Yarrawood Estate — Restaurant in Melbourne

I came here expecting a relaxing Sunday with my partner, but instead, I got a front-row seat to the most exclusive club in town: The Birthday Coffee Club.

When we placed our order, we were told that coffee and tea were unavailable due to staff shortages. A little disappointing, but okay, we rolled with it. Then, our food arrived… and so did five steaming cups of coffee—delivered right to the table next to us.

Thinking the caffeine gods had smiled upon us, I asked a waitress if I could get a coffee too. She hesitated, said yes, but needed to double-check. Moments later, an older gentleman swooped in to inform me that, actually, coffee wasn’t available because the barista was on leave. Oh, except for that table. Why? Because it was their birthday.

Alright, fair enough—I guess birthdays come with magical coffee privileges. But then, just a few minutes later, I saw another table of 5–7 people getting served four cups of coffee. So, were they all born on the same day too? A celestial coincidence? A secret society of birthday coffee drinkers?

To top it off, when we made our reservation, we mentioned it was a date—but apparently, that just gets you subpar service. Had we known, we would have told them it was our joint 100th birthday and we’d brought party hats.

So, word of advice: If you want good service here, don’t say it’s a date. Say it’s your birthday. In fact, say it’s everyone’s birthday. Print out a fake birth certificate if you must. Otherwise, you might end up like us—coffee-less...

I’m not surprised to see how many reviews have complained about the serving staff here after our experience today. We arrived without a booking and were lucky enough to get a table under a tree on a beautiful sunny day. There was a little more shade on the table next to us and because it was also a table for 2 we moved across to that table without asking anyone but had full intentions of speaking to someone when they came across. Before I had the chance to speak, the waitress who was an older lady with short red hair came over with out drinks and spoke to us in a disgusting manner, raising her voice while asking us why we moved, did someone tell us to move and did we get permission. The winery was busy and we were so embarrassed by the way she spoke to us while everyone around was looking at us. We just wanted to leave. We were so upset that we couldn’t even finish our dessert. I completely understand that they were busy and we should have asked to be moved before making that decision on our own, however there is still a way she could have politely asked us to move back rather than speak to us like we were peasants.

The staff at the bar were lovely, we purchased a few bottles for our wine cellar. Unfortunately due to one particular staff member, she put a dampener on our day and we couldn’t enjoy our time at Yarrawood...

I have always had great experiences at this venue, but my recent visit on the weekend was disappointingly different. Arriving with the intention of enjoying a leisurely day on our own picnic rug on the lawn, we inquired with the manager about the possibility of obtaining a table. He informed us that none were available, so we decided to stick with our original plan and sit on the grass, to which he responded with a casual "no problem."

However, our day took a turn when a staff member approached us rudely, questioning whether we had permission to sit on the grass. She then informed us that the venue was "at capacity" and that we could only order drinks, not food. Despite the overcast weather, it was clear that the venue was not at full capacity during the entire duration of our visit. To add to the confusion, two of our guests had successfully ordered a cheese platter at the bar.

When the same staff member returned with the platter, I politely explained the miscommunication, but her response was marked by disdain and offense. Throughout the day, none of the staff exhibited a friendly demeanor, and they all appeared as though they were ready to quit on the spot. This was the first disappointing experience we've had at this venue, and it has given us pause to reconsider returning...