn’t. She said, “it was inside the mixture”.. I said that I’m really sure there wasn’t- I couldn’t see or taste any at all, maybe the chef ran out of it? And she said “I promise you there was” .....???? <br/>What the #? Why so rude??? <br/>Did you cook it? Did you eat my meal? No.. <br/>Maybe there usually is or maybe they ran out today... but there was 0% lemon flavour representation in the avo. <br/><br/>Also the coffee was kind of curdled. <br/><br/>The dogs outside were nice though.

Duck leg & waffle: Without the maple syrup, this dish is a no-no, otherwise, the duck will be too dry to eat on its own; the waffle is fluffy tho.<br/><br/>Crispy lamb shoulder: Cant stand the dryness of the lamb and the presentation of this dish doesn’t look appetising. However, we think that the flavour of this dish is great.<br/><br/>On a side note, the toilet is dirty with toilet paper all over the floor 😣

If you want to pay $22 for half a meal and order your coffee 3 times then you might enjoy this place. Otherwise avoid

Staff-friendly <br/>Coffee-so so<br/>Food- somewhere between bleh and meh, lame comparison between price and quality<br/>Blue code for black!

It's been a long time between visits, but it's still as good. Amazing coffee, and food. <br/>It is a very busy place, but worth the visit.

Very busy place but worth the visit. Food came out pretty fast, staff were friendly and offered a good vibe. I personally tried the corn cake with provolone and it was delicious! Also tried the smoothie of the moment which again was yummy. Will return again soon.

Been here few times, very cook design, their coffee always pretty good, really like their duck waffles, the service was a bit  inconsistent depends the day.

Had a very pleasant experience here. Very nice pour over which I haven't been able to find many cafe that does it well. They roast their own beans in house and you can see all the machineries. My friend and I tried the two flavour that they were doing during the day (which varies day by day) and they were both very nice. The food was great. The duck was a bit over, but very pleasant flavour. Pulled lamb shoulder on point 👌👌 Would come back again.

For a roaster, the coffee was just okay. It wasn’t the best coffee but it wasn’t bad coffee either.<br/>Service here has its ups and downs. The first barista who served me (hazel-haired young girl) was unfriendly. She forgot to put in my order and wasn’t well-informed when my mum asked about the specials. She directed my mum to the cabinet and just left her there. <br/>The second barista (bearded male) was super efficient and attentive. He realized that my order wasn’t put through after my mum has almost finished her food and mine has yet to come. He promptly pushed the kitchen to prepare my order first and offered us coffee for the additional wait.<br/>Thankfully, the food was worth the wait. The carrot cake was a nice take on a French toast, light and fluffy, not overly sweet with a hint of sour from the pineapple. Croissant was flaky and crispy, cookie was soft and chewy. <br/>I would return to this cafe again but not this branch so that I can truly experience the food and coffee of the cafe here without the influence of bad service at the beginning.

I was pretty excited about a place with a reputation for great coffee and interesting food but unfortunately had such a empty/cold feel to it, the staff felt rude and the meal was pretty expensive for such meger servings.

Delightful place for a catch up with friends and a little one in tow. I had the avocado with added chorizo & a soy chai latte. Simple yet tasty! The waiters there were very accommodating towards my kid which I’m so ever grateful as you know taking a kid anywhere to eat can be so very stressful! To top off my visit, I purchase store baked muffins - orange and poppy seed with chocolate & banana pecan and white chocolate muffins. Needless to say I was very happy with my visit! Would def return to see what other muffin flavours they have on offer!

Like other reviewers have commented, the food is what let this place down. Ordered the white anchovy fried eggs on toast. Everything about it was awful. I loved the dark and edgy atmosphere but it was freezing cold inside and drafty at the table. The seats were tiny little stools which weren’t comfortable. The only redeeming quality here was the staff who were super friendly and attentive but that’s not enough for me to go back again.

Went there for Sunday brunch and managed to get a table straight away which was a surprise! Didn’t see many GF signed meals on the menu but when we managed to get a staff member’s attention they let me know most dishes could be substituted to make them GF. I had the avocado on GF toast with the poached egg. Was happy with the portion size of two big pieces of bread loaded with sliced avo. I found it yummy and enjoyable. The dirty chai on almond milk was also delicious and a good temperature. <br/>Would be eager to come back and try something more experimental from the menu.

