Beatrix

3 years… It took me 3 years to get here. I read an article about this place back then and only checked it out early last year. All that time I could have been enjoying wonderful, delicious cakes.
This place has an older fashion vibe that feels like you’re at grandma’s place. The back wall is covered in old beaters (the kind before electricity), simple furniture, quiet neighbourhood, and everyone is friendly! Even the customers are really friendly to other customers. It makes for such a good community feel.
They have such a great variety of cakes on offer, all made on site. Some are hard to find though. They usually have a list on the wall near the till saying what’s on offer.
Two things to look out for: Glim Glams and vanilla slice.
The Glim Glams are their (better) version of Tim Tams with 24c gold leaf, hence the name, and they are amazing.
The vanilla slice I often describe as the best vanilla slice on the planet. Better than my mums! I’ve had them from Aussie bakeries to French patisseries but no one is as good as Beatrix. The pastry is the perfect balance of flaky, buttery, and stability. The custard is the perfect texture and the passion fruit icing is genius! The right amount of sweetness but with delicious sourness that cuts through everything. Damn they are so good!
If a paragraph just on their vanilla slice wasn’t enough to make you want to go then I’ll eat your vanilla slice for you!

A Unilocal Talk thread a few months ago about the best vanilla slices made me want to pay a visit to Beatrix as I love a vanilla slice or snot block as I discovered some know them as.
So I finally made my first visit a couple of weeks ago. Sadly no vanilla slices, instead several amazing looking cakes. After much deliberation I opted for a pistachio & lemon curd layer cake. It did not disappoint!!!
The piece of cake that I was presented with was a hefty serving but thankfully being a light textured cake I was able to polish off every last morsel & it was delicious!!! Washed down with a cute pot of English Breakfast tea it made for a very pleasant way to spend a part of my day. In fact the experience was so good that I had a repeat visit within two weeks. This time a lemon chiffon cake, which was delicately flavoured & would have to be the most light & fluffy cake that I have ever experienced.
The premises are small so not good for large groups & I would definitely recommend avoiding peak times as there is obviously a regular lunchtime crowd who go there for the savoury dishes that Beatrix also sell. The service was friendly & fairly efficient on both my visits. That said I prefer for my tea & cake to arrive at the same time as they do go much better together & on my second visit to Beatrix the delay between cake & tea was perhaps just a little too long. I had almost devoured my piece of cake before the tea arrived a good 5 – 10 minutes later.
Hopefully one day there might be a vanilla slice to try but until that time I’m happy to work my way through their cake offerings!!!

These days I have been having loads if sandwiches and burgers because you can eat it quickly and effectively with one hand most of the time while the other can tend to the baby (aka shove him some finger food so I can get to eat my meal). So when I heard that beatrix not only does fantastic cakes but also AMAZINGLY sandwiches I am instantly hooked– I want to go there now!
I grabbed Hangry Piglet and messaged Monkylicious and we were seated at Beatrix within an hr. Beatrix is tiny… For some reason I always thought it was a huge café laden with cakes. The menu is on the blackboard and there are specials.
Monkylicious ordered Beggbie, which is like a bacon and egg burger with roasted beetroot relish. While I ordered the Just Chicken, a special on that day which is poached Milawa chicken with chicken crackling (when I ordered I said I wanted a «Just Crackling» cos all I could see in my mind are those cracklings! Lol)
When the food arrived we eyed on each other’s dish and had major food envy. And of course being fabulous foodies we decided to share. We did not regret sharing one bit!
The Beggbie just hits the spot with the amazing gooey egg and bacon combo, while the chicken was light and yumgasmic with those salty cracklings.
Of course we have to try their cakes after people raved on about it. Sadly our choc hazelnut torte tasted somewhat like soy sauce. We both thought it was pretty weird and was a bit disappointed.
I also got the rhubarb cheesecake takeaway for hubby and whilst it wasn’t bad, it wasn’t as yummy as I imagined it would be. The rhubarb crumble had a very oily taste to it and I think that was what spoils it for me.
That being said I would definitely go back for the sandwiches and give their cakes another chance. Maybe they were just having an off day?

