Top Paddock

Fantastic place. Will definitely go again.
We didn’t book, so was put on a wait list but didn’t wait long. Staff were great, food amazing. Highly recommend.

Top Paddock was one of the first places to really expand the possibilities, show what breakfast could really be.
It’s still high on my list, though a weekday visit this week slipped slightly in execution… their signature hotcake dish was a bit on the dry side, though still delicious — and the white beans with chipotle, egg and chorizo, seemed too simple, like it was missing something, though again the flavours were good.
I think, based on the past excellence, this was just a momentary lapse for whatever reason — and I’ll return soon to enjoy more of the TP goodness.
Coffee was perfect as usual, and service friendly and professional.

Love the eggs benny but definately somewhere you MUST be first thing. Unless you like waiting on tables and people to finish their meals.

Fresh produce and lovely interior, that’s for sure. Why there’s such a hype I’m not sure. The meals sound creative and great, but I’m often taken back by the simplicity of them. For example with the avo, it’s literally just half an avocado with nothing added. Why pay $ 15 for that? Their batch brew is always tasty and doesn’t cost the normal ridiculous price of «filter» coffee.

While the food at Top Paddock is good (not great) the huge crowds and awkward and long waiting time really makes this place less enjoyable. Most of the staff are friendly but turnover is quick so as soon as you’re finished you’re asked to leave. Its a huge place as well so always crowded, noisy and full of fresh faced Toorak types that make any normal person who wants to eat their brunch and regret their decisions from last night hard to do in peace. It’s location is in an annoying place to park as well which always adds to the stress. Overall there are better brunch spots in Melbourne.

One of my favourite go to places in Melbourne, and it’s one of my top breakfast restaurants to recommend to out of state friends. Everything they serve feels well thought out, extremely well presented, and is good food with fresh ingredients. Upon arrival you’ll usually see the steady throngs of people waiting to get inside, but it normally doesn’t take that long to be seated. Walking in you’ll find the establishment is stylishly decorated to an almost industrial, Melbourne feel. Without fail, I’m sure to order the hot cakes which are absolutely delicious. Gorgeous to look at, and amazing to eat — what more could you want? The only downside is that I can never seem to finish them due to the heaviness of that meal, so it’s good to go with a friend and swap plates mid meal if you want a little change. Their broccolini is also one of my favourite additions that they serve — perfectly seasoned, I could eat it forever!

Staff are friendly fast service I have tried most of the menu. Best coffee in the area. Was a grate place to meet friends at just hang out. I go 2 times a week and love it
Thanks

All I can say is wow! We honestly received the best service from the moment we placed our names on the waiting list, to the minute we left. A few smiles and thank you’s go along way! The team at Top Paddock were so friendly and despite the place being jammed pack, our food came out so quickly. Super impressed and can’t wait to go back!
Highly recommend the blueberry and ricotta hotcake with berries, organic maple and double cream, as well as the cured trout!
Thanks again Top Paddock! #NailedIt

I know that the places run by these people are considered to be fantastic breakfast/​brunch spots, but I usually find myself underwhelmed. There’s always an awkward wait with a bunch of people standing around for up to 45min around the entrance waiting for their name to be called. And the menu, whilst daring in words, doesn’t exact work that well. (The menu here is pretty much the same as Kettle Black with some variations in look and style). ie: The pork jaw with the eggs sounds edgy, but isn’t that great in reality.
It’s quite pricey considering what you really get, objectively, and people also rave about the décor etc, but I find it kind of ordinary haha.
Sorry if this review sounds jaded, but I just find myself underwhelmed and $ 100 short for a basic experience. Can’t say I’m a huge fan of these places (KB and TP) and would only return if someone insisted.

Staff at Top Paddock deserves a five star and good tipping for keeping their cool on a busy and sweltering Melbourne NYE.
Service we received was nothing but friendly, professional and courteous.
Food never disappoint here and furry friends are welcomed.
In fact Top Paddock gets a big Pet Friendly tick, with 3 staff checking that my dog has something to drink on the super hot day.

I’ve heard a lot about Top Paddock as pretty much anyone in Melbourne has, but had never been. until today.
I was well impressed.
Here for a work lunch, we had to wait about 5 minutes for a seat, and was kindly explained the menu. I decided to go with the recommended pork special with my regular soy flat.
Wow, it was delicious. The pork was incredible and the coffee on par with the best in Melbourne.
Later that afternoon I came back for another coffee and a cheesecake brownie. You know a place is good when you come back twice in one day.
So happy my new work base is just nearby. Will certainly be back!

this place is on my top 5 list for weekend brunch. i love brunch. it’s my favourite meal of the day. the hotcakes here is super moist and delicious with pretty decorations of edible flowers. i’ve tried a couple dishes on the menu but the one that stands out for me is the wage beef sandwich or was it a burger. well whatever it is it makes my mouth water every time. i really enjoy this place as it’s surrounded by windows so that the sun shines in in summer and you can watch the rain in winter. friendly staff but there’s always a long wait if you don’t come early. first in first serve

We were lucky the queue was small as this place gets crowded for good reason. Amazing space with indoor and outdoor seating, and a fabulous menu. There were a lot of unique ingredients nestled amongst the well known which made for a splendid, culinary experience. The pork belly daily special with asparagus and kohlrabi was just divine. Sampled the trout, potatoes and veg, which was equally delightful. Topped it off with a spicy bloody mary. I guarantee I will be back!

Love this place, it is our go to for brunch! It gets super busy though so get in early, ask for a coffee and wait outside. During summer it is great as you can just lay outside on the grass.
They have cool smoothies. And amazing food!

