Barry

As my friend so eloquently pointed out, my Southern American accent will not allow me to say the word «Barry.» It comes out as «Berry.» And I can’t help it.
We had a good laugh about that. The very first place I visited in Australia. I get right off the plane, straight into my friend’s car, and we went straight to Barry for some lunch.
Excellent choice, Steph. Great food. Great environment. Decently priced. I can’t imagine that there are too many places better.

Had brunch here over Easter after doing yoga across the road, and was told by my friend that this place was great and would be better than our experience at Gypsy Hideout. Whilst the experience was better, the food was not. After a 90 minute vinyasa class I was pretty hungry and was a bit disappointed at the small and rather uninspiring menu. My friend went with the avo smash and I decided on their take of eggs benedict where the English Muffin was replaced with a thick potato hash slab.
The food was quick to arrive, it was not that great in the mouth. My meal was just greasy and heavy. There was nothing to cleanse my palate of the richness and left me feeling sluggish and a bit gross as if I ate a family size pepperoni deep dish pizza from Pizza Hut. The potato hash was nice but the amount of pulled pork and hollandaise was insane. It really needed some spinach or some other leafy green or even something pickled to cut through the fat. My friend’s avo smash whilst looking more stomach pleasing was only half eaten which is rare because avocados are the best and hard to do wrong. Their coffee was above average and overall service was prompt.
If you do want to eat here I recommend arriving before 10:30am or be prepared to wait. They do provide a bench at least for that wait

Trendy place with excellent customer service
Good food
But over priced over fizzled too much attention for not too much
Full of youngsters or women who want to think cool of themselves
I prefer places nearby El melgrano and gispy hideout for delicious simplicity o we Barry’s
But who am I just simple human being
With an opinion

We loved our breakfasts at Barry. Mine was essentially the avocado smash. This easily the best of its type that I’ve had and I’ve had a large number at other places over the years. This one was superbly flavoured with herbs, seeds and spices. I loved it, quite frankly and was most disappointed to have to finish it. My companion loved his omelette. The coffees we had were also superb — all beautifully creamy — although a tad on the cool side, but I suspect that is deliberate. The service was friendly and efficient from multiple cool young things. We very much enjoyed this experience. This is the best breakfast in the area and doubtless one of the best in Melbourne. It’s great when a place lives up to its reputation. I am very eager to return.

There’s never a dull moment at Barry! I don’t think I’ve ever seen it anything less than buzzing with incredibly cool hipster north-​siders. On the weekends, be prepared to join the queue outside as you wait for a table, but don’t be put off by this — the atmosphere, especially on a sunny Melbourne day, is amazing. You’re never waiting long — there is a lot of room inside! Once you win a table, whether it’s outside on the street, inside at the huge communal tables, or at your own private table, you’ll truly feel a part of the positive vibes Barry gives you. The meals are always fresh and ingenious, catering for every dietary requirement. The cabinet at the front is always full of mouth-​watering desserts and handy take-​aways. My favourite thing about Barry is the fridge with take-​away salads (think Superfood Greens with a poached egg) and Chia Puddings. Yum! And super convenient!
Do yourself a favour and walk about 100 metres up the road to Terra Madre and stock up on all your organic grocery needs. This place is a well-​loved Northcote institution.
Enjoy!

Super popular and super busy but I just don’t see the appeal. The service is incredibly slow and it’s impossible to get a table. If you’re into super foods and kale and all that sort of thing then maybe it’s your thing. But there’s no excuse for bad service.

There is so much hype around this place that I thought it would be better to review it during the week when all of Melbourne is not trying to clamor in to try the tomato and peanut butter toast (probably worth it though).
The coffee is great, the food is fancy and the service is superb. It’s not somewhere I would go every day just purely because of the price point but if you could choose any café in the Westgarth and Northcote area this would be it.
Worth experiencing at least once.

