Gorgeous waterfront cafe with casual interiors. Plenty of open space and a fair bit of seating…read moreoutdoors for warm days. Loved it here and would come back any day. Big counter where you order food and coffee and the staff were very nice and friendly. They have a selection of sandwiches, cakes and baked goods. The ham and cheese sandwich was delicious and the coffee was great. The Nutella cookie sandwich was fantastic and I loved it. Great place for meal and a coffee.

This was actually a pretty awesome coffee shop, though it is only part coffee shop because it also…read moredoubles as an antique shop, or should I actually say that it is a shop that basically sells curios. I love these places because it just adds so much more charm to the place, and it gives a much better vibe as well, especially when some of the curios happen to be some really nice artwork. Oh, and the tea was also really nice, but then again I was probably distracted a bit.

Stopped in lunch on a Thursday. We enjoyed the beef pie and pumpkin tart…read more All food is sourced from their own gardens. We loved the intense meal flavors. It is worth a drive to enjoy the setting and the delicious food.

Some call this cafe restaurant at the Heronswood estate, Heronswood Restaurant. Others call it…read moreFork to Fork. The latter name comes from the concept here. Organic veggies from very nearby on the estate itself. Garden fork to table fork and zero food miles. This is a seriously stunning location half way up Arthur's Seat with a great view of the bay. On a gorgeous warm, still sunny day like today, it was close to paradise. If you're astute enough and you score the right weather, there's a couple of tables here with magnificent views. They can be reserved. After a wander through the excellent nursery and a visit to the shop, we found ourselves at the restaurant for lunch. There's a good short menu here with ample to choose from. We shared the grazing plate and the pumpkin, leek and blue cheese tart and salad. The grazing plate features chicken roulade, goat cheese, carrot with aged cheddar, Heronswood egg, house relish, salad and bread. Both dishes were generously sized and very tasty. This is rustic, wholesome and really good food which we enjoyed thoroughly. The coffee to finish was very good too. This was a very pleasant lunch. Service was lovely, polite and efficient throughout. Heronswood is such a lovely place. We will return soon.

A hidden secret thai restaurant in McCrAe that is amazing!!! Better than melbournes current…read moreofferings, make sure you book it's busy. Not open on Mondays. Quality of the food is amazing. All the entrees and the curries are insanely tasty and fresh, service is a little slow sometimes only because it gets so busy!!

It was the perfect half day mini break. The morning started crisp and sunny, with heat forecast for…read morethe afternoon, so we packed our bathers and set off for lunch by the beach. An hour's drive later the clear aqua waters of Dromana beach were to our right and a little further along we found a lighthouse, and opposite a white and blue weatherboard beach house set behind a small garden. This is where you find Saltwater Bistro at McCrae Beach Pavillion. To one side is a café with generous outdoor seating, where breakfast and casual lunches are served in the holidays and on weekends, but we were headed to the bistro on the other side, fronted by garden. I first met Saltwater's chef Stacy Thompson a few years ago when he was at Steer Bar & Grill at the Olsen Art Hotel. Before that he had left his native NZ for the UK and then a stint in Sao Paolo, Brazil. I knew how long and fired his enthusiasm is for cooking, his interest in sourcing local boutique produce and his personally high standards. So I kept up with his moves. He arrived at the McCrae Pavilion around 6 months ago. The bistro has had time to hit its stride and was doing a healthy number of covers over the Summer all based on word of mouth, not PR. When we were there couples and ladies in mumu's, fresh up from their nearby beach bathing boxes were grabbing a quick bite in the café and the bistro crowd were favouring the shady veranda and seats closest to the open French doors looking across the front garden. The vaguely French, shabby-chic beach house aesthetic in cool blues sets you instantly at ease. The kitchen pass can be seen from the room and the bar sits alongside. Long banquettes and clustered tables make this also a good function space, hence their wedding package with permits for beach weddings. This is not a locale where modern gastronomy is at home, so the menu is small but a well considered exploration of bistro dishes, and Victorian boutique produce makes an appearance as I would expect. The selection has been in place a while, so our lovely waitress filled us in on seasonal updates and specials. Likewise the wine and cocktail selection is small and well considered. My McCrae Seabreeze cocktail was an ideal start. Happily wines by the glass were poured at the table, a pet peeve of mine. One observation - while there are plenty of wines from the region, I would have liked to have seen some of Mornington Peninsula's own excellent craft beers and boutique ciders listed. I found artisan skills and attention to detail in a terrine that Chef has been perfecting the recipe for for 2 years, house smoked salmon using three kinds of wood chips, milk soaked eggplant and smoky babaganoush with hazelnut and red peppers. Likewise attention to detail in local heirloom apples, in produce from farmers who are providing Stacy with mini veggies, micro herbs and flowers that are sourced for flavour not just looks. Boutique items I liked included house pickled vegetables, Hart Olives and Boatshed Cheeses, and yes there is also good bread and olive oil. Importantly for the holiday population in the neighborhood at peak season, there is a kids menu too. Stacy's a dad, so his fish fingers, alphabet soup with toasties appear with a slider and mini portions of sides are available too. I honestly enjoyed everything we tried. It knocked the disappointing regional 'Good Food Guide' hatted venue I ate at recently out of the ball park for technique, produce and gentle country service. And knowing Stacy, even if he hadn't known I was there, it would have been the same. Have a look at my photos to see the dishes we had. If you're there on a hot day do what we did - go for a swim in the stunningly clear water at the beach over the road afterwards, shake the meal down and relax into your food coma on the warm, soft pale sand before heading home. You will feel nurtured, relaxed and happy....and perhaps even start to wonder if you could move there?

