Marios Cafe

Marios Cafe is the 30-year-old Fitzroy institution has stood the test of time. While a lot has changed in decades of operation, the winning formula of low-key mood, quality food and coffee, and the recognition of dining as not just a special occasion, but a chance to experience homely comfort in a new environment, has kept tables turning.

The momentous occasion was recognised in a number of ways, including a small, private drinks function and a 30^th anniversary special menu with all prices thrown back to the original 1986 prices: eggs were offered for $3.50, steak for less than $10 and their famed coffee blend for a dollar a pop.

I spoke to a member of the original creative duo, Mario Maccarone, about success, standing out and staying true to your fundamentals.

The idea of having a café in the 1980s seemed like a first class notion; all day breakfast when you previously couldn’t get eggs on toast past 10.00am, genuine but robust Italian food and exceptional coffee stood out in the restaurant industry, where the food scene was either dominated by glamour and expense or on the total opposite spectrum peppered with cheap, waxy Asian eateries.

The atmosphere respires class and contentment; the neon sign glows from the front window, unchanged from the day the doors opened, and the décor breathes bohemian Brunswick style and a general air of satiety. The culinary and cultural vision of the Marios pairing has made a huge impact on the cosmopolitan Melbourne food landscape; that scarily difficult nail to strike between fine food, community engagement and keeping in touch with ever-revolutionary foodie fads, an art they appear to have mastered.

‘People love they familiarity and feeling comfortable. They come back and nothing has changed, and there are customers who have their children’s children coming into Marios.’

Whilst there is not a perfect science in getting a restaurant idea right, originality certainly plays a part. ‘It’s a fickle industry, and whilst we can push the envelope and try out new things in areas like our specials and our visual scene, we won’t change what’s not broken.’

New, modern cafes catering to new, modern ideas; food trends and developing ideas are shaping the café culture. The formula of breakfast, lunch and dinner isn’t necessarily the way it operates anymore. It has relaxed into brunch, late lunch, early dinner and dessert at 11.00pm. Melbourne is one of those dining hot spots where you can get what you want, where you want, at just about any time of the day, if you do a little searching.

One of the little touches of that Marios offers that stands out in the Melbourne coffee culture is their promise to stay true to Italian coffee; by all means, for other restaurateurs, a suicidal move given that it omits the matter of options in our consistently indecisive city. Leave behind the nuances and the skim milk, decaf, caramel drizzle latte to immerse your senses in a stunning Italian espresso – old school and all charm.

Marios is all about classic, pragmatic character. A dent in the wall, a $15 pasta and two very familiar faces – both Mario de P and Mario Mac still buzz about the floor for wait service a couple of times a week. ‘The foundation of our business has been sticking to our guns. We want to stay in touch with that and continue to master the old school charm.’

Marios Cafe
303 Brunswick St, Fitzroy
Open everyday, Monday to Saturday, 7am to 10:30pm, Sunday, 8am to 10:30pm
marioscafe.com.au