One of the best cafes Melbourne CBD is a Brutalist temple to the perfect croissant
Lune’s legendary croissants have long been a weekend staple for Melbournians, the original Fitzroy bakery pulling its lengthiest queues every Saturday and Sunday. But now, founder Kate Reid’s internationally renowned, French-style pastries are part of many a workday routine, too, with a second store in the heart of the Melbourne CBD.
For it’s Melbourne CBD bakery, Lune, an established brand built on purity and precision, called upon the design team at Ewert Leaf to manifest an interior that elevated the user experience and represented the brand’s aspirations whilst also embracing attention to detail.
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The space was to be void of all visual noise and celebrate the craft of croissant making.
Design-wise, the CBD cafe takes plenty of inspiration from its sibling in Fitzroy, referencing the raw concrete surfaces, dramatic black mirrored accents and LED strip lighting, though the semi-subterranean bunker space taps into plenty of its own personality as well.
The theatrical Brutalist interior provides standing room only at polished concrete benches to create an intimate and gallery-like experience that exemplifies Lune’s celebration of the creation and ultimate enjoyment of the perfect croissant.
The small, low-ceilinged space is two steps below street level, giving a bunker-like feel. The familiar Lune logo – a stencilled retro rocket ship – appears discreetly on the streetfront window.
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In lieu of a menu, a sample of each variety of croissant available on the day is laid out like a temple offering on the concrete serving counter, while behind the counter staff are visible popping 18 – 20,000 croissants prepared raw in the Fitzroy warehouse in and out of baking ovens every week.
The Collins Street space is open and baking buttery delights from 7am to 3pm weekdays. The ovens are set to keep firing right through each day, offering a selection of five Lune staples — the traditional plain croissant, a pain au chocolat, a ham and gruyère savoury number, a lemon curd cruffin and the cult-favourite, twice-baked almond croissant — along with a few surprise appearances here and there such as carrot cake croissants.
At the CBD store, top-notch coffee comes courtesy of Small Batch, and patrons can grab a coffee and croissant to go, or indulge in a bite at the espresso bar, while watching some magic unfold through the bakery’s viewing window at one of the best cafes Melbourne CBD.
Lune Croissanterie, Shop 16/161 Collins St, Melbourne, Vic, Australia. 7am to 3pm, Monday to Friday.
