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As the cost of living climbs and cash flow seems to stay stubbornly still, full-blown splurges are harder to justify. Enter: little treats. Edible indulgences in the form of a 3pm pick-me-up, a celebration after a work win, or a reward after a long day.
An onigiri on the go. A tiramisu eaten straight from the container. A warm, butter-soaked crumpet. Affordable bites that deliver a quick dopamine hit and a moment of joy without blowing the weekly budget.
These are eight of our favourite little treats across Melbourne, all under $15.
$14 Lemon Meringue Cumpet
Titch, 199 Park Street, South Melbourne
Image: Titch | Supplied
At Titch in South Melbourne, Lily Duttine has built a cosy cafe around an unlikely hero: the crumpet. Inspired by her upbringing in the UK, where crumpets were a daily staple, Titch reimagines the nostalgic comfort food with a more creative spin. Our go-to when pick-me-up crumpet is the Lemon Meringue. It’s topped with house-made lemon curd and toasted meringue, and it’s just $14. Soft and spongy, the crumpets soak up the toppings beautifully. Eating them is like settling into a warm hug on a cold morning.
$14.90 Classic Tiramisu
Pinto Tiramisu, 106 Leicester Street, Fitzroy
Portable tiramisu might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of on-the-go indulgences (or affordable ones), but Pinto has carved out a niche doing exactly that, and it regularly draws a crowd. Brothers Clancy and Finley Ivanac make everything from scratch, layering flavours like choc hazelnut and genmaicha alongside rotating monthly and seasonal specials (hot cross bun, anyone?). Try their classic for just $14.90; packaged in neat takeaway tubs, it’s a dessert that’s almost too easy to grab, walk with, and polish off in minutes. Pinto also features in our list of Melbourne’s Best Tiramisu—so more than just wallet-friendly, it’s also some of the best you can get.
$5.50 Tofu Doughnut
Tofu Shoten, 6b Saxon Street, Brunswick
Image: Tofu Shoten | Supplied
Do you live and breathe tofu? If so, you’ve probably already come across this small but mighty tofu-obsessed shop in Brunswick. With a menu split between “Tofu for Home” and “Snacks for Now”, their soy-based offerings range from fresh house-made tofu and bottled soy milk to ganmodoki (fried tofu patties). Grab a black sesame or kinako (roasted soybean powder) tofu doughnut ($5.50), then stock up on more to take home.
$8.80 Sichuan Pepper Chicken Burger
Hanbaobao, 369 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne CBD and 234B Russell St, Melbourne CBD
If you haven’t tried one of these burgers yet, you’re missing out. Hanbaobao has built a cult following for its hand-rolled, steamed buns that are soft and bao-like. The menu leans heavily into chicken, with options like the New Orleans Grilled Chicken and the Signature Fragrant Spicy Chicken. The standout, however, is the $8.80 Sichuan Pepper Chicken, which delivers a gentle mala-style heat without tipping into full mouth-numbing territory.
$11 Galette
Urbanstead, 203 Langridge Street, Abbotsford
Run by a husband and wife duo, Urbanstead‘s warehouse space doubles as a retail hub for local makers and a destination for baked goods. The main draw is their galettes: free-form pastries where a rolled-out disc of dough is topped with fruit, vegetables or cheese, then folded at the edges to hold the filling while leaving the centre exposed.
Their savoury galettes rotate with the seasons, with past fillings like roasted shallot, quark and pickled Turkish chilli. Sweet versions lean into peak fruit, with recent combinations including blood plum and hazelnut. All galettes are $11, and the option between sweet or savoury means they’ve got the treat for you, no matter your craving.
$8.50 Vada Pav
Chai ‘n’ Chilli, 181/183 King St, Melbourne CBD
Street food is its own category in India. Deep-fried, spicy, sweet and tangy combinations designed for on-the-go bites. You can get a taste of it at Chai ‘n’ Chilli with housemade their Vada Pav, an iconic Mumbai snack often called the “Indian burger”. It features a deep-fried, spiced mashed potato fritter tucked into a soft bread bun, layered with chutneys for that perfect hit of heat and zing.
$5 Kimchi Onigiri
Onigiri Kitchen, 15 Little Collins St, Melbourne CBD and 1 Degraves St, Melbourne CBD
Perhaps the easiest on-the-go snack, onigiri are having a moment. Once a Japanese 7-Eleven staple, these handheld rice triangles have steadily found their place in Melbourne. At Onigiri Kitchen & Sake Bar, they’re just $5 each: neatly wrapped in nori, satisfying and blissfully low-mess when you’re eating between errands. Fillings range from teriyaki chicken and kosho beef to plum kombu and wasabi chicken, but the (spicy and house-made) kimchi and ginger combo is a standout. Most of the menu is also gluten free—a win for our GF friends who often miss out on the best little treats.
$10 Lemon Sorbet (In A Lemon)
Taste of Amalfi, 89 Grattan St, Carlton
Image: Taste of Amalfi | Supplied
Looking for a sweet indulgence but sick of defaulting to the usual ice cream? The appropriately named Taste of Amalfi brings just that to Melbourne. Served inside real lemons, this viral sorbet is bright, refreshing and tastes as good as it looks. The most popular pick is the $10 lemon sorbet, which comes with two scoops and plenty of citrusy punch. You can also opt to mix flavours, pairing lemon with another seasonal option like blood orange, peach, mango or coconut and olive oil.