Filter

Despite living interstate, Filter was on my radar even before it opened. Here’s why: smørrebrød. What?! Danish open-​face sandwiches. I’m a little obsessed with them, and I blame this on Eurovision last year. I hosted a Eurovision finale viewing party at my place and, as the host, felt it only right that I serve food from the host nation. An extensive google search later and I’d settled on making piles and piles of smørrebrød. I went a little too all-​out and was eating smørrebrød leftovers for the rest of the week but my eyes had been OPENED.
So, only a few weeks later when articles started coming out reporting on this new coffee place opening in Melbourne that was going to do predominantly a) filter coffee and b) smørrebrød, I was 100% in. I had to wait almost a year to visit, and the anticipation was overwhelming.
Maybe this is why I still feel sad when I think about my breakfast at Filter that fateful morning in April. Where is the smørrebrød? WHERE? I shouldn’t be too facetious (too late?) because there was one smoked salmon option, so I got it because I had to, but in all honesty I’m not a smoked salmon fan. It was fine. I suppose it was fine. There were other food options too, but that’s not even the point.
Yeah, the coffee was delicious and presented in a very cute beaker. So science. But my smørrebrød dreams were dashed to pieces on the rocks of my broken heart.

I’ll admit, I was drawn to Filter from the photos I had seen on Unilocal — Clean lines, thoughtful design, attention to detail — all the things I like to see in any establishment.
So, I’m sure I’ll be forgiven as I did not actually consume any of the blends Filter are know for and instead opted for an espresso.
It’s my comfort zone and I’d just landed in Melbourne off an early morning flight. Forgiven?
That aside, the espresso was divine, salmon/​egg/​scandi treat was delicious and the service was friendly. The ambience was spot on too.

The shine has worn off Filter for me unfortunately. I’ve walked in the last three times to uncleared cups and plates on half the seating areas and a fairly flat vibe.
One off visit I can take especially if the coffee was on the mark but their namesake — the filter coffee was weak/​watery once, took 20 minutes the next and was poorly extracted again.
Two people I’ve gone with also felt their espresso based coffees were off the mark.
The foods still delicious and fresh and the setting unique.

Do one thing and do it well.
Filter makes coffee, good coffee in a great location and environment.
The staff are friendly and the seating is excellent. All of which is surprising given that its located on the ground floor of the empty 555 Collins Street office building.
I like it and I’ll be back.

I am neither a LB or filter coffee drinker. I am old school milky latte loving lady. Yet the fine people at Filter still let me in and caffenate me. On numerous occasions.
I’ve been here during the week and on Saturday mornings, still received fantastic coffee and service. Each time they offer me a petite cup of filter. Brownie points for trying to convert me. I appreciate your attempts.
The below reviews cover off how great the filter coffee is here. I just like the little jugs that it turns up in.

Now, I must admit that I haven’t tried the coffee. I KNOW! I KNOW! Forgive me, please. We were lucky enough to win tickets to Filter’s opening night party — the only things I consumed were red wine, beer, and smorrebrod (Danish open sandwiches on rye) tasters.
The café itself was simple and industrial, which I liked. We met Andrew — the owner — who was lovely and personable and friendly; we loved his vibe and his goals for bringing filter coffee to Melbourne.
As for the smorrebrod — mmmaybe the best thing I’ve ever put in my face. Possibly an exaggeration. But it was incredible! There were so many different combinations I couldn’t begin to describe them here for you, but Andrew did mention the possibility of a bacon and egg breakfast smorrebrod, for which I am very excited!

I payed Filter a visit after a recommendation from Mel P. I have to say, this coffee bar is very, very cool. It has an avant-​garde kind of feel to it. Kinda like I wasn’t even in Melbourne anymore.
I applaud Small Batch for creating this venue. It has a very professional feel about it but it in no means formal. The staff that were on during my visit were both young, friendly and willing to have a chat.
The coffee is exactly what you expect it to be: spectacular. I enjoyed a nice frech-​press-​like coffee out of Columbia. I was quite interested in the process because I’d never seen it quite like it was done at Filter. Reminded me of a miniature french press. The coffee tasted amazing. Let the filters cool down a little and you’ll be surprised. Mine became sweeter and sweeter as it cooled. Delicious.
While you’re there, why not sink your teeth into some of the obscure danish open-​sandwiches with equally as obscure names. I seriously don’t even know how to pronounce the names. You might not be able to say it but you can definitely taste it.
The bar manages to deliver coffee in a simple, minimalistic, beautiful way.