I came here recently with my cousin, it has been a while since I visited.  We arrived late afternoon so we just ordered some hot drinks and a danish pastry to share.<br/><br/>My Cappuccino was just so lovely, it tasted perfectly.  My cousin enjoyed her peppermint tea and the danish had a nice pastry and hit the spot.<br/><br/>I have eaten here in the past for brunch, it was some time ago so I would be keen to come back and try something from the menu.<br/><br/>The cafe is nice and has a great warehouse feel with attentive staff.  All in all a great spot to come for a visit.

One of the best cafes I’ve been to recently. The range of foods on the menu is awesome, and the coffee is really well made. Would happily come back here

Not sure is it because of the change of menu for this season, the food is disappointed, very overrated. <br/><br/>Orange braised pork belly bun, I cant taste any orange flavour at all, pork is quite dry.<br/><br/>10% surcharge on weekend is annoying, especially the cost of the food already not cheap, i guess most importantly the money is not worth for its value.

I had to have my birthday brunch somewhere black and sophisticated. Of course it was a terrible decision on our behalf to order all the cocktails on the menu at 10am, especially the Bloody Mary’s. Food was incredible.

Easily one of the best coffee spots in Melbourne. It's hyped for a reason. Great blends, perfectly heated milk, sound coffee knowledge, and a great assortment of sweets to pair with your drink of choice. Also open relatively late by cafe standards.

Very quick service. Nice ambience. Soy flat white had great coffee beans and tasted great. Soy chai latte had great flavour also added honey into it. Red velvet cupcake tasted nice however abit on the dry side

Menu provided did not match the menu online. Very heavy vegan focus. A flat 10% surcharge on weekends is absolutely outrageous - raise your prices slightly and/or better manage your staff costs instead of blatantly passing these costs onto the customer. Will not return based in 10% weekend surcharge alone.

Carrot cake french toast... I lost my mind when I saw this on the menu and practically sprinted here HAHAHA <br/><br/>FOOD & COFFEE: I ordered the Carrot Cake French Toast and it was... life changing. The toast is a carrot cake and instead of cream cheese you have mascarpone which was interesting! It took away the sweet aspect of the carrot cake but the carrot cake itself was amazing with it being moist and just the perfect level of sweetness! The pineapple was interesting and provided a fresh bit to the french toast! This is the BEST and most unique french toast I have ever seen and I’m so glad I discovered Code Black! Their coffee is really pleasant as well!<br/><br/>SERVICE: Service is okay, not too great or bad. Team seemed a little less friendly than usual cafes but their good food makes up for it 🤷🏻‍♀️<br/><br/>Code Black has an amazing and unique menu that doesn’t deserve enough recognition and with the very dark and muted interior, its great for chill days! They also have wifi so it’s great for those off-day but you want to study days!

First off the bat...<br/>*excuse the horrid photography skills —— this was infact captured on my iPhone 3 😅😅<br/><br/>I remember eating this dish like it was yesterday! This was totally new and soooo cool in the Melbourne breakfast scene when I ordered this!<br/><br/>The dukkah was the incredible highlight & feature for this dish! And the avo was sliced which was awesome too! <br/><br/>I really need to go back here to capture some more epic / clear snaps hehe!

Went here on a weekday mid afternoon and it was relatively busy with a good vibe for the day and time - that's where the good stuff ends. Our coffees took 20 minutes to come out and when they did they were lukewarm. We tried them immediately but it took us a little while to get the attention of a waiter to ask if we could get our coffees hotter, the waiter then informed us that if we hadn't let them sit there for so long they wouldn't be cold! Very rude. We didn't bother ordering food after that so I can't comment on that side but I definitely won't bother going back.

visit here a lot for coffee after running group and for lunch with work colleagues. coffee is great, service is also good, especially as it seems to always be busy! would recommend!

