Federal Coffee Palace
Editorial
This place is proof of what word of mouth can do. There's plenty of places to get coffee in the CBD of course, but, how many of them do great coffee? Ask any city worker and they will tell you that Federal Coffee Palace is such a place.
Federal could have relied on their primo location, after all, not only could they count on a good chunk of Bourke Street Mall workers, they had the mall shoppers as well, but luckily for us they put the hard yards in and sourced good quality coffee, (Genovese), and trained their baristas well.
Located in GPO redevelopment, it's an interesting spot among the concrete pillars and grandness of this 19th century building. Choosing to open a café in an open air space in Melbourne is a gutsy move too. It's a simple kitchenette set-up with a contemporary fit-out of plastic chairs and stools and heaters which make it more than bearable to sit here in the cooler months.
Food-wide, mornings are all about muesli, porridge and pastries and lunch sees a good selection of panninis and ciabattas.
While the original Federal Coffee Palace, (now the Windsor Hotel), was built during the era of temperance when alcohol was frowned upon and coffee was seen as a good moral substitute, its successor might not be as grand as its namesake, but, you can be sure the original never served coffee this good.
Rachel Cook, November 2010
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