Food near me: Westfield Knox, Eastland, The Glen, Doncaster food courts

From Maccas and the Colonel to salad bars and sushi. Shopping centre food courts have changed over the years — and not all of you are fans.

Readers have had their say on food courts at four major shopping centres in Melbourne’s east.

They’re the scene of many happy memories hanging with friends, grabbing a quick bite to eat or having a breather after some serious retail therapy.

Indeed, the shopping centre food court holds a special place in the hearts of many shoppers in Melbourne’s east.

They’re a hub of activity and food options and have undergone plenty of transformations over the years, with countless eateries coming and going, and upgrades to improve amenities and the customer experience.

Leader has taken a look at the food courts at four of the biggest shopping centres in the area, and got you to share your memories and what you’d like to see in them in the future.

EASTLAND

Customers in Eastland's food court, March 2021.

Eastland’s food court has nearly 20 different outlets and was given a major freshen up as part of its huge redevelopment from 2014 to 2016.

There’s your stock-standard KFC and Subway, popular contemporary chains including Schnitz, Salsas and Spud Bar, and outlets with other comfort food or grab-and-go favourites including pizza, sushi and dumplings.

There’s always a line at Boost Juice, and Muffin Break and Soul Origin have the coffee and sweet treats sorted.

In recent times, the now-defunct Jimmy Grants disappeared and was replaced with Lanzhou Beef Noodle Bar.

Staple Of India opened earlier this year and Vietnamese chain Roll’d did some renovations and opened its revamped store in February.

But there’s one thing many nostalgic Eastlanders miss the most — Maccas.

The fast food chain left when Eastland started its redevelopment, and according to comments on Maroondah Leader’s Facebook page, it's the one thing they want back the most.

There was also calls for “a decent sandwich shop” a kebab shop, and the return of Red Rooster and San Churro.

Caroline Grundy wrote “Too much Asian food — appears to just cater for one group of people. Not much variety these days. Bring back options for the kids, like Maccas.”

But it wasn’t just the diversity of food some shoppers were missing, with calls to bring back the old ‘big giraffe’ and to boost the seating capacity.
Damian Buzza wrote: “Spend half an hour doing laps looking for a table at lunch time.”

And Daniel Chapman said he missed “the sculpture of the earth globe that me and every other kid in the area would climb on a busy Friday night”.

While Maccas isn’t in the works yet, there will be some joy for burger lovers next month.

Eastland general manager Greg Balmforth said homegrown burger joint Stanley Burgers, based in Scoresby, will open its second store in the food court in late April.

“We recognise the innate value that food courts and dining precincts play within the centre ecosystem and are subsequently very proud to be able to offer a comprehensive collection of much-loved and enticing dining options for our Eastland community,” he said.

WESTFIELD KNOX

Westfield Knox's food court , which has recently welcomed cafe Soul Origin. Picture: Scentre Group.

The food court on level two has been an integral past of Knox shopping centre since it opened in 1977.

It has ample seating with a mix of fast food outlets, a level up from the old fountains.

But like the rest of the centre, it is starting to look old and dreary, and the community has had enough.

Leader received a flurry of comments from readers urging Westfield’s owners Scentre Group to take action on a full centre redevelopment, which it first announced eight years ago, but hasn’t started.

Wayne Sewell noted there were 16 outlets in the food court, with seven closed, including its longstanding McDonald’s store which left earlier this year.

Brunella Callaghan Volpe wrote: “Can’t even look at the food court. Big eye sore,” while

Pam Frawley said: “It is so sad and dreary and unattractive. The toilets are bad and the shops pathetic.”

Despite its present woes, some readers shared happy memories from the food court’s golden days.

Ryan Carroll wrote: “I miss coming up the stairs from Video Games Heaven. Having some Kamils kebabs while waiting for my mum to finish her durry in the smokers’ area. God the 90s were good.”

Scott Westra and Clare Louise remembered the water fountains which used to be downstairs, and Alison Hathaway reminisced about having spaghetti carbonara with her parents on Thursday nights at Cafe Navona.

Many readers called for the McDonald’s outlet to return and Samantha Copeland said she missed “the salad place that was next to Subway”.

Others called for “a baked potato place” and “healthier options”, while Jessica Schwarze’s wish list included Spud Bar, Nandos, a pizza and pasta place, Salsas and Guzman N Gomez.

WESTFIELD DONCASTER

Westfield Doncaster’s food court has evolved over the past years

Commonly known as ‘Shoppo’, Westfield Doncaster’s food line-up has undergone plenty of changes in its more than half a century.

Leader reporter Paul Shapiro, who grew up in the area, has vivid memories of the centre’s food court in its heyday.

“The food court underwent multiple upgrades and position changes but the 1990s old ground level iteration was most notorious,” he said.

“The Timezone exit was where the tough kids hung and Macca’s saw the most action but I favoured the grub at Melina’s and Seargent Snag.”

These days, the centre’s casual dining offerings are positioned mostly towards the corner of Doncaster and Williamsons.

The centre opened a glitzy $30 million dining precinct late last year with The Sporting Globe, TGI Fridays, Bettys Burgers, Sushi Jiro and other sit-down options.

But below on level one is the traditional food court with casual dining options including Grilld, Subway, Schnitz, Nandos, McDonald’s and Gami fried chicken, along with Thai and Indian cuisine and sushi.

Readers called for some of the food court’s more nostalgic features to return, with McDonalds again hitting a chord.

Melissa Scudller said she missed “That beloved meeting spot, the Ronald McDonald bench”, while Allie Ray Lemon reminisced about “The shiny black tiles and the water feature that ran through the whole food court.”

Elsewhere in the centre, Jan Cron-Prowse said: “I miss the Coles cafeteria upstairs. Best waffles”, and Kazza Wong said: “I miss Sizzler the most!”

THE GLEN

The Glen shopping centre’s Food Gallery replaced its food court in 2018.

In the early 2000s, The Glen’s food court boasted KFC and Hungry Jacks, Asian cuisines, a fish and chips shop and sandwich outlets, along with Gloria Jeans and Muffin Break for coffee and sweet treats.

There was also a McDonald’s outlet tucked away on its own on level one above the old Arena Cafe area near David Jones.

But those sections are no more following The Glen’s massive $430 million, three-stage redevelopment which was completed in 2019.

The casual dining area was rebranded the ‘Food Gallery’ and moved towards the High Street Rd end on level one.

It boasts plenty of light-filled spaces, seating for up to 850 people and floor-to-ceiling windows with views out to the Dandenongs.

Outlets include Schnitz, Nene Chicken, and various Asian cuisines.

The gallery also had a concept Huxtaburger Go when it opened in early-2018, but it appears to have closed down.

On Monash Leader’s Facebook page, Justin Le Huray said he missed Udon Express and hoped it would return.

Vicinity Centres regional manager Andria Carniato said the centre had evolved to become “a vibrant dining destination in its own right” — through the food gallery and its new indoor-outdoor dining precinct with “cult foodie brands” near Kingsway.

“We’re catering for customers who are passionate about eating out and socialising with close to a quarter of space at The Glen dedicated to dining and fresh food with more than 50 options available centre-wide,” she said.