Inside BakeStand: The Cookie Shop Melbourne Has Been Waiting For

You know that feeling when you stumble across something tucked down a Melbourne laneway and think, how did I not know about this? That’s BakeStand.

Nestled in the laneways at Melbourne Walk, right next to Mecca, BakeStand is the city’s newest cookie destination. And while “cookie shop” might conjure something simple, what’s happening here is anything but.

A Cookie Built for Melbourne

The idea behind BakeStand came from hospitality duo Vi Thao Tran and Executive Pastry Chef Stephen He. Although complex pastries are delicious, they felt they weren’t accessible to everyone. They wanted to create something universally loved, a simple pleasure that could offer a brief escape from reality, even if just for a few minutes.

But the ambition went further than that. Melbourne has a serious food culture and plenty of iconic food destinations, but BakeStand wanted to create something that reflected Melbourne culture, its people, and its landscape. The one tourists seek out and locals recommend as a must-try without hesitation.

Behind that ambition is Stephen He, BakeStand’s head pastry chef, with an extensive background in French pastry and a resumé that includes time as a pressure test judge on MasterChef Australia.

The cookie recipe is entirely his own, developed from the ground up, produced in-house, and decorated by hand.

The bestselling flavour is the OG dark chocolate, and for a good reason. Stephen uses Valrhona chocolate (if you know, you know) finished with a sprinkle of sea salt.

The result is exactly what a great cookie should be: crisp on the outside, gooey in the centre, and a consistent 10cm every single time, a level of precision that reflects the care that goes into every single batch.

These are not churned out; they’re made by a small team, shaped and decorated by hand, one by one.

But the range is where things get interesting. Alongside the OG dark chocolate, you’ll find banana bread, campfire s’mores, matcha, strawberry, hojicha chocolate, and the one that’s become a talking point all on its own… Vegemite and cheese.

The Store Concept: Alice, Cookies, and a Keyhole on the Wall

Step inside and you’ll understand BakeStand’s brand philosophy: Welcome to your reality break.

The Melbourne Walk’s store interior is built around an Alice in Wonderland theme, which emerged organically.

The brand’s designer created a suite of illustrations, including a bunny character. The interior designer saw it and made the connection to Wonderland. From there, the concept took hold: a keyhole on the wall, and “Eat Me” cookie references woven through the branding.

Down a laneway in the heart of the CBD, it’s the kind of find that makes Melbourne Walk worth exploring.

Why Melbourne Walk Made Sense

When it came to choosing a home for their first Melbourne store, BakeStand wasn’t just looking for foot traffic. They were looking for the right feeling.

Melbourne Walk delivered it. Stretching between Bourke Street Mall and Little Collins Street, framed by the graffiti energy of Union Lane and the emerging dining culture of The Causeway, it’s a precinct that brings together retail, dining and experience in the heart of the city, with two hotels above it.

Within that, BakeStand found its own corner, tucked into the laneway next to Mecca, with that hole-in-the-wall energy that Melburnians instinctively trust. The kind of spot that feels like a find.

The precinct already had the right energy. The steady stream of visitors from the IHG’s dual-branded hotel, and JD Sports, Pop Mart, Lacoste and Timberland, recently opened and all withing arms reach.

For a cookie built to feel like Melbourne, there was really only one address – where fashion, food and culture collide in the heart of the CBD.

Find Them Before Everyone Else Does

BakeStand is open now at Melbourne Walk, with the grand opening set for 28 May. On the day, every purchase is buy-one-get-one-free, and the first 100 customers on the weekend will receive a free tote bag with every box.

Come down and try the cookie Melbourne has been waiting for.

All images by Pete Dillon. Thinking about joining Melbourne Walk? Discover available tenancies below: