3.8 Pleasant cafe on…read morethe highway just across from the beach. The space is fitted out well and has nice high ceilings at the front. I was nicely greeted on arrival. My long black was a good one and was served not just with the cold milk on the side I ordered but also with extra hot water just in case I needed it. A few Melbourne places could learn from that type of thoughtful service. The coffee was substantive and well made. It had excellent length. I didn't eat here but I liked the look of the menu which had some very interesting items, including the Hung Roll which is available as a combo with a Bloody Mary. Well designed wine list here too. Interesting place. I'll be back for sure.

These guys give great friendly service 7 days a week. The food is good whether there for a gourmet…read morebreakfast or as I experienced for the first time tonight, a takeaway dinner. Across from the beach. Heaps of street parking. Great cocktail list. Amazing specials like $5 Taco's this evening. (My favorite was the prawn and chorizo). I also noticed a chimchurri Wednesday steak night, and a $5 pot and bbq pork rib during AFL games. Will definitely return.

Great spot for breakfast. All meals are quite generous. Staff are very efficient and helpful…read more Renovations look great. If you go i recommend the patotoe wedges or the big breakfast . Absolutely mouth watering. The first place we head to when we are in rosebud. 5 stars.

Best breaky burgers around. The Jaffles tasty. Love the coffee and the cakes. This is a friendly…read morewelcoming spot. Well worth a visit.

I'm currently in Rosebud on a holiday. I found this cafe and its fairly new…read more The coffee is consistent (I've had it 4 times). They have a small range of pastries from Johnny Ripe these include: Massive croissants which are delicious Rustic looking apple pies Doughnuts/cronuts And maybe something else They have a breakfast menu that I haven't tried. The cafe is small with about three tables and a bench in the front window. There are seats and tables outside. I'd love to give this cafe a 5 star review because they seem to be on the right track and their coffee is really good. I'm sticking to 4 star as they served me a ham and cheese croissant when I asked for a toasted croissant with jam, they apologized and served me a cold croissant, then apologized again and heated it up but it was still cold on the inside - delicious but cold. For a new cafe they are doing most things well, stocking good quality pastries and serving great coffee.

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

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.

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?