Berties Butchers & Little Bertie’s Cafe

The Verdict

Berties Butchers and Little Bertie's Cafe is a dual-concept spot on Swan Street in Cremorne, combining a working butcher with a cafe — which means the supply of quality cuts available for takeaway or in-cafe dining is more limited than a standard restaurant. If you want to pick up good meat to cook at home, or grab a cafe meal built around produce from the butcher counter, this is worth the trip. If you're after a sit-down dinner experience, look elsewhere in our full Richmond restaurants guide.

What to Expect

The format here is the key practical detail: a butcher shop and a cafe operating together, which shapes everything from portion options to hours. Visually, you're looking at a traditional butcher counter alongside cafe seating — more neighbourhood local than destination dining room. That dual identity is the point. You come for produce-led cooking where the sourcing is done on-site, not for a tasting menu or a long wine list.

For regulars who have already been once, the move is to lean into the takeaway and grab-and-go side. The butcher component means you can pick up cuts to cook at home alongside cafe items, which is a format that travels well. Compared to a standard cafe, there is genuine added value in the butcher side if you cook at home regularly. If you want to explore other formats in the area, Baan Lao and Boulevard Burger and Brew offer different but accessible neighbourhood options nearby.

Takeaway and Off-Premise

The butcher-cafe hybrid is well-suited to off-premise use. Buying direct from the butcher counter means you know the provenance of what you're taking home, which is a genuine advantage over supermarket alternatives. Whether the cafe food itself travels as well depends on the menu format , cafe staples like sandwiches, pastries, and coffee-adjacent items tend to hold better than plated dishes. If takeaway is your primary reason for visiting, this is one of the more practical options on Swan Street for that purpose.

Booking and Logistics

Booking difficulty here is easy. Cafe and butcher formats rarely require advance reservations, and Swan Street is accessible by tram from central Melbourne. For bars and other experiences nearby, see our full Richmond bars guide and our full Richmond experiences guide. If you're planning a wider Melbourne trip and want to benchmark against the city's higher-end dining, Attica in Melbourne and Brae in Birregurra sit at the opposite end of the formality spectrum. For a broader view of what Richmond offers across price points and styles, including venues like 8 ½ in The Fan, 4 Stones Vegetarian Cuisine, and 3200 Rockbridge St, the full guide covers the neighbourhood well.

Quick reference: Butcher-cafe hybrid on Swan Street, Cremorne. Easy to visit without booking. Suited to takeaway, grab-and-go, and home-cook provisions.