800 burgers in a day: The takeaway window, bistros bringing crowds to Brunswick East
The northern end of Lygon Street already had plenty going for it, but a crop of new eateries and coffee shops means locals (and visitors) are now spoilt for choice. And there’s more to come.
Ogulcan “OJ” Atay remembers when Brunswick East wasn’t a place you’d drive to. “It wasn’t lively at all. Now it’s really changed, and for the better,” he says.
In 2021, his dad opened traditional Turkish restaurant Halikanas on Lygon Street, then two years later father and son teamed up to open Yakamoz, a more contemporary representation of Turkish cuisine, across the road.
At the end of June, Atay added a hole-in-the-wall burger bar, Charrd, which runs out of the Yakamoz kitchen. Built around just two cheeseburgers, it’s had dedicated burger buffs waiting in line for up to two hours. Last Sunday, Atay sold 800 burgers, the biggest day yet.
The shop is one of several new venues bringing renewed buzz to the strip, including Times New Roman, Catalogue Coffee, 98 Lygon and Daphne, plus Bar Elsie and Taverna further up the road.
“With the amount of businesses that have opened up, it’s become its own strip now,” says Atay. “If I opened Charrd again, I would [still] do something in Brunswick East.”
Together, these new businesses – and ones that came before them such as The Alderman, Etta and Bar Idda – are changing the face of the formerly industrial suburb and servicing the area’s rapidly growing number of residents.
Merri-bek Council estimates that 2250 new apartment dwellings were built in Brunswick and Brunswick East between 2021 and 2025, based on a review of 10 years of planning permits.
Forecasts by the state government suggest a jump of 41 per cent in the number of dwellings in the Brunswick Activity Centre and surrounds by 2036. The area includes the hubs of Sydney Road, Lygon Street and Nicholson Street.
On Nicholson Street, East Brunswick Village is one of the area’s biggest new developments, housing about 400 residents and several eateries including local favourite Rumi. Its newest resident is Dodam, a Korean diner whose owners want to create “a little corner of Seoul in East Brunswick”.
Ben Clark, who recently returned from London to open neighbourhood bistro 98 Lygon, was drawn to Lygon Street’s Brunswick East end for its “similarities to East London, Shoreditch, Hackney – even parts of Paris that we spent a lot of time in”.
“There are so many great operators and the more quality that pops up in the area, the better for everyone. Great attracts great and more customers will be drawn to the area.”
Five new Brunswick East restaurants and cafes to try
98 Lygon Street
Hospo pros Ben Clark and Simon Aukett, who have both worked in restaurants around London, opened the doors of this moody neighbourhood spot in May. Inspired by French bistros and brasseries, it serves grass-fed sirloin steak with frites, creme brulee and an early-week prix fixe menu with French onion soup and beef Bourguignon. Head chef Brian MacAlister previously worked at The Builders Arms.
98 Lygon Street, Brunswick East, 98lygonst.au
Dodam
In Korea, janchi is a feast of auspicious dishes prepared for celebrations. The team behind Dodam want to bring this sense of occasion to every meal at their restaurant. The Korean Meat Feast is an array of cuts such as grilled pork belly, braised pork jowl and soy-marinated beef short ribs, served with seaweed noodles and other sides. In the kitchen are Mars Kim and Jin Jung, while Jung’s wife Jaekyung “Jacky” Kim runs front-of-house.
East Brunswick Village, 2/7 Bluestone Way, Brunswick East, dodammelbourne.com
The Coffee Bar
Another neighbourhood bistro is in the works on Lygon Street but in the meantime, seasoned operators Brett and Susie Pritchard have transformed the building’s old loading dock into a tiny but mighty sandwich and coffee bar. There’s a hefty tuna melt, mortadella with stracciatella, and a knockout Serrano ham number. Perch at the repurposed timber bar or sit out on the footpath and grab a home-style cake and Genovese coffee (roasted just up the road).
396 Lygon Street, Brunswick East (via Hickford Street), instagram.com/coffeebar_barelsie
Charrd
When Yakamoz chef Cağri Ergin put a cheeseburger on the menu, it blew up. “The next three weeks, we were just selling burgers,” says fellow co-owner Ogulcan Atay. It led to this dedicated burger window beside the restaurant, which attracts hordes of hungry fans. The halal burgers include the Charrd – with chilli jam and caramelised onions – and a classic cheeseburger with mustard-heavy burger sauce. The brioche bun comes loaded with sesame seeds. “It’s linked to us being Turkish. Everything in Turkey with dough has sesame on it. It also looks a lot better!” says Atay.
74 Lygon Street, Brunswick East, instagram.com/charrdbk
Catalogue Coffee
This sleek coffee shop is described by owner Luke Wilcock as a “living repository” of some of the world’s best coffees. House blends and single origins come from local roasters like Market Lane and Small Batch, there’s fruit-forward roasts by Brooklyn’s Sey Coffee, and ultra-fancy reserves including Peruvian Geisha from Parisian roaster Tanat. North-side businesses The Flour and Little Cardigan supply baked goods including cinnamon butter scrolls.
1/36 Lygon Street, Brunswick East, cataloguemelb.com
Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.
Sign up