There is a place where parking is still free and easy, the sweet scent of pastries and sounds of jazz fill the air, a loaf of all-natural sourdough costs just five bucks and you don’t have to queue out the door for a fabulous Five Senses coffee (for now).

True story. It’s called Northcote Bakeshop and having opened last month, it’s yet another reason to visit High Street – well, the ‘other’ bit of High Street not yet colonised by hipsters and bar hoppers – where Northcote meets Thornbury and local businesses have been around for decades.

Owners Arnold Salinas (ex-Convent Bakery) and Peter Byrne (La Paloma) took over the site from a Greek deli owner/baker who had been there 23 years. They’ve worked hard to create a small, homely and humble space, with timber furniture, polished concrete floors, white tiling, and window and outdoor seating that overlooks a decrepit building plastered in gig posters. “It’s all about good baking, good coffee making and good jazz,” emphasises Salinas, “without fuss and fanciness.”

The ‘Thornbury prices’ they offer are also a big draw card – raspberry and buttermilk scones are $3, for example, shortbread is $1.20 a piece and you can get a panino generously filled with pulled pork and pickles for just $6.50.

Everything is baked on the premises by the owners themselves, pastry chef Robert Ingritsen and Salinas’s Chilean mother, who help out with Latin delicacies like the miloja (similar to a mille-feuille) and empanadas.

Where: 571 High St, Northcote
Hours: Tues – Sun 6am – 4pm  
Details: northcotebakeshop.com.au