Coco And Joe

What is brown, hairy, and wears sunglasses? A coconut on vacation 🥳😂

And while I still haven’t become a coconut, after visiting Coco and Joe, I am pretty sure everyone will become seriously coco-nuts about this place! Because even though the name of this place makes you think of coconuts, let me spill the beans... literally! Yes, this place is actually a little coco-licious heaven of co-ffee, co-colate (😂) and guess what...coconut bowls! 🙌 is there a better combo to bring all the summer vibes? 😍

The place is ideally located in the centre of the CBD and even though there is much competition around it and so many options, I can definitely see many business man & women, welcoming leaving the office for a couple of minutes and just flying to their own private island filled with coconuts! Yes, it is a cacao beans and a coconut inspired theme that you can find in this place and there are actually plants that resemble actual real coconuts falling from the ceiling! Multiple other plants and decorative twinkle lights surround the environment and it is possible one of the most beautiful little cafes I have been to at the CBD.
The truth is that Therese and her partner have surely put so much effort into this place and you can tell that straight away from the moment you walk in. Not only are you astonished by the thematic decoration and twilight lights inside but the smell of chocolate is real here! A little chocolate heaven on Little Lonsdale! 👏
Actually Therese’s partner is so passionate about their little place that he is the actual barista during weekdays creating the most bewildering and decadent hot chocolates and Therese herself is an artist and little chef with her delicious hand-made truffles (that will soon come to the store).
Service is unremarkable and they are ready to satisfy your needs in a glimpse and this place is definitely the one that you want to visit for your daily coffee fix or even for the quick lunch break! 🙌

I was kindly welcomed by the staff and Therese herself came shortly after to say hi and even tell me the story of her little place. It is so gratifying, as someone that has been through a lot myself, to see people fighting for their dreams and going against what is currently a saturated market and trying to bring something new and exciting to costumers. Step by step I can say straight away that this little place does stand out from other venues from the decorations and props used and even though the room isn’t very massive inside, it sure is more than enough and sufficient for the flow of the usual in and out coffee takeaways as well as for the people that want to sit inside and take a moment in this little coco-heaven.
After going through the menu, I could see it was not very extensive (which is completely understandable considering it’s a small and more private type of venue) and unfortunately some of the most tempting options had dairy in it, so I couldn’t choose things like Waffles or French toast. They are thinking about creating more allergen friendly options and expanding the menu but to be honest, I was also very happy with our (although I definitely wanted to try their Savoury Waffles or the French Toast if they had a vegan/DF version). So here’s what we had:

- Tropical Tango Smoothie Bowl – they have 3 smoothies bowls that they are hoping to make a big come back for this Spring and Summer. Yes, you can enjoy them now but they will probably make some little twists during the next months and have more topping and extras available! This one specifically that I had, had pineapple, mango, banana and passionfruit for the base and then it was topped with fresh fruits and some chia seeds. One of the things I have to highlight is that they do not add any powders (such as protein powder or any blends) to the mix and the final product that you get is 100% natural taste of the fresh fruit which is AMAZING. Don’t get me wrong, I love my protein smoothies too but just the taste of pure fruit is just bliss. They also use coconut milk in all the smoothies they make with gives that delightful creamy consistency and matches with the natural sweetness of the fruits!

- Go Go Green Bowl – the bowl has spinach, mint, avocado and banana and everything again is blended with coconut milk. The consistent is quite different than the mango bowl and it did not come with many toppings but just some chia seeds, some banana slices and mint leaves. It would be the bowl for the avocado lovers and for those that certainly don’t like many toppings. Because the consistency is quite thick and slightly ‘grainy’ I think it certainly is a good call not too add many toppings to the bowl as it can become too filling for some people. I think that they could consider adding a little touch of pistachio to the bowl and even though I forgot to mention that to them, I will leave the friendly recommendation here – it would not only stand out from other green bowls but give a special unique taste! Personally if they want to continue with the same ingredients, I would change the coconut milk for coconut water and like I said the bowl can be quite dense, but obviously everyone has their opinion and preference (maybe if could be an option to choose coconut water or coconut milk in the bowls! That would certainly be interesting!)
 
- Berry Choc Bircher Bowl - it is a mixture of chia seeds, rolled oats and mixed berries soaked overnight in coconut yogurt. Actually this mean can be done in a ‘normal version’ with Greek yogurt and in a vegan friendly option with coyo. My friend had most of this bowl but I got to try it and I found the bricher REALLY creamy and enjoyable. I think the taste could be more intense and it is lacking a bit of that berry flavour – which can easily be improved by just adding a few more berries to the blend! Not overly sweet and not lacking sweetness either, it came beautifully presented and topped with two beautiful strawberries, a decadent and good portion for the bowl granola and banana slices. Actually I think this is indeed a filling meal even though the size of the bowl is the same as the other ones, of course but the oatmeal base with granola on top certainly makes quite wholesome! 

