Mario's

Mario's
303 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, VIC
Grinders Coffee


No credit cards - there's an ATM out at the back. Surcharge on weekends & public holidays. No bookings - but I've managed to get seats fairly quickly the 3 times I've been. A massive reputation as a Melbourne institution, as it was the first to embrace the concept of 'all-day breakfast' & the coffees, although Grinders, is excellent. Lots of chocolate in my mocha. Yum. Not many places do that.

Service is usually sharp and the food, decent. It was one of my favourites at the start, but I've since tried many nicer places. Their eggs benedict is respectable, even though they use Bernaise rather than Hollandaise.
Look out for the specials of the day on the board – they can be pretty interesting. Other things we tried were: Ham & Cheese Croissant (not as good as Les Croissants Des Halles), and Scrambled Eggs, add mushrooms. The desserts don't look very appetising.