Review The Hardware Societe - Melbourne

An overall rating of 92/100 This place fully deserves its 4.4 Google rating as at July 2022, and then some! Had my first Melbourne 'Magic' coffee here and it was hands down one of the best coffees I've had in my life. Most of the dishes here were on the money also - top marks for uniqueness of the menu and its variety (I was stumped for choice!) The lobster & prawn roll and the rye crepes were the star performers for sure. The souffle has some room for improvement taste wise, but aside from this, no complaints. All ingredients were fresh and you can tell the best is used. The prices are justified also. Would recommend as an excellent late brekky/brunch spot!

Had our first lunch in Melbourne here and it was a wonderful experience! Food was exceptional and the staff were very friendly! Although we did have to wait for 5 minutes to get seats but the staff ensured that we are comfortable waiting. Thumbs up for excellent service and food! Would highly recommend this place!

The food is certainly the experience here. This has been the best breakfast I've had in Melbourne to date. Breakfast dishes done amazingly well and all the flavours are just right and an explosion of flavour. The atmosphere is a real typical Melbourne feel and that just adds to the experience. Booking ahead is definitely recommended though, if you don't like waiting in line for a table.

Last week, we have ordered hot smoked salmon, baked eggs UN (Vegan) and a cup of mocha and latte. The drinks are good and hot smoked salmon was gone. Unfortunately the baked egg we have ordered got a slice of pork inside and we understand it might be an accident. We told the staff and expected for an answer or response afterwards but the staff didn’t follow up. We were left aside and we have to call and ask the staff again how and what happened next. Only the staff gave us a free chocolate croissant as what kitchen staffs requested. We understand it’s busy on weekend, full house and all. When there’s an issue, it should be solved instantly, give customer’s an explanation and response. And not left us without any answer. On the payment, we explained the issue and they only informed us they’ve told the kitchen on this mistake (which we expected this response straight after we told them). Again, we expected they’ll take away the baked egg $$ instead of the drinks. Ended up drinks and croissant were not be billed.

Best iced tea I've ever had! It was a random order and the best decision ever. I really like the lobster roll as well. The pork belly dish was so so though. Definitely will come back every time I visit Melbourne city. Amazing crew with friendly service.

We tried the duck leg on the new menu, absolutely amazing!! The leg was marinated overnight in spicy and so flavorful, juicy. Smashed potatoes with bacon crisp. Raw beef sandwich was tasty as well. Serving size is very generous. Only down side is the coffee, pretty average.

Chic and quirky industrial style interior design with great internal space. It is not too crowded and not too spacious and the distance between the tables feels just right. Padre roasters coffee is beautiful - it is smooth and rich and full of flavour. I had baked eggs which were nice - would not call them special but it was a very well done dish. I would certainly come back again for the coffee, the atmosphere and cosy quirkiness.

Stopped in for breakfast as a group of 4 and we were all quite pleased. The sweet breakfasts were tad bit too sweet for me and I def have a sweet tooth. The coffees were good, and we also got good service. Picture is of the fried brioche special that day.

Great coffee. Lunch prices on the high side.

It's a pretty fancy place. It's pricey but for the high quality, it's completely worth it. The food and coffee are delicious, the atmosphere is cool and the aesthetics are great. A place for great Instagram photos that actually tastes awesome too.

Love Hardware's new, larger digs. The menu is as delectable as ever, offering a range of creative dishes. I couldn't go past the Fried Brioche, because I've been salivating over their exceptional bread ever since my visit to the other venue. This version came with rhubarb, pear, ginger and cheesecake. Absolutely delightful flavours and well balanced.

We waited 15 till our order got taken, than another half an hour till being served, the food was ok, however a bit over priced, service was not friendly and very very slow.

