In Short: A favourite with the locals, Paperboy Coffee Bar serves up the best coffee on the Hampton strip with their Proud Mary blends, and it’s matched only by their exceptionally delicious menu. Make sure one of your visits includes the Crushed Zucchini Baba Ganoush. Yes, you’ll be back more than once!
You know you’re in Melbourne when you can venture far past the well-trodden alleyways of the CBD and into the ‘burbs and still find incredible cafes with passionate owners doing their best for the locals and foodie adventurers alike. Paperboy Coffee Bar is one such place, hidden in plain sight in the bayside suburb of Hampton. At the far east side of Hampton St., you will find the talented Vasilis and Will serving up the best of Melbourne coffee, with Proud Mary Ghost Rider or Angel Wings blends, and a visit isn’t complete without owner Evan warmly greeting two-and four-legged friends alike into his humble abode.
We’ve been coming to Paperboy pretty much since it opened, and with the regular help of our local family and friends, we have devoured their menu over and over again! We’re always keen to see what delights Chef has conjured up for the weekly specials, and today we finally found a quiet (-ish!) time to come in and let the food and coffee do their magic for the camera. With such a comfy, relaxed atmosphere, it’s so easy to want to while away the hours here, perched up on the bench by the window or on one of the outdoor tables, reading one of the many available global newspapers or just people-and-pooch watching.
Whiling away a Monday morning (a.k.a. procrastinating the start of the work week), Vasilis put us in the right mood with his expert brew of our flat white and cappuccino. The creamy silkiness of the milk perfectly accentuated the punchy notes of creme brulee, purple grape, and raspberry that the Ghostrider blend is known for. We matched our caffeine hit with flavour recommendations from Evan and Chef. The vanilla rice pudding is the citrus, summery breakfast starter it promises on the menu, perfectly balancing sweetness with tang. One of the day’s specials was the breakfast tacos that were a morning fiesta for both taste and sight! Charred corn salsa with chorizo and potato scrambled eggs, topped with avo and encased in soft purple corn tacos. Si, por favor! But hands down, my all time favourite on this menu is their crushed zucchini baba ganoush, which is like a heavenly explosion of flavours in your mouth. Crushed zucchini on a bed of smoked tahini yoghurt, perfectly gooey poached eggs, drizzled in chilli oil, and garlic toast. What’s not to crave?!
Paperboy Coffee Bar is everything a ‘local’ should be. A welcoming, unpretentious space, warm service, with consistently outstanding coffee and dishes you want to keep coming back for. Over, and over, again.
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