Is this Australia's cheapest cafe? Owners set every item on the menu at the same low price

By PAUL SHAPIRO, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 00:00, 30 June 2026 | Updated: 00:28, 30 June 2026 A cafe in Melbourne could have taken the mantle as the cheapest in the country with every single item on the menu just $4. The Heart of Carlton has quickly become a local favourite since husband-and-wife owners Michael and Nadeen Kelly opened the venue on Elgin Street in 2017. The quaint cafe is located a short stroll from Carlton's busy Lygon Street restaurant precinct and the renowned Nova Cinema. Its speciality is quality food for an unbelievably low price, with its baguettes, pasta, curries, toasties, smoothies, coffee and other treats all just $4. Michael builds the furniture in the cafe by hand while Nadeen cooks all the food on site and the pair say the prices are kept low because the 'world can be cruel'. The cafe also doubles as a 1920s Paris inspired reading room, complete with a wide selection of free books and a place where budding musicians can perform. The shop, which is open Monday to Saturday from 6am-6pm, is often crowded and in the evenings it's not uncommon to see locals, patrons, passers-by and tourists milling around outside to enjoy the free entertainment.  The cafe's super cheap prices are beloved by locals, who regularly praise the owners on social media. Every single item at the Heart of Carlton's menu is only $4 The Heart of Carlton was opened by husband and wife team Michael and Nadeen Kelly (above) in 2017 'They are such nice people! Always calm, happy and loving,' one wrote. 'They are lovely people, and they serve with a smile!' another added. The Heart of Carlton is not far from Fitzroy North's popular Piccante café which is visited by celebrities and footballers. The Daily Mail revealed Piccante is also one of the most affordable cafes in Melbourne and is frequented by a regular crowd of diehard locals, TV personalities, former Hollywood movie stars and champion AFL footballers. Regular coffee is only $5 and that doesn't matter whether you want oat, soy, macadamia, almond or any other new type of milk. The Fitzroy North café, owned by the Mauro family since 2018, only recently raised prices across the board. Eggs cooked your way on sourdough toast now cost $12 at Piccante, while on the other side of town, in Richmond or South Yarra, prices can reach $22.  Piccante also has a $15 burger and beer deal.  Inside The Heart of Carlton's dining/reading room The cafe's super cheap prices are beloved by locals, who regularly praise the owners on social media The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.