Review The Old Paper Shop Deli - Melbourne

You come here for the cakes and the huge hearty breakfasts the coffee and the friendly staff. I’ve been coming here for almost 2 decades and I have never written a review. I always thought that everyone would just walk past and look at the cakes and dive on in which is exactly what I do. On having said that the cakes are absolutely better to taste than they look and the breakfast will fill you up all day. Highly recommend

This is the cutest little cafe/restaurant/cake shop ever. All the cakes are home made and absolutely delicious and even though I have yet to try them all they're such a sweet treat. All the workers are absolutely lovely and anytime I need something sweet I just come here. They do serve lunch and other food as well, so if you don't enjoy sweets that's not your only option. Their menu has a pretty good range of lunch and breakfast options, and so far all the food we've had has been delicious. If you're visiting South Melbourne I recommend you come here first!

Service is good but the food is underwhelming. Coffee is decent as well as the big breakfast. The kitkat cheese cake tastes weird. I could taste the kitkat but not the rest of the ingredients which is disappointing as i really love cheesecakes. I will not be back but i will continue to explore in this area as there’s a lot of good cafe’s there

Came for the cake. So many options and had 4 different cakes so far and very happy. The recent one was flourless coffee cake. I finished the whole lot, no sharing 😄 the mucake and the orange almond muffins were divine too! Not too sweet just the right taste.

Extremely disappointed with the service and the food. Most importantly, I noticed multiple staff wearing glove on one hand only, and touching food with the other hand, and handling cash at the same time. When it comes to food, their cakes are very stale and overpriced compared to other cafes in the area. The coffees were the absolute worst I’ve ever tried in Melbourne. Refer to the pics and you would see what they refer to as flat white and cappuccino. The flat white had two inches of froth on the top and the milk tasted terrible. You would barely see smiles in this cafe; specially the young lady at the register was very impolite.

On a lovely Sunday afternoon, my partner and I took my daughter out for a walk down to South Melbourne. We came across this beautiful cafe displaying lots of yummy cheese cakes in the front window. It was so overwhelming as I haven't had cheesecake for a long time. I ended up buying over $50 worth of cakes to take home. The cakes were very fresh and delicious. I will be back next Sunday for more! 😂

Visited today with my partner, spent $17 on a French vanilla and a fruit custard tart. Disapointed with both cakes, the vanilla pastry tasted like its been around for days, not crispy but soggy pastry the fruit tart strawberries had a off sour taste. The custard tasted no different from both cakes. It was once a good place , they have lost their way with care on what they make. Last time, voting with my feet.

Great shop in south Melbourne with a huge variety of deserts. The staff were super friendly and my cheesecake were amazing. They also have a good variety of wraps and brunch and pastries. I am gonna come back for sure.

This cafe positioned right in the hustle and bustle of South Melbourne. The cafe window at the front has the most beautiful desserts displayed. The staff were lovely and we enjoyed sitting out the front in the sun.<br/><br/>There is a great drinks menu. We enjoyed a high quality coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice to help us get through the day.<br/><br/>We loved the middle eastern frypan because it came with such a diverse range of food. We loved the hot pan that had in it open grilled fried eggs with Turkish soujock, tomato medley and feta. This dish also came with some olives, cucumbers and za’atar flatbread, which was a nice touch.<br/><br/>We enjoyed a sweet end to our meal with the Nutella bomb waffles which was topped with fried ice cream, cinnamon sugar, strawberries and hot Nutella fudge. <br/><br/>We enjoyed dining in here and would love to go back again.

