Just Open: Padre Coffee, Melbourne

The ever-expanding Padre Coffee family has just welcomed its newest baby: a pint-sized espresso bar in the city's historic Royal Arcade.

Part-owner Gito​ Go says all the big coffee players want a crack at the CBD market, but high rents make it tricky to pull off a full-blown cafe. "A small space focused on high volume makes better sense for us," he says.

While there's limited bench seating, with little more than around 12 square metres to play with, the smart, light-filled space largely caters to the grab-and-go crowd. You'll find all the usual Padre products, including their own brand of excellent Brunswick-roasted espresso and filter coffee, rotating single origins, St David Dairy milk, retail beans and various coffee-making accoutrements.

There's a roster of boutique sweet treats from the likes of Eat a Scroll and Don't Tell Charles too.

Open Mon-Fri 7am-4pm.

Shop 48, Royal Arcade, 335 Bourke Street, Melbourne, padrecoffee.com.au​