I came by for a fairly early breakfast on a Saturday after arriving from the airport. I got there around 1000 and managed to get a table but it got really busy half an hour later, and there was a line waiting outside the door when I left around 1045.<br/><br/>They do have a menu but they also had cabinet food consisting of pastries, mostly sweet. I tied their signature hot chocolate and it was quite interesting. It consisted of a hot jug of hot chocolate which I poured over chocolate inside a cup. There was also a cookie that came with it. The chocolate was a bit on the dark side but it had nice flavours. I didn't find it very rich. I had the millefeuille, which had tuna and salmon tartar in between two layers of crispy pastry. It was served with seared tuna and poached eggs. I liked the flavours as it was quite fresh. I think it would have been nicer with a third pastry layer to be similar to the sweet millefeuille. It was a nice meal. Good service even when busy but it was a bit on the pricey side, almost $30 for a dish.

The food tasted like it was already pre made. But service and ambiance was great.

Tried the baked eggs with scallops and it was ok. The scallops were quite tender but the eggs were a bit over cooked. My friend had the eggs benedict with crab meat and she thought the crab meat was a bit bland. The chocolate was the highlight of the meal. It was very rich and creamy!<br/><br/>follow my ig for more deliciousness!<br/>ig: vienne_iu

Amazing brunch place and awesome cafe to hangout with friends.<br/><br/>Would recommend anyone who wants to have brunch to come here as their food was incredibly rich with flavour. The flavour of the lobster benedict I ordered is still tingling on my tongue.<br/><br/>Definitely will be back.

Visited this amazing place more than twice! Must say the Fried Brioche is my favourite and always looking forward to it! We also had the baked eggs. They are professional at handle seating arrangement, even if there is queue it didn't take too long till our turn. <br/><br/>Fried Brioche was so good. The brioche itself is not too sweet for my liking, if you have a really sweet tooth the meringue on top is perfect for you! I also took a few bites on the meringue cos couldn't resist! The brioche is so soft inside that my heart melttttttt.<br/><br/>The first time I went there with a girlfriend and the baked eggs was overcooked, but this could be we took too long to snaps some decent photos as the baked eggs is in the cast iron pot. The second visit I ordered baked eggs again and this time I take photos within like 2mins and the eggs are perfect! :)

4/5 as opposed to 5/5 (Read further to know why)<br/><br/>The recently relocated Hardware Societe is much bigger, quite chic and better from its earlier venue. Totally loved the vibe and energy it exudes (could even smell the fresh paints).<br/><br/>Food, as usual, lives up to its name and fame, high quality and great flavors. Portions are quite good. In fact, they are a step above their benchmark and that's a great achievement. Ordered the usual must Lobster Egg Benedict, Lamb Stew and Trout Bowl, and as mentioned earlier every plate was top-notch but we had our favourite in the form of Lamb Stew...Easily the dish of the day.<br/><br/>Hot Chocolate and Mocha were very good.<br/><br/>Chai wad a letdown though.<br/><br/>The biggest issue we had with the cafe is the 10% Surcharge on Weekends....That's a bit much since the dishes are already very steeply priced. This seems like a rip-off even if we consider that staffs are paid a bit extra (wages) on a weekend. Thus, we choose to not give them a score of 5.<br/><br/>Service is quick and decent choices for Vegans and Vegetarians to choose from.

New location, just as amazing as previous. The best breakfast in Melbourne!!!!<br/><br/>Went 8:30 Monday morning. No line up but the restaurant was full by 9:15am

Where do I start! This place is brunch perfection and is the benchmark for me of how good brunch can & should be. <br/><br/>Firstly the coffee is great and there’s nothing on the menu I wouldn’t order. The lobster Benedict is delicious as is the tuna milliefeuille which is my favourite. The pork belly is so good and the confit duck is beautifully cooked and packed with flavour. <br/><br/>We live to continually share this place with family and friends who all love it too. We will return again and again.

