The thumbs-up emoji signage for Naughty Boy gives an indication of the tongue-in-cheek flavour of this Carlton North cafe.
The space that used to be Residential Kitchen has been turned into a fun daytime venue by the former owners of Mama Bear in Flemington. The vibe is casual, quirky with a hint of hipster and it’s really child-friendly.
The lofty, light-filled industrial space is presided over by a naughty boy mural by street artist Michael Fikaris of Blender Studios.
The opposing wall has been gashed open to expose bricks and hidey holes with bits of pressed metal. I also love the light blue pressed metal adorning the coffee station and the stylish light fillings – filament lights wrapped around a wooden log and suspended underneath plastic milk crates.
The place is spacious, with plenty of room for prams and several high chairs in operation. We went on a quiet day and the staff were happy just to have the baby crawl around exploring.
The all-day breakfast menu features on-trend ingredients mixed in with cafe standards and includes some naughty and not-so-naughty options. There’s no kids menu but most of the standard menu is suitable for kids.
I go with the grilled haloumi salad with a generous spread of juicy local figs, leaves and herbs and some small broad bean felafels ($18.50). I don’t tend to get that excited by salad but this was superb – I think the combination of salty cheese and sweet pomegranate molasses was the reason.
My friend tried the sweet corn with jalapeno fritters with smashed avocado and tomato salsa, grilled chorizo and eggs ($18.50). She liked the fact that the fritters were chunky and hearty but didn’t seem to excited by her breakfast otherwise. I did notice that the eggs had been perfectly poached, tick.
I follow up my meal with something more naughty – a stack of ricotta hotcakes ($14.90). Three generous rounds of fluffy pancakes, stacked and topped with spiced berries, a ball of lemon and saffron curd that’s almost like ice cream and an artful squirt of burnt maple syrup.
Coffee is from Allpress and the hot chocolate is from Pana Chocolate. I don’t love the latter – it’s a bit too watery and overly sweet for my liking. Babycinos are $1.
Naughty Boy gives life to a very quiet part of Lygon Street and I liked the food, service and decor. If it’s your local, you’re lucky!
HOT Tips:
- Pram access though there is a step at the entrance. Staff are happy to help with the door.
- 4 x high chairs.
- Disabled toilet which fits a pram but no change table (despite having a ‘baby change’ symbol on the front door).
- No children’s menu. Babycino $1.
- Standard menu suitable for kids.
- No toys or books so go prepared.
- Free 1 or 2 hour parking on Lygon St.
Naughty Boy Cafe, 499 Lygon Street, Carlton North (03) 9041 7870
Monday to Friday 7.30am – 4.00pm
Saturday & Sunday 8.00am – 4.00pm
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