Brunetti Classico Café Launches Alongside Rome Exhibition
Brunetti Classico opened inside Melbourne Museum in Carlton on 1 April 2026, operating as a temporary café alongside the Rome: Empire, Power, People exhibition. The activation runs through to 25 October 2026 and forms part of the museum’s approach to extending visitor time on site through food and beverage.
The Brunetti Classico café operates daily from 10:00am to 3:30pm, offering a menu centred on Italian pasticceria and Roman-style dishes. The range includes tiramisu semifreddo, lobster tail pastries, cannoli and chocolate mousse cake. It also serves Segafredo Zanetti coffee. Savoury items include lasagna al forno, focaccia, Floridia Cheese selections and pizza al taglio served by the slice.
The café sits within the exhibition footprint rather than as a standalone venue. As a result, it forms part of the visitor flow instead of a separate stop. Cultural venues are increasingly adopting this model to keep visitors onsite longer and increase secondary spend without expanding physical space.
Menu and offering inside the exhibition
The offering extends beyond standard museum cafés. In addition to pastries and coffee, the menu includes Northern Italian wines supplied by Maretti. It also features Campari and Aperol Spritz. This broadens the appeal beyond daytime visitors and aligns the experience with the exhibition’s Italian focus.
The fit-out references Brunetti Classico’s Lygon Street flagship. Archival imagery highlights founder Giorgio Angele’s early career in Rome from 1943. It also includes imagery from multiple generations of the Angele family. This links the café directly to the exhibition without introducing a separate concept.
Positioning within museum-led hospitality
Museums Victoria has previously introduced themed hospitality concepts, including the Star Wars Galactic Café. However, this collaboration takes a different approach. It uses an established Melbourne brand rather than a temporary concept. That decision reduces setup complexity and allows for a more consistent offer across the full exhibition period.
Museums Victoria CEO Lynley Croswell said the café extends how visitors engage with the exhibition. “Brunetti Classico at Melbourne Museum is a natural extension of Museums Victoria’s commitment to bringing exhibition experiences to life and celebrates the very best of Melbourne’s Italian culture through food, atmosphere, and connection.”
Brunetti Classico owner Fabio Angele said the collaboration reflects the brand’s long-standing connection to Italian culture. “We’ve spent decades bringing a piece of Rome to Melbourne through food, hospitality and atmosphere. To now be part of an exhibition dedicated to Rome itself feels incredibly special.”
Visitor details and timing
Brunetti Classico operates inside Melbourne Museum in Carlton from Wednesday, 1st April to 25 October 2026. The café is open daily from 10:00am to 3:30pm and runs alongside the Rome: Empire, Power, People exhibition. Access aligns with museum entry.