Corner location, great vibes, clean streamlined interior … then the GIGANTIC Grey Black Matt metal Synesso Espresso Machine hits you, must be a serious coffee place here.
Timber high communal table setting is what we’ve got, excellent vantage point.
Feedback from my fellow bruncher swayed me not to order their hot coffee, instead a Cold Drip, which was fine, low intense citrusy Brazilians, pleasant.
While the rest goes for the fancy super food I went for the reliable Wagyu Beef Burger, Excellent presentation, good size and quite humagous burger, I just wish there’s an extra punch with the sauce, fantastic chips though.
Will order a different menu.
Given more time, will try their coffee offering more seriously.

Wicked breakfast and awesome quality coffee. What more could you ask for from a café? Excellent service to boot and a great location. Loved it.

A friend said this was going to ruin breakfast for me, which set the bar pretty high. Glad to report while breakfast remains unspoiled, I was still very besotted by Barry, and fell for his charms, as have many before me.
Sure, it’s all the rage to have the ‘regular’ breakkie dishes spruced up with odd inclusions (thyme grapes with eggs?) and fads-​of-​the-​week (activated almonds are still a thing?) that might have you grappling for Google to see what you’re eating, but who cares when the result is as tasty as this.
Great for people watching too. Don’t be scared by the hipsters. They don’t bite (that’s so 2013…). And chances are if you’re brunching on High St Northcote you might be one of them anyway!
Will do Barry again soon!

I’m always on the fence with Barry. I’ve been a few times and I can’t quite figure out if I like the place or not.
The open wood shelving and whitewash industrial Scandinavian look is the go in this café. The counter setup feels very similar to Two Birds in South Yarra. The big windows and benches give the place a bit of an sunny, welcoming feeling, though.
I’m not a coffee drinker, I alternate between hot chocolates and soy chai lattes. Somehow, on several different occasions, Barry baristas have managed to make both of these drinks quite bitter and unenjoyable. If you like dark chocolate, they give you a little slab of it when you order a hot choc. Nice bonus for the chocolate lovers out there.
I’ve had scrambled eggs on toast and the eggs have been a bit runny. Never really satisfied with the meals I have ordered.
I can see why Barry is so inviting and popular, especially compared to the previous two restaurants that inhabited the space. It’s actually a bit amazing that so many people come to Barry as I’ve never seen that much of a crowd at any other shop on the Westgarth strip.
I’ll leave Barry to it’s fans, though, as my past experiences have not instilled enough confidence in me to make me wait for a spot in the café, especially now that a few m more café options have appeared since Barry opened up.

Incredible food. I eat here often and the California super salad knocks my socks off every freakin time. Don’t be fooled… It’s no small challenge but so full of flavour.
Great coffee and the service is great too.

Lookin for the café that takes what you know and then takes it up a notch? Barry does that and more. They’re quickly becoming a Melbourne classic (as can be seen with the long waits). From the coffee to the food, this place is spot on.
Don’t be put off by the wait. It moves quickly and you might just catch some mid morning sun to keep you warm on the benches outside. Inside the staff are friendly, informative and quirky. Feel like a local, eat like royalty.
Care is put into the coffee and the prices are on par with similar cafes. Expect quality and a true Melbourne brew.
The food front makes you wonder why we stay with the same old recipes. Switch it up a little. Live life on the fun side like Barry. You will feast and your taste buds will thank you.

I don’t know what to say other than that breakfast here is a delight; just make sure you get in early before the crowds. A lovely layout inside, and such a change from previous occupiers of this space.

As you walk into this corner shop you are greater with smiles the smell of fresh coffee it has a warm friendly ambience white wall and wooden tables. Thus far it’s looking good.
Now if you have read other reviews of mine you would know I’m a foodtard so having a menu that can cater for this is great.
I start with a pour over filtered coffee which was exactly what I needed with a chaser of Bloody Mary that is served with jerky. Yes jerky and it was SOOO good
For breakfast i couldn’t go past the coconut tapioca with fresh mango, strawberries and black sesame. I was even more thrilled that it was not sweet and it was the fruit that had the sweetness.
They have a dish of crunchy peanut butter and tomato on toast! Which on the menu says «(trust us)» I may try it next time after seeing the guy next to me chowing down on it but I was just not in the mood for testing something different.
Ever though it’s the other side of the bridge to me it was worth the drive and I will be back.