- Iced Matcha - I had seen these smoothies in their feed and it was something I really wanted to try. I was actually overwhelmed how they actually achieve the final product and the effect with the colours and shapes! I won’t give out the details but I can say that this Iced Happy Soy with matcha was terrific! I love matcha lattes and this one even though it wasn’t a latte, in a day hot as it was, this was SO appreciated and welcomed. In contrast to the turmeric latte the taste here is not very strong (of course that I know that taste also depends on the amount of powder used in each drink, but just merely describing my experience and my feedback regarding how things came presented to us!)

- Bunny Latte/ Leaf Latte/ Flower Latte - This place is clearly putting the cards on the coffee and cacao beans they use so the latte art also plays a big role and I had the privilege of shooting some of their art! Unfortunately I did not get to try those due to the lactose content of the full cream milk used but the smell… oh my god the smell! I would certainly love to see at least one vegan option here, especially when these days there are such incredible vegan options. I also believe that bringing this will both benefit the cafe as it will make more people happy while visiting this place and they won’t feel as limited in regards to their dietary requirements, as well as of course the cafe, to gain and attract new costumers!

- Turmeric Oat Latte - quite a strong colour and taste! Actually I was surprised by the taste as it was similar to another place I visited that found the favour quite intense and even a little too much. My friend said it was a good drink but too strong for her and even though I enjoy drinking it, I would agree that less turmeric would work better here. It was still nicely blended and it featured a beautiful flower but I would personally also recommend using other brands like SimpleTribe or Unicorn SuperFoods as the final product is certainly more pleasing to the palate. Oat milk was from Minor Figures and I love that brand myself and obviously approve their choice 🙌

Just a couple final notes. 
- In terms of the size of the bowls, I think they could be slightly more filled since they don’t come with many toppings, but obviously that for a coconut bowl serving it is quite acceptable and the adequate portion. However I would say that some people would still be hungry by just ordering a bowl and maybe a combo of a toast+smoothie bowl or drink+smoothie bowl could be suggested on the menu, to avoid any less positive feedback from brunch experiences.
- Their speciality is definitely their hot chocolate and they have 3 distinct varieties of white, milk and dark. Similarly to coffee they also feature a single origin hot chocolate with again 3 origins (Madagascar 67%, Ecuador 70% and Kumabo 80%) and they even have flavoured hot chocolate with flavours like vanilla, caramel, hazelnut, matcha white chocolate, toblerone and crunchie! (What a bad day to be lactose intolerant I would say, because that all sounds so good!). I personally couldn't enjoy any but I am sure many people will love these and obviously if you are a chocolate lover you don't want to miss the opportunity to try these high quality drinks. And like I mentioned previously, a vegan option would certainly be appreciated, so I leave the suggestion again 🙌
- This place gets 5 starts as an overall. I have to be honest and say that in terms of smoothie bowls, there were good but did not stand out from other ones I’ve had before. However the rawness and true flavours, along with their carefully chosen high quality ingredients, and with some of the other items on the menu sound very interesting, creative and distinctive. Quality is unremarkable and what is more is the environment and in terms of the place I was more inclined a 5 star experience. We all know that it’s not just about the food - without the right mood and enjoyable moment surrounding it, a great meal can turn into the worse one — but obviously the variety of options and details of the food matters. Although this place still has (and agreed by Therese) couple of twists to make to the menu, it certainly tickets all the points for the passion, care and unique experience it creates (P.S. even the coffee cups have beautiful drawings!).

And finally,... don’t be that kind of candy that is never on time and be chocoLATE because you might get grounded then! I would definitely recommend to pay this little cute coco inspired place a visit!

One of Melbourne CBD’s hidden gems. All I can say is how INCREDIBLE this little cosy cafe was! The staff especially were very welcoming and friendly. From great coffee to amazing home cooked meals, you’ve got the full package here at Coco and Joe. Our breakfast was packed full of authentic flavour and to top it off the presentation was outstanding. We cannot wait to come back again!!!

I've been here only twice but It became my favorite cafe in Melbourne. Very clean and cozy, comfortable, I felt like being at home. I love this place and I'm 100% sure I'll visit this cafe again. Highly recommend this place☺

This cafe is fab. I'm a big matcha fan, and they do matcha with hot chocolate! So delicious. Great service and ambiance! Did I mention sparkling water on tap too! Will definitely return.

Great and cute little café! Coffee and food was amazing, would highly recommend!

Really lovely little cafe with a rustic, homely feel. It is very well designed inside with some great interiors, colours & fabrics. 90% of everything is there is all home made and it really shows with the taste and freshness. The staff are incredibly warm & welcoming. Exceptional scrambled eggs & the $7 coffee and pastry is a steal! Highly recommend!