This is more bistro restaurant than cafe to us. Cafe Pier really surprised us. It's an impressive…read moreestablishment that serves very good Greek food. It deserves s higher rating on what we experienced today. The restaurant is sited in a nice corner position on Point Nepean road. It also looks inviting from the street. It's bright and airy inside with lots of white. The ceilings are higher than you'd expect too. They're still fake plants up high but that doesn't jar too much from a distance. There's ample tables here including a few outside and a good communal table out there too. It's a good set up overall. I bet the trade is fantastic in the holiday season. It's a good menu here with plenty of Greek and non Greek options. We both selected the souvlaki wrap with chicken and lamb gyros. We were expected something fairly small but this dish was about three times larger than what we were expecting. So, the offering is a long way from those dinky little 2 euro ones they serve in the Greek Isles. The dish here was large but happily equally as tasty as those from the home country. There's beautiful soft pita, really good lamb and chicken too - tender and tasty as. In addition, there was really good tatziki, creamy with good amount of dill, fresh lettuce, Spanish onion and tomato. It's very well done. The accompanying chips were beautiful, golden and mouth watering. Not a small serve again either. It's a sizeable and very generous serve. Overall, it's a very satisfying dish that we actually struggled to finish. We'd boldly ordered a lovely Greek salad too as we thought we'd need it. We didn't. The salad was very nice but huge as well. We had to ask for a container to take it away as we weren't able to eat much of it. It's a good salad and pleasingly they hadn't skimped on the feta. Again, it was a very generous piece. I always like to comment on service. The service here was very good. Very polite, informed and efficient from our young server. This restaurant was a surprise packet for us. It punches comfortingly above its rating on what we experienced and no doubt that's why it does well in the area. We thoroughly enjoyed Pier Cafe. We will return here for sure.

Couldn't fault this place. Delicious Greek food with the authentic European hospitality to suit…read more Interesting way to serve Galatoboureko (in a parcel and warm) but it was sensational!! Worth a try and best make a booking. Also great for families, staff were so friendly to my 17 month old and even told us when it was going to get loud because someone was celebrating an engagement- we didn't mind one bit. Opa!!!

Pleasant little place to have lunch. Didn't arrive with high expectations but left quite…read moresatisfied. I had frittata with salad which was perfectly acceptable and hit the spot nicely. My companions each had a focaccia. We washed it down with a Pinot Gris. Service was efficient and amiable. There's nothing to inspire here but who cares. It's a simple place with simple meals which hit the spot.

