Convent Bakery

On a still, calm autumn morning, this place is like a piece of heaven. You can sit at one of the outdoor benches and enjoy the wonderful ambience of the Convent, its architecture, spirit and peace, while sipping a good coffee and tucking into some rustic food. It’s a great place to meet for a business discussion or chat with friends. There are several things to see on site here, with parking on the street or in the car park. If you’re early it’s calm, but it gets busy as the day goes on. I’d come again, no problem. Thanks.

There are few events slower in life than waiting for a milkshake. 5 minutes to order and 15 Minutes to deliver. Waited whilst fool of staff danced and sang. It’s clearly good to have a monopoly. BONA — been once never again.

Delicious breakfast! We each had the potato Rossi and salmon dish, it definitely hit the spot. Only issue with it was that they could have skipped the cucumber in the salsa, it just didn’t go. Soy latte was decent but on the frothy side! Cakes were good! Great place nice atmosphere and scenery outside! Recommended.

It’s more the atmosphere than the food that draws me here. Abbotsford Convent Bakery is a lovely spot for lunch.

The setting and location are great. At a table of 8, some of the food was good (sandwiches and soup), but other things were pretty bad (quiche and macaroons). One plate was a full 20 minutes after everyone else finished.
I’d go back for a coffee on a day when they aren’t busy. I think it’s too popular for its own good.

Have to say only the food and atmosphere is the saving grace for this place. Harsh I know, but when your coffee is super hot that it burns your tongue, they mix up your order and alas the jam donut was a whole ball of dense dough and not much but a dollop of jam on top and cold (who serves up a cold donut) makes a really yum roast beef roll for lunch into a below average experience.
Apart from that as well if you’re on your own, dining in can get a bit dicey seeing you need to order and quote your table number at the time of ordering. And judging from the hordes of parents there with their young children (trying my very best NOT to judge your parenting abilities or lack thereof of supervision) that you’ll have to battle with for a table (oh yes the mums with prams and their supposed god– given right to barge anywhere with that pram)… Just maybe if you grab something to go it would be more enjoyable.
Trouble is its a flat rate of 6 $ across the road to park and free on– street parking is very very limited, so you’d want to stay for a while right? So plan ahead and come with more than your own person.
Good for kids, and families and generally people who don’t mind the noise or all the above.

The Abbotsford Convent is one of the best places to kill an afternoon in Melbourne. And if you’re gonna kill an arvo there, you may as well check out the bloody bakery eh?
This is one of a couple of places you can get a coffee at the Convent and they take that responsibility seriously. They do a flat out trade on fresh baked sourdough and I rate it as equal to any bread Melbourne has to offer. They’re always busy here (especially in the warmer months) so you sometimes have to be a bit patient, but they have never failed to grant me great service and quality product.
The coolest thing here is the outside seating, which is terrific for reading or just sipping coffee and watching the world go by/​hippies go past on their way to Lentil As Anything. Go there, have a coffee, buy some bread, do a walking tour, then grab a pint up at Handsome Steve’s and tell ghost stories.

The Convent Bakery shines at all times of day. Visit in the morning for a quiet coffee, there is something rather special about watching the Convent wake up. Brunch and lunch are a relaxed affair and the crowds gather around the outside tables for a drink after work. On weekends the bakery is standing room only so grab the first clear table you see!
The location is fantastic. You can choose to stay indoors or soak up the sun and the convent gardens. It is the first building you see as you enter the main gate so it is the perfect meeting place. The bakery is where you should always either start or end your tour of Abbotsford Convent. It would be sacrilege not to.
The quality of the Convent bakery produce is next to godly both rather literally and in terms of ingredients and taste. The breads are well made and turn a sandwich into an event, the pies and sausage rolls pastry heaven and the cakes and sweet treats divine. Last Christmas I happened upon their mince pies and all other mince pies are now ruined in comparison. These are the real deal folks.
It can get rather chaotic in the Bakery but it is worth the hustle. Maintain your inner calm and you will be rewarded.
The Convent Bakery is sinful and soulful and perhaps almost a religious experience.

