Spudbar St Kilda – The Overview…
Food: Bacon and Cheese Spud, Poke Bowl, Moroccan Chickpea and Kale Spud, Vegan Chocolate Brownie
Ratings:
Food: 4.5/5
Atmosphere: 4/5
Service: 4.5/5
Value: 5/5
The details…
Now fully stocked with super fresh goodies, Spudbar are keen to re-woo locals and get them enjoying their classic spuds (or the more modern twists) when they want a quick bite. Despite being around a long time, new owner Lee brings an energy and excitement to the cafe. He’s passionate about the area and his product and wants to become a go-to spot for all St Kilda residents again. It’s location makes it the perfect spot for backpackers and hungry locals, and if it’s a nice day make sure you grab take away and head to the beautiful St Kilda Botanical Gardens nearby.
The St Kilda branch of Spudbar is the original, the OG, having been there over 18 years, it’s almost a landmark of the local area and synonymous with quick, healthy and great value food. The menu has come a long way since those days, but it still gets to boast being gluten free and low sugar (I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to find gluten free take away or quick eats but it’s REALLY hard). Now as well as the classics like bacon and cheese, there’s brand new poke bowls, plenty of vegetarian options and a range of more unusual speciality spuds. All revolve around healthy, fresh choices and plenty of colours, textures and flavours.
We really underestimated what we’d get at Spudbar, thinking we’d get a potato with a few toppings sprinkled on top. Instead we were greeted with big bowls loaded with fresh toppings. The spinach is crisp, the colours are bright and they’re something you can’t wait to tuck into. Additionally you get the choice of regular or sweet potato, and as well as catering for most dietary requirements within the menu, it’s easy to customise and build your own spud if you’d like to. Needless to say, we over ordered, trying the bacon and cheese, the Moroccan chickpea and kale and the poke bowl.
The bacon and cheese is everything you want from a classic spud, with an added side of fresh-and-healthy from the spinach and mushrooms. We added some garlic butter to get that extra flavour hit too. The potato was fluffy and soft and we actually couldn’t believe how filling these bowls are. Even though this one felt a little like a cheat meal with the bacon and plenty of cheese, it was still incredibly healthy and we loved all of the different flavours.
The morrocan is full of flavour, particularly for such a healthy dish. I decided to go for sweet potato and felt I made the perfect choice. It really complemented the slightly spicy chickpeas and is one of the tastiest “healthy” dishes I’ve had in a while. It was a total contrast to the bacon and cheese and really highlighted that’s there’s so much more to Spudbar than you realise.
We had to get the poke bowl to take away (as we ordered far too much) but other than the sweet potato chips, which obviously went a little soft, it held up amazingly well when we finally ate it for dinner that night. Again it shocked me how filling it was and we loved the striking flavours from the beetroot and seaweed. It’s served atop a sweet potato too so you’re still getting the spud in there!
We also snuck in a couple of their vegan brownies. These were sticky, sweet and chocolatey and really helped the experience feel more like a meal than just a “take away” experience. I was highly impressed with the lengths Spudbar went to to be that notch above your average fast food establishment. Not just with the quality of the produce but with the presentation, comfortable environment and friendly service.
Everything else…
Website: https://spudbar.com.au/
Address: 43 Blessington Street, St Kilda,
Opening Times:
Mon 11:30am to 9:30pm
Tue 11:30am to 9:30pm
Wed 11:30am to 9:30pm
Thu 11:30am to 9:30pm
Fri 11:30am to 9:30pm
Sat 11:30am to 9:30pm
Sun 11:30am to 9:30pm
Parking: Every time we visit this area we always park near to the botantical gardens. There are usually spots available any time of day and it’s particularly close to Spudbar.
Getting here on PT: It’s about 3 minutes walk from the end of the line on the 96 tram at Acland Street, or about a 10 minute walk from St Kilda Esplanade and Luna Park.
Disclaimer: We dined as guests of Spudbar, St Kilda. 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.