Coffee: So delicious, and yet so mysterious. Is it a naturally occurring earth-bound substance? Just more proof of a just and generous God? Or could it perhaps be the work of ancient aliens? Void your mind of all preconceived notions, as our new Paranormal Theories columnist Bixby Klendathu delves deep into the mysteries that surround coffee’s origin.

Coffee is a mysteriously delicious and neuro-active substance, which people across the globe use daily. Given what we know about the history of our species, is it possible that such a perfect beverage happened by accident?

Let’s evaluate the evidence:

The examination of ancient texts gives us ample evidence of a group called the “Anunnaki” in Sumerian. The Anunnaki – whose name means “people who came from the heavens” in the language of Sumer – splashed down in the middle East 435,000 years ago on a search for gold. It was the Anunnaki who created the human race to mine gold for them in present-day Ethiopia, site of what would be passed on through legend as King Solomon’s Mine (Solomon was actually an Annnnaki chief officer). It was the Anunnaki who likely built the pyramids of Egypt, Central America, and the Cydonia region of Mars. It was the Annunaki who gave us legends of “watchers”; what the Hebrews called “Nephilim” or “Elohim” (angels), and the Egyptians called “Neteru” (cosmic gods). It was the Anunnaki who left behind Out Of Place Artifacts (OOPArts) such as the Antithykera Mechanism, the ancient batteries of Baghdad, and the Desert Lines of Nazca (landing strips). These are the space travelers who created the human race through genetic engineering for the purpose of working the mines, as has been proven and documented by the works of Zechariah Sitchin and Erich von Daaniken.

And so of course it was the Anunnaki who created coffee, originally intending it to serve as fuel for their mine workers (who were, in fact, proto-genetic hybrid humans). And this creation was their undoing.

Puzzling evidence that proves my case:

-Coffea arabica is a hybrid, which appeared in Ethiopia. It’s supposed “parents” (Coffea canephora or “Robusta” and Coffea eugenioides) are not even from Ethiopia. Are we supposed to believe that a west African coffee species flew by itself across a continent to mate with another species? Or was it flown there? And if then, by who? And why?

-Arabica is an allotetraploid. According to Biology Online, “Allotetraploids are created as a result of both chromosome sets of both parents being present in gametes.” To put it in layman’s terms, this means arabica must be some kind of genetic mutant created by an intelligent plant breeder.

-Coffee is uniquely suited to make humans better, more productive workers. It stimulates the intellect and makes drinkers more alert while promoting stamina. Coffee is an ancient, high technology performance enhancer.

Ancient aliens: what did they know?

The coffee drug, known as KHWH to the ancient aliens, was administered to the Anunnaki’s proto-genetic human mine workers in a variety of ways. All evidence points to milk from genetically engineered bovine herds (cows) as well as purified powdered carbs (sugar) to provide energy and protein to the workers’ systems. It was, in many ways, the perfect system for maximizing labor for the construction of ancient temples and landing strips, and you know what? COFFEE IS STILL CONSUMED THE SAME WAY TODAY.

Coffee is impossibly complex. Professional tasters detect flavor notes as disparate as Meyer Lemon, Night Blooming Jasmine, and Prosecco. This is super-natural, nearly psychedelic flavor complexity, designed to lure humans into a daily dosing ritual, just as it did for the lost tribes of Sumer. It is impossible for flavor scientists to duplicate coffee flavor by any process, and today we go to far ends of the world to find the most complex and enchanting flavor expressions. But our journeys to origin today pale in comparison to the galactic road walked by the Anunnaki, whom, should they ever choose to return, I for one would welcome as our new overlords.

In conclusion, there are a great many more secrets to tell, including the deconstruction of the myth of Kaldi the goat herd. Researchers are now pointing towards Sumerian tablets that tell tale of KAAL-D, a kind of mythic GMO engineer of the Anunnaki who may have first combined canephora and eugenioides. KAAL-D was both feared and revered amongst the great tribes of Sumer, where he was worshipped as a God, just as many worship coffee today.

This is important research that’s being conducted, and it will of course inform my future writings for this publication. Until then, keep watching the skies.

Bixby Klendathu is a coffee enthusiast, Akkadian language scholar, and ardent UFO disclosure advocate. He contributes to a number of publications from his home in Pahrump, Nevada.

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The prizes are well worth the investment – $300 year-long whole bean subscription, $25 limited edition t-shirt, a prize package that include a weekly free cup of coffee and waffle for a year, and much much more.

