Family Friendly Cafes in Berwick and Beyond

July 2, 2015April 12, 2018 ~ eatmystreet

Family Friendly Cafes in Berwick and Beyond

Ever wanted to get out of the house for a coffee, but hesitated because you could not think of somewhere that the kids would be happy? I definitely have. I have three gorgeous, noisy children of varying ages, so when I am looking for a child friendly cafe, I am very fussy.

Berwick is a fantastic, family-friendly suburb, we do family friendly like nowhere else. A lot of the local cafes will happily accommodate you and your little one. But if you really want a cafe where the kids can kick back, hang out and make noise, then here are my picks for the best. You might even spot a Kangaroo, a macaroon or a skate park while you are there.

9. Evolve Fair Food Store in Belgrave.

A gorgeous kids menu and a play room out the back. This place is perfect for Mum’s and the little ones.

64-68 Monbulk Rd, Belgrave VIC 3160
(03) 9754 1437

8. Trail mix Cafe at Lysterfield Lake Park.

This cafe sits on the edge of Lysterfield Lake Park. It is surrounded by walking paths, bike tracks, trees, kangaroos and a stunning lake view. The Cafe is set inside the bike shop and is not fancy or even well decorated but the location is ah-maa-zing. Pop in for a coffee, toasted sandwich or Banana and Nutella toasted wrap.

The kids can run and play in the park while you sip a take away tea or coffee in the park.

Horswood Rd entrance, Narre Warren North.

UPDATE

The Trail Mix Cafe is now permanently closed, but thanks to the opening of the amazing Bunjil Place in Narre Warren I have a new suggestions.

Bunjil Place Cafe is a recently opened, contemporary cafe serving Syndicate coffee in the foyer of the new Bunjil Place building.

Plenty of room is available in the outside area for families to sit and get comfortable and little ones to roam around with a range of cakes, burgers, sandwiches, pastries and more on offer to tempt your tastebuds.

7. Piggery Cafe, Sherbrooke.

So much perfection going on at the Piggery Cafe; beautiful cakes & breads, delicious menu, perfect coffee, gorgeous view, breathtaking setting. There is also an outdoor play/construction area, bocce green & a view of pigs & emus. This is all let down by the fact that it can be very busy and you might not get a place at the table. Charming service can also get a little frayed at the edges with all the busy-ness. But, this is Shannon Bennet’s beautiful property and it oozes passion, creativity and inspiration.

1 Sherbrooke Rd, Sherbrooke.

6. Providore Patisserie Cafe, Berwick South. Locals seem to love the food and coffee here. The cafe itself is quite small and there is not a lot of room to sit and enjoy your food. The only view is a carpark on one side and a supermarket on the other. But, there is a little playground out the front of this strip of shops. Couple this with the fact that all the French inspired food is made by hand and you might start to understand why it is so popular. When the weather is right, visit here for take away macaroons, pastries, cold pressed juices or cakes. Sit out the front while the kids have a play and enjoy.

1 O’Shea Rd, Berwick South.

5. Kallista Tea Rooms. Kallista Tea Rooms has a beautiful children’s menu, small play area with toys and drawing materials for the kids. Not to mention the gorgeous setting with easy spotting of birdlife and if you are lucky, a local lyrebird. This cafe is surrounded by majestic trees and the ever popular Grant Picnic Ground is near by. After you have finished your morning tea you might like to go for a wander around the local Kallista shops. A visit to enchanting Epoche is a must for hand made dolls, eco friendly wooden toys, felt toys, gifts, books & collectables.

103 Monbulk Rd, Kallista

4. Primary @Pioneer Park, Berwick.

Great menu and coffee in a elegant building that used to house the local primary school. It is set in the heart of Berwick Village, on the town green. The cafe has a wall of glass that opens out onto a sweeping deck with chairs, tables and a view of the local playground. Take a seat, enjoy the sun and watch the kids play on the play equipment while you order from the yummy menu. Good coffee, efficient service and delicious cakes and food. Set in an old school building, locals love Primary @Pioneer Park for a very good reason.

