Plot Coffee & Bakery

Plot Coffee & Bakery is a small Korean-leaning bakery cafe right by Essendon station, and it's a neighbourhood favourite for good reason. If you've been hearing about salt bread, this is the place around Essendon to try it.

The sogum is the thing locals keep coming back for. The original version is the one people rave about, with a buttery, crisp-bottomed bite that more than one person has called the best they've had outside Korea. The garlic cheese version is another favourite, and there are savoury takes too, including ham and cheese and a potato salad sogum that's rich without being heavy as a morning snack. We've also heard good things about the soboro sogum. Plain salt bread can sell out, so if you've got your heart set on the original, go early.

Beyond the salt bread, there's a melon pan (meron pan) with a crunchy cookie shell and a soft, cake-like inside, which one regular says is only made at weekends. The butter bar gets a mention, a tasty loaf, and cookies, particularly the matcha and s'mores ones. It's all fresh from the oven, and you can sit inside and watch the bakers working by hand.

The drinks hold up their end. The baristas pour espresso from a house blend using Dukes beans, with batch brews on the menu too, and the iced matcha latte, including with oat milk, has plenty of fans. The staff are friendly and attentive, and there's a handy oven for heating up your food.

Seating is limited, with just a few tables inside and some seats outside, including dog-friendly tables in the sun. Takeaway is easy, there's free street parking and a car park, and cards and mobile payments are accepted. One local suggested takeaway cups that stack better. Hours run into the early afternoon, so check them before heading in.