Oh Boy. Is there anything more Melburnian than a comforting neighbourhood café serving really good coffee, flaky pastries and cheesy jaffles that's filled with four-legged furry companions and is alive with the buzz of chit-chat between staff and customers alike? Boy café in South Yarra makes a strong argument that this is as Melbourne, in the best way possible, as it gets.
Strolling down Chapel Street, you will more often than not find a collection of locals spilling out onto the footpath outside Boy as they chill and mingle while waiting for their iced lattes or batch brews. Because as much as it is the smell of strong St Ali coffee beans luring coffee lovers in, it's also the promise of a friendly chat, a comfortable spot to while away a quiet morning, and a considered food offering that keep the people coming back for more.
Co-founders Joe D’Aspromonte and Beau Micallef were running Vine Boy, an online goods retailer, when they decided to execute their plans to set up a bricks-and-mortar storefront showcasing great coffee, solid sandwiches and a selection of curated products such as reasonably priced plants and Tony's Chocolonely colourful chocolate blocks.
Beau says that while “there’s nothing groundbreaking about a new coffee, jaffle and sando joint...there’s also no one on Chapel doing what we do. Joe and I are passionate about great experiences, centred around food. This is just another medium for us to offer up a love of ours in a unique way for the area.”
The coffee is reliable, the staff are polite and accommodating, and the rotating jaffles and deli-style sangas are "the types of sandos that are a meal". Beau says to "think sandos that touch on Italian heritage, with a modern update, [which are] not your average ciabatta".
Jaffle purists may rush to the triple cheese toastie but knowing locals often buy the store out of the salami, chilli jam, and mozzarella jaffles before lunchtime. While the flavours rotate monthly, expect the likes of mushroom, pesto and cheddar, or a pastrami, onion jam and cheddar number. Feeling fancy? Order a Croque Boy, filled with smoky ham, sharp dijon, and gooey bechamel.
Boy, simply put, is all you could ever want or need from a local coffee shop.
