Cornerstone Cafe — Restaurant in Victoria

This little cafe was nearly full by the time we got our food, and we arrived at 12:30pm on a Friday. The one maitre’d (assisted by a barista) was fully stretched. The atmosphere was eat-quickly-and-leave. My friend joined me and looked doubtful “what made you choose this place?”. I was starting to doubt myself, having been brought here by a BEAUTIFUL instagram account and a story of all-house-made dishes - down to the flat bread. They had me at house-made flat bread (I must write a review of Our Lady of St Kilda sometime, where i first encountered house-made pita bread - a life changing experience). This version was not pita, it was almost a squat, pan-fried leavened bread, but it was marvellous, and was paired so beautifully with the accompaniments. I tried a bite of my friend’s lamb on a bed of hummus and topped with pomegranate and oven roasted chickpeas - and I knew I’d been right to come here. The Turkish eggs were superb. If the vibe lacks tranquility, the hidden magician producing the food more than makes up for it. We also tried a pistachio cookie (complete with viral kataifi) and a slice of carrot cake - all made by the same magician and both MAGIC. (Skip the hot chocolate, as it clearly lacked heart - and, tellingly, is omitted from their beautiful instagram feed)....

The Cornerstone Cafe's the place you wish you had just around the corner and the fantastic thing for us for the last four months, it HAS been! Reliably great coffee with a relaxed and friendly ambience and wonderful food, mostly created in the kitchen at really good-value prices, it's not surprising that it's very popular with a wide cross-section of Ballarat locals and visitors. We're heading back home to Tassie but we enthusiastically refer friends and family to here as a great catch-up spot on the edge-of-town but still having a very accessible, good-vibe location. Come to think of it, maybe it's a touch of naturally wholesome Tasmania in Victoria...Mmmm...we've had the best of both worlds! Keep up the great job, Wes...

The fritters at Cornerstone Cafe are absolutely incredible! Perfectly crispy on the outside, fluffy and full of flavour on the inside — hands down the best I’ve ever had. You can tell they’re made with care and fresh ingredients. A special shoutout to Nic, the amazing chef behind it all! She clearly knows her stuff — every dish that comes out of the kitchen is consistent, beautifully presented, and packed with taste. Her attention to detail and love for what she does really shines through in every bite. If you haven’t tried the fritters at Cornerstone yet, you’re seriously missing out. Thanks, Nic, for making every visit such a delicious...