Hell to the yeah for 3 dollar batch brewed coffee in the CBD: It’s insane how expensive filtered coffee can be around town so it’s a total pleasure to find it reasonably priced at Filter. Prices for the brewed to order coffee are a bit more but considering the quality of the batch brew, are probably worth the money. The Colombian I sampled was earthy and sweet and didn’t even need the milk and sugar that I am partial to. Staff were solicitous and eager to explain how the café worked: Lots of filter option, espresso for those who like sameoldsameold, and Scandinavian sammies and pastries for the hungry. This is the second time I’ve seen smorrebrod in Melbourne. They were a standout feature of the menu at Common Galaxia in it’s earlier «Dead Man Espresso» days. They were switched out for less adventurous fare after a few months of unpopularity among the Seddon pram brigade set and I was devastated to see them go. Three years and a few suburbs over, the Filter Crew are betting on Melbourne’s readiness for the Swedish snacks and I wish them well with it. I sampled the garfish and celeriac smorrebrod and was favourably impressed, however, at 9 dollars, it’s just a bit expensive for a snack and too meagre for lunch.
There’s a lot of ingenuity going on at Filter. If you’re looking for something a bit different, and very «au courant», I’d give it a look.

Filter is almost like having your coffee on a science fiction building.
It’s a semi-​permanent set up in an old dilapidated and mostly deserted building that
pretty much only has the framework left. Look up at the ceiling, and essentially all the fittings have gone.
Now the most obvious clue to finding Filter is on the corners of King and Collins street.
There’s the big sign Filter on King. The entrance is just near the corner next to the 555 Collins street sign through a bit sheet like thing. It’s a bit distopian inside, yet still welcoming. There’s a menu’s for the various coffee’s they do, as previously described in earlier review. The pastries are pretty good/​almond croissant. Quality tasty coffee is the feature here, and you can’t really go wrong.
Staff are always busy but at the same time pretty chatty to you about coffee related topics, so it’s great to see them multitask with friendliness.

I have a serious infatuation with Small Batch coffee. It’s so freaking good and I feel like they cater to black coffee drinkers better than some of the other local roasters. As a LB and filter drinker, I was stoked to hear that a café serving a whole range of Small Batch had opened down the quieter end of the CBD.
As the name suggests, there is a focus on the filter coffee menu here. Using the v60 pour over brew method, you can select your beans from the menu and pull up a stool at one of their bars to wait while the magic happens. This will set you back around $ 5 – 6, which is reasonably priced for what you’re getting.
But this is the CBD, where a large portion of their clientele won’t have 10+ minutes to sit around and wait for/​enjoy their coffee. So they also have batch brew filter ready to go for $ 3. Having seen other cafes charge full price for batch (not ok guys!) it’s nice to see a place give people the option and halve the cost.
Espresso lovers are cared for here too and the Candyman espresso blend is one of my favs, so passing up a sneaky LB while I wait for my filter is a hard option to pass up.
For food, they served some small pastries items and have a list of danish open sandwiches (aka smørrebrød). These aren’t really up my alley, but they do suit the stark stripped back image of the café. I found this aspect of the place to be a bit cold and uninviting, but I get that it’s what they’re going for. It is well suited for the Docklands end of town.
On the Saturday morning (yes, open Saturdays!) when I dropped in it was quiet and felt almost silent except for a few people chatting about coffee. If I was to come again I’d bring a pal to gush over the coffee with next time. On my own it felt a bit awkward and I didn’t feel like lingering. It’s not my fav spot in the city for atmosphere, but I couldn’t give anything less than 5 stars for the outstanding coffee.