Review Annoying Brother Espresso + Kitchen - North Fitzroy

I ordered poached mushrooms on toast. I got inedible eggs on cheap bread with a side of uncooked mushrooms, two random (unordered) hard carrots, some wet broccoli and a sad snake of tomato sauce. All topped off with dried herbs. My friend’s was just as poor. This place clearly has new owners and a non chef in the kitchen. A shame because it used to be great.

Good coffee - didn't have the food. Nice artwork on the chalkboard. Good for a morning paper read.

I've seen this place switch hands a few times. I'm always confused on whether this place is a coffee shop or Vietnamese noodle cafe or perhaps both! It's like it decided to sit on the fence - to still serve coffee but let's throw in some Vietnamese style pho, and its not half bad! But I have to say instead of bean sprouts for the condiments you gave me leafy mixed greens 🤷‍♂️ again it's the sitting on the fence thing. It's like a pho and meat pie gave birth and created this place. It sounds negative but the coffee wasn't too bad and the pho was doable, I'd eat it again. Lets be honest it's North Fitzroy so expect the unexpected in a cafe. Try it, though the Vietnamese iced coffee didn't go down well for me.

Gahh very disappointed. You have advertised yourselves on Uber Eats as "under 30 minutes". I made an order with you because im huuungry and under 30 minutes is what I wanted. But I'm still sitting here.... an hour later and my order is still 'being prepared' as it says on the Application. I really hope the quality of your product will make up for your false advertisement :(

On saturday l went to Annoying Brother and had their Special deal of Vietnamese char grilled chicken with rice and salad and it was delicious and the price was good for $13.00 the service was fantastic and the meal was delicious, l recommend to visit to try the Vietnamese food it was fantastic in taste and quality !

Good coffee and friendly barista. The food and drinks here is slightly pricy for what they serve though.

Food and coffee are good but takeaway took 35 Minutes to be ready.

Good coffee, not many options in the immediate area, but $5 for a strong long black is ridiculous.

Seriously AMAZING coffee (and that’s not an easy feat... I drink SOY lattes). And they have small, medium, and jumbo! Yay!!! Quiet guy behind the counter is lovely too. If all you do is come here for coffee, you’ll be glad you did!!!

Here’s my breakfast: Inedible eggs on white cheap bread with a side of uncooked mushrooms, two random (unordered) hard carrots, some wet broccoli and a sad snake of tomato sauce. All topped off with dried herbs. Next level trolling from a place that clearly has new owners and a non chef in the kitchen. Go for the LOLs but not the food.

Food was ok but very average service. We had breakfast here. The food was good, just a bit basic but the service was what put us off. The woman serving seemed annoyed to be there so made us feel uncomfortable.

Worst customer service! They can give your coffee to someone and let you almost battle to have the coffee that you paid for (and overheating the milk just to be more annoying).

HORRIBLE customer service. I came out of my way to use a (still valid) Groupon voucher here for a breakfast burrito and a coffee. Upon inquisition, I was informed that the menu had changed and the burrito wasn't on there anymore. At first I was okay with that, and said I would be happy having some alternative dish instead. <br/><br/>Then they told me voucher was discontinued two months ago, and that the cafe no longer has deals with Groupon, so I couldn't use it. I had already paid for the Groupon and was never told about the discontinuation. I asked the two workers if there was anything else I could redeem the voucher for at all and they said no. I wanted a coffee desperately, but wasn't about to waste any money on this place so I left. <br/><br/>They didn't even apologise or try to offer me anything else- if they are owners, I am baffled because they didn't seem to care at all about the lost business. If they are simply employees, the owner/manager should investigate this, because they did not appear concerned about customer satisfaction or the success of the business. Don't mess with a frugal coffee-addict and her morning brew.

came in Sunday lunchtime, only patrons ordering food. <br/>ordered two coffees (regular) that came in giant glasses and so weak they just tasted of milk. <br/>ordered a bowl of porridge each and eggs on toast to share, waited 45 mins for porridge that for $13 had a stale ginger biscuit broken up on top and 2 bits of rhubarb. definitely not worth the 45min wait or the cost.<br/>after an hour and still no eggs we had to leave and cancel the egg order. not sure what was happening with 3 staff members working and these delays. disappointing.

Came here for a coffee and breakfast burrito. Coffee was great and the cafe had a great vibe with good decorations. The burrito had lots of flavour with the generous bacon serving and egg. The only let down was the food took a while to come so there was a large gap of time between getting out coffee and food.

We ordered coffee and burrito take away. <br/>They gave me coffee first, and then we had to wait for our burrito 30 more min after that. <br/>We'll understand if they tell us in advance. By the time we got our burrito, our coffee already got cold. <br/><br/>Service was friendly, but it doesn't mean smile can cover 30 min burrito.

