Coachella Coffee & Bagel Bar Boronia, Mastika Ice Cream, Silver Linings Cafe a hit in the east
Bagels in Boronia, ice cream in Croydon – check out the impressive eateries making waves with foodies in the outer eastern suburbs.
Outer East
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A range of new eateries and old favourites are making their mark in the eastern suburbs. Check out some of the best places to check out for your next meal or coffee.
Coachella Coffee & Bagel Bar – Boronia
22/163 Boronia Road
A taste of New York has come to Boronia, with freshly baked bagels and speciality coffee on offer at a new business.
Coachella Coffee & Bagel Bar opened last November and has been given a warm welcome by the community.
Owner Aaron Bryer said a love of bagels ran in his family.
“My grandparents 30 years ago when I was a teenager had a bagel and coffee shop in Bendigo,” he said.
“That’s what I grew up with – bagels and different types of coffee served in French presses back then.
“Bagels are starting to get popular in Australia now but there are not really many places selling them in the southeast suburbs.
“I’ve been asked if we’re like a New York bagel and I tell customers we’re a Coachella bagel.
“It’s a recipe that came from my grandparents 30 years ago which I’ve refined and changed and made my own.
“It’s not like a commercial bagel, it’s not a bread roll with a hole in it.”
The Coachella bagel are traditionally boiled and baked with all traditional toppings, including sesame and plain bagels.
At the suggestion of an American customer, Mr Bryer also introduced an “everything bagel” featuring onion and garlic toppings.
Fillings include a traditional breakfast deluxe with bacon, cream cheese, tasty cheese, spinach onion jam and tomato and a traditional smoked salmon called The Coachella, with cucumber, avocado and cream cheese.
“Customers are just absolutely loving them,” he said.
There are also vegetarian options and other traditional breakfast items.
A good decent sized bagel “that would fill anyone up” will set you back between $15-$18.
The business is also the only Victorian coffee partner of Artisti Coffee Roasters.
The cafe is open from 8am – 3pm seven days a week.
Mastika – Ice Cream Jungle of Colour
Shop 8/3/5 Hewish Rd, Croydon
It may be winter, but there’s never a bad time to grab an amazing ice cream.
Ringwood’s Mastika Ice Cream Jungle Of Colour was voted one of the best ice cream parlours in Melbourne, and now ice cream lovers can get their fix at a new Mastika store in Croydon.
Owner Dany Yaacoub quit her corporate job and opened the store in Ringwood during Covid. She saw the amount of happiness it brought to the community, especially in lockdowns.
She said she wanted her stores to be known as the “community gelato shop”.
“I don’t want to be hipster, I want my staff to know customers’ names, and I just want to create that old milk bar vibe – when you used to walk to the milk bar and get five cents worth of lollies.
“I just want to create that community feel and vibe at our shops.”
The ice cream parlours offer 24 different ice cream and gelato flavours, all made in house using seasonal ingredients.
The business uses a separate cabinet for nut-based ice creams, to reduce the risk for those who have nut allergies.
Silver Linings Cafe
1/17 Southfork Drive, Kilsyth South
If you’re looking for homemade comfort food, you will find the silver lining in your day at this industrial cafe in Kilsyth South.
Owner Michelle Fletcher opened her business in November 2018, mainly serving homemade pies, sausage rolls, chicken schnitzels and burgers, along with great coffee.
“I learnt a lot of cooking from my dad’s mum when she was alive,” she said.
“I want people to come in and feel like they’ve come into a family home.
“We serve homemade comfort food that feels like you’re in grandma’s kitchen.”
Customers can also pick up takeaway meals for home, including curries and pasta, and a range of sweet treats, including brownies and a gluten free caramel slice.
The cafe is open Monday to Friday from 7.30am – 3pm.
The Wattle Tree Co
150 Cambridge Rd Kilsyth
Courtney Tull has been a friendly face serving coffee to locals in the Kilsyth area since late 2020.
Running her business out of a vintage mobile caravan, Ms Tull serves up coffees and toasted sandwiches every weekday from her base in Cambridge Rd.
She also takes her caravan to markets and private functions.
She has built up a loyal customer base since opening when Melbourne was in full lockdown in 2020.
When Covid hit Ms Tull lost her job of 20 years in the travel industry and bought her van and hasn’t looked back since.
“I have a lot of loyal customers that have been coming to me since then,” she said.
“I love it, I just chat all day and a lot of my customers have become really good friends.”
Ms Tull’s beloved border collie Jessie has also been a big hit with customers.
“People love to see her, she often sits on her bed,” she said.
“When she’s not here people ask where she is.”
Ms Tull is also the only Victorian stockist of chilli coffee.
“That makes me a bit left of field – a lot of people just love chilli coffee,” she said.
She also sells Olinda bush honey, biscuits, cookies, and homemade dog treats for pet owners’ four-legged friends.
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