Sonido! was probably the most pleasant surprise I’ve encountered all week. Not because I suspected it to be bad, but because I tend to find myself in a cafe-routine (rut) thus assume every other place must be rubbish (especially after visiting Breakfast Thieves last week). And especially if Avocado Smash isn’t on the menu.

South American cuisine would probably not be my first choice for a Friday morning brunch with my brunch bestie Chloe, but she had been here before and tends to have far superior cafe taste to me. So come 9.30am, I was bleary eyed and feasting on some South American noms served by a sweet, Spanish speaking fellow. I was content.

My first thought upon entering  was ‘wow, this place is colourful and the barista has an incredible beard’. Followed by, ‘What does this menu say? I hope I don’t eat something meaty’. The aforementioned Spanish speaking fellow was incredibly patient with our order, while we deciphered the list of South American fruits we wanted in our smoothie, and I figured out what ‘arepas’ were (I’m a massive Spanish noob, FYI).

The menu was simple and small, which when you’re ordering slightly unfamiliar food, definitely works to your advantage. I ordered something involving ‘huevos’ and ‘arepas’ with a side of guacamole, which turned out to be some fried eggs with tomato on top of a corn tortilla kind of thing. The meal looked small but was incredibly filling and satisfying. It was like a Latin American party in my mouth, minus lines of cocaine but including lots of coriander. Complimenting this meal was a tasty pineapple and guava juice with some mint. This place certainly knows how to do ‘fresh and zesty’, which is perfect for a slightly hungover Friday morning.

This was my incredible meal.

Occupie Metrics:
DBI: -3 steps. You could probably see that beard from the passing tram.

Coffee Snob rating: I ordered a smoothie instead of a coffee, which was badass. But Chloe’s long black looked equally as badass.

Noms: Amazing food. However it’s probably not a place I’ll frequent too often, I’ll want to keep those noms for a special occasion.

How poor will it make me? If you’re already committed to eating in Fitzroy then this is on the slightly lower-end of the scale. My meal and smoothie cost $20.

This place is colourful and friendly. Come here to liven up a grey Melbourne morning, and enjoy the vibes.

Their website: http://sonido.com.au/

-Maddy