Linea Caffe’s space at 3417 18th Street, at San Carlos.

Support the scene over here at Kickstarter.

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On the evening of May 21st, 2013, Melbourne’s absolutely stunning Code Black Coffee Roasters played host to a microlot cupping put on by Your Sprudge Editors plus two esteemed delegates from the team at Cafe Imports, Noah Namowicz and Gabe Dunn. A wildly diverse international crowd of around 75 folks joined us as we cupped our way through a plethora of coffees from roasters across the United States.

As Noah Namowicz led the crowd in a brief overview of Cafe Imports’ microlot sourcing methodology, we took a moment to take stock of the scene around us. It included national champions from across Europe and Asia (including Finnish champ Kalle Freese), roasters and representatives from a wide swath of Melbourne cafes (Everyday Coffee, Top Paddock) and roasters (Sensory Lab, Proud Mary), plus long distance friends from North America like Wille Yli-Luoma (Heart Roasters) and Brent Fortune. The coffees were fabulous, of course, but the company? Top notch.

Here’s a complete list of the coffees served at our event at Code Black:

Coava Coffee Roasters, PDX – Santa Sofia Colombia, Kochere Yirga Cheffe, Honduras David Mancia

Flight Coffee Roasters, Wellington – Kenya French Mission Natural (currently unavailable, part of NZ Champion Nick Clark’s WBC routine)

Roseline Coffee, PDX – Colombia Los Naranjos, Costa Rica

Halfwit Coffee Roasters, Chicago – Colombia Santana

Sightglass Coffee, San Francisco  – Colombia Finca Los Florestales, Rwanda Tomba Cocatu

Stumptown Coffee Roasters, PDX – Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Chelbessa, Costa Rica Montes De Oro

Central City Coffee, PDX – Rwanda Burmera, Velocity Blend

The Red E, PDX – Rwanda Burmera, Colombia Las Margaritas

Intelligentsia Coffee, Los Angeles - Costa Rica Flecha Roja

Cafe Imports – Costa Rica Los Lobos, Colombia Trujillo, El Salvador Plan de la Batea

Verve Coffee Roasters, Santa Cruz – Peru Benjamin Peralta

Water Avenue Coffee Company – El Salvador Buena Vista, El Salvador San Luis

Beansmith Coffee, Omaha - Colombia Primavera

Heart Coffee Roasters, PDX – Colombia Desarrollo, Guatemala Pulcal

The conviviality of the evening was greatly buttressed by beers from Fat Yak and Mountain Goat, plus a few bottles of absolutely delicious Coonawarra Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. It was our pleasure to present these coffees to our friends in Melbourne both old and new, alongside our longtime partners at Cafe Imports. A great many thanks to all who attended, our gracious hosts at Code Black, and of course to the roasters back home who generously supplied their coffees for this event.

We’ve got another cupping party scheduled for our time in Melbourne, happening on Tuesday, May 28th at Everyday Coffee. Do join us!

The post Code Black Cupping With Cafe Imports – Recap & Full List Of Coffees Served! appeared first on Sprudge.com.

This is your quick reference schedule for Round One, Day Two of the 2013 World Barista Championship, hosted by World Coffee Events in conjunction with the 2013 Melbourne International Coffee Expo. Today’s field is 25 baristas total, each eligible to advance based on points to the Semi Finals Saturday Round of 18. Official WBC Livestream is available here. All times in this schedule are listed in UTC + 10:00 – conversion tables for your local time are available here.

Sprudge.com is proud to serve as an Official Media Partner of World Coffee Events throughout the 2013 season. For play-by-play coverage of every competitor live from Melbourne, follow @SprudgeLive on Twitter and accept no imitations.

29. 8:15 AM – John Gordon, Square Mile Coffee Roasters, United Kingdom – @gorillatampers @squaremile

