In early January Zoe and Meghan signed the lease on their fresh new Boundary Street space. From the get-go, the sisters relocated their wholesale baking process to their expansive new kitchen, eventually opening for coffee as they started to chip away at the street-front cafe space. Zoe and Meghan, with a bit of help from their friends, have converted the venue (formerly home to Finiky Cafe) with a clean, warm and inviting aesthetic. Although the space is still a work in progress, Alphabet Cafe has commenced its anticipated brunch service, dishing out a simple but satisfying menu that focuses on seasonality. The menu will likely expand once the cafe is completed in a couple of months, but patrons can already dig into the likes of pasture-raised bacon and white beans, free-range chorizo and fried egg sandwiches, oat porridge with roasted rhubarb, local berries and honey, and the Loop Growers crostini, which is piled high with fresh greens, carrot-top pesto and seeded dukkah. 

When it comes to ethical and sustainable cafe practices, the Alphabet sisters are leading by example. Through established relationships with Food Connect and Loop Growers, Alphabet Cafe is sourcing fresh produce from an established network of local suppliers, supplemented by artisan bread from Danny’s Bread, free-range eggs and ethically farmed bacon from Echo Valley Farms. Their West End location comes with a spacious backyard, which Zoe and Meghan are in the process of converting into a kitchen garden with the help of Loop Growers. Organic and acidic food waste is composted and converted into fertiliser for reuse in the garden, while leftover bread ends are mixed with excess milk from Alphabet’s coffee service for chicken feed.

For more information, find Alphabet Cafe in the Stumble Guide.