Black Star Pastry – the cult Sydney patisserie renowned for its gluten-free strawberry and watermelon cake – originally opened its St Kilda branch as a pop-up. Three years, a pandemic and thousands of slices of its famous cakes later, the store was revamped in 2022 and is now a permanent fixture on Acland Street.

The futuristic fit-out includes stadium-style seating and a sleek service counter, with a huge mirror installation that makes the space feel twice its actual size. To cater for the inevitable weekend rush, there’s more seating on the footpath outside.

All of Black Star’s colourful and precisely made cakes are here, from the Pistachio Lemon Zen cake to its most famous creation, dubbed “Australia’s most Instagrammed dessert” by the the New York Times. It consists of delicate layers of almond dacquoise (meringue cake), rose-scented cream, fresh watermelon and strawberries, and a sprinkling of pistachio to finish.

For those in a hurry, St Kilda is the only Black Star location with a “Cake Concierge” service. Phone in your order, roll up to the valet area and have your cake delivered to your car.

Also on the menu are croissants, savoury pastries and coffee by St Ali.

To celebrate the reopening of its St Kilda store, Black Star is giving away two-for-one cakes and free St Ali Coffee on Saturday, October 8 from 8am–4pm.