Cafe Andiamo — Restaurant in Melbourne

Stepping into Cafe Andiamo is like slipping into your favorite pair of jeans—comfortable, familiar, and somehow always in style. Nestled in the bustling heart of Melbourne's Degraves Street, this culinary cornerstone is as much a part of the city as the trams and the unpredictable weather.

Like an old friend who never lets you down, Andiamo greets you with the warm embrace of aromatic coffee and the promise of a hearty meal. It's the kind of place where the waiters might not know your name, but they'll remember you ordered your latte with a dash of 'I can't believe it's not milk' and a side of 'extra smile'.

The menu, a dependable selection of Italian classics, is as consistent as the seasons—well, Melbourne seasons, so take that with a grain of salt. Or Parmesan. The bruschetta is rumored to be so authentic, it whispers sweet nothings in Italian to the tomatoes. And the risotto? Let's just say it's the culinary equivalent of a bear hug from a nonna.

In a city that prides itself on constant reinvention, Cafe Andiamo stands firm, a testament to the adage 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. It's the reliable old mate you can turn to when the latest hipster cafe gets too avant-garde with their deconstructed cereal.

So here's to Cafe Andiamo, the dependable Melbourne institution where every visit feels like a homecoming. It's not just a cafe; it's a slice of the city's soul served up with a side of nostalgia and a perfectly frothed cappuccino....

The only thing going for it is the laneway atmosphere and the coffee but other then that this is why you should choose somewhere else to spend your money.

Food was mediocre which is putting it very nicely. I ordered eggs on toast with a side of mushrooms and Hasbrown. The mushrooms came out with no seasoning (not even salt and pepper) in a tiny little bowl that you'd only be able to put one egg in. The toast was dry, thick cut white bread with no butter and the hash browns were also tiny. Usually I don't need S&P but I had to use quite a bit for it to taste ok. The meal alone was $25. Unfortunately I choose the wrong cafe on this lane because the food across the way actually looked like they had put care into it and looked like restaurant quality.

The staff were friendly enough to start but once you'd eaten you are made to feel like you have to leave so they can turn the table over as quickly as possible.

Then when I went to pay they slapped me with a $6 surcharge because it was a Sunday. I had a coffee and a small meal. That's it!! There is no pre warning when you sit down or note on the counter. It's absolutely absurd. If you can't pay your staff on a Sunday then maybe you should reconsider opening. Don't take it out of the customers pocket when they are already paying a premium for something that costs a quarter of what you're charging. Don't waste your money here folks. I encourage you to read reviews and...

I would give them zero stars if I could.

We went to this cafe on a Sunday morning, after the 8km Mother’s Day Classic run. We ordered 3 hot drinks in take away cups and decided to have a seat inside the restaurant, as we were waiting for our train. One of my friends was feeling quite faint, so she pulled out a muesli bar to give herself some energy. After taking a couple of bites and drinking her coffee from the cafe, a male waiter (who appeared to be the manager) came up to us quite aggressively and said “You can’t eat that in here, you didn’t buy it from here.” He was very confrontational, made us feel unwelcome and uncomfortable, and other tables looked over at us in shock. My friend put the muesli bar away and was really made to feel terrible about trying to look after herself. About 5 minutes later, he approached our table again and said “you will need to leave this table, because you ordered take away.” We were really bullied to leave, and absolutely humiliated...if this is how he treats customers, how does he treat his staff? I wonder if this would have happened if we were 3 grown men vs. women?! We did tell him that this was poor customer service but he didn’t care, he just wanted us out of there so that people buying meals could sit there. NEVER GOING BACK. AND SUGGESTING NO ONE ELSE...