Amici Bakery Cafe

Having never been to an Artisan Café in Melbourne before now, I have nowhere to compare Amici to. Don’t be fooled though, I’m gonna tell you what I really think…
The service was good, starting with a friendly greeting from the staff who promptly seat you and get your drink order going.
Check your orders carefully, and watch out for the judgment police if you want something held from your order…
The vegan option wasn’t true to form after the waitress offered to substitute potato hash for hashbrowns presumably fried in animal fats of some sort… Give them ago if you’re in Prahran, you could be surprised :-)

I rolled out of bed late, so it was nearly lunchtime when I hit Chapel Street. However, I wanted breakfast! Amici’s was one of the places that still had breakfast. I got the brekkie sliders and breakfast smoothie. The sliders were tasty, but I would have liked more bacon. But the scrambled eggs and hash browns were perfect. The smoothie was also very good!
I like the grunge atmosphere, too.

If you’re after a coffee then by all means pop in and grab one.
If you’re looking for a tasty breakfast then this is not the place, unless you want vinegarred eggs with a side of melted butter and some bacon and mushrooms from a seemingly dirty grill plate. Alternatively, the sliders seem like a great option till they arrive on burnt brioche and the greasiest hashbrowns you’ve ever seen.
Now this may be someone’s ideal brekky but I won’t be back for food!

Meh, it’s lost the look/​feel. They installed stark white/​blue LED’s and it’s very clinical and not warm feeling. Also painted outside tables with horrible paint and colours. Eggs were tasteless and for a bakery they aren’t very good as sourdough. Just ate the bacon (hard to fail) and left the eggs. No ‘everything ok’ when plates picked up. Gave feedback about lights and said it felt stars and lost its warmth and atmosphere, was brushed off with «whatever, they’re just lights so you can see the menu, what do you want to eat?». Guess you don’t like feedback or make good eggs. Try better atmosphere, servers and chef, and you should be ok.

I am sad to say I am not the biggest fan of Amici’s anymore! Though my cousins still love it, I feel the quality has gone down hill! The lack of service is what triggered my attention followed by the long delay for everything else. I do have to say though, their coffees are still pretty good. I had an ice mocha with chorizo carbonara penne that was way too oily for me to finish. They offer a kid’s menu now which is great– but however they had to print more while we were there because they had run out, so that took a bit of time too. Its a gorgeous place with a nice patio area, but other than that, I think I will give other places on Chapel Street chances before coming back again.

I’ve been going to Amici for close to 10 years. Be it coffee, juice, breakfast, lunch or a snack I have never sent back or complained about a meal. I think there may have been a coffee that wasn’t to my liking once… but that was quickly rectified. Great staff with a lot of spunk.

With an array of hearty savories and a temptingly delicious cake display, Amici Bakery Café on Chapel St is one of my favourite breakfast/​brunch/​lunch/​snack cafes. This was a day when I’d been running around like crazy, done a fairly intense workout, not eaten enough breakfast and it was about 2pm. My body was more or less screaming at me to eat something full of protein and fat and deliciousness and to get it in NOW. And so this:
Scrambled eggs with spanish onion and chorizo, goats cheese, and gluten free bread. All delicious. Hearty. Warming. Filling.
I have mixed feelings about dill. It’s not my favourite herb in terms of flavour and I wouldn’t really just chow down on it, but a little bit of it blended into the butter and/​or goats cheese and spread on bread adds a nice freshness to it. This was really good gluten free bread, dense and slightly chewy but not overly gluggy. Like good pasta, it had that pleasant ‘al dente’ sensation. It definitely helps when you’re somewhere that you can see all the bread racks in the kitchen, displayed on nice wooden shelves behind the counter, and the whole establishment just generally smells like fresh bread too.
The eggs were maybe a little TOO buttery and salty for my liking but they really hit the spot.

2 outta 3 ain’t bad, they say, but what about when those two are not much short of terrible?
My first two visits to Amici can only be classified as Grade-​A failures. Burnt coffee, incomprehensibly slow service, and outrageous pricing for something so simple as toast. I swore I’d never waste another minute in that café. Until one day…
It was fast-​approaching 5pm on a Sunday, and I had a surprise visitor who needed impressing & a cup ‘o joe. Plans A & B had already gone out the window, so it was with a stiff lip I brought my guest into Amici… And the staff blew us away. From keeping the kitchen open late, offering extra help with my guest’s baby, perfect lattes, actually smiling and being friendly, and insisting we take extra pastries gratis when we left. It was miles beyond the call of duty, and light years beyond my previous experiences here.
This was the ultimate Jekyll Hyde experience of cafes.
I still don’t know whether I’d gamble a Sunday brunch on Amici, but at least I know that on occasion they have potential for greatness.