I’m not really a cake person but I can’t lie, walking into the little shop I was overwhelmed with excitement about the cake possibilities!!!
Beatrix has different sandwiches everyday but their real stand out has to be the desserts! There’s cakes, tarts, slices, all the good stuff. The strawberry shag is not to be missed. One of the best cakes I’ve ever eaten. I want it to be my birthday cake forever!
Will defs head back in on those days I need a little sweetie to get me through the day.

Great service. DELICIOUS food. Wayyyy too small venue. Convenient location (close to 57 tram). I have converted my friends and they will bring their mates there too. Definitely on my shortlist for brekkie/​brunch venues but only for small (2 – 4 max) groups.

Oh. My. Goodness.
I had been meaning to visit Beatrix for quite some time now. Forever in fact. But being a little further afield from my usual haunts of the Richmond & the inner north east, it’s taken a while.
But I really wish I hadn’t.
I met a friend here for a bite of lunch on a Friday, around 1pm. The place was full but a kind customer moved along the bench so we could squish in. We’d barely been sitting for 5 minutes (with water brought straight away) when a table for two opened up on the street. The waitress kindly asked if we would like it and we jumped on it. Especially as it was such a mild and sunny autumn day.
With a super small menu of a few panini sandwiches plus a mouth watering display of cakes, Beatrix proves you don’t need a long fancy menu to prove yourself to anyone.
We both ordered the hot house smoked salmon panini special in a small size. Oh my goodness. It was incredible. It came with dressed greens, potato salad with dill and crispy beetroot chips on a yummy fresh baked panini. Heaven.
After much drooling over the baked goods in the cabinets, we decided to share a piece of the flourless chocolate brownie pie. It was so decadent & rich, I am glad we didn’t get a piece each. Delicious, but very rich.
My friend also had a peppermint tea which she said was great (art of tea brand I think I recall) which was served in the cutest peppermint green glass cup and saucer.
Service was really friendly and efficient. Top marks to our lovely waitress.
If you haven’t been yet and are nearby, go. But make sure you saver room for cake, or take some home for later.
I will be heading back soon!

Beatrix you’ve beaten my heart, stolen my soul and let out my dirty secrets. And I love you for this.
The first secret that has escaped the nest– My severe lack of organizational skills when it comes to organizing celebrations that relate to myself.
And secondly my undying love for high quality, fanciful baked goods made with love.
Nat you are a shiny sparkling beautiful gem of a woman! Through the power of your amaziness we were able to organize between us for me to drop by on my way to work and collect a delicious Red Velvet masterpiece cake.
Your beautiful cake and helpful hints made me look like a true professional and a worldly expert foodie. I can’t thank you enough for this.
Even though my trip was a run in run out and scream with joy at my cake victory I will be back. The cake was too delicious to not tickle my senses into another adventure to North Melbourne.

Oh Beatrix. Beatrix. Beatrix. Can I please marry your pastry chef?
This is one of the best places in inner north Melbourne — hands down! — to stock up on tasty sweets and treats and slip into a sugar coma with a smile and icing sugar all over your face.
I have been here a number of times and the coffee is excellent, the lunch time sandwiches rock (especially the fish one), but save yourself for cake. So good!
I picked up a rang of treats for an afternoon tea on Saturday and this is what I stocked up on: pecan pie, marshmallow ginger slice, pandan cake with sour cream icing, anzac cookies, fig and mascarpone tart, lamingtons with jam, and devilled chocolate cake. For three people. Yes, I got carried away, but it’s delicious CAKE!
Highly recommend if you’re in North Melbourne that you swan down here for afternoon tea. C’mon. You know you want to.

Nat provides a cosy, homely space.
I had an Eddie ciabatta which was the most amazing meatloaf … and the cakes. OMG. I can’t wait to go back!

I tried a week earlier but found them closed so wound up settling for The French Quarter, a somewhat lesser establishment so be sure to get here early!
A cozy little bakery-​café, I had a woderful Red Velvet cake and hot chocolate. Will be back with others to try more.
They also make ciabattas with different fillings each day of the week so they’re not just a cake shop.
Be warned the place is small and well frequented!

Wide array of pastries as well as savory goods. Solid strong latte and cap.

Cake! Everything sweet here is delicious! Good coffee and friendly owner.
Best café in North Melbourne from a food point of view. The downside is that it really is very, very small. Customers seeking to pay participate in this weird slide puzzle game around a middle table.
Best place to sit is in the window or on the street if the weather is nice.