Code black is cool or whatever good for the gram the food is okay WELL IF I ORDERED THE SALMON THE FOOD WOULD HAVE BEEN GREAT BUT I ORDERED THE BEANS AND THEY WERE mediOCRE or whatever <br/><br/>But great vibes you can bring your doggo here if you’re sitting outside!

When I first saw that Code Black Coffee had four venues across the city, my first thought was "crap, my friend has asked me to a mildly fancier version of the Coffee Club".  But to my absolute pleasure (and surprise), Code Black Coffee is miles above the Coffee Club - the two aren't even in the same league.

One of my friends suggested that I try the crispy duck leg with potato and spring onion waffle because she said it is really good. I was really glad that she recommended this dish to me because it is honestly really good! The duck is crispy, the waffles look and taste delicious! The portion is quite small for me but I still like this dish a lot! Besides that, this cafe is really spacious and I like the environment here. ☺️

Love this place! Coffee, service and food selection is amazing! Will be returning and suggest you do too! Can’t wait for the next time I come in!

Carrot cake French toast, $19 pineapple, passionfruit and marscapone are pretty great accompaniments.<br/><br/>Avocado on toast, $16 + poached eggs $3 each. Classic<br/><br/>Affogato, $5, with vanilla bean ice cream, excellent! (This is good value!)<br/><br/>Overall pricey but delicious.<br/>10% surcharge on weekends, 15% surcharge on public holidays.

Not a place we’d be returning to.<br/><br/>The management & chef truly are full of themselves if they think the portion size they serve is worth the monetary value they put to it.<br/>Normally, we’re more than satisfied after brunch. But we were all starving still after consuming our overpriced dishes (even the smallest eater of our group was whining). Would have taken 2, maybe 3 serves of each to equate to a decent brunch.

The taste of truffle on the Truffle Eggs Benedict has completely blew my mind! Kudos to the chef & team. It’s delicious. Will definitely bring a troupe to check this plc. Awesome & friendly front of house team. Thank you for your great hospitality 🤗

Fantastic coffee, great location, really lovely vibe. Staff are friendly and attentive, will definitely be back for breakfast soon, the food around us looked delicious and we were disappointed we'd already eaten! We did sneak in a little sweet cake with our coffee and that was smashingly good.

You need to be prepared to spend a bit on your breakfast or brunch, but it is worth it. We've been returning here for a couple of years now, probably 6 times a year, and it is always good. My fussy partner loves the coffee and buys their beans, their food is really very good, have never had to wait long for service, a table or food, despite how busy they get. Also they sell Butterbing cookies - watch out!

Had a Brunswick fog ( earl grey vanilla latte ) to go. Very unique and delicious . Love it . Friendly staffs , the cake selections looks awesome too .

Ordered the roast chicken and shiitake mushroom salad, which isn’t my sort of thing, but ended up amazing. The mushrooms and bean sprouts were outstanding, as was the sauce. The chicken breast was done perfectly. I couldn’t even identify the “crackers”, which tasted like really salty, crunchy pork skin, but turns out it was some sort of dried cheese. Magical. <br/><br/>Wifey-poo ordered the cauliflower burger, which I can verify was amazing. She said it was one of the best burgers of any kind she has ever had. <br/><br/>The coffee was OK. I ordered a long blackjack, and was given what looked like a short black (shot), and a tiny little glass with plain hot water. I was totally confused because with long blacks, it’s pretty normal to also be served a cold glass of sparkling water. Turns out I was supposed to add hot water to the short black in order to water it down to my liking — a “deconstructed” long black, I suppose. Odd.

When you walk in, its impressive as a big melburnian warehouse buzzing with people. We waited about 20 minutes for a table and the waitress kept us updated at all times. Once seated, we ordered our coffee and that was good. We had also ordered our food and it took a long time to arrive. We were beginning to think that forgot our orders. When we did get our food, my shakshuka tasted great. The only criticism is that my eggs were overcooked. The rest of it was flavorsome. All in all, I'm glad I tried it.

The coffee here is absolutely amazing! I can’t comment on the food as I have only ordered takeaway coffee. The cafe has a really cool modern industrial fit out. I will most definitely be back! Such a cool spot with great coffee.

