Melbourne❜s Best Venues for Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch and High Tea for Mother❜s Day

By: Stacey Roberts, ellaslist

Food, glorious food! Having some kind of special meal on Mother's Day is a popular way to show mum you care - and where better to brunch but Melbourne?

Somewhere great that you can go with your mum, your kids, your stepmum, your favourite aunty, or even your whole family! (we've got excellent recommendations for family-friendly pubs and cafes near playgrounds if that's your vibe, so don't miss 'em!).

If you're looking for a special breakfast or an all-out high tea, these are the places we wish we were eating this Sunday.

Breakfast

For a leisurely breakfast with a view, why not jump aboard Melbourne's iconic Colonial Tramcar Restaurant for a Mother's Day Champagne Breakfast? They even cater for gluten free and vegetarian requirements.

Head to True North for some legit bagels or Mexican-inspired breakfast dishes, with veg and vegan options (even chorizo!). Grab a slice of pie or a cookie to savour later with a coffee ... alone. 

Brunetti may be open all day (who says you can't go back for dinner?!) but the Mother's Day breakfast would be hard to beat. Head past the chocolateria for a little sweet something for yourself or a mama you love.

For an all-day breakfast, Lux Foundry will have you sorted - everything from Bircher muesli and avocado on toast to harissa chilli scrambled eggs and a Middle Eastern breakfast sure to please. Lux serves Proud Mary coffee and is fully licenced, if a mimosa is on the Mother's Day cards.

Brunch

If my family is reading, Milk the cow's Mother's Day Cheeseboard Special is top of the list for me! Available as a standalone order or as part of the regular a la carte lunch, you have three options: the cheeseboard, the cheeseboard and two glasses of French sparkling, or the cheeseboard and a bottle of French wine. Mamas also get a lovely goat milk soap gift for their special day. Sign. Me. Up!

With their legendary Bircher muesli on offer in addition to their fixed menu and rotating specials, Top Paddock in Richmond is a popular choice for excellent brunching. Throw in a breakfast cocktail or two and you might want to stay there all day.

Breakfast pasta, you say? Why not, says Brunswick's Small Axe Kitchen. If macaruni, gunaciale and a slow-cooked egg isn't your bag, you might like to try the brioche with whipped cinnamon ricotta or perhaps the zucchini fritters.

Lunch

Why not take a little day trip to the The Piggery Cafe at Burnham Beeches (a Shannon Bennet spot) and amidst the food and drink, enjoy a spot of bocce, lawn bowls, croquet, or stroll around the grounds and check out the veggie patch. Too cold outside? They have heating! And an emu enclosure, just for something different.

For something a little different, why not head to the Zoo and lunch among the animals - Melbourne Zoos are hosting Mother's Day Lunches (and high tea at Werribee if you're so inclined). Feast on canapes and two courses with a glass of what you fancy on arrival, and full entry to the zoo for the day.

Lounging by St Kilda beach with a cocktail? OK! Republica will sort you out with daily specials in addition to their regular lunch menu. Grab a pizza, pasta, risotto, or seafood dish and live it up.

Cumulus Up, the wine bar above Cumulus Inc, is opening for lunch especially for Mother's Day with a set menu for $75 per person. With oysters and Wagyu pastrami on the list, you won't be disappointed. 

High Tea

For full indulgence, you have a date with The Westin for their exceptional high teas, either in the Lobby Lounge or their signature restaurant Allegro. Tiers piled high with finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream, and delicate sweets and savouries are all washed down with ambient Jazz and either unlimited tea and coffee, or unlimited Brown Brothers Prosecco alongside the bottomless tea and coffee. Mums get a special gift and there is even a children's menu available for the young'uns accompanying you.

Famous for its high teas, The Langham is an obvious choice for a Mother's Day outing. For incredible views, try the offerings at the Alto Mother's Day High Tea on level 25, where you will be treated to Toblerone trifle, Berry macarons, Pink velvet cupcakes, Salty chocololate tarts, New York Cheesecake, Raspberry meringue kisses, and a Lindt chocolate fountain, with options for sparkling wine.

For solid ground-lovers, the Chocolate Bar at the Aria Lounge will be more your style - billed as a contemporary menu of "sweet meets savory". Hand crafted exquisite, extravagant and almost too good to eat treats will be served their own Langham Rose Wedgwood crockery. I have my eye on their dark chocolate cream eclairs and scones with rose petal preserves.

The Windsor has been serving up French pastries, ribbon sandwiches, canapes, and scones on pretty tiered stands since 1883, all alongside a dessert buffet (just let those words sink in!). This Mother's Day also comes with a glass of French sparkling and a take-home Paris Brest for mum. 

Where will you be heading today?