Actual rating: 4.5 <br/>This Hardware Societe is tucked away and more hidden than the one on Hardware Street, but equally as cosy with great food! If anything, it was faster to get a seat. <br/><br/>I normally like tomato based baked eggs, but this time I decided to be adventurous and try the Scallops Baked Eggs ($20) which was actually YARM - my eggs were a little over done, but I like to think that they're normally really runny and yummy alongside the potato, leek and crunchy bacon bits. It was less rich and heavy compared to tomato versions, and I absolutely loved the look (and taste) of the fat scallops nestled in the creamy fluffy baked egg pot - mmmmm...

*From the eyes of UNO’s 13yo daughter*<br/>They have the best hot chocolate here I’m not kidding (dad thinks so too). It comes in a pot that you pour into your cup, like some teas, and it is just perfect. Dad had the scrambled eggs which he liked, and he said the coffee wasn’t bad too (but not as good as focus in Balwyn). <br/>

The move to a larger venue is a great idea for Hardware Societe and it is nice to finally be able to check out this place.<br/><br/>🔆LOCATION🔆<br/>Hardware Societe is located with the famous "The Archway" food precinct tucked away in Katherine Place off Flinders Lane.<br/><br/>I much like their new location, the restaurant is very spacious and you feel more relaxed and not in a tight cramped area compared with the old place on Hardware Street. The layout and seating is quite nice as they have walls to separate an area, a shelf with displays to separate another area, and another wall further back towards the side so you can feel that there is added thought in the design so its not just a plain open seating plan like a warehouse.<br/><br/>There are cute teacups lined up on a wall which makes a nice feature area. At the back next to the kitchen there is a neon sign 'no eggs on toast' on the wall and a bicycle on display below it.<br/><br/>The wooden display shelf that acts as a separator between area's of the restaurant has displays of their ' No Eggs on Toast' recipe book and other merchandise that is available for sale.<br/><br/>🔆SERVICE🔆<br/>Extremely fast and friendly service.  We were asked if we wanted to order drinks, and they were made quite promptly and served to us efficiently and by that time we were ready to order. <br/><br/>Our meal came out within 15 minutes, we were like? What? So fast! We were so impressed. But also mind you, we went on Tuesday ( yesterday) at 11.30am. As I wanted to try and avoid the lunch rush and that really made a difference. I cannot say for when its on the weekend, because I can only imagine it would be a long queue and a long wait, similar to when they were on Hardware Street.<br/><br/>What is also great is near the entrance there is a large dog bed and water bowl, That's so thoughtful 😃<br/><br/>🔆MENU/PRICE🔆<br/><br/>It was rather funny! I opened the menu and looked on the left hand side not really paying attention that everything was in French ( I can read French) and then I looked over to the right hand side of the menu which is the exact same thing but in English and I absentmindedly said to my friend - wow they have so much options on the menu, and then duh! I realised super fast that its the same menu, one is in French other in English! hahaha! Thought I'd share that with you. <br/><br/>We decided to order the following: <br/><br/>Heart of Burrata, $23.00<br/>(Heiloom carrots, pumpkin, sauce aligot, crispy basil, hazelnuts, puffed black rice, poached eggs)<br/><br/>Lobster Benedict, $26.50<br/>(Citrus Hollandaise, soft herbs, bun noir, poached eggs)<br/><br/>🔆VERDICT🔆<br/><br/>Amazingly delicious! Wow! Heart of Burrata is a wonderful dish and very well presented. All the ingredients and flavours blended so well together! Yum!<br/>Lobster Benedict was also nice, and have lobster meat in it which is great haha! But I think I prefer the Heart of Burrata simply because it had nice flavours.<br/><br/>I have to go back and try their Millefeuille (confit trout, trout rillette, pickled baby beetroot, dill creme fraiche, pea puree, poached eggs). Doesn't it sound yummy? Hahaha

Fab food as usual! This is a nice (pastel pink) space, open and bright with Parisian references and hanging light pendants. The space is much bigger and wait times for two only 10-15mins even at peak Saturday brunch time. I had the continental board which had a little bit of everything and ended up a rather large meal. My husband had the Lobster Benedict and said it was as good as ever. Service was quick and friendly. Love the Hardware Societe and am glad it’s kept up the same standard as the original store.

