The Were Street Food Store — Restaurant in Melbourne

Modern, new, futuristic, state of the art - that is not what you’ll find here. Instead, you’ll uncover a charming local eatery with wholesome food, earthy environment and an all round cool place to be. Some would call it eccentric. I call it “homely”. I reviewed this place 4 years ago rating it with 4 stars but a revisit on Sunday, I was totally charmed - again. Owner Anthony and one of his staff Kalon are the perfect hosts and have created a vibe of laid-back, local, funky with a touch of boho casualness. The tables don’t match. The chairs don’t match. The art is fun and quirky. The staff are cheerful and it was nice to chat to them about the evolution of #thewerestreetfoodstore The layout is inviting and drawing you in to enjoy a cuppa, cake or a meal. The menu is extensive and plenty of choices. Dietaries catered for and please advise if you have anything particularly you wish to avoid as the staff are very accommodating. I just loved the coffee ticket ordering system on the wall, so regulars can preorder their beverage saving time and making it efficient for everyone. (See photo) What did we order? 1: pancakes with berries and ice cream and a karma sutra chai 2: eggs Benedict with bacon and an iced latte 3: meat pie with salad 4: open BLT and a chocolate milkshake 5: Central Park bagel and a lemonade 6: another round of pancakes with berries minus the ice cream and a latte Food was very tasty, well presented and generous portion sizes. Total price $117! Oh that’s good value. It buoyed me to see people coming in ordering, all on a first name basis. This is not just a cafe - it’s a community. It’s a safe place to come and fist over a coffee for an hour or chat with others. The local council are making a park next door so while still under construction we sat outside with our dog and soaked up the mild summer weather. Anthony spoke of the changes coming as council finishes the street works and I look forward to hanging out here again. Notes: disability access isn’t good but once the streetscape is improved so will accessibility. Toilet available. Kid friendly including a high chair available. Dogs are welcome and even encouraged so bring your fur babies. Thank you for a great lunch Were...

We eat breakfast here on a regular basis. Went for breakfast last Sunday (Mother’s Day) Long story short ....the cafe was very busy. There was a mix up with coffee orders. Another order came through exactly the same as ours. It was noisy & my husband didn’t hear a name called - just the order selection which was what we ordered. We started drinking our coffee & the waitress came over & nearly snatched the coffee from my husbands hand saying it was an order for someone else. It was too late as we had already started drinking. Then later the waitress came over to our table while we were waiting to order our breakfast which we were having there, demanding an extra $3 due to us drinking a larger coffee than what we ordered & paid for that was meant for somebody else. It was an honest mistake all round really & in my opinion it would have been good customer service & good business practice from the cafe to just let it ride & perhaps say “never mind & enjoy your coffee”. They were raking in the business anyway on Mother’s Day & we did spend $50 on breakfast. I’m sorry to say that due to this small mindedness it has left a sour taste with us & we will not be coming back to this place ever again. What a pity for a small business to lose out & over what? All for claiming $3? Very disappointed in...

I am a local and I don’t normally go here because it is usually quite busy and I need to sit with my baby. But we thought we’d give it a try today. I ordered two coffees and a croissant to eat-in. After I paid, I noticed the older male barista telling off the kid that took my order about how he’d charged me wrongly. When I asked what was going on, they apologized and said that they would need to charge me the difference. It turns out that they had put my order through as take away and not eat-in. I said, “let me clarify are you saying that to eat-in is more expensive than to take away?” The older man barista said yes, that’s to cover plating and serving you the coffee. I think he knew by the look on my face that I thought this was one of the stupidest things I’d ever heard. I wouldn’t have noticed difference at all except that I noticed him telling the kid off in public. I won’t be going to this establishment again as not only is this pricing policy ridiculous but he was rude to his junior staff member in public. They don’t even do table service. Absolutely ridiculous, and don’t give me the cost of running a business stuff. I’ve been going to Melbourne cafes for over 20 years this...