CBD Bakery

Ask around the Melbourne CBD for a proper pie and CBD Bakery comes up. It's a traditional, country-style bakery café where the pies, sausage rolls, pastries and cakes are made and baked on site, and the "Baking from the Heart" tagline suits the place.

Pies are the main event. The meat pie and the pepper steak are the ones people mention most, along with chicken and leek, and we've heard the traditional meat pie edges out the rest for plenty of visitors. They come out piping hot, with a flaky crust and a generously filled middle, and locals say the value holds up too. The sausage rolls get a good word, and so do the donuts, the vanilla slice and the lamingtons. One local ordered a large batch of donuts for an event and found them freshly made and ready right on time.

It also works as a relaxed breakfast or coffee stop. People rate the coffee, there are breakfast options, and the pulled chicken roll has at least one fan who ranks it above every other sandwich in the city. Newspapers are on hand, and the vibe is easygoing. Dine-in and takeaway are both on offer, with wheelchair-accessible seating, and card and tap payments are accepted.

Staff are a highlight, from the counter team who'll talk you through the pies to the ones who'll happily cut up an order for a family sharing a first taste of Aussie bakery classics. Custom cakes, gluten-free options and catering for office meetings and events are available too, so it's worth asking if you're planning something.

Hours run through the working week and the bakery is closed on weekends, so check before you head in. Come before the lunch rush if you'd rather skip the queue, because it fills up fast. Not everyone leaves a fan, and one visitor found their mince and onion pie underwhelming, but most people leave happy. It's a solid bakery in Melbourne for a hot pie on a city workday.