Earl Canteen Collins Place

Nice little lunch place. Very nice salads here. Drinks are fine too. Service is brisk and efficient. Plenty of good seating around about. Can’t ask much more of a lunch place.

Ah EARL Canteen. The original foodie sandwich, before Melbourne exploded with casual dining options and trendy fast food. I’ve been a long time customer of their original Bourke St store, so their appearance down the Paris end was a welcome one from local workers and it’s always good to know you can get something quick and reliably tasty in Collins Place.
Much smaller and food court-​esk than the original, the Collins Place store is really more of a grab and go affair, but they have the same great gourmet sandwiches and salads on offer. I like that the salads are always seasonal, you’re bound to get something fresh and interesting here.
One thing I discovered at this store that I hadn’t succumb to previously was their cookies. So good! I grabbed a bunch of their coconut cookies and choc-​chip with sea salt to share with friends and they are just the best. The coconut ones look plain, but trust me, they’re amazing and totally worth the calories.
Close proximity to Treasury gardens at the end of Collins make this a great option for a quick lunch break picnic.

The newest outpost of the eponymous Earl Canteen on Bourke Street. Earl Collins Place has an identical menu, but downsizes to just a nook in the Collins Place Food Hall.
Normally I’m disparaging of both chains (they dilute) and food halls (just to expose the true depths of my snobbery). However, this is Earl and they’ve obviously been working their formula for some time. Given the volume they deliver, they obvious know something about scaling up production. Anyway. Suffice to say, the meals here are every bit as delicious as their counterparts down Bourke Street.
The pork belly sandwich is somewhat legendary. I’m also a fan of the harissa lamb sandwich. Basically the sandwiches are great. They’ve nailed it.
Unlike the original, Collins Place doesn’t really have a café at all. But then again, the original was so busy you never really had a look-​in to a seat anyway. Of course there is seating in the food court, but I can’t imagine that being of much appeal. When the weather suits, it’s much preferable is to take your order and walk over to Treasury Gardens.
Earl is expensive, but they know their crowd. The original is positioned under the NAB building, and this one is positioned under ANZ Collins Place (in addition to the abundance of law firms in the area). This is a crowd that doesn’t mind paying a bit more for top quality. If you’re price-​sensitive this might not be your bag.
Both NAB and ANZ have head office down in Docklands. I’m sure the workers there will be making a number of lunchtime appointments with their city counterparts…

she remembered my coffee order after only being there once before… if that’s not service then i’m an atheist pope… oh and the coffee itself is definitely top notch