Ecclesiastically beautiful location, divine bread for the soul and (very well priced) heavenly wine for the spirit. The Sisters of the Good Shepherd must really have done many good deeds over their 100 year occupation of this iconic building from the 1860’s onwards. You can just feel the good vibes here.
Unfortunately, feeling is not hearing. The Convent Bakery has a bizarre obsession with playing as many bad music genres as it has flavours of bread. If you want a little taster just check out their website
for an assault to your auditory senses.
Other than that there is not much else bad to say about the Convent Bakery. It really is a great place to go have a coffee, to dine off the lunch menu, or have a few drinks in the sun.

Beautifully historic location? Yep. A brilliant array of baked goods alongside a comprehensive menu? You got it. Gypsy cider on tap and brilliantly priced organic wine by the glass? Yes siree. Strange soundtrack of Michael Buble singing Christmas carols and the worst of world music? Unfortunately, yes. Yes indeed.
The Convent Bakery is a gem and the first time I visited it I absolutely loved this cult Abbotsford bakery. Its customers may be seriously cashed up but Convent Bakery is one of those laid back Melbourne restaurant/​bars where you can sit around for hours pouring over one drink and putting the world to rights.
Its location is nothing short of picturesque, its food — I opted for one of the Convent’s chicken burgers — is ok, its cakes as pretty as a picture, its cider and wine which is sold from a little hole in the wall called ‘The Boiler Room’ are well priced but the music, dear God the music.
I visited Convent Bakery yesterday and enjoyed everything but the questionable soundtrack to my otherwise enjoyable meal, which, it must be said, hastened my departure in quite a serious way.
I’m ashamed to say that I recognised Michael Buble singing ‘White Christmas’; I endured something that sounded like a Shakira tribute act; I even sat through some Santana; andwhen it got to the point where the music was so horrifically, obscurely, cheaply awful that I didn’t think I could take any more, I pulled out Shazam to identify the dross and when even Shazam couldn’t make any sense of the horribly awful music I left.
These guys seriously need some kind of quality control music wise as it was quite clear that ‘The Boiler Room’s bartender was in charge of the tunes and his taste, quite frankly, sucked. Worth a visit — with iPod in tow — Convent Bakery is a mixed bag.

This place is a really nice venue to get a coffee and spend a morning relaxing. Home to locals, bike riders and dog walkers from all over Melbourne, the Convent Bakery sits in the Abbottsford Covent at the bottom of Studley Park.
The Convent Bakery is great at all times of the day; catch up with the über fit in the morning, or the students and office workers who rock up for a beer and to listen to some of the gigs that are occasionally on.
On weekends the Convent Bakery is packed and it’s always great fun to grab one of the sandwiches and a coffee and check out the dog population.
It might sound crazy but trust me, there are so many breeds that pass through the Abbotsford Convent that at times it can resemble a canine zoo.
But its not just outside that is worthwhile.
Freshly baked bread, pastries, pies, cookies and cakes of all sort are crammed behind counters, and though you may have to queue and jostle to get noticed and served the luxury of having such great produce is well worth any hassle.

Situated in the grounds of the old Abbottsford Convent, there aren’t too many more spacious and beautifully situated bakeries. On a sunny afternoon, this place is packed to the rafters with a huge cross section of Melbourne’s populace. There are 30 odd outside tables for the enjoyment of the elements and 20 inside to fill the place.
The fridge displays inside showcase quiches, alongside pre made lunchtime baguettes and rolls. The usually sweet treats, next to the pies and sausage rolls and a section for the wheat free sweet tooth. There is a great selection of breads and the coffee is organic and fair trade.
The staff all seem to have a second language and there is always a conversation or two where I’m trying to guess the tongue. This place doubles as a licensed bar — The boiler room — that gets quite popular on a Friday afternoon, selling some premium boutique beers and wines. A great place to unwind after a busy week!