Did I order the wrong dish ..... surely there's a lot more to offer ....<br/><br/>Hipster suburb, so I took my hipster daughter for brunch to blend in :-)<br/><br/>It has the right ambiance, very quaint, not even 20 patrons and can't even get a nice table to enjoy our morning without the wind and cigarette smoke coming from the outside. Moved twice and finally got a nice spot on the Communal table.<br/><br/>Bread boxes stacked on the floor next to the toilet door is not a welcoming sight, food handling?<br/><br/>Anyway, coffee is above average, had the Short Black and Soy Latter, beans by Moody Sister House Blend.<br/><br/>Foodwise; Cool music coming from the kitchen, great selection of tunes Chef. We ordered two dishes;<br/>The Burrito Breakfast is excellent, great portion, well made, tasty, just right. However the Corn & Haloumi Fritter with an extra Poached Egg not so much, Poached Egg was tiny and overcooked, Corn Fritter lost its freshness, moisture & softness was doughy and hard, just like the Haloumi, but fantastic rocket dressing.<br/><br/>This place surely has more to offer, all the best, we'll come back and check it out again, I've got a date with that scrumptious looking Eggs Benedict.

The coffee is impressive. The flavour of the beans was interesting. It's not just for coffee, there is a food menu which I will sample soon. However, the place seems to lack some soul.

Cheerful and bright atmosphere in the Café. Lots of colourful Ikea décor and comfortable seating. Great coffee, but would want to try the breakfast dishes next time, rather than burrito options. Skim Latte $3.80Flat White $3.80. Great coffees. Creamy and good flavour. No sugar needed. 8/10. Meatball Sub $12.50

I came here for breakfast. Ordered the pancakes. I liked how they put in berries into the pancake batter but that made the pancake a little sour. The berry compote was good but I felt that the yoghurt topping killed the pancake stack as it made the entire pancake way too sour for my liking. However, the dish was very well presented and looks really Instagrammable.

Pretty disappointed with he service. Got good coffees straight away and ordered food only to wait over half an hour when we were the only ones in the cafe. Only to find our hollandaise cold and poached eggs hard. Won't be coming here again. Not impressed.

Had a Scoopon for a burrito (three options) and drink. Upon arrival the place was dead empty except for the cashier, chef, and a friendly visitor. I presented my Scoopon, and the guy just rudely put it through, without asking which burrito I wanted, or any changes I wanted applied. I was then told it had to be take away. No eat in option. When he handed me my coffee I kindly asked what burrito I would be getting and what was in it - needed to omit the meat (veggo!). The coffee wasn't too bad (unlike the burrito itself) but was slightly dry. <br/><br/>Sat outside on a public bench to eat the burrito in a take away container. To begin with, the salsa and avocado were DUMPED on top of the HALVED burrito (pictured below). I was given a plastic fork to eat this with. HOW DO YOU CALL THIS A BURRITO?! The filling of the burrito was 90% egg (dry and pasty egg might I add, gross and pictured below) and 10% rocket and tomato. Not nice. It was the most awkward thing I have ever had to eat in my existence. The worst excuse for a burrito I have ever come across in my life. The salsa and guacamole was good though. And the wrap element. But still. Will not be returning!

Lovely staff and nice vibe<br/>But, the menu was disappointing and food was average. The coffee was fine. With so many options nearby, I wouldn't go back

I have an 'annoying brother' myself, in fact he's so annoying I haven't spoken to him in five years. However he's just moved to the area and I'm in two minds as to whether I should break the fued to bond with him over how terminally sh!t this cafe is.

Unfortunately Two Tall Chefs was closed for their Easter Break, so had the misfortune of trying Annoying Brother being hungry and nearby.<br/><br/>The experience from start to finish was disastrous, service was slow, waited nearly an hour for food that when it arrived was disgusting and inedible.<br/><br/>Chef needs some basic cooking skills - if your going to serve brunch you must be able to make good poached eggs.<br/><br/>Food had clearly been sat on hot plates and so had dried out, making bacon and toast very hard. <br/><br/>I certainly will not be going back

Annoying indeed. Thought I would give this place another try but sorry I did.<br/><br/>Tried to order a bacon and egg toasted panini but no luck. This place had a BLAT on the menu but had to check with the chef if several ingredients could be taken off the BLAT to provide the simple order that I wanted. They came back and said this could be done but at the same price as a BLAT. Dumb response but my decision to go back is a simple one now.

