The St. Kilda Dispensary

The St. Kilda Dispensary is a café in St Kilda, Melbourne, with a menu that covers breakfast, brunch, toasted sandwiches, pastries and a broad drinks list. The food leans towards generous café staples with a few more distinctive combinations, making it suitable for a relaxed breakfast, a quick lunch or a coffee stop. The café’s own site invites visitors to drop in, take a seat and be looked after, while its counter also offers bagels, slices and pastries for something lighter or takeaway-friendly.

Breakfast options include free-range eggs on sourdough, bacon or salmon benedict, a bacon-and-egg roll, and a vegetarian version with avocado and feta. For something sweeter, there is poached pear porridge with berry compote, house-made granola with Greek yoghurt and fruit, and Belgian waffles served with berries, seasonal fruit, maple syrup and vanilla ice cream. The corn fritters come in two versions: one with bacon, avocado and feta mash, and another with smoked salmon, dill, lemon and beetroot horseradish cream. Gluten-free alternatives are available for many meals for an additional charge, according to the menu.

The toastie selection gives the café a useful lunch focus. Choices include roast chicken with mayo and rocket, a spicy piadina with sopressa salami and jalapeño, a toasted Afghan flatbread with Serrano ham, tomato, basil and cheese, and a New York-style sandwich with pastrami, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, pickles and mustard mayo. These are substantial options when you want more than a pastry, while the menu’s range of vegetarian, meat and seafood dishes gives groups some flexibility.

Drinks centre on Allpress A.R.T. Blend coffee, with Bonsoy, oat and almond milk available, alongside hot chocolate, chai, loose-leaf tea, orange juice, malted milkshakes, iced coffee and iced chocolate. Dairy-free smoothies include combinations built around spinach and apple, mixed berries and orange, or mango, lime and pineapple. A kids’ mini milk is also listed, so the café can work for families as well as solo coffee visits and casual catch-ups. The venue’s Instagram feed highlights coffee, toasties, pastries and seasonal celebrations, but the available website information does not provide further detail about the interior or the people behind the café.