30. 8:35 – Francesco Sanapo, Italy – @sanapofrancesco

31. 8:55 – Kalle Frisse, Finland – @kallefreese

32. 9:15 – Stefan Laurentiu, Barista School, Romania

33. 9:35 - Ryan Tan, Strangers Reunion, Singapore – @Ryankierantan @strangersreu

34. 9:55 – Jose De La Pena, Cafe Casa, Guatemala

35. 10:15 – Areephorn Kaeajaroen, Hom Krun Coffee Company, Thailand

36. 10:35 – Frantisek Rohacek, MyGastro, Czech Republic

37. 10:55 – Jordi Mestre, Nude Espresso, Spain – @nomadcoffeeuk @nudeespresso

38. 11:15 – Pete Licata, Parisi Coffee, USA – @petelicata @parisicoffee

39. 11:35 – Jinkyu Kim, Core, South Korea

40. 11:55 – Louis Donck, Donko’s Koffie, Belgium

41. 12:15 PM – Chia Cheng Chien, Jim’s Burger & Coffee 88, Taiwan

42. 12:35 – Thanasis Nikolis, Tailor Made, Greece – @thirdwave14

43. 12:55 – Colin Harmon, 3FE, Ireland – @dublinbarista @3FE

44. 1:15 – Jose Luis Herrera Madrid, Inversiones Ingeniosas, Honduras

45. 1:35 – Mihael Gerhard Putnik, Eliscaffe, Croatia

46. 1:55 – Kevin Israel Fortu, Craft Coffee Workshop, Philippines

47. 2:15 – Hidenori Izaki, Maruyama Coffee Company, Japan – @hcoespsp @maruyamacoffee

48. 2:35 – Mirriam Simasiku, Blue Moon Cafe, Zambia

49. 2:55 - Lovejoy Chirambasukwa, Origin Coffee Roasting, South Africa – @LovejoyLJ

50. 3:15 – Jeremy Ho, Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters, Canada – @OhYmerej @philandseb

51. 3:35 – He Hong Cao, North Woods Coffee, China

52. 3:55 – Rasmus Gamrath, The Coffee Collective, Denmark – @rasmusgamrath @coffeecollectif

53. 4:15 – Doddy Samsura, One Fifteenth Coffee, Indonesia – @doddy_samsura

 END DAY TWO – SEMI-FINALS ANNOUNCEMENTS TO FOLLOW

 Sprudge.com’s coverage of the 2013 World Barista Championship is made possible by direct support from the St. ALi / Sensory Lab family and Nuova Simonelli.

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This is your quick reference schedule for Round One, Day One of the 2013 World Barista Championship, hosted by World Coffee Events in conjunction with the 2013 Melbourne International Coffee Expo. Today’s field is 28 baristas total, each eligible to advance based on points to the Semi Finals Saturday Round of 18. Official WBC Livestream is available here. All times in this schedule are listed in UTC + 10:00 – conversion tables for your local time are available here.

Sprudge.com is proud to serve as an Official Media Partner of World Coffee Events throughout the 2013 season. For play-by-play coverage of every competitor live from Melbourne, follow @SprudgeLive on Twitter and accept no imitations.

1. 8:15 AM – Roberto Pablo Caldas Portugal, Arabica Espresso Bar, Peru

2. 8:35 – William Hernandez, Viva Espresso, El Salvador – @VivaEspresso1

3. 8:55 – Maria Auxiliadora Bonila, Beneficio Don Mayo, Costa Rica

4. 9:15 – Lucca Casadei, Segafredo Zanetti, France – @lucacasadei7 @segafredo_z_spa

5. 9:35 – Jefferson David Castillo Bermudez, Nicaragua

6. 9:55 – Ron Harvey Valero Balaguera, Juan Valdez Cafe (PROCAFECOL), Colombia – @ronaldvalero2 @juanvaldezcafe

7. 10:15 – Godfrey Batte, Africa Coffee Academy, Uganda - @gbatte007

8. 10:35 – Romeo Porello Jr., Eurocoffee, United Arab Emirates

9. 10:55 – Daniel Andres Cifuentes Diaz, Caffe Lattente, Argentina

10. 11:15 – Graciele Rodrigues, Lucca Cafes Especials, Brazil

11. 11:35 – Rasmus Helgebostad, Java Espressobar & Kaffeforretning AS, Norway – @recaf