Thought I would do a 2^nd review because these guys deserve it. We got a custom egg-​white omelette with skim milk and great skinny lattes this morning. Perhaps he healthiest egg option in South Yarra and Prahran.

A nice large café on Chapel Street. I’ve been here twice. Once to grab a quick almond croissant during my work break when I forgot to pack to my lunch. I had it take-​away, so they didn’t warm it, although I would’ve preferred it warm and gooey, I didn’t have time so I didn’t mind. It was wonderful though.
The second time was a large work breakfast and they had a separate conference area, which was nice because it can be sealed off with glass doors so quieter talking in rather noisy café atmosphere. The décor is typical café-​chic with lots of dark furniture and white walls (with classy silver bells for Xmas decorations).
Everyone seemed to enjoy their coffee/​tea of choice. I don’t drink coffee, and I’m always a little disappointed when a pot of tea doesn’t equal (at least) two cups. $ 4 for 1.5 cups of tea? Really?!
For breakfast the majority of the table ordered poached eggs with sides of spinach, mushrooms, bread, etc. I had the Breakfast wrap with brisket eggs, coriander and a side of smashed avocado with lil’ lime wedges on the side. The wrap was very good, a bit spicy that enhanced flavor, and did not set your tongue on fire. A decent portion for $ 17.
Sidenote: my coworker ordered the «omelette,» which looked like a quiche pizza. It was well over 30 cm in diameter and thicker than a side of texas toast.
Overall, a pretty average café experience. Nothing bad about it, but nothing made teh experience blow my mind either.

Ok coffee. Fun atmosphere. Friendly staff. Nice Vibe, but for me it was a ‘Meh’ experience.

Dear Amici Bakery, sadly today you have lost my two friends and I forever. That was the most disgusting bout of customer service I have ever experienced. With breakfast for 3 coming to $ 95.00 you would expect service with a smile. Your maitre d’ was hands down the coldest and rudest person I have encountered in hospitality for a very long time. I think she must have learned that «The Customer is always wrong». and «Smiling is for the weak». Your waiter got my order wrong three times (my fault apparently) and the lady at the counter who has split our bills many times before suddenly felt the need to retract at the expense of losing our business for good. Amici, you used to be a great place to eat, but your service is letting you down big time. I will never eat there again and will ensure all my friends stay well clear of your restaurant.

Amici takes my vote for the best bread on Chapel Street hands down. I love the Sour Rye Rolls, they are small and crunchy and just seem really authentic. I have often been past Amici late in the afternoon to pick up some fresh rolls for lunch the next day and the lovely staff have handed me one or two extra considering they would probably be thrown out otherwise.
The coffee at Amici is equally as good and the cake display counter is and effort to resist; expertly made sweet tarts, croissants, eclairs and danish pastries are just some of the tempting delights you are forced to admire upon walking in to Amici. They also do a great selection of both breakfast and lunch items, using their own tasty artisan bread as well as other local ingredients.
There is seating outside, but inside Amici is very elegant and welcoming too, highly recommend either for coffee and a cake or to pick up some of the highest quality bread to feed the family.

I actually found Amici Bakery Café by chance — while on a mission to use the toilet (Hey, it was a hot day so I kept drinking water. Don’t judge!). Not wanting to be free-​loaders, my partner and I chose to stop for coffee and the rest, they say is history!
Amici has since become one of my favourite tea/​coffee stops along Chapel Street because the food is always good (cakes are delish), service is always warm and friendly and the prices are pretty good. There’s also something calming about the interior that makes you just want to step inside.
Perhaps it’s the aroma from the fresh artisan bread or the mouth-​watering whiffs coming from the open-​concept kitchen. Perhaps it’s the constant waft of fresh coffee being brewed or simply the cake counter that works like a charm to draw your attention and keep it there.
Whatever it is, it works! And Amici has since found a special place in my heart if I am on that side of Chapel Street (just opposite the library and Greville Street).
Full table service allows you to rest your feet while the busy wait staff buzz about. If you get the chance to have lunch there, ask for the Ox Tail Stew. My mom, who makes a fantastic Ox Tail Stew, tried it once and immediately complimented the chef personally.
If that isn’t enough reason to get your butt there, there have a really good coffee/​tea and cake promotion which gets me everytime!