What a pleasant surprise. After a disappointing experience with the Maître d' at Alatonero, nearby;…read morewe wandered into this suspiciously quiet establishment. The staff were young and delightful. The food, fresh and tasty, at reasonable prices. This is what the peninsula needs more of.

This probably should be the best contemporary cafe in this area. There's the makings but it's not…read morethere yet on what I experienced today. Merchant and Maker looks deceptively humble from the street nestled in a small shopping strip. It's actually a spacious cafe with ample inside and outside seating. And, it's located directly across from the breach. It's nicely fitted out in a contemporary way with brightness coming from the predominant white decor. There was lovely music on today. Someone has a really good playlist. Overall there's a lovely atmosphere at this cafe and it's a very nice place to sit a spell. I received a lovely greeting on arrival. Good menu here, but things are a little expensive, $2-3 above city prices in some cases. $6 to add extras to my brekkie eggs seemed a bit OTT to me. I had a gorgeous long black with cold milk on the side and it was very nicely presented on a board. Very very good coffee. Best coffee in the immediate area on the peninsula. I chose poached eggs on sourdough with beans and bacon. The toasted sourdough was too dry, the eggs not quite runny enough to offset the dryness. Another earlier reviewer had mentioned the dryness of the bread and they were right. The bread needs to softened in another way as parts of it were tough to eat. The dish was unseasoned too. I had to ask for salt and pepper which wasn't available on any table. Absolutely beautiful bacon, and superbly cooked. Best bacon I've tasted for a while, with gorgeous crisp edges. It was the best part of the dish. The beans were over sweetened. Like seriously too too sweet. It was a shame as they otherwise had good flavour. It was also a tiny serve for $6. So, overall the meal was not quite there for me. Service was lovely throughout. It has the makings but overall this cafe can do better.

Even though this place has been voted number 1, it certainly didn't live up to its expectations…read more Takeaway coffee was terrible, just tepid milk and water. I had the club sandwich, wasn't even a sandwich just a roll with chicken and bacon. The poached eggs and bacon was minimal for the price. But the worst dish has to be the fried chicken. Even though it was boneless, the meat was all grisly and fatty, leaving little meat and the coleslaw was just cut up cabbage. Even though we made a complaint about how bad the meal was, there was nothing done about it. Overall, very expensive overrated shit.

Wombat cafe is off the main beach-side part of Dromana but close to the mountain-biking Mecca along…read moreBoundary Road. It's fantastic to have a vegan and raw food cafe so close to home. Everything is prepared fresh on site. Given the cost of ingredients and manual processing the prices are quite reasonable. You need to go to the counter to order so don't expect table service. Food and drinks will be delivered. We've been in a couple of times and it can get busy so if you're in a hurry you may wish to grab 'n go. The food was fantastic! A good sized variety of food options are available but the secret is out so sometimes they are sold out of items. They have a take away meal fridge so you can get a meal for home. The little extras, like a bikkie with coffee were a nice touch as well. Check out the photos of the food and let your eyes decide

What a great vegan food spot! Cute little cafe tucked away in a quiet area. Food was wonderful, I…read morehad their black bean burger which was just huge, lots left over. Prices are reasonable considering the ingredients and love they put in the meals and staff are super friendly. My only negative is that the iced coffee wasn't impressive at all, it was very watery and lacked any flavour.

Loved the food. Large serving. Music and ambiance was great. Friendly staff and good service…read more Highly recommend.

The restaurant is pretty funky & up beat. It is very much an open plan style establishment with…read morevaried seating arrangements. The staff are extremely friendly and willing to assist where possible. The downfall to this place is the food. I ordered the salt & pepper calamari. The calamari was chewy & rubbery where they kindly put a lettuce leaf or two with my plate full of salad dressing. The chips were like the old style cafes in your Westfield Shopping Centres from 30 years ago and came with a very oily taste. Get rid of the chef & order some damn coke zero!!!

Looked like a pleasant little place from the street and it was nice inside. Service was lovely as…read morewell. Sadly these positives can't save ordinary coffee. I stopped for my usual long black with a dash of cold milk. What I got sort of reminded me of that awful watery burnt filtered coffee you get in the States. It wasn't good. This is serious stuff. Unless this was a one off, a major intervention is needed here.