Review Harpers Kitchen - St Kilda

Staying local, and having a wife with the surname Harper, we felt a calling to come here. On a cold winters morning we had a fabulous breakfast. The "Harper's breakfast" is outstanding. That chorizo!! Highly recommended.

This is easily a five star experience. That staff was very friendly and accommodating, the menu was diverse with some unique items, the food was fresh and healthy, and there was options for several diet types. Prices are average for what you will find in the area. For example, my brioche seen below was 16AUD. The muesli must have been great because my wife ate it it all before I got a chance to try it.

Food was nice and fresh. Eggs lovely and fluffy, not bad priced either for extras. Not much on offer in terms of extras for breakfast but overall I think it was fine. Coffee was nice and well rounded.... And hot for once the coffee was nice and hot. Only downfall I'd say is the waiting time I found it took a while for the food to come out considering they where quite. That's about all though not a big deal... Would come back

Cute little Japanese cafe serving beverages, breakfast and lunch. Nice ambience and food. Their curry is boring though and not really good compared to their other dishes 😊

Fantastic coffee, food, friendly staff, worth a stop through St Kilda!

First time having the burger after I have had many coffees. I was very impressed.

Nice Cafe, great service. Thank you for a lovely experience :)

LOVE this place!!! My sister and I come here daily for coffee and eat here several times a week. The food is always so delicious and fresh, and the coffee is amazing. The staff are all so friendly, warm, and kind - they go out of their way to not only learn your name and your order, but to get to know you too. Cannot recommend Harper’s enough!!! Also, you won’t regret trying the caramel slice - hands down the best we’ve ever tried.

Poor hand hygiene of the waitress. <br/>She patted the dogs and touch 5 points before she washed her hands for 3 seconds. Places she touched with dirty hands included coffee machine, milk jar, customer’s takeaway cup, coffee filter basket, and kitchen towel which was used to clean the baskets). The kitchen towel now will be used to spread the germs to all customers buying coffee today. Spoke to the manager. No clear policy on not allowing her staff on touching animals while they are on duty. Love these furry friends but not enjoying having their germs in my mouth. <br/>Food tasted nice, but will never go back due to the poor hand hygiene and lack of hand hygiene policies of the kitchen.

Great coffee and Japanese chicken curry is one of my favourite

The smell wafting as you enter of home style cooking is so enticing. I decided on a coffee and the chicken sandwich. The coffee was good. The chicken sandwich was amazing. It was made with love that’s for sure. Staff were really friendly also.

<br/>I come here for coffee daily - it’s great and always consistent. Love the banh mi and potato salad for lunch. Staff here are really friendly!!

As a local and a regular, I keep coming back despite the increased competition in the street because of the community feel (you'll meet the whole family eventually) and the constantly changing selections. Only time you'll need to remember how you have your coffee (or your name), is when there's a new barista.<br/>Personal favourites are the Japanese variations, curry (make sure you get the ginger), noodles, even the humble okonomiyaki.  <br/>Soups are big, great salads, bring your appetite if a burger is on the specials board.

Hands down the best cafe in St. Kilda!! The breakfast selection covers all the favorites and lunch always has a different selection. Yummy veggie dishes to the freshest salads and fare.

Had a good time in Harpers Kitchen this morning. Deliscious coffee and a beautiful smashed avocado. The staff was real friendly and even had a nice chat with one of their regulars. Ill be back!

I'm always looking for nice Cafes to go with my children and I came across Harper's and it was perfect, service was great the food and coffee was really yum. I had the special of the day which was the American style burger and it was amazing, And my children loved there bacon and eggs! <br/>We will defiantly be returning soon!!

Harpers has become my regular - the girls are always so friendly and the food is consistently good! The barista knows how I have my coffee, I love the attention to detail. The specials change each day and the Japanese influence on dishes is a breath of fresh air. A little gem in St Kilda.

I came on my lunch break, having read some positive reviews. I ordered the three beans and fetta burger and had a latte. The coffee was good - not amazing! The burger was delicious though! Unfortunately, I have never had such cold service from staff before. Just not talkative (even though it wasnt very busy), and just looked really unhappy and didnt want to be there. Felt like I was bothering them! Such a shame!

