Goz City, Melbourne CBD
The Overview…
Food: Gozleme: Cheese and Spinach, Minced Meat, Herbed Chicken, Mushroom and Vegetables, Pepperoni (Tuesday Special); Lamb, Lentil and Vegetable Soup, falafel tabouli, potato salad, chicken salad
Ratings:
Food: 4.5/5
Atmosphere: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Value: 5/5
The details…
Tucked away towards the back of Lonsdale Street’s Madame Brussels Lane, you’d be forgiven for not realising this place exists but if you’re a CBD worker looking for a filling lunch or in the city for a weekday browse you really should get it on your radar.
While a little quiet when we first arrived, Goz City soon busied up. It’s popular with both those grabbing a quick take away and people wanting to take their time and sit in. You can see why. Their gozleme are perfect to snack on on-the-go but Goz City have put care and attention into creating a small, yet warm, clean and comfortable environment to enable their guests to sit in and enjoy their food if they like.
Ordering is done at the counter, but then if you are sitting in, food will be brought to your table. Staff were chipper and quick to greet us and they maintain this consistently friendly, nothing-is-too-much-trouble service throughout their busy lunch rush. We ordered practically the whole menu – I mean how filling can a folded up pizza thing be right? Surely we can eat 5 of those between 4 of us, and a bit of soup – WRONG!
So in case you don’t know, a Gozleme is a thin Turkish flatbread, folded and stuffed with ingredients, it’s more pizza than pita, but it’s lighter and healthier. Goz city do 4 flavours: the traditional cheese and spinach, a simple minced meat, a flavourful herbed chicken and my favourite, the mushroom and vegetables. On a Tuesday they also offer a more creative special flavour – we were lucky enough to get to try the spicy pepperoni one.
Now having said the mushroom was my favourite is purely due to personal preference – they are all equally tasty (and a bargain at $11 given how big they are). There’s a good range of topping to bread ratio, so you get the punch of the flavour but they’re not overwhelming (or messy – I actually ate it all without spilling any). We loved how they are cut into small squares making them easy to share and the presentation of all the food, on the wooden boards and patterned plates, was really exceptional.
Once you’ve cycled through the gozleme a few times and you’re looking for something different they also do a soup. Made in house daily, flavours will vary but the lamb variety we tried was thick, delicious and sure to warm you up on these cold days. On the other hand, if you want something a little lighter, try one of their salads. The falafel tabouli was a hit for me with the slightly spiced falafel chopped into bite sized pieces and accompanied by the crisp, green salad.
And don’t despair – if you’re like me and usually work away from the CBD, you can get the chance to try out Goz City’s produce every Friday night at the Madame Brussel’s Night Market every Friday throughout July!!
Everything else…
Website: http://gozcity.com.au/
Address: 50 Lonsdale Street (Madame Brussels Lane), Melbourne CBD
Opening Times:
Mon 7am to 4pm
Tue 7am to 4pm
Wed 7am to 4pm
Thu 7am to 4pm
Fri 7am to 4pm
Sat Closed
Sun Closed
Parking: CBD parking is pretty meh! We parked far away at Crown, but they’ll be plenty of carparks nearby if you’re happy to pay!
Getting here on PT: Your closed PT would be any of the many buses that run along Lonsdale Street. However, it’s also only a short walk from both Melbourne Central and Parliament Stations. 35, 86 and 96 are probably your closed tram routes – alight at Parliament Station and it’s a few minutes walk at most.
Disclaimer: We dined as guests of Goz City, Madame Brussels Lane. Reviews are honest and based on our own personal experiences. We cannot guarantee things at a cafe won’t change including, but not limited to, menu items and opening hours, so please confirm any details with the venue before visiting.