A1 Bakery

Ahhh...A1!  For a fast cheap meal in a low key environment, you really can't beat A1.  They do a fantastically tasty lamb pizza for the meat lovers, and a gorgeous mixed spice (Zartar) pizza for the vegetarians, as well as lots in between.   Expect delays on weekends and at lunchtimes when the locals drop in for their weekly quota, and don't expect amazing service - they're so busy you'll be lucky to get a smile.  I haven't tried the chocolate crescents yet, but I'm looking forward to it.

Order at the back counter for both takeaways or eat ins, and peruse the Turkish goods for sale while you wait.

Tip: Their babaganoush is the best on Sydney Rd (and that's saying something).  Grab yourself a loaf of Turkish bread and some dip and you're in for a take away treat.

If you a craving cheap , fast and good quality middle eastern food then this is the place you want to visit.   It has a relaxed no fuss atmosphere, the staff are really friendly and are more than happy to explain the different types of food to you.  

They serve a variety of Lebanese pizzas which you can eat in or take away, and you don't need to wait  long as the pizzas are ready in minutes.   They have a coffee shop as well so you can sit back and relax with a coffee and try some delicous baklava. 

You can also buy cheap freshly made lebanese bread which they make themselves on a daily basis.  The great thing about this place is that is also a a lebanese grocery store.  You can buy pickles, dips and even packs of falafel mix and heaps of herbs and spices.  Definately worth checking out!

Great coffee thats very well priced, and a delicious variety of lebanese pizzas and pastries. A very popular place, especially on weekends.

Well before Brunswick was the new old Fitzroy, A1 Bakery has been churning out Lebanese-style pies and pastries that never failed to provoke the question, 'how can something so yum, cost so little?'. Not that the hungry traveller - or anyone else caught up in the Global Economic Crisis/Meltdown/that thing - should query a decent lunch for about $5.00 AUD.

The pies on offer resemble cheese-less pizzas, hand-sized triangles and nondescript calzones - they are topped or filled with either: spiced and minced lamb; Zattar (an arabic spice mix); spinach and fetta; or haloumi cheese. You order at the back, eat at the front, then probably do it all again. While essentially simple, the food is fresh and fast, the coffee OK and the baklava not bad either. There is also a selection of lebanese produce, including some delicious dips, non-American soft drinks and sweet treats.

Located a couple of blocks away from what would be considered the 'hub' of Brunswick's culinary quarter, A1 is worth the walk north past a heady mix of wedding shop-fronts targeted at the Mediterranean bride-to-be and new designer boutiques. Clientele is a jumble of old-school locals who know their fatayers from their sfeeha, grungy poet types trapped in 1998 and people who have just visited aforementioned designer boutiques and want respite from their credit card bill. If you get waylaid or a overly hungry enroute, Tabet's Bakery, half a block down, is much the same, but without the atmosphere and catchy name.

A1 Bakery typifies what so many of us love about Melbourne Food; A little bit of somewhere else right in the middle of Melbourne.  And if you are looking for a Turkish-Melbourne experience you need not look further.  A1 bakery looks, tastes, smells and sounds like Turkey.  The food is super cheap with an authenticity you would be hard-pressed to find outside of Turkey itself.  A first time visitor may well be put off by the look of the place with its poor acoustics, fluorescent lights and somewhat disheveled appearance.  However, once safely seated with a coffee and a haloumi cheese pide even the fine diner will find reason to return.
The high numbers that flock to the cafe are it's best advertisement- finding a wooden seat in the load, somewhat crowded eating area can be difficult at the best of time, and if the sun is shining, the few seats out the front are snapped up easily.  A fantastic place for people watching as the many cultures of Brunswick eat the cheap pizzas, pides and baklava whilst enjoying a coffee as good as any of Melbourne's good cafes.  
Visit for a hangover curing brunch, lunch or dinner or to pick up some groceries from the milkbar-esqu section.
Customers will need to order and pay at the counter, and the popularity of the place means sometimes small waits will ensue.  However, watching the busy staff load your order into the woodfire oven makes up for the wait as you know your food will be fresh.  
A visit to Brunswick is incomplete without a visit to A1 Bakery.