Amazing food and taste. Great atmosphere and location. Service was great by one particular man, however the rest of the staff were hostile when asking for help to search for a wallet lost while dining. I called and was told they had checked our table, but when I went back, they wouldn’t let us have another look. We walked through it was right there, next to our table. We really wanted to love this place.

I finally get to write about my favourite coffee roasters & their food at their Head Office, Brunswick. Their coffee beans are spread around Melbourne CBD made by many other cafes. But for some reason Code Black’s own baristas just make the perfect latte, cappuccino and mocha for me. They have 4 outlets in Melbourne – North Melbourne, Docklands, Collins St and Brunswick. I love the creaminess of their milk mixed with the hint of caramel taste from the beans. I’ve never had burnt coffee from their baristas. Please keep the quality going!

It's quite packed on Sat and the staffs there are still attentive and friendly. It has no doubt the almond coffee is so great and the duck waffle is too amazing. The duck skin is crispy and meat is tender. The most brilliant part of the dish is the sauce ( maple syrup mixd with other spicy ingredient ). I never thought it's quite matched with the waffle. I'm a tourist and hope I can visit again in the future .

Ive been to Code black numerous times.....my absolute favourite.   The staff are all very friendly and professional and the food is so delicious. The menu has a wide variety to choose from, so you can never be bored with the food.

Creative & modern breakfast menu executed perfectly. Great fitout, professional cafe service and great coffee. Will be back. Honestly could not fault one thing.

New favourite breakfast spot, great decor and excellent selection on the menu, I had the avocado toast with chorizo and it was 10/10. Heaps of parking out front too

Super friendly staff, plenty of seating and didn’t have to wait long for a table. Almond coffee was delicious. We had poached eggs with avo on toast and the brekkie roll - both yum! Only odd thing was that there is a males bathroom and a unisex disabled bathroom which apparently is for the females. So don’t get confused when you omg see a ‘M’ on a door and no ‘F’ on the other!

we have been in code black a few times ,like it's moder decor, the service,was friendly and fast, coffee on the other hand was not the best!!weak and milky ,food was good 😃and Nicly presented

Average at best. Was seated at a table and then we were asked to move because a group of four had arrived. There are only a handful of things to order for breakfast, everyone around us had ordered the same two items which is saying a lot. Ordered the Portobello mushroom dish, which was mushrooms w eggs on pureed mushrooms garnished with mushrooms. It looked like soggy weetbix. Friend ordered baked eggs, the sauce in the pan tasted exactly like the salsa sauce you buy with your doritos. It wasn't eaten. <br/><br/>It cost us $60 in the end, the most expensive breakfast I've ever had and I left hungry as all I had was a handful of mushrooms.

The coffee was excellent. The service spot on, quick and professional. The food was extremely tasteful and reasonably priced. Only downside are the very worn down menu’s, makes it really difficult to read them.

was quite busy on a saturday afternoon when we went in for a quick coffee. was greeted quickly by staff and had our order of a flat white and iced coffee taken. we sat and waited outside - we assumed tables around us were patiently waiting for their orders, until we realised that 2 tables had already come and gone and 3 takeaway orders had been completed after 30 minutes had passed. and we still hadnt got our coffees :( probably slipped the waiters focus. went to get up and ask and they were made promptly. coffee was good, but not exceptional that it was worth the wait. stylish decor and friendly enough staff.

Until late last year we would get a consistent good quality coffee from here, but it went down hill late last year and became inconsistent. Went back again for first time in 2018 and the coffee had a kind of chemical taste to it which has lingered in my mouth. Did Code Black change owners perhaps?

Great coffee and service. The actual Cafe was beautiful but I found the music a little too loud. We were basically screaming at each other from across the table haha. Food was not bad. I had the smashed avocado and I literally got a whole avocado on two slices of bread so thanks!!! 🤣

This place is known for its great coffee. My sister is a local and she can attest to it! There is a lot of good cafes in Brunswick but this one is her go-to.<br/>I tried the iced mocha on my latest visit and that was really good. Haven’t tried the food here yet but from what I saw it looked amazing so will definitely have to come back for a meal on my next visit.

