Once upon a time, there was bugger all good coffee to be had in this pocket of South Yarra. In fact Coffee Darling was probably the pick of a mediocre bunch and even that wasn’t amazing. Well now there are three excellent options nearby: Crue, Outpost and The Final Step. This makes me happy because one of my besties lives nearby, so I spend a fair amount of time in this neck of the woods.
The Final Step is by far the simplest set-up of the three, so if you’re looking for a cafe with a designer fit out that serves food, you’ll need to keep walking. I’d recommend giving Outpost in Yarra Street a go. The Final Step only does two things, but it does them well; coffee and hospitality. If you like these things, The Final Step is for you.
The small space is dominated by a communal table, a couple of smaller tables and a piano. Nothing fancy here. After a couple of visits it starts to feel like you’re visiting a friend in their home and they just happen to have quite a nice La Marzocco espresso machine in the living room. Actually, that would be awesome. Someone should do this and I’ll be your friend.
The other thing that I need to talk to you about is the coffee, which is nothing short of amazing.
But, getting back to my original point, the strength of this place is without a doubt how incredibly warm Ben is. On my first visit it took him only a couple minutes to introduce himself and strike up a conversation. And not in an over the top, in your face kind of way. He’ll even let you eat food bought elsewhere in his cafe, seeing as he doesn’t serve anything other than the sweet things his sister bakes.
The other thing that I need to talk to you about is the coffee, which is nothing short of amazing. Whilst there are other people in Melbourne doing more progressive things with coffee, The Final Step is putting out some of the best espresso based coffee in Melbourne. I took a friend here recently and despite the fact that she only ever has one coffee per day, she couldn’t resist ordering a second. She opted for a NZ Flat White, which is a double ristretto with milk, so she spent the rest of the morning in a caffeine induced fervor.
I also fell victim to the this trap when Ben made me a triple ristretto to follow my latte one morning. Let this be a warning – the man is a pusher.
So if you find yourself in South Yarra, try The Final Step. Go for the coffee and go for Ben. You won’t be disappointed.
The Final Step
Address: 1c Murphy Street, South Yarra
Phone: 0414 503 248
Hours: Monday-Friday 7.30am-4.30pm, Saturday 8.30am-3.00pm
Coffee: Sensory Lab Champion Blend
Food: Cakes only
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