Cafes Melbourne: Hamlet Mount Waverley, Nancy Eatery Pakenham, Sister Mary Louise

The ‘burbs are shaking off their daggy reputation and now have some of the best eateries in Melbourne. Check out our guide to some of the coolest.

There’s no shortage of amazing venues to try across Melbourne’s south east and eastern suburbs.

There’s no need to travel into the city to enjoy amazing food and coffee.

Melbourne’s south east and outer eastern suburbs are home to some amazing eateries.

From French toast in an old converted chapel to amazing coffee in a former milk bar, check out our guide to some of the coolest eateries to check out.

Hamlet

47 Marianne Way, Mount Waverley

The old milk bar is now a popular cafe.

The menu has an Asian influence.

Since opening in an old milk bar last November, new cafe Hamlet has been given a warm welcome from Mt Waverley locals.

The corner spot has become a must-visit location for brunch lovers.

Hamlet’s owner, cafe king Julien Moussi, said the reaction to the new business had been awesome.

“Everyone has been supportive; a lot of people have been wanting to see that strip activated, it has been pretty dormant for a long time,” he said.

“There have been some great stories from people saying they used to go there as kids when it was a milk bar.”

Mr Moussi, who also owns cafe Stanley and Inglewood Coffee Roasters in Mount Waverley, said when he spotted the building in Marianne Way he thought it would make a great location for his new cafe.

“When I was driving past Maryanne Way I saw the building (which had been used as an accountant’s office) and thought it looks like Stanley,” he said.

“I knocked on the window and someone was painting the window stills and said the owner was refurbishing it to sell it.”

After a quick call to the owner the deal was done in five minutes and Hamlet was born.

The name Hamlet means “a little village of shops, and one without a church”.

“I just really liked the name Hamlet and looked up the definition and it works well – it’s like a little village,” Mr Moussi said.

The peanut butter noodles are a popular choice for breakfast, while the chilli scrambled eggs and banana boat waffles are also a hit.

Mr Moussi said their executive chef previously worked at St. Cloud Eating House in Camberwell, a popular modern Asian restaurant.

“He is quite well known and awesome at making it a really progressive breakfast menu with an Asian influence.

“It’s not your everyday type of local cafe breakfast menu – it’s pretty fun.”

With their own coffee roastery Inglewood Coffee Roasters close by in Lionel Rd, coffee lovers can expect a super fresh cup at Hamlet, with seasonal rotating origins every week.

There’s also an outdoor area for customers to enjoy the afternoon sun.

The cafe is also close to Mount Waverley Secondary College and has received a lot of support from the school community.

Nancy Eatery

114 Mulcahy Rd, Pakenham

Nancy has been welcomed by Pakenham locals.

Nancy Eatery’s new Bao Buns.

Nancy Eatery in Pakenham, located in the same warehouse as Robert Gordon Pottery, is the third venue from owners and husbands Josh O’Brien and Omar Viramontes.

The cafe was born through a partnership with the local Pakenham Robert Gordon family – they were after a great new eatery at their outlet and Josh’s nan, Nancy, was a potter, so it was a match made in heaven.

Having two cafes closely located in the eastern suburbs, Lorna Cafe in Ferntree Gully and Maria Cafe in Upwey, Josh and Omar jumped at the opportunity to spread their wings into the south east.

Nancy officially opened its doors in November 2020 which couldn’t have been more tumultuous timing during the pandemic, but the cafe quickly built up its customer base with a lot of love from locals.

The eatery has just launched a new menu, adding Bao Buns which could lay claim to being the tastiest in Melbourne’s south east.

Diners can choose from Asian-inspired, fried buttermilk chicken pieces stuffed into the steamed buns, accompanied by a shaved cucumber salad with special sesame-mayonnaise dressing, spring onion and sesame seeds; or a vegan option, featuring Korean Fried Cauliflower – crispy fried cauliflower pieces, shaved cucumber salad and all the trimmings.

Coffee lovers are also looked after – Nancy also uses high quality Industry Beans, Fitzroy St blend coffee beans and serve up ‘guest roaster’ coffee which changes every couple of months so that its coffee-connoisseur customers are having the best coffee experience possible.

Nancy is also licensed for those wanting to enjoy an alcoholic beverage with their lunch.

“We strongly believe that our licensing sets us apart and we love that locals can enjoy a glass of wine, or a freshly made Pear, Rosemary and Gin Fizz cocktail, with their lunch,” Josh and Omar said.

“Our atmosphere has been described as ‘cosy and warming’ with indoor seating located inside the Robert Gordon Outlet and plenty of outdoor, undercover seating that is dog friendly and right next to the kids area.”

Dröm Bakery

1/19 Scoresby Rd, Bayswater

Some of the goodies up for grabs from DROM bakery in Bayswater. Picture: David Crosling

Even Prime Minister Anthony Albanese knows how good The Hatter and the Hare is in Bayswater, and now the popular cafe has launched a sister venue next door, Dröm Bakery.

Vision shared on Twitter showed queues of customers lining up to get their hands on some of Dröm’s goodies, while Mr Albanese visited The Hatter and the Hare following Mary Doyle’s election victory in the seat of Aston earlier this month.

The bakery’s out-of-this-world half moon and crescent-shaped croissants have been a huge hit since the business opened in March, co-owner Becky Buada told the Herald Sun.

Sister Mary Louise

114 Maroondah Highway, Healesville

Sister Mary Louise cafe in Healesville.

Going to the chapel takes on a new meaning at this popular business in Healesville.

Cafe Sister Mary Louise is based in an amazing old Church-like building, previously used by the Salvation Army.

Sister Mary Louise owners Andy Stuart and his wife Mitch opened the cafe in 2021, during Victoria’s Covid lockdowns, and have quickly become a favourite with locals.

Mr Stuart said the building had quite a history in Healesville.

“It was originally positioned somewhere else in town and it was an old weatherboard house which they picked up and moved to where it is now,” Mr Stuart said.

“Then they bricked over it at some point, the original weatherboards are still underneath, some of the original windows are under the walls as well.”

The couple wanted to name their business after a cool nun, and discovered Sister Mary Louise from Portland in the US, who had Muscular dystrophy and advocated for people with a disability and gay rights back in the 1970s.

“She was ahead of her time in a way and we really aligned with those same values,” Mr Stuart said.

The cafe is wheelchair and pram friendly, with lots of open space inside.

It is open for breakfast and lunch seven days a week and focuses on serving good quality fresh produce.

Diners can expect a typical brunch menu, including popular French toast, along with yummy pastries and coffee.

The cafe is also licensed.