As an almost obsessive fan of their original store it pains me to give their new outlet anything less than 5 stars, but having been there twice now it is just lacking that little bit of something that made the original so special.<br/><br/>On looks alone the new space is beautiful and so spacious with a hip pink and emerald green colour palette. Ostensibly the menu is the same as well, continuing to bring their signature brand of French dishes to the Melbourne brunch scene. <br/><br/>We’ve had the Boudin Blanc ($26), Baked Eggs ($20), The Continental ($19) and Eggs & Soldiers ($22). I’ve had the Boudin Blanc and Baked Eggs at the original store and can attest that these ones were just a little bit lacking. The eggs and soldiers was quite a confusing dish, difficult to work out how the soft boiled eggs could be integrated as the actual soldiers were massive. I enjoyed the continental and it reminded me of breakfasts in Paris with the croissant, assortment of jams and side of orange juice.<br/><br/>Overall the new Hardware Societe is still a fantastic cafe, but I’m hoping they find that je ne sais quoi that made the original my favourite cafe in Melb!

Fantastic coffees to start. I had the Spanish fried eggs with a tortilla and jamon. It was a delicious Spanish inspired dish. My friend had the mushroom dish. Warm and inviting atmosphere with friendly staff.

The food here is expertly made and just the perfect balance. I've had every vegetarian option on the menu. I only wish they'd add more vegetarian options or would provide vegetarian versions of existing menu items. Having said that, I cannot fault this place. The food is amazing!

Loved the Hardware Lane location but since it moved to Katherine Place, the food has not been the same. Had the Lobster Benedict and the bread was soft, cold & untoasted, the lobster was cold from the fridge. So when the hollandaise sauce was poured over the lobster, it just does not work. Be great if the lobster was not cold and at least heated up. Love a hot lunch, not cold else would have ordered a cold salad! Provided feedback to the waitress but was told “well a few customers may not be used to the cold lobster”. The Katherine Place location is significantly larger than the previous Hardware Lane premise, but it felt empty and hollow, when compared to the hustle and bustle at Hardware Lane. Not the best location too as tucked away behind offices, and away from the central city location. Also tried the pork belly and while the skin was crispy and lovely, the pork itself was lukewarm. Had expected a 5 star experience but sadly went away a little disappointed and unsure to make a return trip.

Really long wait on a Sunday. Had a classic french breakfast. Eggs were difficult to get into. Found it quite a large portion. Great cafe feels. Price is on the higher end. Cafe slightly overrated co.pared to long wait times and food.

The waiting game.<br/><br/>The 4 of us thought we would try out their bigger location to avoid the long queues we usually see on hardware lane, but were wrong. On a Sat at 1pm - we were told we would have to wait 20 minutes for a table, but was 40 minutes. Then 10 minutes to be served. Then 15 minutes for coffee to arrive. After sitting for 30 minutes, we finally got our food.<br/><br/>I had the chorizo baked eggs, and it was delicious. Gooey eggs, and hey, it what they are famous for. At the end I felt like it was a bit too much though, maybe it was the cream that was too heavy. My friends had the scallop baked eggs - alright, the tuna millefiullle thingo - good, and the confit duck - good.<br/><br/>Will I be back again? Probably not. I suspect the long queue is because it takes forever to get food or anything served.