12. 11:55 – Eniko Kantor, Hungary

13. 12:15 PM – Mariarosa Gomez, Ristretto Cafe, Puerto Rico

14. 12:35 – Marian Plajdicko, Slovakia – @plajdo

15. 12:55 – Christian Vera, Dach Coffee, Chile – @baristacristian

16. 1:15 – Natalia Kuranakova, Kredens Cafe, Ukraine

17. 1:35 – Zjevuan Lemar Janga, Restaurant Ivy, Netherlands – @jevaunJ

18. 1:55 – Torfi Torfason, Iceland – @TheTorfi

19. 2:15 – Kapo Chiu, The Cupping Room, Hong Kong – @TheCuppingRoom

20. 2:35 – Oskar Alverus, Drop Coffee, Sweden – @dropcoffee

21. 2:55 - Alejandro Escobar Vazquez, Cafe Etrusca / Pare de Dormir, Mexico

22. 3:15 – Serkan Ipekli, Mambocino Coffee, Turkey

23. 3:35 – Matthew Perger, St. Ali, Australia – @mattperger @st_ali

24. 3:55 – Rhoda Kamau, Nairobi Serena Hotel, Kenya

25. 4:15 – Shem Lupin, Stoll Kaffe, Switzerland – @shemspresso

26. 4:35 – Tomas Rudys, Lithuania

27. 4:55 – Nick Clark, Flight Coffee, New Zealand – @flightcoffee @nickroydclark

28. 5:15 – Dmitry Boroday, North-West Coffee Company, Russia – @lyudim

END DAY ONE.

 Sprudge.com’s coverage of the 2013 World Barista Championship is made possible by direct support from the St. ALi / Sensory Lab family and Nuova Simonelli.

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We’re in Melbourne for the 2013 World Barista Championship, our first visit to this splendid city. How do you write a guide for a city if you’ve never been? Easy. We polled a dozen Melbourne residents and frequent visitors with excellent taste on their very favorite places to eat, drink, and have a coffee around town. Read more features like this one in our Melbourne Sprudge Guides hub!

Melbourne is one heck of a classy town, with world class restaurants, gorgeously fitted cafes and brunch palaces, and no shortage of classy establishments at which to enjoy classic cocktails and sublime wines. But you know what? Sometimes you just need a pub. Sometimes jeans and hoodie need to be okay. Sometimes you want a burger and a beer, and you don’t want to break the bank.

You do you, that’s what we always say. So here’s a list of some of Melbourne’s finest pubs and local haunts, where the air is never fussy, and if you hang ’round long enough everyone will know your name.

The Standard – One of Melbourne’s classic laneway pubs, The Standard was home to a very hip record label in the 1990′s, and today sports authentic mid-century ephemera decor and a by-all-accounts gorgeous outdoor garden. Beer, wine, pub grub til late (sausage rolls!), and not an ounce of nonsense. (293 Fitzroy St, Fitzroy)

The Beaufort – We visited the Beaufort on our first night out in Melbourne, on the overwhelming recommendation of several poll responders. She’s a charmer, alright, situated on the corner of a long, palm tree studded boulevard you could easily mistake for Dolores Street in San Francisco. The vibe feels like the Mission District, too, or maybe SE Portland, or Bushwick, or you get the picture. A dive by presentation but not by menu, as the Beaufort sports a deep, well-considered Scotch selection (!) plus inventive beer cocktails and loads of American bourbons. This is clearly one of Melbourne’s young, hip after-work shared spaces, and quite popular with baristas. We loved it! (421 Rathdowne St, Carlton)

Huxtaburger / Bill’s Bar – Melbourne is, improbably, something of a hamburger town, and several people mentioned Huxtaburger as being home to one of the city’s best. They have gluten free buns, a jalapeno and sriracha mayo option, and a fun pub ’round back where every last pour of liquor – from fancy Scotch to cheap hooch – goes for $9 a pour. Lots of bar snacks, too, and we could go on and on, but this place sounds awesome. (106 Smith Street, Collingwood)

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We’re in Melbourne for the 2013 World Barista Championship, our first visit to this splendid city. How do you write a guide for a city if you’ve never been? Easy. We polled a dozen Melbourne residents and frequent visitors with excellent taste on their very favorite places to eat, drink, and have a coffee in the city. Read more features like this one in our Melbourne Sprudge Guides hub!

Because drinking and coffee events go perilously hand in hand, there may be no more important guide than this one. Like our dining, coffee, breaky and pub guides, it was an exercise in controlled impossibility to narrow down this city’s choices of great bars into 10 recommended spots. But fortunately the folks we polled all seemed to be in agreement on the basics – wine here is awesome, cocktails are great, and the great beer options abound. Be sure to consult our other guides in addition to this, as there’s quite a bit of crossover between restaurants and bars in this fair city.

But seriously, on the wine thing, it’s almost as though Aussies take their plethora of delicious wines for granted. It’s gobsmacking how much great wine there is to drink here. Even if you aren’t a wine drinker by default, try it out. Take a chance and you may well be handsomely rewarded.

The Aylesbury (103 Lonsdale Street) – Melbourne is a wine town, and the Aylesbury is a great spot to dig in to that scene. Their wine list has what you’re expecting – carefully curated Shiraz choices from the Yarra Valley, Pinots from Yarra and elsewhere throughout Victoria – as well as some fun designations like “Textured Whites” and “Grenache and Friends”. It’s all about the rooftop seating here, a covered and heated situation where you’re welcome to enjoy a fine cigar, if so inclined.

