Where I'd get brunch in Melbourne if I wanted a view with my coffee

Skip the cafes every listicle already told you about. Melbourne will happily sell you a coffee with a view of a bin in a laneway, but the actual water, river and park views are still out there if you know which corner to turn.

In South Yarra, Kanteen sits right on Alexandra Avenue with clear plastic flap walls that fold back to a bend in the Yarra. Order the baked Spanish eggs, grab a spot by the open side and let the cyclists and rowers go past while you eat.

Further up in Kew, The Perch at Studley Park Boathouse looks over the same river from Melbourne's oldest working boathouse, built in 1863, with a herb garden terrace that makes the coffee taste better than it probably has any right to.

Cross to the bay and Crowded House in Williamstown has been feeding locals on Ferguson Street for years, close enough to the water that you can watch the ferries while you wait on your eggs.

If a lake suits you better, The Boatshed Cafe sits right on Albert Park Lake next to the boat hire shed, no frills, just a long table, good coffee and a straight line of sight across the water.

And for a green view instead of a blue one, Standing Room in Fitzroy North sits on a sunny corner opposite Edinburgh Gardens, all creamy congee and Turkish eggs with the park doing the scenery instead of a horizon.

None of these are new, and none of them are trying to be famous. They just happen to have the view without the crowd or the price tag that usually comes attached to one.

Bring sunglasses regardless. The good light finds you whether you paid for the postcode or not.

Sugar Honey is the social media and advertising agency behind What's The Buzz, and we run social media management and content for cafes across Melbourne, Sydney and Newcastle. Get in touch at info@sugarhoney.com.au.