Hidden beneath City Baths, Poolhouse Café thrives despite construction challenges

Tucked beneath the Melbourne Baths is the Poolhouse Café – a hidden alcove offering RMIT students, construction workers, and gymgoers a hidden escape from the bustling streets above.

For the past nine-and-a-half years Poolhouse Cafe, owned by Luke Taylor and Jen Nguyen, has provided expectational coffee, with manager Phong Nguyen having been there since day one.

When asked why the cafe is where it is, Phong said the location “has good show to it.”

The facade of the café – “a beautiful old, heritage building,”- was the “aesthetic we were looking for,” Phong added. The location, tucked between City Baths and RMIT University, provided two ready-made customer bases – university students and staff, and gym users.

Six months after initially opening, the cafe began receiving another stream of patrons. This time, rather than books and laptops, they brought steel cap boots and high-vis vests. Works for the Metro Tunnel started right out the front of Poolhouse.

“I have to say in the beginning it wasn't so bad but when construction really got going trucks were coming in and out, roads were closing from time to time. It's been disruptive,” Phong said.

Amid all these construction works, COVID hit. Like all hospitality in Melbourne, the cafe suffered as the city was plunged into lockdowns.

Now, it was these construction workers who became Poolhouse’s main customer base, with the cafe “just surviving with the help of government and council.”

Now, on the other side of COVID, the cafe is going stronger than ever, despite the ever-present construction making the already slightly hidden cafe difficult to spot from the street.

For this, Phong thanks “a very loyal customer base.”

“When the works first started, we thought it was going to be very impactful, but it's been okay, because once people do find us, they keep coming back.”

He believes the café’s slightly hidden nature is a part of its appeal, alongside outstanding customer service and “baristas who really care about the product.”

“It's a little getaway for many of our customers, who are often students or staff from RMIT which can be a very hectic and fast-paced environment,” he said.

“We’re all very chill, happy to have a chat with people and get to know them, and I think people like that.”

Looking to the future, the Metro Tunnel’s opening – slated for the end of 2025 – means change is coming. As scaffolding comes down and foot traffic increases, the café may need to evolve.

“It might change the layout or how we serve customers. There might be more competition as other businesses open to be near the train station.”

Regardless, the cafe remains committed to serving their existing customer base the best the cafe can – whether that be now, or once the Metro Tunnel is finally completed.

“About 80 per cent of our customers are the same people we see most days, just hanging out, having coffee and food and a chat, and we know them, they know us, and that not going to change,” Phong said.

Poolhouse’s usual entrance is currently shut and can instead be accessed along Swanston St, down the stairs from Melbourne Baths main entrance.