We are regular visitors (6 – 12 people) to the café on Sunday evening after dinner around the area. With plenty choices of cakes of our favourite and good coffees, we normally would order plenty and catch up on each other’s business throughout the week.<br/><br/>On a rare occasion today that most of us had a big dinner before heading to the café. So, some of us ordered a cake to share and two teas waiting for the tummy to digest a little so we could order some cakes and coffees later. <br/><br/>Half an hour or so later, while waiting for more friends to arrive, we were told off by the a middle aged female staff that we need to order more to be able to hang out in the café or get out. YES, YOU HEARD ME. SHE SAID THOSE WORDS.<br/><br/>I have never been embarrassed in the public space in my life until tonight. We have been KICKED OUT verbally by the same middle aged female staff there, assuming she is the owner of the café. <br/><br/>WE ARE NOT A FREELOADER OR UNETHICAL, WE KNOW HOW A CAFÉ OR BUSINESS RUNS. BESIDES, WE WERE THE ONLY CUSTOMERS INSIDE THE CAFÉ WITH PLENTY OF EMPTY TABLES AND CHAIRS FOR OTHER CUSTOMERS. PLENTY!!!<br/><br/>WE ARE YOUR REGULARS!!!<br/><br/>SHE DID NOT EVEN HAVE THE COURTESY TO ASK NICELY IF WE WOULD LIKE TO ORDER MORE COFFEES OR CAKES.<br/><br/>YES, YOU HAVE PLENTY OF YUMMY CAKES, COFFEES AND SPACE TO ACCOMMODATE A LARGE GROUP. YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY CAFÉ AROUND THE AREA.<br/><br/>YOUR ATTITUDE AND DEGRADED CUSTOMER SERVICE BEHAVIOUR TONIGHT IS JUST PURELY UNACCEPTABLE AT ANY LEVEL.<br/><br/>ME AND MY FRIENDS ARE FROM A SOCIAL BADMINTON GROUP NEARBY THE AREA AND I HAVE INFORMED THE CLUB MEMBERS AND MY FRIENDS TO AVOID SPENDING CASH OR HANG OUT AT YOUR CAFÉ FOR GOOD.

Open till 11pm 7 days a week is great. Staff have been pleasant each time ive been in. Coffee nice. Great selection of cakes and deserts. Disapointing that only coffee is served to the tables out front between 6 - 9am....3-11pm no food.<br/><br/>Seems to attract a try hard Tony Soprano clientele particularly out the front.

Friendly staff and an ‘old time’ fitout make this an interesting place to visit. Good range of cakes and pastries, a good breakfast menu with some twists on the usual fair. <br/><br/>Good coffee and reasonable prices, well worth the visit. <br/>

Randomly walked in to this bakery because my friend got attracted by the spectacular window display for the 2nd time. Great variety of cakes which are huge as a whole cake and per slice! If you love classic cakes, this is your place! Friendly service, love the warm buzz inside which feels like a different world hidden within the South Melbourne precinct. I love the name of this shop too, sounds vintage!

Good old school feel. Great range of cakes, good coffees, Panninis, sandwiches, soups & classic fried burgers, chips etc. Something for everyone, a bit like mama making you lunch.

I have been visiting this place many times over the few years of living in this neighbourhood. They have great selection of cake and never disappoint. Coffee is pretty good as well. But I wouldn’t really invest much for lunch or dinner because then it becomes like every other place. I especially love their cheesecake . Make sure you try the baked ones .

A colleague brought an orange and lemon cake in for her birthday today which I absolutely loved. Stupid me somehow only took a photo of the box and not the cake which is really disappointing as it looked phenomenal. More importantly it tasted utterly delicious and being fruit based was not overly sweet. Thoroughly recommend <br/><br/>Original review <br/>I LOVE THIS PLACE. Every type of delicious cake imaginable, macarons, slices absolutely all bases of yumminess covered. Muffin? Doughnut? Freakshake? Cupcake? BAKLAVA? You name it they've got it and it's all tasty AF. The windows are so packed with vibrant delights they will make your mouth water.<br/><br/>Choosing between the 20 plus cakes on display is always a challenge so best to take a friend or two so you can share a variety of options. An institution that makes all its own cakes (when was the last time you went somewhere that makes all its own cakes?!?!) and I have never had a bad experience in all my many post dinner visits. <br/><br/>The toffee popcorn cheesecake is 🙌🏼 and the Nutella and peanut butter ones are equally heavenly. Best of all they are opened until midnight every day of the week so can satisfy your sweet cravings all night long

Such a shame that the quality of the sweets here is so poor because the window display looks amazing! We have been here twice and bought slices of cake, both times both slices were dry, dense and tasteless. We ordered two different kinds of cake each time. It’s a bummer, because we would probably come every week!

I ordered a takeaway coffee here, it was busy with locals. Coffee was ok, lots of cakes and treats in the counters. The menu looks ok, I'll come back to update my review.

Lots of choices, tasty food, friendly helpful <br/>staff & nice atmosphere ! Pretty good value all around. Bit of an issue parking sometimes - but I was lucky this time .

With some of our regular favourites closed during queens birthday public holiday, we ventured to The old paper shop Deli, with some visiting family in tow and no one was left disappointed. <br/><br/>The portions are large enough to be shared between two and maybe a small mini! Everything ordered was flavourful, hot and delicious. My green eggs an ham was perfect, the men indulge in the signature breakfasts and struggled to finish their orders. <br/><br/>I noted that, their cabinets are laden with so many (carb overload) delights. However, it’s clear that every baguette, pastry and the like is made with pride and love. <br/><br/>Highly recommended for peeps wanting to go on the cheap and share a dish, to the big eaters; there is be something for all. For the celiacs or gluten sensitive; This may not be the best spot for you (they do have salads though) We will be retuning soon to taste more of their vast selection!!

Old school in every domain. The selection, the place, the service.....<br/>Worse of all, nothing is done well. Poor drinks, dense and gluggy desserts and bad value for money!

We have bought cake here for several years but unfortunately the service and food has gone down the drain. Tables out the front are not for eating at during certain times and the staff are horrible about enforcing this. Cake was doughy and my daughters hot chocolate takeaway cup broke. Never again

Love finishing my night here with a coffee and cake. Great selection of cakes and food if your hungry but to be honest I just go for the cake. Well worth dropping in for some old school charm both in good and decor.

Back when I used to go a few years ago it used to be good, nowadays it’s okay but could be better for what it is. The last two times I’ve bought cake slices from there, when you take a bite into it you could tell it’s been sitting there for a while.

I like it here, it has an old school New York little Italy feel to it even though it doesn't serve Italian food. The staff are friendly, the place is always busy but not overly packed. Coffee has a nice kick to it, an integral part of Clarendon St

My rating is based purely on coffee and service. This place is heaven open all hours and make the BEST COFFEE. Service is always good, cafe is always busy so that’s a great sign. Operating hours are fantastic as l love a coffee anytime of the day or night. <br/> If you are having a late night coffee craving try this place it’s worth it.

Friendly service with classic decor but while the desserts are tasty it was slightly overpriced (I tried the strawberry Lamington , 4.98$). That being said the cheesecake looks delicious and I will definitely be returning to try a slice!

Coffee and cake today. Coffee was ok, caramel Creme was quite nice but the Tim tam cake was sickly sweet even though the person who had it has a sweet tooth.<br/>Service was friendly.

The cakes front window looked great. So I had a piece of carrot cake about $10 BUT it was uneatable. Stale and tasteless. Im thinking i wasnt given what was displayed at front. Very angry of being ripped off....

Grabbed the ol schnitzel roll, pretty average but it filled me. But the flat white was bloody good, and the person who served me was nice so yee that’s that.

Great late dessert option for weeknights after dinner - many are closed after 5pm so it seems.<br/>The baked cheesecake tasted nice but texture is a bit chalky, and can do without the almond - fruit or a sauce or ice cream would be better.

Happened to eat this bean salad one day..loved it!! Went back to get it another time but wasn't available so the chef asked me to come back on a certain day...and voila.. here I am enjoying this amazing salad !!! Thank you for being so apt on customer service and satisfaction !!

Always friendly service. Huge portions of cake. Window display looks so good! Top spot for after dinner treat. Just make sure you've left enough room.

Bought a raspberry scroll which tasted really bad, not fresh for sure, don't for how long it's been left out on the shelf,paid $6 which is not worth at all.

Came in during lunch to order a flat white and a slice of the sticky date cake. The flat white was made like a cappuccino with an off taste and the cake definitely didn't taste fresh. For the price and quality there are definitely much better options around the area. The service and atmosphere was very friendly though.

This has become our go to place! So much choices on their menu and in the display cabinet. Lovely and efficient service! There just needs to be vegan baked goods to make this place even better!

Might be an institution but they really need to up there game, quality, service and food was below average! Need to change to stay in the game with all the other awesome Cafes that are just around the corner!

Went here on the weekend for breakfast as a lot of our other usual breakfast joints in the area were packed.<br/>Service overall, no complaints, very friendly.<br/>Food was a disappointment. Had the Croque Madame and my partner had the Spanish Omelette. The Spanish Omelette was very bland, absolutely no taste at all and the egg was overcooked and dry. My Croque Madame was big, bread was thick (didn't help that there were two pieces stacked), and not a fan of the overpowering harissa hollandaise. At least it had more flavour than the omelette.<br/>On a separate occasion, tried the cakes; Snickers and NY Cheesecake. It wasn't bad but didn't stand out to compete against local bakeries and patisserie places in the area i.e. Chez Dre/Bibelot. Seemed like the cakes had been sitting at the window for a while so I'm not sure how often they bring out fresh cakes throughout the day or if they do at all...<br/>

Went here on the weekend for a quick lunch. Chicken schnitzel roll was delicious as was the coffee and lemon meringue pie. Everyone enjoyed their food. Great atmosphere and will be back again. <br/>Even got a takeaway!

Oh my gosh!! Seriously, this dessert drink is the bomb!! Its called Freakshake😍😍😍<br/>Chocolate milk shake , lots of nutella, with chocolate brownies , whipped cream. And strawberries & pretzel . Definitely must try if you around South Melbourne's area. Cosy little place , very warm atmosphere, reasonably price for dessert drink. I tried their cakes before, they are very decent too

Cake at 10pm on a warm night - good times! Had the banana caramel cake with ice cream. Quite tasty and would definitely try some of the others.

This is an old fan favourite for a lot of people in the South Melbourne area for many people, open many hours of the day, you'll never go hungry for breakfast or a late night craving/feed after a late shift at the office. Service is always friendly and you're always made to feel welcome. The selection of foods is huge, especially the sweets selection, and you can choose from the bainmarie or menu for any time of day. I personally recommend selecting from the menu, since I've found the freshly cooked items from the menu are extra special and well worth the extra - always cooked with even more love and true family pride!! :)<br/><br/>As always, today's meal of Eggs Outback, was particularly pleasing - two fried eggs, sunny side up, served alongside two hot sausages and a very special baked bean mixture (with a Mediterranean twist). Very tasty and a must try for everyone!!<br/><br/>Why a 4.5 for this venue? It can get a bit noisy at times with conversation, but that's the only downfall. Enjoy!!

The most incredible of the windows on Clarendon Street are the cake-lined ones here at The Old Paper Shop Deli. It’s a colourful and eye watering display to lure you in. It’s a huge menu here with almost twenty cakes on display, various cheesecakes, full sandwich bar, bakery items and hot food options. Everything is place about this is big, including claroie count, our portions and its prices to some degree. We frequently get sandwich-based catering for work from here and it’s usually good. DJ Peter went for the lamb shank meal one time and that thing looked huge enough to give someone a good clubbing.

Who doesn't know this place?<br/><br/>It's a legend in its hey days, a typical 80's style cafe, pre-made lunch stuff.<br/><br/>It has undergone a few renovations, correct me if I'm wrong multiple owners too.<br/><br/>It has not evolve into that specialty coffee cafe, still in the old mode, lots of competition around, although it's enjoyable to re-visit once in a while.

Just grabbed a quick hot chocolate from this place and it was great. My husband has always praised the place and I am sure it's great to grab quick food. There are many dishes which are ready and quick to get. Overall a good place to try !!!

Mediocre food. Salad was limp and overdressed. Pastry was under cooked. Tea bag was served on the side so the water was too cold for it to brew properly :(

Nice little shop. Best chai latte in the Albert Park area. I used to grab a sandwich or muffin before school, they're good if you buy them in the morning while they're still fresh. Reasonably priced.

Stopped in for a quick breakfast, service was quick and friendly. I ordered paid and was seated for a minute or so before food arrived. Coffee was OK a little weak for my liking, my mate had green eggs and ham and was well impressed by the portion, I had scrambled eggs which were fine just bordering on greasy. A cheap cheerful place to eat

Cakes are always stale as they don't turn over their products daily. In a word yuck. Lots of choice but not fresh. Service is always rude as ladies seem disinterested I providing great customer service.

Had a slice of the snickers cake. It was underwhelming. The cakes in the cabinets all looked like they had been sitting there for ages. The cake came warmed up, which would've been great except there was a wafer stick which they didn't bother removing before heating up, so it ended up so soft and disgusting. It tasted a month old. The cake itself was OK, just tasted like a normal chocolate cake. Nothing very "snickers" about it. Won't be returning.

No seriously, get your cake in the Block Arcade at Houptown Tearooms.... It's cheaper and a more inviting atmosphere with exceptional customer service. Price is jacked up at this place. Or go around the corner to Chez Dre for the best cafe food in Sth.Melbourne with great pricing and serving size, and service.

Went in for dinner this evening. The food was not fresh. The bread was stale, and their hot food had been under heat lamps all day, and looked dried out and unappealing. For the standard of the food and what we had, it was significantly overpriced. You could also really tell that their storage of glad wrapping all their salads and deli food, suggested it would be rolled out tomorrow for new customers. <br/><br/>It appears they have added on to what was originally a cake shop. However, don't appear to be doing meals to the same standard as what appears in their window. <br/><br/>On the upside the wait staff were very friendly.

Went here in 1993 and had an awesome lunch after a balloon flight. Went again in about 2005. Still pretty good. But went here again just a few days ago, with expectations of the same standards in freshness, variety and flavours. Granted, it was 9:30pm. Not the time of night when people are expected to be stampeding through the doors and kitchen staff are throwing themselves across floors to keep up with demand, but if you're going to serve roast vegetables and chicken parmigiana's at this hour of the night, they do still need to be of an acceptable standard. The effort required to chew through that chicken parmigiana wore me out. My jaws ached. I could have slept at that table. I could see the looks on the faces of my friends who I encouraged to go here for our feed. The veggies were as dry as the Simpson desert on the outside. The only edible parts of the pumpkin had to be hacked out from the inside with a knife. This just isn't good enough for $17.50. <br/>If you're a cabbie and you're sick of Maccas and Kebabs, this might be a great alternative. Mind you, the price difference might see you working a longer shift. I'd suggest just giving it a miss if you're looking for an evening meal. It might still be great for brekkie or lunch. Can't say, but I'm not chancing it.

This cafe is an icon in Clarendon Street. It is open 7 days a week 7am to Midnight. You know you can always get a good hot meal, coffee and dessert at a fair price. My wife and I visited this evening and Dined on their staple lasagne with salad followed by an piece of banana cake. The lasagne was good but perhaps a little dry. I must say though, the cake was disappointing as not was dry and perhaps a little old. Certainly not their best effort. Still we will return as it is always clean with attentive service and broad selection. Keep up the good work.

Was gifted with a beautiful, decadent cake from the Old Paper Shop Deli by my husband, which was much loved and devoured by all. So much so that we forgot to take a photo. Will return for many more cakes.

I came here on a friend's recommendation, but after seeing that most reviews were less than impressed, I was wary. <br/><br/>Nevertheless, I was persuaded to share a slice of White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake and Twix Cheesecake, which were around $8 each. They had a weird, not-quite-cheesecake consistency and tasted identical apart from the toppings and mix-ins. They weren't bad, but they weren't worth it either.<br/><br/>Despite that, their enormous display of sweet treats boasts a lot of variation, and I'm open to trying something else. The staff are pleasant!

I've had great coffee there but today was not that day, I would call this hazelnut latte the worst I've ever had! The sachets you buy at the super market are better. This place can be a hit or a big MISS

Rating: 7/10<br/>In one word: Massive<br/>This thing was so big that it came in its own takeaway box and nearly filled it. Possibly the biggest and heaviest vanilla slice to date and although messy as hell to eat, the product was pretty good. A thick dusting of icing sugar ended up everywhere in the car, outside the car, in my beard but some managed to be consumed as per the plan. The custard very creamy and a lovely light texture that was easy to scoop out. Definite vanilla flavour, but more creamy than eggy. The pastry; golden in colour and flaky in texture, although a little dry compared to some of the buttery pastry layers that make up the best slices. Big and expensive but the overall experience was pleasurable.

Awful coffee. Bad service. Awful breakfast. Small serves for the price. <br/>Looks are deceiving from inside. I won't return<br/>Again. Very disappointing for South Melbourne.

Oh so ordinary. Schnitzel roti at $11.50 had no flavour and unpleasant texture. That plus entree size lamb casserole, a coffee (also tasteless) and a soft drink cost $35. Seems a lot to me. I still can't believe it. Don't often get to South Melbourne, but I'm sure there are better places there. Avoid.

Average quality food and overpriced. Efficient and friendly staff.. I have been going to this cafe on or off for 20 years and always liked the ambience and food however a recent visit was very disappointing. Ordered the pulled pork roll and the meat was mostly fat and overcooked (and very pricey). I then ordered a plate of veggies from the bain marie ($8.50 ish) and there were no questions asked when they took away my almost completely untouched plate. The breakfast served to my friend was also overpriced and very stingy. Given the quality of the eateries nearby I'll bypass this place in future.

Not worth the money. Sandwich/wrap didn't taste right, couldn't finish it. Customer service was lacking. Won't be back, there are many better places in the area.

Just walked out of this horrible place. Should have checked the reviews before walking in. Very poor customer service, the worst hot chocolate I have ever had, half the cup was full of froth. The cakes don't taste as good as they look. Would never go to this awful place.

Very disappointed... Was given a 3cm piece of cake today and charged $8 for it. Being a regular previously I am beyond disappointed with how small this serving is. Standards have dropped guys - get it right!<br/><br/><br/>-----21 Mar, 2015-----<br/><br/>Flourless Chocolate Cake - AMAZING. Visit this shop weekly and absolutely love the flourless chocolate cake. Served warm it is amazing!!! If you love cheese cake - try the white Tim Tam, my partner gets it every time! Staff are friendly, can't complain!

Avoid at all costs. The display of cakes is very impressive but the taste is certainly not. The lemon meringue is acidic and leaves an undesirable egg-like aftertaste. The mango cheesecake is no better with its odd flavour of condensed milk (no hint of mango anywhere). Cake lovers can find better places to spend their money and calories.

Overall: Run to this muesli. I sort of did and it was amazing. I will be coming back here for the cakes also, but you will have to leave my eventual thoughts on those to your imagination as this is a muesli blog.

The serves here are big. This is big enough to feed two people with small appetites. Although they used fresh vegetables I was not a fan of the salad

Seriously good food. If you want quality food, both savoury and sweet, you have to go to the Old Paper Shop cafe, we visit every time we come to Melbourne, and have not yet been disappointed. Their salads are so fresh and the variety is great, their hot meals are also great and for a serious lunch you have to try the marinated beef rib, so tender and flavoursome. If you still have room, try the bread and butter pudding cake better than grandma used to make.

Diana. My mouth had been watering all day thinking about returning here sfter a recent shopping trip to Docklands. I had actually passed here in the morning & saw the wonderous, eye catching display of cakes & macarons. Alas, although the service was super friendly the coffee & macaron left a lot to be desired. The macaron was weaping on the top which indicated to me it was not fresh. The coffee had a huge amount of foam for a flat white & had ziltch flavor (bad for Melbourne) Hopefully will return again to try out the other amazing looking cakes which originally caught my eye-bad choice macaron

Amazing!!. As soon as I walked in I was asked if id like a coffee... Chai latte was made within seconds and delivered to me the vanilla slice was just devine.... U don't get this service and good quality coffee and cake anywhere <br/>HIGHLY RECOMEND<br/>Oh and I forgot to mention such a huge range of cakes on offer just AMAZING<br/><br/>LOVED IT!!

Adelaidians. This place is amazing, found it by chance. The staff are amazing, the food is amazing and the pancakes are to die for. Well done guys

Regular diner. I love the place. Try to get there weekly. Staff friendly and helpful. Love their hot food. Great place to meet friends.

Disappointing - this place has potential. A shame they can't reach it.. Disappointing - the place has the potential to be fantastic. Customer service is poor - a jug of milk for my coffee was spilt, by the manager of the venue, on a presentation I was about to present to a client - and there was hardly an apology. <br/><br/>The food is ordinary at best - the staff, while pleasant, don't understand customer service. <br/><br/>From the outside, the venue looks funky and has the potential to be a real player in the neighbourhood - a shame that they let themselves down time and again. <br/><br/>I would avoid this venue - its sad I have tow rite that but they have done nothing in my visit to encourage me back.

When you walk in to this cafe, it looks like every salad, sandwich and filling is available here. The staff are all sweet and friendly. The salads are a little pricey but seeing you can have almost every filling you want the sandwich or roll is a better bet. There's also seats inside.

Bought meat and veg for lunch. Half the meat was in edible due to fat. Avoid like the plague

Ordered sourdough with sides of avo and mushrooms and left feeling like I had just eaten the greasiest breakfast of my life. Dripping in oil and lacking flavour or freshness. While the coffee was okay and the cakes looked amazing, the food was seriously disappointing .

Today we had breakfast at the Old Papershop Cafe, while the food and coffee was ok the service was TERRIBLE !!! They forgot our order for both food and refills on our coffee . Won't be going back there - too much competition to put up with crap service.

Another perfect Melbourne coffee. I was grocery shopping of an Easter Saturday morning and the places I had planned on having a quick coffee were closed due to the holiday. Before I caught the 112 tram back to my flat, I popped in here for a flat white. Thanks for being open! I had a large one ($4.80 for about 450 ml) and it was fine. Robust flavour, not quite as strong as an Italian job but close, perfectly microfoamed. I won't say it was amongst the best I've had, but it lived up to Melbourne's reputation as an ace coffee town.<br/><br/>Lucky thing I only had enough cash for coffee, not one of those tempting-looking cakes in the front. I would have gone for the Tim Tam one, but I see it gets roundly slagged in these Urbanspoon reviews. I had snagged a packet of T-Ts at Coles (on special for $2.) That was fortunate because I JUST missed the tram -- carrying too many bags and a full coffee so I couldn't run for it. But I had a nice coffee coffee and Australia's iconic bikkies to bide my time with until the next rattle-trap rolled up.

Deceiving cakes. Don't be fooled by the large variety of cakes displayed at the shop front window - they look amazing but they certainly don't taste it! I should've read the reviews on here before walking in.<br/><br/>We ended up with the Tim Tam cheesecake, flourless lemon cake, Snickers cheesecake and white chocolate cheesecake. Sounds yum, huh? Wrong. The cheesecakes didn't taste like cheesecakes at all, more like stodgy, chewy bites of sugared dough. The flourless lemon cake was less disappointing but the texture was too muddy and the slice was way too sweet. At first I thought it was generous of them to cut large slices but none of the cakes are really worth a second bite.<br/><br/>Don't make the same mistakes we did! These cakes were definitely not worth $8.90 a slice and the calories you consume. Go someplace else, or go across the road and get cake from Coles instead.