A dark spacious restaurant best suited for pet lovers and coffee enthusiasts. There was plenty offered on their menu. I ordered the duck and waffle dish. The ducks skin was crispy and seasoned very nicely. The waffle and maple syrup complimented the duck and each element made the plate delicious. I would love to try more from this plate. Definitely recommend

Serving some of the best coffee around in Brunswick I stopped by to try code black coffee on recommendations of work colleague. I was certainly not disappointed. I love the cute takeaway cups and the smooth blend of coffee. Big thumbs up from me.

Being seated right away, after a little wait we order. Food arrives in 3 min, die no drinks yet so taking out time to eat, after 8 min asking for our drinks. 4 min later in the tea and shake arriving while I'm just about to finish my meal. The tea is so bitter undrinkable. I'm losing the waiter know that the tea is very bitter and I really don't like it. He comes back with the excuse from the barista that that is how the tea is made, I'm sure it's supposed to be over brewed. If you can't be bothered to take a tea wich is absolutely not too my liking acer not even 1/2 cup trying to drink it and which cost you less then a dollar, but then charging me 6.5 for it then that's classic how arrogance of a barista gets in the way of me enjoying myself. Not coming back and is not the kitchen's fault

One of the most consistent places to get coffee in Brunswick. I’ve been coming here for nearly 2 years almost everyday and never had a bad experience. Shout out to the baristas!

When you’re after somewhere that serves consistently great coffee and food, you can’t go past Code Black. We have been to Code Black a few times in the past and have so far always been thoroughly satisfied with our experiences.<br/><br/>Latest visit to Code Black Brunswick was on a Sunday, just before the breakfast rush. A few tables remained empty inside, and we were quickly ushered to our seats. Both the skinny latte and the latte blew us away. One so much creamier and full-bodied, while the other a bit lighter but nonetheless aromatic and rich. <br/><br/>Ordered the duck leg waffles and braised beef cheek. Both dishes were wonderful. The duck leg was crispy yet tender, beautifully seasoned, and the waffles drizzled with the chilli-infused maple syrup was pure heaven. The beef check literally melt in your mouth, and was bursting with flavours. The pears were an interesting addition; it’s sweetness counteract the savoury dish, but it confused me a little. <br/><br/>My only complain? The price is somewhat steep, and portion sizes are not what you can call overly generous. Yes, I do admit the food are not run-of-the-mill, and are put together brilliantly, but I’m not sure my wallet will be thanking me for indulging in breakfast or brunch of such calibre that often.

Went this morning for our morning lattes. We ordered two lattes to sit in, full cream and soy. Took a while to come but it was busy so fair enough. Unfortunately both were luke warm at best.  I don't like my coffee warm don't really know if anyone does. The taste was there but don't think its worth returning for.

I stopped by here because of the reviews/hype and ordered a coffee. While the place looks nice, service was ok, but the coffee was pretty average. The $1 coffee from 7-11 seems to taste better than what I had here. Then again, it might be better the second time around.. will have to see.

Food is excellent. Ambience is superb. Coffee is delicious. It's pricey, but it is Brunswick. Bring those prices down, and I'd give it a perfect score.

its been a month since i last visited this place and my deepest regret is not telling the waitor to "Shut up".  He was wearing a beret, was patronising and passive aggressive.

I usually go to code black for coffee- which is great- but last week I had a Chai instead and it was sooo good! Well done to the barista at Code Black, a real artist!

Went to Code Black Coffee for breakfast. My partner and I got eggs on toast with bacon and beans and some coffees. The food was ok, nothing special. The coffee came out way after the food and was cold, which is a big no-no.<br/>Would I go back? Probably not.

The decor here is impressive and it seems no corners have been cut on the quality of furnishings. The coffee arrived and it was good, as was the initial service. However we finished our coffees and there our empty cups sat for the duration of the meal. Without being cleared and also without the offer of further coffees. The real let down of code black however is the food. The fritters are poor, very poor. There is no redemption to this dish. The beans with chorizo were also surprisingly bland for a dish containing spicy sausage, the advertised gremolata did not make an appearance (it may have helped add some much needed depth or zing). What a shame. I would definitely return for the ambience and for a coffee but will be eating elsewhere.