Worst brunch in Melbourne! Took over and hour for food to come. Poached eggs were hard boiled, which were corrected on the 3rd attempt from the chef. Eggs benedict totally covered, swimming in Hollandaise. Bacon totally crisp burnt. Toast rock solid. Only positive was the apologetic waitress who was mortified with the situation.

Astonishingly great coffee!. I happened to be picking up a friend from Nicholson street the other day and Annoying Brother was conveniently next to where I had parked. I decided to stop in to grab a coffee while I waited for a friend and happened to be surprised to be presented with one of the most enjoyable coffees I've had in a long time. As a passionate Melbourne barista who takes pride in my own coffee and often am disappointed when I buy coffee (although I try not to fuss) this was such great coffee I even felt compelled to give praise and a tip to the barista! Great coffee! Taking friends their today, hopefully I can say the same today. <br/><br/>8/10 Latte - Perfect foam, perfect temp, perfect shot extraction. Can't say enough. Only reason I've not given it a 9 was due to the lack of latte art.

Food is surprisingly good, despite the local coffee only vibe. Service is not speedy, it is laid back, cruisey and local.

This all adds to the playfulness and fun-ness of this place. The menu (can be found above) is simple yet different. There are interesting dishes on the menu such as Silly Eggs – soft poached eggs dropped in Napoli sauce with chorizo and feta, The MeBrother which is honey glazed ham with creamy scrambled eggs on an english muffin,  as well as everyone’s favourite Smashed Avocado and Homemade Pancakes. There is also a Breakkie B

Annoying Brother in North Fitzroy is by no means annoying as it aspires to take a laid back approach. The street side seating is cornered off with a picket fence and the interior feature wall is scattered with cheeky chalk art and menu specials. The ambiance and decor offer the perfect setting for a chilled brunch experience – perfect for lazy weekends. Being a lazy Sunday, it didn’t bother me that foo

Polly. My husband and I had a VERY delicious quick/late lunch here today. Never been before; it just happened to be near where we were parked. Ordered the corn fritters with haloumi/avocado/smoked salmon and a most delicious rocket salad beside.<br/><br/>It was superior in every way. We will definitely go again. The delightful young woman behind the counter added to our pleasure.<br/><br/>Thank you chef and staff.

Greeted by uninterested staff both on their phone. Muffin was stale, coffee a little burnt. Gave it a go but wouldn't go back.

Wonderful service, coffee (long black) a solid 8/10, takes cards (no minimum) and has indoor and outdoor seating. Really good place! Decor perhaps a bit over the top, but that's not very important. Can't comment on food as didn't eat here, just had coffee.

Groupon Voucher = Average food?. We purchased a Groupon Voucher for 2 breakfast burritos and 2 coffees for around $18 (I can't remember the exact price but it was around this).<br/><br/>The place itself was a little hard to find despite the yellow signage. Inside, it was a fairly busy - with couples and many young families in the cafe. The decor was quite hip but we opted to sit outside as it was a nice morning. Whilst the cafe is small, it definitely seems a more indoorsy-type of cafe as the outdoor area is on the footpath and fairly lacklustre (unless you like watching trams). The waiter who took our order seemed really vague (or hungover?) but the barista was very accommodating when I asked if I could have a chai latte instead of a coffee. <br/><br/>I glanced at the menu briefly and saw that the breakfast burrito was worth around $18 by itself, so I was looking forward to a tasty brunch! Our chai latte and coffee came out not long after we sat down. The chai itself was pretty average, but then again, it's probably better to err on the bland side rather than get those sickly-sweet syrupy chai lattes. <br/>Unfortunately, our breakfast burritos came out 45 minutes + after we had sat down. We glanced over at the table next to us and although they arrived before us, it seemed as it there were waiting for around the same amount of time. It looked like they were ordering fairly simple fare (e.g. eggs, toast etc), so I didn't know why the food took so long. How long does it take to make a breakfast burrito?<br/><br/>A waiter took our empty cups away and eventually, our burritos arrived. They were nicely presented those artisanal chopping boards, so I was hopeful. I was disappointed. And to top it off, our dazed waiter forgot our cutlery and popped back inside to retrieve some...but he must have forgotten as he never returned. My partner went in to get the cutlery instead.<br/><br/>The burrito itself had about 4 ingredients - rocket, egg, bacon...and I can't remember what else. Such was the forgettable nature of the food. I remember they were served with a salsa, avocado and cress on the side. The ingredients were fresh but those burritos were honestly not worth $18 each. The chef was heavy handed with the rocket as there was way too much and it made the burrito unpleasantly bitter. I suppose it was good that we had a Groupon voucher but in the end, after waiting so long, it would been more worthwhile to spend more money at a place where the food would have arrived in a more timely manner.<br/><br/>Can't figure out whether the food was more average than usual because we had a Groupon voucher or what...<br/><br/>Ah well, guess that marketing ploy backfired because we won't be going back again!

