Best Brunch: Heathmont’s Milk & Wine Co wins Leader’s poll for Maroondah and Whitehorse

The accolades keep on coming for a booming Heathmont cafe, which has been named Leader readers’ favourite brunch spot.

Heathmont cafe Milk and Wine Co's owners Beth Hancock and Derek Hitt. Picture: Kiel Egging.

They’ve just celebrated their first birthday, and now the team at Milk & Wine Co have a very good reason to keep on partying.

The Heathmont cafe’s loyal fans have once again come out in force and helped it win Leader’s poll for the Best Brunch in Maroondah and Whitehorse.

It’s their second gong this year after they were crowned Maroondah’s best cafe in another Leader poll in January.

Marketing manager Samantha Hitt said she and the team were proud to again be recognised for their offerings.

She said the cafe’s most popular brunch dishes included its wild mushroom croquette with a 63 degree egg, and its eggs Benedict, which includes smoked brisket and jalapeño hollandaise.

“It’s a bit overwhelming, but its good to know we’ve hit the nail on the head in terms of what we’re doing here,” she said.

“The coffee is always good, the team we’ve got on the floor is amazing and they make everyone feel welcome.”

Ms Hitt said she felt the cafe – co-owned by her husband Derek and business partner Beth Hancock – was finally starting to achieve its vision after it opened during the coronavirus outbreak in March last year.

The cafe was restricted to takeaway coffee and meals, and has since begun dine-in service and a wine bar and grazing plates on selected nights following the easing of restrictions.

“With the wine bar doing so well too, it feels like we’re finally in the place we were hoping to be 12 months ago, so it’s really exciting,” she said.