A surprisingly large interior is hidden behind the industrial doors of this cafe. The atmosphere is warm and relaxed, perfect to keep out of the cold and nestle into a corner with a delicious coffee and some warm food. <br/><br/>The coffee is lovely and delicate in flavour. I'd say it's worth stopping by even just for a coffee. <br/><br/>The food menu extensive and had something for everyone. Both meals ordered, the beans and the Mexican bowl, were delicious and filling. <br/><br/>The staff and service was also very friendly and prompt. I would definitely recommend this place for coffee and as a breakfast or lunch spot whether you're in the area or looking to try some place new !

Walked in and the place was very busy. We couldnt find any staff to seat us so we were expecting really bad service but we were very wrong. Once we got someone's attention we were seated and the service from there was great. Coffee and food arrived quickly and everyone was very friendly. I had the crispy slow cooker duck on savoury waffles - this was super tasty. It comes with a maple glaze which has a hint of chilli. Great coffee. Great food. Great service. Worth checking out.

Fantastic coffee, interesting and original food, and a selection of little cakes to die for. Can be hard to get a table on weekends, but isn't so bad on weekdays. The kitchen seems quick and efficient, even when busy. They have free wifi, but it seems to be down quite often, so not entirely reliable if you want to do some emails over cake and coffee. Otherwise, thoroughly excellent.

Food: I was lucky enough to try this as one of my first Melbourne brunches. The food is delicious, great range of brunch options, good portion sizes and possibly the most delicious coffee I've every tried.<br/><br/>Atmosphere/service: It's a huge space, with an industrial feel. They also roast their own coffee on site. Atmosphere is usually busy, yet relaxed. It's a very popular brunch spot in the local area. Service is excellent - to give you an example, on my first visit, a waiter helped me search the cafe for the person I was meeting for a good few minutes! <br/><br/>Would I recommend it: Yes, please go, even if it's just for the amazing coffee! Well worth it!

Although the coffee here is nice, there food is anything but. Ordering the fritters, I found myself presented with a dish that looked like a whole can of corn had been tipped over it. Overall, it was borderline edible however I was done after a few mouthfuls. Won't be back anytime soon.

Really great coffee, pretty ok service, amazing food! I've eaten here twice and both times I've been exceptionally pleased. Their smashed avocado really does exceed every other smashed avo I've had in Melbourne - which is saying something. My only critique is that the cafe atmosphere is really awful and crammed up the front, so if possible try and get a seat down the back. Other than that - keep it up, Code Black.

Code Black is a spacious cafe with a really nice decor. The coffee was really nice. The crispy duck leg and waffles was an interesting dish and really tasty. The spicy fish burger would have been nicer if there wasn't so much witlof which added too much bitterness and made the burger quite precarious to eat (construction-wise). The fish was lovely but I wish it was actually spicy. Overall I enjoyed the food and feel of the cafe, and the menu seems to turn around often enough with interesting dishes.

Nice coffee and very tasty food. Had the soft shell crab burger and was very good and tasty. Coffee was of good intensity and flavour as well.

Had takeaway coffee, roast their own blend. Divine! Best soy latte I've had to present in Melbourne. Definitely will become a regular when I'm in the area

Had the Coteletta for lunch today.. absolutely perfect dish!<br/><br/>Presentation spot on.. quantity on the plate 👌<br/>The kale was a very nice touch also.<br/><br/>These guys do coffee and food very, very well - they never disappoint!<br/><br/>One of our cities top cafes.. absolute GEM!!!

