Great for coffee and cake, breakfast or brunch…read more Overlooking green parkland and the Barwon River Valley this is a local gem. Friendly attentive staff, quick efficient service, great coffee, fresh cake selection, Geelongs Best Burger. Very reasonable prices.

So this morning, my friends and I had our post-nightshift brekky here at Pakington Pantry. Been…read morehere a few times before for I love how timely their service is and that they serve lunch menus even at breakfast time. I think today we were the first to come-in as they opened. So, we ordered Slow Cooked Meat-and-Veggie Lasagna, Boston Baked Beans, and one of my friends built her own. I thought all meals were presented very well. I had the baked beans and I thought it was really tasty. Then beans weren't overcooked and the ham hock is just perfect. Amongst all the baked beans I have had around Geelong, this was one of the best. I had a taste of the lasagna as well. It was alright, although I thought some of the elements have been too mushy - but maybe because it was slow cooked, I wasn't really sure what to expect from it exactly. Overall, the experience was great. Highly recommendable.

We went here for a Sunday brunch with our three year old and another couple. We knew it would be…read morebusy so we booked. Glad we did, it was packed. So packed in fact that we had about 3 inches on either side of the table to fit our chairs and us in. The tables were way to packed in to be in any way comfortable. So after I squeezed myself into the 3 odd inches of chair space we had some glasses and bottles of water brought to the table. Four glasses for the 5 of us that we had booked for. No worries we got another one, eventually. Then, the most unexpected thing happened...nothing. We waited 20mims for any of the staff to come back and check on us. In that time I could have drunk 2 coffees easily and since I know what coffee I'm having every time I don't see why they wouldn't take a coffee order before we even sit down. As it happened we ordered food and coffee at the same time and settled in expecting a loooonng wait for the food (and coffees). A surprisingly short 10mins later the food came out and it was pretty good. I had the Ploughmans Steak Sandwich which was tasty and didn't fall completely apart like some steak sangas can do. About 5 minutes after the food came out our coffees came out with the explanation of 'Sorry, we had some takeaways.' It seemed like the takeaways were unexpected which is weird. The coffee was really good and would bring me back for that alone. Overall, other than the space issues, there was nothing wrong with this place. The food was good but not spectacular. The coffee was good enough to bring me back and the service, while lacking, was still friendly.

It's no longer at Geelong address posted. We walked all over the places trying to find this cafe.read more

Nice food,good service Great environment and good coffeeread more

I don't know how long John Doe has been open in Geelong but I'm a local coffee aficionado and only…read morenoticed it when i donated blood next door. But what a find, great coffee and a range of gourmet sandwiches, cakes and the like. Yes, this is a small cafe servicing the CBD business caffine market (its a bit too far from the touristy parts to really be aimed there) and a place like that will always live or die on the quality of its coffee. Since starting this review I have been back two or three times and will continue. Great to have another solid caffeine merchant in this part of town.

Am a aspiring coffee coniseur (coffee bug):) and have to say that the coffee here can't speak for…read morethe house blend but the single origin is amazing. Love how there are more and more of these specialty coffee places opening up. Had the best carrot cake ever and the breakfast menu looks amazing and is sophisticatedly simple and caters to everyone.

A great find on passing through Geelong, ambience for a Sunday coffee and muffin perfect, great…read morebreakfast menu and good tunes and service.

Yum yum pigs bum…read more This place is great. Delicious coffee, great quick service, dog friendly and sand pit out the back for the kids. We had the Avo smash which came with haloumi and kale chips and the sweet potato toast with Meredith goats cheese. Neither of which we could fault. It's a small intimate atmosphere under cover for summer and installed with heaters and throws for winter. It's really a shame this is so far from my house. I'll be back next time I'm in Geelong!

King of the Castle is quite possibly my favourite cafe in all of Geelong. Located on Pakington…read morestreet, well and truly past all the other cafes in a weird warehouse-y area, King of the Castle is well worth the awkward trip. The space is set out over a huge block, with a large outdoor area covered in astro-turf and wooden pallets for seats and tables at it's entrance. Inside is spacious (think the absolute opposite of intimate. Don't come here for privacy/to break up with someone.) in fact, the space is so large that smaller businesses have pop-up stores inside. For the past while it has been an indoor plant seller, adding an exceptional touch of greenery to the space, however at the moment it is a local wine-maker. Coffee + wine = happiness. While I haven't yet eaten here, it seems most people pop in for a coffee rather than breakfast/lunch. Coffee is well and truly amazing and by Padre (yummo!) Also, King of the Castle is one of the few places open in Geelong on Christmas Day - this is important for Geelong ex-pats returning home for the holidays! Well worth a stop-in if you live/work/travel in the area.

Such a cool little find in Geelong! We had some trouble finding it out first time (you do not…read moreexpect it to be where it is) but there is a little logo on the outside of the warehouse/cafe. We had a group of 5 so we had to wait probably 20 minutes before being seated at the community table. Space is limited in here. It bugged me that there was a whole booth for 5/6 people completely empty (but reserved) and when the table did arrive there was only 3 of them.... Anyways!! The food was great! I got the vegan waffles with a matcha latte! Everyone in my group loved their food as well. And on an extra plus side they have Pana Chocolate goodies stocked here!!

Lovely spot, cosy atmosphere, plenty of space out the back. The food is imaginative and tasty…read more Reasonably priced. Oder arrived in good time. Friendly and helpful staff. A great spot for Sunday brunch.

Ordered the chicken toasty, was delish! Also recommend the…read morehaloumi burger. Coffee isn't bad as well!

Nicely decked out cafe with a good variety to choose from on the menu…read more Had the tuna patties with salad - was actually a lot better than expected (from the description on the menu). Salad was very fresh tasting and complimented patties well. Was much more filling than expected too. Bit on the pricey side - they had Vietnamese bread roll for an extortionate $15.50 - that's got to be THE most expensive banhmi I have ever come across!!

Rarely do I come across a cafe where "bookings essential" should be posted at the door, however the…read morealways-busy Winter's cafe, at the Newtown end of Pakington (Pako) St certainly fits the bill. Don't believe me? I've been living in Gee-town for 6 months now, and was finally gifted with a table! :-) Admittedly, I could have just booked ahead of time, but I'm a firm believer in eating breakfast at whichever point of the day might seem appropriate at the time, so making some form of formal booking is out of the question...apologies, I digress. Back to the review. The cafe is staffed by a number of charming young ladies and gents, who seem to find the perfect mix of affable hospitality & ample attention, without being overbearing. this gave enough time to peruse the menu - also venturing into lunch options - which went a long way beyond the standard breakfast fare. In hindsight (for the benefit of the review) I probably should've gone with one of these more adventurous options...but settled on eggs my way (poached, can't seem to do them myself at home) @ $10 + a bunch of extras @ $1.50-4.00, which with my hungry eyes brought the dollar price quite a bit! ;-) The wait on food was as expected (they were busy, as mentioned) but not overly-long - and on arrival the meals looked to have been prepared with care and attention. It was equally delicious. Only small gripe was only having one piece of bread for two eggs, although it was fairly thick cut so probably sufficient for most! I on the other hand had just been for a 20km run so was well beyond peckish... To sum up? The locals clearly think Winters are onto a good thing, and I agree wholeheartedly. Check them out during the week, I'm sure table acquisition will be a breeze... :-)