Black Pearl (304 Brunswick Fitzroy) – A cocktail institution in the middle of Fitzroy that stays low key on weeknights, and becomes something of a suave madhouse on weekends. Order your favorite classic cocktail here and soak in the scenery.

Cumulus Up (45 Flinders Ln) – The upstairs wine bar at Cumulus Inc (featured in our dining guide), this is another top choice in Melbourne’s sprawling dossier of wine destinations. They’ve got a climate controlled cellar to keep their vintages tasting great, and a small plates menu to pair with all that good vino (one of our polling team gushed about the “foie gras waffles”). Esteemed and classy by all accounts.

The Everleigh (1/150-156 Gertrude St, Fitzroy) – Another option for great cocktails, with a beautiful interior, a deep selection of fine spirits, and an overall air of sophistication. This is the sister bar of Milk & Honey in New York City. If the enjoyment of fine cocktails is a component part of how you travel, place this spot high on your list.

Hihou (1 Flinders Ln) – Japanese in spirit and presentation, one must politely ring the bell and be chaperoned up to gain entry at Hihou. Winner of Time Out Melbourne’s “Best New Bar” award for 2012, this place features several Japanese inversions on classic cocktails, plus a deep selection of sake and shochu. And yes, of course there’s tsukemono and sashimi drinking snacks to go alongside your drinks. This is the cocktail arm of Izakaya Den, featured elsewhere in our Melbourne guides.

Lily Blacks (17 Meyers Pl) – A cosmopolitan Melbourne laneway bar, with classics and new creations sharing space on their sprawling, inventive cocktail menu. Expect to pay New York City prices, look for an armada of housemade bitters and tinctures, and geek out about the multifaceted rum and bourbon Old Fashion options. This is probably where we’d go first with our cocktail nerd friends back home.

The Long Play (318 St Georges Rd, Fitzroy) – A cocktail and wine bar in Fitzroy with a miniature cinema in its back room! The interior is all Danish minimalism, there are European apertifs aplenty, and reasonably priced small plates. Nothing too fancy, tastefully appointed, and did we mention the movie theater?

The Melbourne Supper Club (1st/161 Spring St) – Broadsheet Melbourne called this spot “arguably the city’s best bar”, and they’ve got hours til 6am on weekends. Huge wine list, spirits, oysters, and a cigar bar upstairs called Siglo…

Siglo (2/161 Spring St) – The aforementioned rooftop cigar bar above The Melbourne Supper Club. Did you know that Cuban cigars are totally legal in Australia? They’ve got ‘em here, with more detail than you knew imaginable and a humidor to make even the uninitiated curious. Worried about the cold? They’ve got heaters. Just want a drink? Spirits and wine are cheerfully available. Drinking on a budget? Maybe not here you aren’t. Friends with a wealthy coffee magnate? This would be a fine place to suggest.

Whisky & Alement (270 Russell St) – Melbourne might be 10,000 miles from Edinburgh, but that hasn’t slowed down this Scotch spot one bit. They’ve got drams and drams of the good stuff for you to enjoy, plus classes and and regularly scheduled events all year long. Yes, there is Scotch in Melbourne, and it’s here – you knew we’d find it, right?

Loop back ’round to our Melbourne info portal, why don’t you? Good on ya!

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We’re in Melbourne for the World Barista Championship, our first visit to this splendid city. How do you write a guide for a city if you’ve never been? Easy. We polled a dozen Melbourne residents and frequent visitors with excellent taste on their very favorite places to eat, drink, and have a coffee in the city. Read more features like this one in our Melbourne Sprudge Guides hub!

With a total population of over 4 million, and a reputation as Australia’s cultural hub, you might expect that Melbourne would be home to some pretty awesome restaurants. And you would be right: this was an enormously tough list to whittle down into a top 10, based on the responses of the dozen or so Melbourne locals and frequent visitors we polled. From an incredibly diverse and exciting field of restaurants to choose from, here’s 10 restaurants with very little in common, save for promising you a nice time during your visit. For more choices, spend time with Broadsheet Melbourne, the city’s premiere dining and urban exploring guide.

Cumulus Inc (45 Flinders Ln) – A top pick for the vast majority of people we polled, this destination restaurant on Melbourne’s trendy Flinders Lane has been well-regarded since opening in 2008. Their menu is chockablock Cupidian arrows aimed directly at our Pacific Northwestern hearts: think regional Aussie oysters, epic charcuterie, whole roasted lamb shoulders to share, grilled octopus…we’ll meet you there.

