Outer Circle Social Club — Restaurant in Melbourne

Ah, yes. There’s exciting things happening in funky Fairfield and the Outer Circle Social Club is definitely one of them. At last the area gets the Fitzroy, Abbotsford and whatever other chic suburb treatment. Top food and coffee in a lovely setting is where it’s at and that’s what the OCS Club is delivering (love the name, btw).

What a terrific cafe this is. It’s tucked away in the semi industrial back streets. A clever remodeling of an old light industrial space. It’s very pleasantly fitted out and on the day I was there was gorgeous northern light streaming in. With lovely greenery dotted around it’s a most appealing space. They’re deadly serious about their coffee here. I had two of the Axil Coffee Roasters blends - the San Cayetano from El Salvador and the Bonde from Ethiopia. My favourite was the San Cayetano. It’s a beauty and the brew was beautifully made here.

I went for the Salady Boy for lunch. This is hot smoked salmon flakes through a salad of cherry tomatoes, green beans, radish and rocket with a zesty dill and lemon dressing. I added a poached egg too. The dish is excellent. The salmon was superbly smoked on site. The salad too was delicious. I enjoyed it very much. The only improvement suggestion I’d have is that maybe they could add just a little bit more salad for the price.

But, it’s a terrific cafe. I’ll be back for sure as I bet it will only continue to...

Nice big open space. Very friendly staff. The food was average. I had the vegetarian poke bowl, at $20 a pop needed much more love with predation. Everything in the bowl was stone cold. Seemed like the ingredients were just taken out of the fridge and placed on the bowl. The two slabs of cold tofu could be presented in a more innovative way and the baba ganoush could have at least been stirred through as opposed to being a hard clump. On the positive, the serve was generous. My sister had the wrap and all the ingredients were also cold too. The coldness of the roasted vegetables took away the joy of enjoying the flavours. The coffee was good and all the good options such as almond and oat milk were on offer. As far as the food is concerned investing in an experienced cook who understands how to bring flavours in food would be valuable as lots...

The OCSC lives up to its name, providing a friendly, funny, memorable experience which will leave you hanging out for your next visit. These are the people we need more of in the world, the ones who foster community, listen, share, joke, and FEEEEEEEED our faces with great coffee and delicious hearty (yet hipster) food.

Space allows for the Fitzy/Brunswick vibe, with suitably hipster coffee blends and cold brew, but has the open space we all crave.

Dog friendly - outdoor deck and pooch water bowls provided, baby friendly, vegan friendly, and accessible. Full compliance with Covid-safe requirements. Thanks for making life worthwhile during 2020 - your impact has been immeasurable...