Cnr Lyall Rd and Peel St, Berwick.

3. Homestead Cafe @ The Old Cheese Factory Berwick.

Beautiful surrounds, a Playground on site, a children’s menu and even High Tea for kids. Keep an eye on the opening hours though as Homestead Cafe has limited opening hours during the week and is only open two Saturdays per month.

2. Pane Di Fiore Bakery, Narre Warren North.

I go here all the time with my family. Pane Di Fiore makes the most delicious cakes, pies and pasties including chocolate eclairs that are to die for. I also really like their simple but strong coffee and one of my favourite op shops is near by. Grab a Nutella Donut, a coffee or a sandwich. Sit inside or outside. Bring your bike and scooter and then tootle on down to the nearby playground and skate park. It is a short walk with a gorgeous back drop and a bench seat at the end of it with your name on it.

1. Emerald Bakery Cafe. Spacious and with a great selection of hot or cold food, sandwiches, breads, cakes and cookies. Stay for as long as the children will allow, then take a short walk to the local playground that sits next to the Puffing Billy Train Station. The Sweet Station lolly shop is also across the road and when the weather turns nasty we all love to visit the local Emerald Library.

So that is my top Eight! The best cafes to take your kids to so that you can have a coffee while the kids have some fun. I would love to make it top ten so please let me know your ideas for the last two…..

Have fun.

Dani B xx

Cafe Revival Berwick.

March 13, 2014October 17, 2015 ~ eatmystreet

I have to make two disclaimers before I review Cafe Revival in Berwick.

1. If the Sun is shining on my back and there is a cool breeze in the air and a beautiful view, I am pretty happy.

2. I am easily impressed by shiny red coffee machines that are reminiscent of Italian racing cars.

Now we have that out of the way I can say that I really enjoyed my coffee at Cafe Revival today.

I have already mentioned in a previous post that Berwick is really at its beautiful best at this time of year and so it was today. I popped into Cafe Revival for a quick coffee stop and scored the best seat in the house, right outside the cafe on the footpath. In the sun. Facing down a lovely tree lined street. With Berwick’s busy, sometimes noisy main street behind me and out of sight. There was a big red shiny coffee machine taking up most of the front window of the cafe that opens out onto the street for ease of ordering. So yes, I was happy even before I ordered.

My skinny flat white was delicious. You know that moment when you have your first sip of a coffee and sometimes, just sometimes, it is so perfect in flavour and temperature and construction that you do a little sigh? Well, that was me. Today’s coffee was excellent. They use Segadredo beans which is not a coffee that I am familiar with but I really enjoyed it today. The intensity was just right and (shock, horror) my flat white was not actually just a latte in a different cup. It was a flat white. Bravo!

I have heard mixed reviews of Cafe Revival Berwick and also my previous experiences here were nothing worth writing about. The food here does not always have people excited. I didn’t eat anything today with that in mind.

Another thing worthy of note, there were a lot of suits here. Suits ordering at the widow, suits getting take away, female suits, male suits, suits of every size and colour (nah, that is an exaggeration, they were all grey or black). I remember this from my previous visits too. So I think we can conclude that the Berwick suits like to drink here.

A note to those of you with children. I had the special privilege of drinking coffee without my two year old attachment today. If he was with me I would have gone elsewhere. This is a small, narrow cafe and the footpath is right near a road. Coffee-ing with children could be done here but is probably not worth the effort, in my opinion.

Plus it is harder to stare serenely at the beautiful tree’s that line Gloucester Avenue if you have a toddler with you. And the suits might give your children “that” stare. Thus some of the magic would be lost.

Overall a lovely place for a coffee, on the right day in the right seat with the right companions.

Maybe one day I might even get a chance to drive the shiny red racing….. I mean coffee machine.

The details:

My coffee was $3.70.

The address is 18 Gloucester Ave, Berwick.

Primary @ Pioneer Park

March 6, 2014October 17, 2015 ~ eatmystreet

Primary @ Pioneer Park

“Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.”

