Bancroft Brewers

"And by the way," writes Melissa Clark in The New York Times, "when New Yorkers say bagels and lox, we don't always strictly mean the salty pickled belly meat of the salmon, which is what traditional Jewish lox is. The word lox also colloquially means any kind of cold smoked salmon that you'd eat on a bagel."

Elsternwickers can say the same thing at new cafe Bancroft Brewers, where the bagel and lox slot is filled by a baked bagel spread with dill-infused cream cheese and filled with sweet, chunky smoked Ora king salmon that's juicy and tasty; some soused onion adds an extra savoury hit. All this needs is a good cup of black coffee to be a goer for breakfast – in this case, a tasty long black of the Rosso house blend, where Bancroft plays true to the espresso roots implied by the name.

The site was The Moor's Head until recently, a southside cousin of the Thornbury Middle Eastern-style pizzeria.

Bancroft has taken on the skin of the old place without a full refit – the main change is a big graffiti-style mural along one wall, and lots of greenery in hanging baskets that channels a fernery vibe in the long, not-so-light-filled space. (There's a big communal table near the front windows if you want some sun with your bruschetta of avocado and Persian goat's feta, and tables on the footpath, too.)

Apart from the bruschetta and the bagel and lox combo, the breakfast and lunch menu nods here and there to the Middle East before going on a bit of a World Cafe excursion.

There's chestnut falafel,  four kibbe-shaped things made of chickpea and chestnut, nicely crisped on the outside and a lovely bright green inner, infused with an unusual hint of dill. They come in a pool of tahini under a big, fresh salad of pea shoots and mint leaves, surrounding some toothy chunks of pumpkin gently spiced with cumin that has been roasted to just right, and some beetroot for a bit of flavour and texture contrast.

The Full Henry is decidedly non-kosher, with smoked bacon, roasted tomatoes, avocado and thyme-infused mushrooms loaded on the plate with poached eggs, while raw zucchini pasta with cashew and basil pesto and goat's cheese is equal parts Italian and healthy. Also channelling the superfood breakfast vibe are an  acai bowl (with banana, date, brazil nut, coconut milk, mixed berries and more) and a super salad of quinoa plus plenty of vegetables – peas, broccoli, radish – as well as a poached egg and a shake of hazelnut dukkah.

Way out on the world limb is a cafe bibimbap, a big bowl of brown rice, kimchi, pickled carrots, shiitake mushrooms topped with beef tataki (and a poached egg…), and a shiitake mushroom soup with tofu, daikon and edamame.

Right in the Melbourne cafe groove, though, is a juicy cheeseburger of Hopkins River wagyu with pickles, mustard aioli, fontina cheese and fries, and a fried buttermilk chicken po'boy – two for $14.90 if you're hungry.

The name honours Peter Bancroft who, along with his father, Harry, brought the first Gaggia espresso machines to Melbourne in 1953, starting a cafe called Il Cappuccino in St Kilda and setting themselves up as the Australian Gaggia distributor. Not an Italian, and not in Carlton: a little counterfactual Melbourne coffee history recalled in the bagel heartland.

Do…grab a spot up the front in the sun
Don't…get lost on the way to the loo; it's back there somewhere
Dish…the breakfast super salad, or roasted pumpkin and chestnut falafel
Vibe…funky fernery cafe