A Melbourne espresso bar built with a minimal material palette within an exposed concrete shell. Belying its small budget the project delivered a highly functional space with a robust aesthetic suitable for both high volume passing trade and casual coffee lovers.

Located on the quieter end of Brunswick Street is Mio Locale (which translates to ‘My Local’), a little gem of a cafe and restaurant in a newly renovated space. Sporting concrete walls and shiny black-tiled tables, Mio Locale gives off an industrial vibe, however trust us when we say the food is a throwback to traditional Italian feasts!

Launched recently, the family-owned Mio Locale has a dedicated Sunday Feast menu (‘La cucina povera’), a four-course dining experience, available on the last Sunday of every month. The concept is a homage to the big cook ups that sibling owners Emily and Maurice Paladino had in their younger days.

Starting up with a share platter, we had the choice of a variety of cured meats, complimented by both soft and hard cheeses and pickled vegetables. This serves for some good grazing as you begin with a glass of wine! We then had the Pipi e patati, with peppers and potatoes sitting on top of a healthy serving of bread. The softer textures of the peppers sit nicely with the crunchy bread.