This is what a cafe should be like. Great service, passionate barista, creative food made from good ingredients and love...and a comfortable space with a good energy. The menu and specials are always changing - though I have to say the fritters and salmon are outstanding..well let's say perfect. It is so hard to get perfect fritters in Melbourne, most of the time I have to fly to Sydney or starve. Bravo

Recently having moved in close-by, this place was convenient for me for my morning coffee fix. But I've now had one too many abrupt exchanges with the tattooed barista, whose monotonal replies swing between dismissive and completely arrogant. Over it. <br/>Melbourne is a big city full of fantastic coffee and life is too short to suffer bad energy.

Good coffee and cafe fare with Japanese highlights. Former regular - and thus somewhat depressed - this place was the go-to for lunch and coffee.<br/>The entire menu is solid. Great filling ratio pastries and rolls, heaping delicious salads and of course, those little treats.<br/>My favourite food element though would have to be the Japanese skew the specials often take. Okinomiyake (sp), Japanese curry etcetera. Damn.<br/>Service comment: Lovely and accommodating. Girls are bubbly and cool. Guy is brief but nice.<br/>P.S. they have a couple of wall hangers for bikes outside - something I appreciate though never used

Nice little place!. A cute little place with good coffee! Enjoyed my coffee and quick bite this morning... Check it out!

Visited Harpers last week after one year absence. I must say everything is still really good. The food, coffee and service. We met a lovely Japanese lady who greeted us in Japanese and we loved it. Nice,polite and warm. I was thinking how we forgot about this place before. From now on, Harpers will be added in our dine out list every week. Recommended!

Wishing it was next door.. I'm talking out of school here because I've never owned one myself, but sometimes I think that it really shouldn't be that hard to run a successful cafe. Use the best ingredients, cook with love, remember your customers' names, and make the space comfortably, inviting and interesting.<br/><br/>You only have to sit at the long communal table for (I would argue) one of Melbourne's best coffees any morning of the week to recognise that there is something special going on here at Harpers. The steady stream of take away customers mix effortlessly with the regulars that have made this place their early morning retreat, myself included. Everything I have ordered here has always been top-notch. HK is the kind of cafe everybody wishes they had next door.

Friendly service, great coffee...excellent food. Happily accommodated our child...this place ticks all the boxes.

Beautiful coffee and lovely service :)

Wowzers.. To the tattooed guy. What an absolutely amazing coffee.<br/><br/>Probably the best hot weak latte I've had in Melbourne since I've been here...hands down.<br/><br/>Everything about it was perfect, from the temperature to the creme.<br/><br/>I'm definitely a regular when this guy is on, given that I work around the corner.<br/><br/>The only thing I'd caution with this cafe is that the service is like a wheel of fortune, you never know what it will land on and how it will be.

2 Good Cups. Dropped in for a coffee to pass some time while my car was getting washed across the road. Really enjoyed the chilled vibe inside with the cycling paraphernalia adornments. Coffee was super. My latte was all I could ask for, so much so that I quickly ordered another to see if this was a one off. Consistency is the word I will use now. I had 2 good cups of coffee served from the tattooed man behind the machine. Great service, great coffee.

Cute and Sweet. Love this place , good food , love the Japanese curry at lunch especially with the ginger! ,great coffee from Supreme and friendly staff ,the owner Hana works the small kitchen and Bobby and Youi share the coffee machine. Can get a little busy in peak times but worth the wait , also good interior and nice open feeling

Walk past this cafe on the way to the tram stop...always seems busy so I thought I'd try the coffee. Well the coffee wasn't bad but the service was. Stood there for a good couple of minutes before being acknowledged...don't come here if you want friendly service...I'll keep walking next time.

Breakfast. Good breakfast but coffee could be better. Friends didn't like their hot chocolate either. Nice venue and good service though

The Wizard. Harpers Kitchen is the friendly little neighbourhood cafe, good value quality food and friendly service, great coffee and make sure you try the wizard ie same as a magic !! ie smooth strong flat white served in porcelain.<br/>Japanese influence shows in the lunch menu with the Japanese curry and noodles sometimes served hot or cold!!

