Brother Baba Budan

Brother Baba Budan is a small café with a memorable ceiling: wooden chairs hang above the counter and its few seats. Seven Seeds coffee is the reason to stop, whether you want a familiar milk coffee or to ask about the beans on offer. The Little Bourke Street address makes it easy to combine with nearby city lanes without making breakfast a separate expedition.

Keep the meal simple. The cabinet changes with pastries, cakes and toasties, while bags of beans and coffee accessories offer a useful souvenir for home. A sit-down visit depends on finding a seat; takeaway gives you more control over the morning. This is a coffee-and-cabinet stop rather than somewhere to plan a long, cooked brunch.

The operator lists a 07:00 start every day and a 17:00 close. That makes it one of the practical early CBD choices in this collection. Allow time to order before heading for your transport connection, and keep the queue outside the café clear of other pedestrians. Special event and public-holiday trading may differ from the normal week.