Mango's Nuts Cafe & Restaurant — Restaurant in Melbourne

We had a Mother's Day dinner here yesterday, the first time we've ever been to this place.

It was a beautiful place up in the Dandenong Ranges, nestled amongst the beautiful tall Mountain Ash trees. The restaurant itself is small but beautifully designed with indoor and outdoor seating, including two-seater tables with hanging half-shell wicker seats that were fantastically mood-setting.

The best part of this place was the pizzas ... it was quite possibly one of the best pizzas we've had in Melbourne. They had just the right amount of juicy goodness in each slice, and the crust... my god, the crust was juuuuust the right balance of perfect crunchiness without it being too dry or being too overcooked with a hard exterior or undercooked chewy flour on the inside. Whatever they did, it was juuuust right.

Service was great - they looked after us and ensured we were happy.

The only thing we wished they had was a liquor licence! It would've been perfect to have a cold beer or a glass of wine with the great food and atmosphere, but they are BYO so the next time we go, we'll definitely BYO.

Our daughter ordered a hot chocolate - they gave her two ... TWO ... marshmallows with her hot beverage. Extra, extra, extra points for the...

We came here on Saturday 5pm, we were the only customers then because they just opened. Somebody must've been smoking at the back because as we walked in the cigarette smell was so strong. Due to this we opted to sit outside with two double swing chairs for the four of us.

We ordered the large tandoori pizza, large Special pizza and carbonara. We enjoyed all 3 dishes, the pizza was thin crust and had a focacia like taste, normally the base is pretty bland. The carbonara had a thick rich sauce, so good!

For dessert we ordered two chocolate cakes, chocolate mousse and a cappuccino. The chocolate cake had chocolate syrup drizzled over it, so good! The mousse was like melted thick chocolate ice cream, so good! Coffee was good too, quite a large mug if that was regular size.

I was shocked that the bill came up to only $77. The service was good, staff were friendly so this place is ticking all the right boxes! I asked why burgers were no longer on the menu and was told for now they don't serve it but in a month's time, they should be back. And...

Me and my youngest have been wanting to come here for ages. However, we always visit on Monday/Tuesdays when most place in the hills are closed. Change of ownership, however did not disappoint in the least. We were greeted by the head chef, Chanaka whose hospitality was humbling and delightful. The menu change was a surprise from what showed on Google, and as a vegan I panicked that I wouldn’t have many options. However, not only was the bruschetta on point with crunchy seeded grilled bread, the homemade pesto beneath the tomato medley was on point.

You can tell with even the simplest of dishes that the menu has so much to offer for our next visit.

The new owner and head chef is worth it alone to come visit this place.

Slow and steady for any locals who don’t like change, but give this place a chance as the spring season builds because the hills have a new lovely hot spot!

Can’t wait to return for an evening and a wine but won’t complain over the amazing fresh ginger infused black tea that Chanaka...