Pantry Glen Iris — Restaurant in Melbourne

Traditionally when you buy a business you do so for one of two reasons. It may possess a monopoly in a given product or area alternatively it might possess a unique characteristic a unique theme that only it offers. The old Glen Iris Pantry was not a monopoly as evidenced by the number of other coffee shops within a two to three minute drive of it. What it did have though was a unique personality, this personality and attached sense of community we're driven by the previous owners Chris and Fil. It literally was the place where everybody knew your name.

Unfortunately, this unique character has been replaced by a cut and paste corporate model coffee shop. It is now the sort of coffee shop more suited to a place where young men sporting man buns and waist coats sit around talking about what sort of conditioner they use in their beard. Whilst young women post photos of themselves pretending to eat on social media. Sadly long gone is the community spirited café that provided a welcome sanity break for everybody in the area during the various COVID lockdowns.

What is also interesting is that during the period between closing and reopening the price of my standard breakfast went up 50%. However, some days it's up 50% and some days it's up 60%, this variable pricing is always a source of interest. Where service was once fast and efficient it is now laborious and tedious as orders are either forgotten or incorrectly filled. The old hands who are left over from the original Pantry labour mightily to try and preserve something of what was there but unfortunately they are obviously defeated by the new workflow systems that have been put in place. The new staff seemed to have little idea of how hospitality works.

Fortunately Glen Iris is very well served by cafes. However, none of them are quite the same as...

Waffle was spectacular, after a project to find the best waffles in Melbourne I am sad to say they have been found here.

What used to be a community cafe and icon for Glen iris is now a fancy restaurant serving food at inflated prices and with shockingly poor service.

Whilst we were greeted well, we were ignored on a dirty table, watch as local kids were treated coldly till they left, and when we went to pay the staff were under trained and unsupported by senior staff members who were too busy having casual chats with patrons at the bar.

Same patrons we had to uncomfortably lean over to be able to pay. We were not asked if the food was good, or said goodbye to when I said it myself.

Compared to the warm, inviting place this used to be I am devastated and it shows- what once was a cafe with a line out the door and full packed on a Saturday at one o’clock was now empty with only a couple...

We have been visiting this cafe occasionally for years. It's convenient to stop in after a bike ride, the staff are always friendly and efficient and the food and coffee are good - if pricey. My issue is with the tea. I've ordered tea with milk on our last two visits. Both times the tea arrived with no milk. After asking for it a couple of times I approached the barista directly. The first time I just got a little jug of milk. Yesterday the same, but the milk was leftover from making coffee - at had been steamed and then cooled. Maybe I'm being a princess but yes, you really can tell the difference and no, it's not good. I hope that the care and attention lavished on their coffee can be extended to tea made with boiling water and fresh, cold, milk. Preferably brought out at...