Lovely place for lazy breakfast. The wait wasn't long and the service was friendly. Can't wait to go back to try some of their salads- they look amazing!

Good air conditioning. The air conditioning was good on a hot day ... Everything else (except the service which was helpful and smiling) was VERY average. There are better places in the area

Even though the first time I came here my food went to the wrong table which resulted in a long wait, I still came back because the food is delicious, the service is so friendly and the ambiance of the place is just so comfortable and welcoming... Two important factors for me as I am most often eating alone.

Beautiful cake the best I've tasted in Melbourne and coffee perfect also,the staff couldn't have been nicer so friendly and obliging.i will be back

Although cakes look delicious they are not . I bought a baked cheesecake and a Tim tam cheesecake for my partners birthday . First bite and we were horrified , the texture was just off . The base was soggy and not edible. At 8 dollars a slice expected so much more . Avoid.

Just walked out from Old Paper because couldn't finish our food. It tasted awful. Very disappointed. Will never walk into that shop again

I just looking for one nice place to do some assignment and all of sudden i found this shop. Even this is my first time visiting this place, i can say that i fall in love with this. The Chocolate Ripple was so wonderful suggested by the friendly staff. Really impressed. will come again.

Service could be better but the food is good. Cool little deli in South Melbourne with pretty good food. I've been here twice, once for breakfast (french toast) and the next time for lunch (tried a mixture of the different salads on offer). It gets a bit too busy and the staff seem a bit flustered and unfriendly. The food is good though. I'd go back.

A good deli cafe. With a tasty mediterainian spin on flavours. Great huge salads. Masterful soy chai. Great service. 2 thumbs up. Nice to go somewhere and see a little though and skill go into the food.

Really nice coffee and cakes. Great place, really busy when I went. I got 4 big texan style muffins to take away they were blueberry and raspberry. There always coming up with different variations and have the biggest muffins that include: orange and poppyseed, peach, strawberry, apple and raspberry white choc. I highly recommend.

Planning on revisiting soon!. Went here almost 2 years ago on the night my partner and I started dating. The location was very handy to the hotel my partner was staying at and the opening hours are very good.<br/>Ordered Goulash and a creamy pasta both were tasty, the meat especially was of good quality.

Expensive, always open, which is handy, tonight ordered tea and baklava. Give you teabag in a cup, with a teapot with hot water, what's that about? Are they trying to kid you that it's pot tea? And they forgot about the baklava, they're NOT busy. How can you stuff up such a simple order? And charged me $9.50. Bloody dear.

They really need to work on their customer service, we should have left when getting a menu and ordering seemed too much trouble, waited <br/>45mins for breakfast which was very ordinary.

Awful food, poor service and high prices. First experience ordered my girlfriend a ham, cheese and tomato sandwich to take to work which she couldn't eat. Had one slice of ham and cheese, stale bread, cheese tasted off. Next visit ordered an apple crumble late one night, charged $7 for a small piece broken into bits. Didn't realise until I got home as it was placed in a bag. Rarely leave negative reviews though this place has done me over the only two times I've been, not recommended.

I try and get to the old paper shop at least 3 times a week. The coffee is always good and the staff are so friendly. It's Is definitely one of my favourite cafe's in Melbourne

Could be better. I used to get my take away from here a few years ago, but has gone downhill since. Customer service is shocking, the staff make you feel like it's a hassle for them to serve you. When asked questions about the food, they give very short answers that don't actually help.....<br/>From what Sth Melb has to offer, I can't how they can stay competitive unless they pick up their game and offer fresher food (also quite expensive, I paid $17 for a small size pasta and latte) and better service.

Used to be good. This place was popular years ago but recent visits have been disappointing. Staff need to work on their customer service skills and prices are too high. Lost a customer now.

Improvements could be made.. An oldy that's a goodie. The Old Paper Shop Deli do a good job, but they should keep it as a bakery cafe and not try to be both that and a restaurant. I found that the pastries and croissants were overpriced but service always friendly. Many locals frequent this cafe bakery and the coffee is good but not if you're in a rush.<br/><br/>I give them a 6/10

A bit hit or miss with the dessert slices and service.

