Hug a Mug Cafe — Restaurant in Melbourne

There are so many places to eat in Williamstown but I’m on a budget and I do want to support the mum and pop businesses, the small operators who put in the hard yards. This morning I went to #hugamugcafe near my digs and was rapt. Owner, Rahul greeted me with a big smile and invited me to take a seat indoors or outdoors. I sat inside as it was a chilly morning. The menu is extensive and he clearly loves cooking for his guests. I quickly ordered a hot chocolate and thankfully, it was HOT 🔥 - so many places serve their drinks warm. I like my drinks hot! While he tended to regulars, I looked over the menu and chose potatoes croquettes (which are made on the premises) with two poached eggs, bacon, served in spinach and drizzled with hollandaise. The eggs were perfect whites firm, yolks runny, oozing over the bacon. Outside, a group with their dogs sat and chatted over their coffees with their dogs nearby. A couple of old fellas were having their regular coffees. Police officers from the station across the road left with their take away orders. Rahul and I chatted about his homeland, a country I have fond memories of. Getting to know the people behind the food is important to me. To understand their’why’, their ‘backstory’, their ‘family’. When I read reviews that are 1 star ⭐️ it makes me cross because this cafe is their livelihood, their source or income and they are doing their best. If the coffee wasn’t hot enough or they were slow to serve, then don’t review it. Give it a pass and let your ego move on. Be kind. Be the bigger person. Here endeth the lesson.

#thewanderingreviewer #huginamugcafe #williamstowncafe #williamstowncafes #supportlocalbusiness...

Second time here yesterday. First time, stopped briefly on a walk and had a hot chocolate and muffin. Overall was ok, not terrible. However, tried again today as we were walking past, at first we felt very put off as every empty table had dirty plates and cups on it. We cleared one table ourselves and placed dirty cups on another table. A male came out from inside and said hi, but did not offer menu or tell us to go inside to order, it was hard to work out whether he even worked there. Waited a few minutes and my partner went to the toilet. He came back and said toilets were awful, very dirty, no paper towel. We still hadn't been approached to order so we decided to leave. On walking back past around 30 mins later, the same tables were still full of dirty plates and cups. Very unprofessional and not at all welcoming when coming into a cafe. We really want to support local places, but when the basics of hospitality are not even met, it is really difficult to do so. It feels as though owners don't take...

Sadly disappointing experience. Seating is limited so be aware that you might not be able to be seated on a busy day, but there is a welcome choice of indoor is outdoor seating. Service was prompt and drinks arrived quickly, however we had to wait over 30 minutes for our food to arrive, despite it not being particularly busy. The food was well presented but lacking in flavor and seasoning. The croquettes were delightfully crispy outside, fluffy inside, but tastes of very little. The apple crumble french toast wasn't served with actual apple, but instead some kind of apple puree or sauce. It was also served with an unidentifiable flavor of ice-cream - a high quality vanilla would've been a simple, perfect match.

Overall I was disappointed by the wait time and quality of the food, but it is pretty affordably priced. I'll try again in the future to see if I was unlucky. Looks like a popular spot to grab a to-go...