Soul Soul Cafe

Soul Soul Cafe is a Carlton meeting place built around coffee, brunch and Asian-inspired comfort food. The kitchen’s approach balances sweet, sour, salty and spicy flavours, giving familiar café dishes a distinctly Asian-influenced direction. Drinks include locally roasted coffee, oat milk matcha lattes, cold-pressed juices and bubble tea, while the website also positions the venue for breakfast and lunch. For something more substantial, the listed menu includes eggs Benedict, a dragon fruit acai bowl and a vegan-friendly salad.

The eggs Benedict is one of the venue’s more distinctive offerings, combining the traditional breakfast format with slow-cooked pork, chilli-infused mushrooms and apple slaw. The dragon fruit acai bowl and vegan-friendly salad provide lighter alternatives, while the drinks list gives coffee drinkers and matcha, juice and bubble tea fans plenty of choice. The website’s menu descriptions suggest a venue suited to diners who enjoy recognisable café fare with less conventional flavour combinations.

Inside, Soul Soul uses a fresh Scandinavian-inspired design with exposed concrete, dark green finishes, hanging strip lights and layered white ceiling panels. Seating ranges from armchairs and smaller tables to breakfast bars and group booths. Outside, the venue has shaded and open seating beneath green umbrellas, with a garden backdrop that offers a calmer setting close to Melbourne’s CBD. The layout was designed with group seating in mind, making it a practical choice for catch-ups, study groups and after-class meals near RMIT University.

Soul Soul opened in December 2019 and was created by Micky and Hong, whose combined hospitality experience shaped the cafe. The venue is also connected with Society Melbourne, an organisation described on the site as supporting vulnerable young Victorians through stable work and training. That social focus is part of the cafe’s identity, alongside its relaxed service and colourful, considered surroundings. With group booths, outdoor tables and more casual solo seating, Soul Soul suits a range of visits, from a quiet coffee to a shared brunch or lunch in Carlton.