We tend to stay local when it comes to breakfast but we decided to go to what we have dubbed «Instagram’s favourite breakfast spot» because every breakfast photo we like seems to have been taken here!
We arrived just before 0730 on a Friday and there was already a considerable crowd so it was looking good.
We ordered 2 flat whites, the chilli scrambled eggs and the Top Paddock breakfast, and it became very clear why this place gets people snap-​happy.
The Top Paddock breakfast was presented beautifully, but to be honest, it lacked any depth of flavour.
The scrambled eggs were not the most attractive plate and wasn’t saved with taste; the eggs were considerably overdone and the plate was covered in juices from the mushrooms. Only the toast, feta and mushrooms were ate.
The coffee was also nothing special and was pretty basic.
The space itself is gorgeous and the staff were pleasant but we really don’t understand what the fuss is over this place… we can’t say we were let down because our expectations were too high and perhaps we arrived on an off-​day, but the food and coffee were average and the whole experience left us feeling rather limp.
If you’re looking for somewhere to take pictures and feel a bit trendy, this isn’t the worst place to go, but if you want a breakfast that has a bit of flavour to it, Melbourne has much more to offer than here…

Well this was delicious… the best brunch I have done so far!
The queue was actually not too bad on a Saturday at 12.30 pm — it did not take us long to get a table (but a little more to get our order).
Love the place: great outside sitting, trendy indoors… fashionable it shows
The food is absolutely delicious and there is so much attention to the presentation as well! All our plates looked amazing.
My favourite were soft shell crab bun and the hotcakes for those with a sweet tooth. Although we also tried the ocean trout and that was cooked perfectly.
The service was very friendly too.
Too bad I live in Sydney. I would definitely be back on a regular basis otherwise… The menu is so appealing and original ! Go there, wait on the grass with a takeaway coffee, it is worth it !

This place is HUGE and still jam packed full of happy customers. From the second we stepped in, the staff were so kind, happy and genuinely helped us find the most comfortable seats for us in the house. It was a sunny day on an almost deserted street and I could see why. It seemed like the entire neighborhood was at this one café. And in spite of all this, the service was super friendly and super quick. We ended up changing our order twice without any fuss as well.
Now on to the food. We order the Bircher and the Hot cakes (which were a customer favourite) and omg — both were killed. The hot cakes, however were outstanding. Both beautifully presented.
Couldn’t recommend this place for brunch more. Coffee was superb as well. At the til there is an arrange of sweet treats, takeaways and the most delicious looking doughnuts as well. A definite must for any foodies visiting Melbourne!

Ventured down here one Friday afternoon, expecting it to be big & busy from reviews I had read. Well they were not wrong, the place is huge!!! I started getting a bit concerned when there were about 8 people waiting at the door & no host in site & what seemed to be no real order when it came to assigning tables but eventually we flagged someone down and were seated. We ordered coffee & a fresh juice & hands down the best coffee I have had in quite some time & a beautiful grapefruit juice .
I was having major issues picking what I wanted, did I feel like breakfast & there smoked ocean trout dish or lunch & the soft shell crab burger, arg decisions decisions! The waiter was super helpful & in his opinion the soft shell crab was the best thing on the menu & just gonna say he was oh so right! It also helped that Jake King from the tigers was sitting in front of me in his singlet #justsaying
All in all well worth the visit & I will be back for more.

Oh gosh. I mean, I’d heard this was the place to go, but that didn’t stop me from being insanely impressed.
The problem with most of Melbourne’s hip places these days is that popular = queues, slow service and far too much effort. Top Paddock absolutely kills it with incredibly seamless service!
Finding a table on a Sunday morning can be a brunch war zone, but this place is so insanely massive, and the service is so outrageously prompt that we were seated and fed and on our merry way in no time. The food literally arrived within 5 minutes of ordering.
The avo with lime, sea salt & sourdough with a poached egg on the side was beautiful! Nothing smashed here, but rather a beautiful half avocado still in its skin. Unfortunately I ordered/​got charged for two eggs when I only got one on the side, but I’m just a sook when it comes to complaining. Only needed one anyway! Friends had the Top Paddock breakfast and thoroughly enjoyed.
I’m keen to come back here, and also try the INCREDIBLE array of cakes/​doughnuts etc they have to offer over at the counter.
Glad to have finally made it, I’ll definitely be back.

Top paddock had been on my brunch hit list for some time. Have read some reviews and studied the menu I was hanging out to try this place. After missing out on brunch on a public holiday … Admittedly it was quite late I was super excited to finally head down here one Sunday morning.
The café itself is beautiful. It’s a large open space with lots of light, great décor and a warm ambiance. There are plenty of larger tables for groups both indoors and outside.
I am going to preface this this with maybe we chose the wrong thing but after the anticipation out food was lacklustre and disappointing to say the least.
We ordered the smoked trout and steak sandwich. The diner next to me also ordered the trout and her piece of fish was considerably larger than mine. Whilst the fish itself was tasty and the dish well presented it lacked any kind of wow factor. The flavours were quite bland and lacklustre.
The steak sand which was super disappointing from the meat being tough and over cooked to the very sad looking presentation of a Turkish roll slapped on a plate with not even a garnish. We sent it back for being too tough and had 3 people come to tell us that it was just the way the steak was.
A friend of mine who was dining there the same day and is one of my trusted foodie sources had the snapper and said it was good.
To the cashier’s credit she did try to make up for the experience by offering us some sweets to take home but we didn’t take her up on the offer.
Overall I was disappointed and with so many good options around I doubt I’ll be back any time soon.