Just open: Hawthorn Common

It's a star-crossed space that's previously housed Canvas, Chester White and most recently, Orto. But cafe veteran Danny Colls and George Sykiotis (of Gazi, Jimmy Grant's, Hellenic Republic and soon-to-be Lucy Liu's) hope to change all that. They've papered the walls with oversized black-and-white images of Colls' former customers. Coffee is by Genovese with a microroaster behind the coffee bar. Italian-born chef Stefano Rosi (ex Vue de Monde and Bistro Vue) has based the menu on seasonal produce, some plucked from the herb and vegetable gardens on the cafe's sunny deck. All pastries and bread are being made in-house using flour milled onsite.

Details: Hawthorn Common, 302 Burwood Road, Hawthorn, 9819 2200, hawthorncommon.com