Chin Chin (125 Flinders Ln) – Very busy and not too fancy, with a menu “modeled on the hawker dining halls of Asia”, according to their menu-less website. Broadsheet’s listing for them mentions items like suckling pig pancake rolls, a plethora of Thai-style soups, and a focused wine program. They’re open til late, so consider this a post-party “let’s take a cab, I’m starving” option.

Izakaya Den (114 Russell St) – Located mere blocks from Sensory Lab on the corner of Russel & Little Collins, this is a big city modern Izakaya befitting the bustle and hustle of the CBD. Modeled on the chic urban drink-and-eateries of Tokyo, our responders highlighted the service and sake list here as being especially noteworthy. Be aware: Izakaya Den is located in a basement, and their door is pretty much unmarked, so look closely at the ol’ iPhone. It’s there, promise.

The Town Mouse (312 Drummond St, Carlton) – We’re tempted to call this place “New American”, but that would be blindingly empiricist of us. The Town Mouse has smart wine and food options – “Blackened pork jowl, smoked carrot kimchi, cos, green apple & peanut” FTW – with a focus on local, seasonal goodies. Lots of vegetarian options and delicious sounding meaty entrees, plus its in a hip and fun part of Carlton.

Cookie (First Floor/252 Swanston St) – Contemporary Thai food plus lots and lots of beer. Deep fried shrimp cocktail! Soft shell crab! Seriously, they have like 200 beers. This place sounds awesome and we’re going, that’s final.

Anada (197 Gertrude St, Fitzroy) – Spanish tapas and raciones, with a super-affordable tasting menu that sounds like a lot of fun. There’s a really deep cheese list here too, if you’re into that, and a well-curated not-too-intimidating list of Spanish sherries, ciders, and wines. Sounds like a fun spot for that big group dinner you’re tagging along with. Lucky you.

Dainty Sichuan (176 Toorak Rd, South Yarra) – No foolies, this place is home for real-deal Sichuan spice euphoria. Everything you order here will be hot and spicy and of plentiful portion, cooked directly in front of you on table-top burners. Careful though, because this stuff will get you spice-stoned.

Estelle Bar & Kitchen (243 High St, Northcote) – “A modest local eatery” as per the front page of its website, and there’s something rather classy about the whole scene here at Estelle. There’s a courtyard and quaint dining room, multiple prix fixe options on the menu, and individual selections that don’t outnumber the guests. If somehow, within the madness of MICE and WBC, you’ve managed to meet someone nice and plan to take him or her on a date, this place looks pretty much perfect.

Builders Arms (211 Gertrude St, Fitzroy) – Housed in an 150 year old pub, Builders Arms is absolutely one of the most intriguing entries on this list. The bar and bistro area offers a contemporary update on the classic public house it once was, with fine beers and wines on tap but also standards like Coopers and Carlton. There’s a beer garden, and an awesome wine list, and a separate dining room called Moon Under Water, offering a nightly 4 course menu for $75. This spot intrigues because, to a visitor’s eye, there’s something about it that seems to encompass modern Melbourne while nodding to its past. Fun and not too fussy, but by no means dingy, it’s the kind of bar every cool neighborhood should have.

Stokehouse (30 Jacka Blvd, St Kilda) – You could spend a week in Melbourne and forget it’s a seaside town, or you could journey out to St. Kilda and really get a sense of where you are: a thriving coastal metropolis on the bottom of the world. Stokehouse has fine dining upstairs, a less formal cafe downstairs, and delicious food in both. Seafood, of course – Melbs is mad for seafood – as well as awesome sounding steaks and desserts. And you’ll be right on the beach...near the penguins!

Loop back ’round to our Melbourne info portal, why don’t you? Good on ya!

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You’re in Melbourne, mate! Modern and lively, sprawling and vast, this city of more than 4 million people boasts no shortage of delicious things to eat and drink, plus fun things to see and do. If you’re reading this, you’re probably here for the World Barista Championship, held in conjunction with the 2013 Melbourne International Coffee Expo. Visit our Melbourne Sprudge Guides hub for a king’s ransom of recommended food and drink, compiled from a series of informal polls we sent out to friends with an intimate knowledge of the Melbourne urban landscape. This particular feature is meant to orient you towards what you can expect out on the town in Melbs.

Getting Around:

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