Bought a groupon voucher for $8 for a b'fast burrito and coffee. Great place, service was nice and food was awesome. Really good value for money and I bought another voucher to go back with my husband.

I love this place. Coffee is amazing and the food is good; the staff fun and attentive. The meatball sub is my fav.

Awesome guys. Really nice place to enjoy a coffee!! that barista!!...

The Barista's here are excellent- they always make great coffee's. The service at Annoying Brother is efficient and very friendly. The food is pretty good too- I luv the pancakes!

Woweee such friendly service! Beautiful coffee and the chef was more than happy to whip us up a burger or two at 10am because we felt like something meaty and delicious. The burger was awesome and came with a tasty side salad instead of the usual chips. I'll be back for the meatball sub and sambal chili scramble!!

Chai latte was really really bad. Waited more than an hour for food to come. Overpriced indeed.

Wagyu meatball sub special ($12) was nice. Homemade meatballs and sauce served with tomato and cheese on a ciabatta roll. Didn't enjoy the coffee, was a bit weak for my liking. <br/>All day breakky but my mate was charged $4 for four little slices of chorizo with his eggs which was a bit exorbitant. Nice waitress though.

I would happily come here just for a coffee as the service and coffee were great. The breakfasts are overpriced, take a really long time to come out and are not as good as most people could produce from their own kitchen.

Good coffee, good service. Would come back & highly recommend it to others.

Awesome breakfast and coffee! Made even better being served by a smoking hot waitress!

Lovely Place in a Residential Area. Been here approx 6 times over a month, love the Synesso machine which always provided me a sensational cappuccino. Food is delicate and creatively presented (compliment to the chef :)), the thing I love most is its general ambience, very local, w a little funky but relevant vibe generated through staffs, customers and service. I just think place like Carlton always needed cafés like this.

The coffee was really good. Unfortunately I thought the food was s bit bland and rather overpriced.

One of the best corn fritters I've had thus far. Coffee was great too.

This is a great place with cosy atmosphere ,excellent service and friendly staff.The muffins were huge and delicious! Try it!!

Annoying Brother consistently produce a flavorsome, smooth and chocolatey coffee from their house blend. Food has always been tasty and generously proportioned with a good rotation of specials. The Italian donuts are a treat. The space is intimate with accordingly friendly and obliging staff.

Been here several times and love it more and more!!<br/>DIshes are simple and delicious. <br/>Staff are friendly and attentive (the guy on the coffee machine with hair pulled back in ponytail, you are what makes a perfect hospitality worker, happy friendly and inviting) and to the chef - your raspberry and white chocolate muffins- BEST MUFFINS IN MELBOURNE!!<br/><br/>Keep up the great work!

Server recommended the corn fritters, they were spot on. waitress was prompt and funny the whole place had a good vibe. Coffee was better than ive had there previously. Glad my mate convinced me to eat..will definitely head back

Silly eggs are friggin clever. Loved their coffee and brunch.

Very good coffee, kick starts my mornings. Food is very average especially when there are other good cafes around.

Amazing coffee - the most delious blend in melbourne, great food, awesome crew!! Can't go to work without their coffee hit!

Pleased. Great place to enjoy a coffee or a bite to eat, service was friendly and prompt, recommend this place to anyone looking for a great coffee at a peaceful location

Great Cafe. Now became my mate and myself's little hang out spot. Love the coffee, you can tell the owner takes pride in what he does (ask him about his coffee machine haha). Shop looks amazing. I recommend it to anyone if you're in the area.

Checked out this place last weekend with three others after reading the great reviews on here. I ordered 'The Spring' and a couple of flat whites. Coffees came out promptly and were good. Whilst the food was ok it took over an hour to come out and the eggs were lukewarm. All in all ok though nothing special and with so many other fantastic local cafes we probably won't be back.

Chilli eggs all the way! Had lunch for the first time here today and already feel like a local. <br/>Keep up the love little brother

In a city where coffee is an artform these guys are the masters. I live on a street with a number of great cafes but these guys leave them all for dead.

Our favorite local breakfast and coffee for the past year before moving house! thank you annoying brother for filling in a massive hole in the area. we will miss you and are seriously struggling to fill the void. you guys are great!

Love it (usually). This place is great. Fantastic coffee and cakes (muffins are delicious) and have also had some great lunches here. <br/><br/>Unfortunately there's been a crappy new cook in (I really hope a temp!) who has burnt the last two lunches I have ordered there. Please someone show him what to do :(<br/><br/>Maybe I'll try again in a month or so!

