Sleepy's Cafe & Wine Bar — Restaurant in Melbourne

Forever it seems, I am railing about over large portion sizes, poor quality and price of food - all in the negative. Today, delightfully was the exception. As we pulled up to an innocuous shopping strip on a busy road in drizzly rain, we walked past Sleepy's only stalled by a group of people gathered at a door front on the pavement. This was the place. A friendly greeting had us perched at the back bar overlooking the prep station, friendliness continued in banter with the kitchen staff before we moved onto a table and booth. We ordered congee, mushroom base with spicy mince and tea eggs. I'd never had congee before but had expectations of the flavours as they were familiar ingredients. It arrived in a shallow soup bowl. Spoon as utensil. DELICIOUS. Umami fully present. This was comfort food at its best, flavourful. Easy down. Portion size perfect. I needed no more, no less. This simple meal of humble origins and ingredients belted flavour and satiated hunger. It was simply great. And price - easy on the wallet. Would I go again? You bet - if only it was not...

Sleepy’s Wine Bar and Chicky-Boi collab last night was absolutely insane. For a cozy little wine bar like this, I absolutely did not expect too much at the beginning. But we were met with some of the best food, service, and atmosphere I’ve ever come across in any restaurant. The staff were so nice!!! Particularly Steve, he was so chill to talk to, super friendly and got along super well. We ordered: Chicky-Boi OG (19$) Hot Honey Jalapeño (19$) Habanero Buffalo (21$) OG Plate (22$) 3 mocktails (forgot the name) All 4 things we ordered were absolutely insane. Seasoned to perfection, even some of the crispy bits that weren’t chicken were seasoned incredibly well. Balanced with the different sauces and slaw, made the perfect sandwich. Since this was the collab menu for today, it obviously differs from the regular menu. But looking at the regular menu, it definitely does look great as well, in terms of pricing and more. I would absolutely recommend visiting this place, because it’s such a great place to get good food and chat with the staff...

Upon entering Sleepy's i was greeted by possibly the most friendly human being I've ever met. She was a chipper blonde with fantastic taste in fashion. She was also a great conversationalist. The atmosphere at Sleepy's is super cute. I'd have called it cozy if it were just a little bit warmer. Definitely could use a bit more heating. My friend said her Shanghai Hot Sauce Noodles were to die for. I ordered the Chinese Bolognese Toastie which unfortunately came out pretty dark (in comparison to the toastie the gentleman beside me recieved) and tasted of burnt bread. The kitchen staff should possibly be reminded not to send out burnt food. A waitress offered to have it remade but I honestly didnt want to cause a fuss because the staff were so nice. Which is rare for me because I usually have no hesitation in sending something back. The coffee was easily some of the best I've ever had. The prices here are incredibly affordable for such a nice cafe. Definitely keen to try out the rest...