East & Co. — Restaurant in Melbourne

I've been here a few times and every visit the staff, especially the female barista always goes above and beyond. Unfortunately, after today I don't think I will be returning. The head waitress was so rude to me as I wanted to eat from the ready made sandwiches and muffins - which I didn't realise was strictly take away only. She said I had to eat from the main menu due to taking up seating on a Sunday. I said to her what I wanted to order from the ready made sandwich and coffee equated to equal or more value to the menu eg. sourdough or fruit toast. Anyway in the end she let me order a ready made sandwich and dine in coffee and I was grateful. She warned me IF someone wanted to take our table and eat from the menu she will have to change our seating to outside (it had started to rain). I said of course I understand. When my friend arrived I explained the hard and fast rules from our waitress. When my friend went to order she was about to begin her spiel about us taking Sunday space and me not ordering off the menu etc. my friend cut her off "it's ok my friend has explained". I had brought my keep cup to get a second cup to take with me to the movies across the road and get a 500g coffee to take home (from a previous recommendation from the lovely and knowledgeable barista). I wanted to tell the waitress do you just want us to leave? I know it's post covid and I know the hard and fast rules post covid dining costs/return etc, but the tone from the waitress and the cafe was not busy so I don't believe I was taking up that space and we spent more than enough during our 35 min seating. I don't normally complain but I felt compelled to let you know East & Co. that some of your team are sensational at hospitality services and one needs further training. I won't...

A nice, comfortable, and spacious cafe with friendly staff and unique menu items.

The staff were welcoming and friendly. Within a couple of minutes of being seated, I had a jar (strange, I know) of water and my coffee order placed.

The menu had a good mixture of breakfast, and lunch foods. One common theme I found was that the already moderate-high prices neglected the inclusion of meat in a lot of dishes, with staples requiring an extra $5 for bacon. This wasn't true of all dishes, but it's certainly something to be aware of. (also, bacon as an addition for the eggs on toast item was $6 - why the discrepancy?)

The menu also seems to have been changed in size at some point - the current photo of the menu on Google appears outdated.

The specific item I had - the Brisket Benny - was a little bit dry, but was otherwise quite tasty and of a good portion.

The atmosphere is quite nice as well, however I think more decor for the ceiling to hide some of the wiring and cable runs would be good. While I can appreciate the industrial look, I think a deliberate style is better than simply leaving these ceiling elements exposed.

My coffee was excellent - typically a mocha is a good way to tell if a cafe knows their stuff. The chocolate powder used was of good quality, and the drink was neither particularly bitter nor overly sweet. The drink was also well mixed.

Overall, I recommend East & Co - if you don't mind spending $25-30 per meal. Although, with recent inflation and worker shortages this may simply be the new norm. Am I out...

It’s hard for cafes to differentiate themselves from the millions of other cafes but East & Co has managed to achieve that by sprinkling a bit of its own magic into tried and true formula. Think fresh and quality produce, elegant flavours, skilful execution and slight twists on old favourites.

The Big Breakfast is the perfect example of the abovementioned traits. Imagine a typical big breakfast dish comprising of the usual suspects, but said usual suspects are stuffed to the point of overflowing into a flaky croissant. Simple but effective. Same goes for the Spring French Toast. A slab of fluffy and eggy French Toast, paired with fresh berries and crème fraiche, plus verjuice poached berries and cinnamon pistachios to add a sophisticated touch.

The freshness of the ingredients used in the Folded Omelette elevated the humble dish to one that made a lasting impression, as was the case with the Spring Avo. The whipped ricotta and avocado was a nice touch, and more of it would have definitely took this dish to another level. Adding bacon on the side for both these two dishes was a most excellent idea as the bacon was delightfully crispy yet tender.

I couldn’t fault the beverages at all. The latte was smooth and bold on the palate, and the Mango Magic smoothie was a refreshing thirst quencher.

Occupying a corner spot that allows for natural light to shine in, creating a relaxing and warm environment, East & Co is indeed a café that’s not...