Amazing!

The best breakfast I've had in a long time. Fabulous Rosti with perfectly cooked eggs and bacon and amazing avocado smash in the side. Smiley friendly service with a request for a single soft boiled egg and soldiers for my daughter accommodated without hesitation and brought out perfectly cooked and quickly. Coffee fabulous too from a snazzy Synesso machine. Will be back very soon to try the pancakes which look incredible!

Nothing Annoying Here!. Two days in the area, two fabulous coffees. Really friendly staff, cute little place and the menu for breakfast looks amazing. The huge berry muffin was to die for - you people in Fitzroy North are lucky!

Been there few times for coffee, the best coffee I have had in a long time have had breakfast there once, was most enjoyable, staff were very friendly. Shame place is so small! Will return again for breakfast.

Good coffee. Long black was spot on. <br/>cold drip was even better - all the lemon and citrus flavours you should get from ethiopian beans! well played sir. <br/>service was really friendly. i love it when the owner works on the floor!<br/>the mushrooms w avo are really good, loved it. thanks guys, will be back.

Coffee, food and service all excellent!!! Love it!!!

Dropped in on the weekend and had a great coffee and the banana cake was yummy. Loved the friendly service and the footpath setting is great.

There was the usual fare, avocados, eggs, mushies and coffees. They tackled our peculiar specifics (one egg fried, one scrambled oh and can you change my standard egg to scrambled please – type chatter) with a grin and delivered. Coffee was pretty awesome and so was the food. I’m more of a field mushrooms girl but hey, I ain’t complaining.

Sitting on Nicholson Street in Fitzy’s north Annoying Brother is perfect use of their small space. Owner Julian Moussi has put together a beautifully understated space and is serving up some tasty option for locals and those willing to make the trip.

RNIS bought a Groupon for this which was $8 for breakfast burrito and coffee. Annoying Brother is in Carlton and its known by locals and bloggers such as Eat and be merry for their coffee and breakfasts alike. The owner is a lovely guy who lives in Preston. The funky decor Tip jar Salt,pepper and sugar The atmosphere is lovely and the place is close to the number 96 tram into the city. The place is small and kitchy just like the rest of Carlton. My short black smelt a little whiney and tasted flowery. They do have single origin and that's what I had in the form of a short black. There was one other table and they mixed up there orders as well as mine. They almost gave me a ham and cheese croissant. Fortunately they told me that they were just new. The waitress was outside cleaning the window on a bar stool and it looked really unsafe. She looked like she was going to fall. I am a little miss no meat and I ordered my burrito with no meat in it. On the first presentation there was bacon in there. I had to remind the waitress of my order of no bacon. Luckily they remade it and it was suburb. I love the fresh avocado in there and I loved the tomato relish. The eggs were just perfect. It was just like the way I make it at home. Rating: 13/20 Good burrito, but letdown by bad service. I really do hope that they pick up their game or otherwise they will not be business for long. Perhaps they should invest in a small step ladder.

...two poached eggs in a napoli and chorizo sauce with feta and sourdough toast.

I got the corn fritters w avo, salsa, haloumi, smoked salmon and salad. Very nice this was, too. And also very generous in size! Three thick fritters with lots of corn through it. The avo, salsa and salad were all fresh. I loved the chewy salty pan fried haloumi and there was a nice amount of smoked salmon to go with the three fritters. Simple but done really well.

Hmm, I can be a bit of a floozy when it comes to choosing a place to try.  A particular dish that sounds interesting, something about the way a place looks, how I happen to feel on the day, any of these things can cause me to spontaneously decide that I just have to visit a place.  Sometimes I can be even more shallow, as with the case with Annoying Brother.  I think it's just a great name, after all, who hasn't either had or been the annoying brother. So off twice on an unseasonably cold Melbourne weekend to the opposite end of town I go to try this small and moderately obscure Melbourne cafe.  How did I find it?  Honestly, overall pretty good but with a couple of things I really liked. First thing was my hot chocolate.  There was just something about its rich taste and texture which made it much more interesting than your usual cafe fare.  Not sure why but it tasted almost like a liquor chocolate. But the best thing about the whole cafe was the pancakes.  Homemade pancakes with butte

The muffin was a just-baked soft and fluffy ending, filled with gooey chocolate and oozing raspberries (and served with a pat of butter. Really? People put butter on top on their buttery, sugary, muffin?). On par with the muffins from Proud Mary, which I consider in my muffin-eating experience to be the best in Melbourne. Muffins that are definitely worth a return visit, gratis or not.