I remember the very first time that I tried a Pretzel. It was in 2013, my first trip to San Fransisco and my very first time seeing an NFL game in person. We were at Candlestick Park and we had been enjoying a few too many alcoholic beverages. I wanted something small to eat and a pretzel caught my eye. I had seen them in TV shows and movies but I had never EVER tried one of these before. The closest thing I had ever had was the tiny pretzels you can have in packets – you know the ones they put on the bar in a bowl along with mixed nuts. When I tried it I thought it was GREAT it wasn’t an overly filling snack but it was just enough to get me by and was of course easy to hold. To me it was one of those things that would be great when you feel like something savoury as a treat but not a god damn meal or packet of chips.
So when I got back to Melbourne I did look around hoping to find a place that made them near by so If I felt like it I could grab one as a treat. Not much luck. I did have a few encounters at German themed bars/restaurants but I found that they used these huge ass salt chunks on the pretzel (sometimes felt they were almost big enough to dump in the bath) which ruined it making it overly salty and even made me think I broke a tooth. Then one lucky day while adventuring in the CDB I found this little gem located in ELLA laneway/allyway just out front of Melbourne Central shopping mall. As wandering around looking for a snack (melbourne like to have awesome places hidden) I came across this small pink bakery. Naturally Im like a child If I see a brightly coloured store/cafe I will make sure I have to check it out.
Straight away I had to try some pretzels out. The bakery is just a window kind of set up, but there are tables and chairs throughout the laneway (Im sorry I don’t know what to technically call it). The menu includes a selection of both sweet and savoury pretzels and dipping sauces. Naturally I chose savoury. We just stuck with the basics for our selections, we tried the plain salted pretzel and the garlic and cheese pretzel. I also got a nacho cheese dipping sauce to go on the side (living the healthy life here). Now because these are hand made fresh to order they did warn it would be roughly a 15 minute wait. Which is totally fine because you know it would be fresh and not rock hard and stale like when you by something thats been sitting there all day. The wait was worth it they were warm and delicious – a great snack. The dipping sauce was a great little extra kick to the pain pretzel. Sure the photos don’t really do them justice and they don’t really look like the perfect creations you would see on TV, but I can tell you this they are defiantly worth it. Just because they don’t look like a perfect signature pretzel makes them even more interesting I find because this makes them stand out and show they are hand made and not just standard machine made.
They are open until late so if you’ve had a few drinks out in the city it would be a good little snack to eat either between bars or for the trip home. I would like to come back here again to try a few of the other pretzels they have to offer, I would also like to come back here one day when Ive finished my wine-free sentence (popped out spawn number 2) to enjoy a pretzel on my train ride home after a few wines with friends – obviously it will be a while down the track. Check this place out if your out in Melbourne city. Fresh pretzels hand made can’t go wrong.
https://www.pretzelaustralia.com.au
IM OUT!!!
SHE GAVE IT A TRY 