Great Cafe. They have been open for decades and there is a reason why. The place is fantastic.<br/>The wait staff are very friendly, and the owner and son both work the place and are always open for a chat.<br/>It didn't take long for me to get on a first name basis working nearby and it's my favourite cafe in south Melbourne.<br/><br/>The Muffins are definitely one of their standout features and worth a try if you go

Great place if you're looking for excellent coffee, excellent food and excellent service! A fantastic cafe with a large and inviting range of both savory and sweet delights. Atmosphere is great as it avoids the usual South Melbourne wank!

Good old caf. I love this place its brilliant - the staff are always so friendly and amenable and make the effort to make you feel welcome - it has a nice family vibe about it. I love how there is so much choice on what to order although sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming. The coffee is great and the portion sizes are really generous.

Nice staff shame about the food.. I ordered veggie soup and my boyfriend went for the parma. If I'd asked for ketchup with frozen veggies I'd've been happy because that's basically what I got. Yucky yucky food - never had worse soup in my life. The parma was so rubbery it could've bounced out the door on its own. Only sheer hunger meant that it got eaten. In fairness one of the senior waiting staff was very responsive and comped us the soup which I barely could touch. Close enough to the worst food I've ever had.

Hot Cake?. Can't recall the last time I went to a cafe and had cake with cream cheese icing that had been heated up in the microwave... To the point where the icing was melting and running on the plate! Not a good introduction to this South Melbourne cafe.

Overpriced, tasteless food with rude staff. Don't bother. Ruined my entire lunchtime.

Great staff & perfect spot for late night coffee & dessert!. There's always the feeling that you can't be fussed to dress up and go to some chi-chi cafe in some trendy suburb. Perhaps you just want to meet a friendly face at a no-fuss, casual cafe, either for a quick cuppa or a good read through the newspaper to enjoy the next couple of hours.<br/><br/>The Old Paper Shop Deli is just that. It has an eclectic mix of vintage and art deco emblazoned on the interior and exterior facade which is addictive to look at. Staff buzz around the place and are warm, friendly and casual, yet professional.<br/><br/>A traditional cafe of sorts, it offers breakfast, lunch and dinners, as well as offering late night munchies from desserts to sandwiches to a selection of foods in the bain marie to the most hardened insomniac.<br/><br/>But the winning combination it offers is just a non-fussy, casual atmosphere that makes you keep coming back - staff who know you by name by your third visit or so, and the unpretentiousness of the food, the staff and the customers - many who are like myself, repeat customers - makes it appealing and just the place to go when you just want to be yourself; daggy tracks or glammed up diva.<br/><br/>The food is fairly decent, the portions are massive, but their best offerings are their desserts and coffee.<br/><br/>My current favourite is their White Chocolate Cheesecake. Rich, moist yet the perfect texture of not-too-heavy or not-too-spongey, every mouthful is a divine hit of white chocolate and the creaminess of cream cheese. <br/><br/>Their Sticky date cake is also good, and served with either a fruit salad or a scoop of ice cream - you can ask for both or tell them what you prefer.<br/><br/>Their coffees have always been quite consistent, save for the rare 'bad' coffee. If you're sitting al fresco it's better to pop in to grab their raw sugar, housed in stainless steel tins on every table, as it adds to the exquisite carmelised taste that goes best with coffee, unlike the unpleasant iron tang of bleached white sugar.<br/><br/>All in all, it's a great place to drop by and relax with friends, family or just the morning's paper, and enjoy the weather.<br/><br/>Best of all, it's open till midnight every night, and most public holidays, serving piping hot food and a friendly greeting, till late.

Popped in for a late lunch. Foccacia tasteless and overpriced. Owner was rude, arrogant and treated his female staff with disrespect. Overall, never go back. Very tense atmosphere and food bad.

Quick morning stop disappoints. Quick stop on the way into work last week saw us grab a coffee & hot chocolate from here. Hot chocolate was ok (nether liked or disliked) but the coffee was forgettable. Bitter and edgy, I struggled to finish it before heading off again. Better coffee and a great hot chocolate can be found just South of the Dorcas St lights at Fratelli's.

Great breakfasts. I'm a regular diner there every Sunday for at least 5 years. The breakfasts are fantastic which is what keeps me coming back, plus the staff are always friendly. I usually some with a large group of people at their busiest time (12noon) and the service has always been really prompt, friendly and they've never made a mistake with any of our meals. I've tried just about everything on the menu and admit that my favorite meals are the breakfasts (especially the eggs florentine). desserts are pretty average and the greek salad is by far the best one. Love the foccacias for lunch but the pasta is usually a little bland. The coffee is ALWAYS fantastic and I've never had a problem with the service.