Today was the first time we visited Hardware Societe’s new location after having been to the original restaurant multiple times. <br/>We arrived later in the day so didn’t have to face the regular extended wait time and were quickly brought over to our seats. We were offered water for the table to start with the menu’s and drinks orders to follow. We ordered a piccolo and a peppermint tea. Coffee here is made my padre and for us we’re not the biggest fan but was still ok. <br/>We ordered a chorizo baked egg dish (an absolute highlight of the menu) and the mushroom, goats cheese, eggs on seeded bread (the waiter told us this was his favourite thing on the menu) along with a toasted croissant. <br/>Our food arrived quickly but the croissant never did until we asked for it after finishing our meals. The baked eggs were delicious as always, eggs cooked well with enough of the red sauce in the dish to dip in the accompanied crusted bread and the mushroom dish was delightful too. Probably needed a bit less mushroom and more goats cheese and it needed the mushrooms served on the side of the plate and not on top of the bread as after a couple of minutes the bread was soggy from the mushrooms. We asked for our croissant and they brought it out quickly and apologised for forgetting. All in all a great experience, the food is consistently great here, but slightly on the expensive side. Two people at $75 for breakfast is a lot. <br/>

One of the another nice place to have brunch in Melbourne. All dishes are good portion and hand crafted.<br/><br/>Their baked egg with almonds beyond, another one not that much. Also confit duck not a good dish to try in morning.<br/><br/>Chai good like Indian taste, but cinnamon powder over killing....

the prok belly have a“smell”，meat dry and pork crackers hard like a stone, Duck gravy sauce very salt. Decoration is nice,but food is not very nice,just opinion

My favourite place for Brunch since like a longgg time ago. This place serves awesome and i dare say the most consistent food in terms of taste, presentation, and portion. They serve very good coffee too.

I’m a sucker for baked eggs. When I know an eatery makes great baked eggs, it’s difficult to order anything else. Hardware Societe is another eatery that I try to visit every time I’m in Melbourne. Mainly because of its ridiculously awesome baked eggs. Considering it’s a French-influenced eatery, it’s no wonder I like it.

Both the Bircher and pork belly we ordered were yummy. We noticed that there weren’t any sweet offerings on the menu. Coffee was probably one of Melbourne’s best (thus far).

Size matters. Nobody wants a small cup of coffee. Definitely not at The Hardware Société. Even as a tea person, I’d cheat for a different cup of caffeine at this eatery. Plus, there’s a mini donut which comes with it.<br/><br/>No eggs on toast. Instead, I had roasted mushrooms with truffle chèvre, seeded bread, gremolata migas and 64 degree eggs.<br/><br/>Quality of food was divine. I ate with my eyes first, then the textures and flavours burst from those Portobello mushrooms which mingled incredibly well with the truffle chèvre and gremolata migas, topped with two perfectly cooked eggs on seeded bread.<br/><br/>Oh, did I say no eggs on toast, and a fantabolous service? That’s Hardware Société.

Oh, Hardware Societe. The IT brunch place that if you didn’t brunch at Hardware Societe, did you really brunch in Melbourne?<br/><br/>After many weeks of being in Melbourne, I finally settled for a date here and wow, am I impressed! <br/><br/>FOOD & COFFEE: I ordered the Lobster Benedict along with their Signature Mocha with some soy milk! What I loved was that it didn’t take forever! Food was served pretty quick and orders were taken quick as well! I’d recommend coming early on a weekday if you can so you can take your time and not feel stressed to give up your seat after you’re done! In terms of flavour, the Lobster Benedict was PHENOMENAL! For some strange reason, my favourite aspect was the noir bun 🙈 It was probably the best bun I’ve ever had with it being so soft and buttery in a way without needing that much butter! It wasn’t dry and it just went beautifully with the eggs and lobster! It was truly a dish I’ll never forget! The Mocha was amazing as well and probably the best Mocha I’ve ever had in my life! Abit gimmicky but hey, when you pay $6.50, I’ll take any gimmick I can find. The price is really high with my brunch coming down to $32.50 and it wasn’t a humongous portion but you’re paying to be able to say you’ve dined at Melbourne’s most coveted brunch place so yeah! <br/><br/>SERVICE: Service was pleasant and we were seated instantly! Servers were friendly though very busy!<br/><br/>AMBIENCE: Gorgeous though the lighting at the sharing table was abit off and gave me abit of a headache!<br/><br/>All in all, Hardware Societe is famous for a reason! They’ve upkept their status and they certainly deserve it! Was it worth a first visit? Absolutely. Would I return and spend $32.50? Maybe if I was craving like crazy! It’s definitely a place you can’t miss but I wouldn’t go religiously!

