Review: The Goat House Cafe, Elsternwick

The Overview…

The Goat House Cafe, situated on Elsternwick’s busy Glenhuntly Road is an all day eatery that’s just full of surprises.

Meal:
Dinner

Food:
Grilled Salmon Cutlet; Gippsland Beef Steak 300g

Ratings:
Food – 4/5
Atmosphere – 3.5/5
Service – 4/5
Value: 4/5

The details…

We visited on a Friday evening for dinner and the vibe was lively and laid back. The first surprise is just how big the venue actually is. It looks like a tiny little unit on a corner, but there’s an expansive bar in the middle, a take away counter and it must easily seat 100 people. Just by a small park, the outdoors seating area is perfect for summer lunches or a leisurely drink. The rustic interior gives you a feeling of a country pub and dividing the space up with the bar helps the space to feel cosy.

Calling the venue a cafe is both a blessing and a curse. I can definitely understand people being put off by the prices initially as it does sound expensive for a “cafe”, but this is definitely a restaurant and once you are through the door and try the food, it’s a wonderful surprise to see how well it plates and how great it tastes. The food looks fantastic: It is carefully and thoughtfully plated, and whether intentional or not, the colour balance created with the veggies looks fab.

We opted for the Grilled Salmon Cutlet and the Gippsland Beef Steak. As you can see, the portions are very generous, both were cooked perfect to our liking. Ingredients were so fresh, and veggies were lovely and crisp. The creamy potato croquettes served with my salmon were a particular highlight. Alongside mains such as these, there’s also tapas, pizzas, burgers and a small selection of rice and pasta dishes. I struggled to choose from the great menu and I would definitely go back to try something different.

Service was attentive and friendly – the more experienced staff were definitely more confident and were more clearly explaining things to customers – but no complaints, and we got a couple more surprises before we left. They offer a gorgeous little range of cakes and pastries – which we grabbed two of for a take away dessert – and they also do a huge range of coffee beans to buy. I do think this place is vastly underrated and many people are probably walking past every day not realising they can get great take away coffee, or enjoy a lovely lunch.

Overall, a pleasant venue and somewhere we could definitely see ourselves returning to and sampling more of their menu. . Thanks so much for having us Goat House Cafe!

Everything else…

Website: http://www.goathouse.com.au/

Address: 3-6 Elsternwick Place, Elsternwick, Melbourne

Opening Times: 

Mon      7 AM to 12 Midnight
Tue       7 AM to 12 Midnight
Wed      7 AM to 12 Midnight
Thu       7 AM to 12 Midnight
Fri         7 AM to 12 Midnight
Sat         8 AM to 11 PM
Sun        8 AM to 11 PM

Kitchen closes at 9pm (Sun to Weds) and 9:30pm (Thurs to Sat)

Parking:  The venue does not have its own carpark. There is street parking available across the road on nearby Gordon Street on Rippon Grove, and numerous car parks less than 5 minutes walk away on Stanley Street. During the day time most of the parking is limited to 2 hours, although some 4P spaces are available in the Stanley Street car parks. 

Getting here on PT: Either take the Sandringham train line to Elsternwick station the cafe is a few doors away from the train station, or take the 67 tram and alight at Stop 46 – Elsternwick Railway Station/Glenhuntly Road.

Disclaimer: We dined as guests of Goat House Cafe. Reviews are honest and based on our own personal experiences. We cannot guarantee things at a restaurant won’t change (including, but not limited to, menu items and opening hours, so please confirm any details with the venue before visiting)