Cafes
Mr Tulk
Currently open
7:00 am - 5:00 pm
Mr Tulk
Mr Tulk is located on the ground floor of the State Library near the corner of Latrobe and Swanston Street. Named after the first state librarian, Mr Augustus Tulk, the licensed cafe and bar is headed up by Chef Andrew Kubale who serves up a range of hot and cold dishes for breakfast and lunch, including porridge, pastries, daily cooked dishes, baguettes, toasted flatbreads and a rotating list of specials from the kitchen. Lighter snacks range from olives, fried potatoes and pizza by the slice to meatballs in sugo and battered sardines with salsa verde. Drinks include coffee, juices, soft drinks and milkshakes as well as beer, basic spirits and wines by the glass and bottle. Around 80 people can be served inside, while the outside terrace caters for another 50 or so people.
It’s a foodie bookworm’s dream, hidden on the north-west corner of the State Library of Victoria. You’ll find some very good coffee and orange syrup cake or a nice cheap lunch at Mr Tulk, a smart city cafe squatting along the LaTrobe Street wall where outdoor umbrella tables bask in a sun trap. The man himself, Augustus Henry Tulk, was the building’s first chief librarian. Indeed, it feels a little like a library inside partly as students laze around the communal table ‘studying’ under the angle poise lamps. These guys are already clued-in to the quality cheap eats like battered sardines with salsa verde and crispy salad including walnut and beetroot. Hearty soups of the day are a good bet too. Light floods into the long and high-ceilinged cafe from elegant heritage ...read more
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Michael Togias is a disgusting person. He is abusive and horrible. Avoid this cafe if you want to support people who deserve. This business deserves to die. The State Library should be embarrassed to have such a misogynistic pig as their cafe manager. He also has no regard for COVID-19 mandates. He openly abuses other people in public. Disgusting human.
AVOID THIS BUSINESS
I can't say that this is my favourite place for a cup of tea in the morning. I've been here a couple of times, and I decided to give it another shot when I discovered what I don't like about it their tea is really, really strong. I am not all that partial to tea that is too strong. Basically they put the tea leaves into the pot with no strainer so I get a tea that is basically strong and disguisting. It isn't the cheapest place in Melbourne either, but it is the cafe that adjoins the State Library, and despite being a fan of the State Library, I am not really a big a fan of this place. I guess, in the end, it has everything to do with the way they serve their tea. If they used a strainer then I would be much more inclined to return.
Mr. Tulk is one of those places that capture the essence of what Melbourne coffee culture is all about! I just absolutely love the location and its atmosphere, its based just off the State Library which is on the Latrobe Street side of the library. The huge high ceilings, with a large communal table stack of books. The whole setup is just so cool and unique for central CBD, with a peg-lettered menu board. The entire atmosphere is just so lively but relaxed here. Ive been here only on a few occasions for business catch ups. The coffees have been great and have not had any issues with the service. It was only on one occasion over the weekend, in which I came in with my partner hoping to grab a bite to eat. The service was extremely busy and the wait to seated was a bit longer than usual, we had to wait almost 20 minutes for someone to stop and realise we havent been seated. Despite this, we had a lovely brunch the price I found to be reasonable, the staff are delightful, ...read more
My friend took me this cafe and there was a really long wait, but he reassured me that it was worth it. About 10 minutes later, our orders arrived, and without fail, it was definitely worth it. It was the perfect temperature, right amount of sweetness and it just hit the spot perfectly. There's only so much that I could describe the taste here, it's something you have to go try for yourself if you're after good coffee. The cafe isn't actually on Swanston street, it's on LaTrobe street. If it's busy, just wait, it's worth it
