Via Battisti — Restaurant in Melbourne

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Stopped in for brunch at Via Battisti and ordered the chicken schnitzel wrap, the pancetta and red lentil soup, and a decaf latte. Unfortunately, the experience missed the mark on all fronts. • Long wait, light queue. There were maybe 3–4 orders being managed at the time, yet both the food and coffee took far too long to arrive. • Burnt to oblivion. The decaf latte was honestly one of the worst I’ve had – the milk was scorched and the coffee had that awful, bitter, burnt taste that lingers in the worst way. • Looks better than it eats. The schnitzel wrap looked solid on the plate, but had absolutely no flavour. No seasoning, no tang, just… bland. • Soup needed a lifeline. The pancetta and red lentil soup looked hearty, but was totally flat in flavour. Had to go heavy on the salt and pepper just to wake it up. • Service felt scattered. Ordering was frustrating — multiple staff around but no clear ownership at the till.

Atmosphere was nice enough, but that’s where the positives stop. A lot of the above wouldn’t be such a big deal if it didn’t cost $40+ for a coffee, a wrap and a soup. At that price point you forgo the expectation for things to not be on par. Any coffee that costs more than $6 has absolutely no excuse to not be perfect.

Unfortunately, without serious improvement in the basics — food, coffee, and coordination — it’s not somewhere I’d recommend...

Trying to broaden my cafe horizons and decided to give these guys a go on my way to work.

At 9:45am on a weekday the cafe was quite busy, and there was a little wait before I get to order. I confirmed the size of the "biggie" was a standard medium (12 ounce) as that is the size of the keep cup I was using.

Was charged $5.40 (speciality milk) and waited approx 5 minutes for the order to be ready (not unreasonable given the number of people in the cafe).

On getting my order, I noticed the cup was quite light, but assumed maybe the milk was "frothier" than i am accustomed to (more of a cap than a latte).

Upon getting back to my car I opened the cup and realised it was only just over half full, and MAYBE equivalent to a small (8oz) coffee.

Not having time to go back, I left, and started drinking the very small latte. The coffee is quite bitter, but as I've never had the bean brand before, maybe that's intentional, but it's definitely not to my taste and left a very unpleasant flavour in my mouth. I ended up making a flying visit to my regular cafe in Mornington and got them to tip it out and ordered a fresh coffee.

Staff seem quite amiable, food in case looks appealing, but given the price, shorted size, and taste of the coffee, I doubt I'll try a...

Absolutely blown away by my experience. The coffee was top-tier smooth, rich, and clearly made with care. But the real standout? The chicken schnitzel and coleslaw wrap. Fresh, crunchy, and packed with flavour easily one of the best wraps I’ve ever had.

A special shout-out to Caspian, the young man behind the counter who recommended it. His friendly attitude, genuine smile, and pride in his work really made my visit memorable. It’s refreshing to see someone young so passionate and positive about working in hospitality it truly lifted the whole experience.

Great food, excellent coffee, and warm, thoughtful service. Can’t wait to...