Sometimes this little, apparently Biblical outtake, is more true than not. Today was one of those days.
I woke up like a bear with a sore head, on the wrong side of the bear cave bed (I hope you enjoyed that mishmash #DJDan). Cereal with milk at the kitchen bench was just not going to cut it so I took matters into my own hands and headed out. Destination: Primary @Pioneer Park Cafe.
As a Berwick resident for one whole year and four whole seasons I can say with confidence that Autumn and Spring are really the buzzing months for lovely old Berwick. The gardens, the tree’s, the wind, the opportunity to partake in our lovely outdoor spaces. So Primary Cafe is the perfect destination.
We got a table outside and the sun was kind enough to shine on my back and the wind was gentle enough to tickle not hassle.
Pioneer Park Cafe is the kind of posh version of having a coffee in Berwick. The restaurant was full of (mainly women) with lovely hair and lipstick and clothes made from swishy fabrics. There were also a few school Mum’s but their children were well entertained and behaved thanks to the playground that abuts the cafe’s deck.
I ordered eggs because I really needed them.
They came on very lovely wholegrain bread and they were cooked beautifully. Pre cracked pepper was available on the table and a fairly decent salt. My flat white was quite nice: nothing to complain about nothing to rave about. There was another lovely pattern in my froth that leads me to the conclusion that pictures in froth bears an inverse relationship to excellence in coffee but only at the moderate end of the spectrum. Feedback and ongoing experiments are welcome on this topic.
I have visited Pioneers Cafe before and had a similar experience; descent food and drink and lovely surroundings. The bill is always slightly more expensive that at other places in Berwick.
But sometimes, just sometimes, it doesn’t really matter.

Details

Address: 1-11 Peel Street, Berwick VIC 3806
Phone:(03) 9768 9681

A Touch of Dutch Cafe

August 14, 2013October 9, 2015 ~ eatmystreet

Ok. So I have been very excited about this post.

I love a touch of Dutch Cafe in Berwick.

I know it does not sound overly loveable, but bear with me (and check out my images). Kitschy goodness in a tree lined village on the South Eastern Melbourne fringe.

So I have to admit up front that I do have Dutch heritage and seeing big glass jars full of mouth puckering, salty Dutch licorice does make me feel all nostalgic. But I am pretty sure I would enjoy a touch of Dutch even with out the dutch blood running through my veins.

A touch of Dutch Cafe is attached to a kind of general store next door. It is full of themed tea towels, cuckoo clocks and biscuit tins with the face of the outgoing Monarch plastered on them. They also sell jewellery and frozen food and sauerkraut and an astounding number of vegetables in a jar. I love having a wander through, although I am yet to buy anything. On my last visit it was also full of wandering Dutch men with their “ich” laden conversation, smooth burnished skin, dapper trousers and well cut casual jackets.

Back in the Cafe however I found the food to be lovely and interesting and the service to be friendly but professional (my favourite combination- chat to me, but not very much).

There was a whole shelf of dutch cakes that the waitress tells me are made on site. Then there were plenty more options for your average sweet tooth fix. The caramel slice looked quite fetching I have to say. Coffee was good and they seem to show some interest in ensuring it stays that way. My understanding is that the Dutch have been drinking good, strong, fresh coffee for a long time before it became popular here in Melbourne. So while the coffee did not knock my socks off, it has so far been reliably good. Boy have I been to a lot of Cafe’s where that is not true.

We had to eat the poffertjes. Mini dutch pancakes covered in butter and icing sugar.

They are delicious. And moreish. And flluffy and buttery and maybe addictive? I have ordered them every single time.

They are also kind of fun. I’m not sure how. Maybe I am easily amused?

I really recommend you visit. Order a coffee. Maybe have cake or some sauerkraut or even the caramel slice. Then please let me know how it tastes. I don’t think I’ll ever get past ordering the poffertjes.

Details: Village Arcade, 3 & 4/48-50 High St, Berwick VIC 3806
(03) 9707 2542

You can take a look at their site here.

http://cafe.atouchofdutch.com.au