Must have walked into a different Harpers Kitchen to the other reviewers here. Tattooed barista barely looked up when we entered & I wouldn't know if he has teeth or not as he didn't smile once. Coffee tasted burnt, scrambled eggs were completely runny - no, not the 'trendy' way of making loose scrambled eggs, but uncooked - & they got sent back for proper cooking. Service mediocre at best. We found this cafe by chance - we'll lose it on purpose! Go to Mr Wolf instead...

I have been a regular here since they opened a couple of years ago. its nice to feel at home and part of a community when you come here. it's a bit like dining at a friends house- it seems like everyone in there knows each other as most of us are there everyday.<br/>good home cooking style food that has never disappointed.<br/>i would recommend the cold chicken soba noodle salad in summer - light and refreshing.<br/>coffees are great too- the barrista is more than friendly and will remember your name from the first visit.

Cheers to Harper's Kitchen !!!. From the genuinely enthusiastic welcome you always receive from the barista, to the Japanese Curry served up by the kitchen this establishment always impresses. The open environment can get a little boisterous at times and has a “Cheers” style friendliness to it, where everyone knows your name (and what you do), or if they don’t, they soon will. <br/>Punters have a choice to sit themselves around the long communal table inside or outside on the 50’s Retro Chairs. The Loose Leaf Teas and Single Origin Coffee are all terrific, served quickly and with an infectious smile. <br/>It’s amazing the volume and quality of food that the little kitchen pumps out and I dare you to try the Apple and Pear Cake...Yum...You can’t help but to leave this place just that little bit happier than when you 1st walked in, maybe that is why I keep going back. It’s that kind of place !

Harpers is a hit. Hooray for Harpers, there is nowhere better or even close to it. Not only do they remember everyone’s name they more importantly recall exactly how they like their coffee and prefer to have their eggs done. Given the quality of the food and drink that this smallish place can generate the mind boggles what they could do in larger premises. <br/><br/>There is no better reason to get up early on a Saturday than to indulge in their Saturday specials, but in truth the food everyday is special. The stand outs are many, but it would be a crime if the Japanese chicken curry and the Spanish omelet did not get particular mention.<br/><br/> It does not matter whether one is part of the bike brigade, a local early morning tradesperson or an advertising or real estate executive they are all made to feel welcome and at home. It is amazing the place can give out so many good vibes at the same time; simultaneously being communal, inviting, cool, homely and trendy. The ability to cater to an incredibly heterogeneous clientele speaks volumes as regards their innate hospitality. <br/><br/>As nothing is ever too much trouble one typically comes away feeling somewhat guilty over how hard they are working and the lengths to which they go to please each and every customer. Once one samples the delights of the food, drink and atmosphere one inevitably becomes a regular, and being a regular doesn’t just mean indulging once a day, rather it inevitably means repeated drop ins during the course of the day as well.

I enjoy coming here for weekday lunches. The service is friendly, the vibe very comfortable and the food always that little bit better than expected. Coffee and cake excellent too. A gem amongst the paste.

Fresh flavorful food. Friendly & bright service. Good coffee, great sandwiches, fruit toast, jam, omelettes. Repeat offender ;)

Nice and Friendly. Visited Harper's Kitchen on a magnificent Saturday Afternoon. It was quite the spot, sitting outside with the sun on my face for a late breakfast/lunch. Comfortable chairs and cosy tables, with nice view of the greenery creeping up the building.<br/><br/>The gentleman serving us was very friendly, which has become a rarity in the Melbourne Cafe scene. The Black coffee and soy milk coffees were both delicious. The generous portions of toast with poached eggs (and sides) were cooked to perfection.<br/><br/>I also noticed other very reasonably priced sandwiches/pides for under $10 each on the menu. which will be surely ordered upon my next visit. <br/><br/>The fit out is nice and pleasant inside and outside, at the foot of a new apartment complex on Inkerman Road.<br/><br/>Worth your while to visit this new 'kitchen"

Could be one of my new favourites. Nice breakfasts, friendly service, and really good coffee (and i'm picky). What more can you ask? Best of all, parents with children are made to feel welcome, even on a busy weekend morning! Hope our first (and certainly not last) visit wasn't an exception :) Not exactly cheap, but on a par with other cafes in the area.