Just got a takeaway coffee today and apparently they can't do decaf coffees which was a surprise. So I got a mocha and it tasted just ok as it had a bit of a soury taste at the end of each sip.<br/><br/>They have really pretty cupcakes so I wanted some to take photos as well as to eat. They placed it in a paper bag which squashed all the cream. Really bad packaging. They should get a box or something. So I couldn't take some photos.

The Hardware Société always guarantees a good brunch. My baked eggs were delicious as usual and so was my friend’s confit duck. The service was friendly and efficient, and the outdoor seating was spacious and comfortable.

Amazing coffee! Great food and great service. We had breakfast for two days at the same place. No regrets! Definitely recommended. Baked egg is one of the most popular one but I prefer Burrata and Lobster Burger.

The chocolate taste amazing! I love it!<br/>But not my first choice for brunch maybe.<br/>The food was okay, but not pressed, maybe I should have tried something else though.<br/><br/><br/>要不我还是夸夸他们的巧克力吧！真好喝！<br/>baked egg（trios）6<br/>法棍有点过硬，吃起来好费劲啊QwQ，虽然我尽力去品味了，但真的不是特别喜欢，而且橄榄油的herb味一言难尽（我可能不爱这种香料）。scollaps表层有点干，prosciutto(?)很脆，咸味配烤蛋还ok。花菜泥可能是唯一的亮点，即使讨厌吃的我也觉得还不错。鸡蛋靠边的地方很香（煎鸡蛋同理）。不难吃，但很一般。<br/>lobster Benedict 7<br/>荷兰酱没有酸味可能是澳洲的通病？还是在美国吃的太酸了？不过柠檬香味还是有的。面包柔软且有麦香和芝麻香，另一个加分点是蛋是粘稠的，不是流淌状，真的超级棒。不过龙虾既不鲜美也没有什么口感上的加分，我都不知道它存在的意义是啥。🤷‍♀️

Very spacious and we found a large table quickly. <br/>The mushrooms were creamy and tasty and the matcha latte wasn’t too sweet. <br/>The staff were friendly and helpful. <br/>No split bills :/

I would rate the atmosphere 5 stars. It was a perfect place to hang out with friends to catch up. The food was okay. I had lobster Benedict and my friend had baked egg. Two most popular items on their menu. Not amazingly good, but fair taste. The service was very nice.

Great food and ambience. Tucked away in hardware lane, a quintessential Melbourne cafe with good brunch options. The only big negative was service was slow, aloof and not warm and attentive.

line waiting out the door.. like many cafes on melbourne. short wait, small & cramped inside, cannot say i would eat anything on the menu.. it was too ... unique for me? ordered a plain croissant which was delicious but unfortunately dissapointed in the menu on offer. amazing staff member on the door - he is a gem!

Basically, it is really a nice restaurant since it is so popular about their fantastic brunch in Melbourne. I choose this restaurant because of its convenient location which is just in the CBD. Additionally, it gots high marks in the ''Top 10 best brunch places you must go in Melbourne'' and many friends recommend this to me, thus, it just attractive to me pretty much when I heard it at the first time. <br/><br/>I went to this place with my professor. We spent 20 mins waiting<br/>on the line as people say. It does very popularly. Even though we still felt very exciting until we found they forgot our dishes after we ordered another 20mins.The staff shows their apology to us and gave us a free dessert. We all understand, sometimes it happens because the guests keep coming and it was just crazy busy there. <br/><br/> Besides this, I would like to highly recommend the'' TUNA MILLEFEUILLE ordered .it was totally my type as it tasted very fresh and not that sweet as other brunch restaurants I went before. it was more natural, and the tuna was not as fat as tacky, general preservation sex and adjustable.i also quite enjoy their poached eggs, it ate up relaxed.