Hot damn Code Black...<br/><br/>We're partial to a dark, sexy decor, and Code Black is all that.<br/><br/>Strangely enough there wasn't anything on the menu that jumped out (one of our trio had been looking forward to something that turned out to be no longer on the menu).<br/><br/>We all had the Sautéed Wild Mushrooms (Good), shared the Chocolate Waffle (Good) and Tater Tots...<br/><br/>But you know what stole the show? That little Cheesy Potato Waffle.<br/><br/>All that said, the best part of Code Black was the staff (yes, the food was good too!). <br/><br/>It is just so nice to come in to a hospitality venue and be served with... hospitality. Not over the top, not contrived. Just personable enough to be memorable.<br/><br/>Sad to say, but it's like manners, right? You only notice them when they're missing. It is disappointing when you stop returning to old favourites because if you had a heart attack the staff would probably just stand there and watch.<br/><br/>/endrant<br/><br/>Anyway, I digress.<br/><br/>Staff are absolutely fabulous at Code Black. If you worked on Saturday 22 April, that's you.<br/><br/>Look forward to returning.

First visit since becoming a plant based eater. Ordered the pineapple coconut salad. Sadly it was drenched in oil, I was not able to finish my meal. Revising my rating. Will come back to try again to see if that will change.

I've given this place a few goes but still not a fan. Food was pretty bland and my orders were always mixed up. Good coffee but not worth the visit.

Coffee is always awesome at Code Black, the Baristas are always so into what they are doing and watching them is like watching an artist at work. Always struggle for service here though, very slow to take food orders, even on slower paced weekdays. Tried a number of things from their menu over the years, there isn't that ONE dish that keeps me coming back so I prefer to build a brekky. Food quality overall is pretty good.

Very comfortable and great service, amazing coffee..<br/>We in the mood for a standard bacon and eggs but not that type of place ...<br/>Never the less great place ....<br/>

Love this place and its wide open industrial decor.<br/>Staff were very friendly and service was fast. Coffe was in the top 5 I've ever had, which isn't surprising considering the coffee packaging factory out the back.<br/>We both had the baked beans dish with potato tots and black sausage on the side. Beans were nice, with the only downside being the chorizo which didn't tickle my pickle.

Great food and service was good! We will definitely make a return visit!<br/><br/>The coffee is also really yummy. <br/><br/>Only negative was that one of the group asked for earl grey tea but got given English breakfast.

Always busy during peak times but the wait is worth it. Great variety of breakfast and lunch items on the menu, more than one type of coffee beans available to suit your taste, and never disappointed in any way in 4+ years.

Ambience:5/5<br/>Service:5/5<br/>Presentation:4/5<br/>Food:3.5/5 Coffee:3/5<br/>Love everything about this place! Both muesli and hot cake were great. Muesli would be better with greek yogurt instead of coyo as it was a little dry.

great service, coffee and food. really impressed with the number of gluten free meals (and desserts!!) available. had the parmesan and potato waffle which was wonderful, prefect sized serving as well. <br/>they split bills during the week which is lovely for groups. <br/>

Absolutely dig this place. Service is super friendly and fast, zucchini fritters were awesome. Drank cold brew and iced latte, both delicious. My only critique would be the brew was quite rich and intense, not easy to drink a whole glass of however tasty all the same- this is completely subjective, could have ticked all the boxes for someone else. I'll definitely be back more regularly.

If you blinked while driving past this place to you would miss it, which would be a shame because it's awesome.<br/><br/>Amazing coffee roasted in house and deliciously well thought out food that comes out of the kitchen fast.<br/><br/><br/>

<br/>A latecomer to the Code Black restaurant party (possibly because they are renowned for their coffee and I don't drink it) I finally ventured down to Brunswick and was blown away by the super friendly service. I sat there with friends for a book club meeting and we loitered for so long (almost two hours) I ordered a second meal. I started with avo on toast with poached eggs (had to smash it myself although I don't think the menu ever actually specified smashed) which was good but you can't really stuff up bread and avocado two of life's greatest gifts. It did have a pistachio and hazelnut dukkha to fancy it up a bit and the kale and pepita pesto elevated in again. Backed it up with the bircher which was also solid. The interior is my favourite type of industrial chic all done in dark somber shades (perhaps a nod to its name?). It's a bit grungy a bit hipster and very Brunswick. My coffee drinking co diners were whining about the size of the coffees but other than that I think we were onto a winner

Came here for brunch and loved it. Staff were friendly, food was great. Had the Mexican veggie bowl which was actually really filling. Very busy place but they didn't just leave us standing around which was appreciated.