Review: Maria Cafe, Upwey

The one (and possible only) difference you’ll notice between this and an inner suburbs brunch spot is that people get up earlier here. By 10:30am the rush is well and truly easing, just as those CBD queues are peaking, so it’s well worth the effort of a scenic drive to check them out. You can follow up with one of the many walks nearby too.

Other than that Maria is very quintessentially Melbourne. The minimalistic spot lights, feature low hanging shades, fresh neutral tones and spots of greenery wouldn’t be out of place on Glenferrie Road. The menu is wonderfully Melbourne too, with a Mexican-inspired take on many brunch classics. We tried the vegan street corn, chilli scramble, brisket taco and croquettes Benedict. 

The benedict was delicious and probably our favourite dish of the day! The panko-crumbed sweet potato and chorizo croquettes are such a unique element to this dish and really make it stand out. It manages to be both a traditional benedict yet also highlights those Mexican elements on the same plate. The red capsicum jam adds that nice hit of spice, but it’s plated well so you’re able to blend as much or as little of this into the dish as you’d like. 

The chilli scramble, served on a homemade grilled tortilla is completely different from any other chilli scrambled we’ve tried (and believe me we’ve had a lot). We loved the addition of chickpeas and corn, and the lime prawns infused a nice freshness that mixed through the whole dish. It’s a really filling dish with lots of interesting little elements throughout. 

The Brisket taco really highlights the Mexican inspiration. This is usually a serve of two, but we’d already had two full meals. The beef brisket is soft and juicy which again allowed the key flavours to infuse through the whole taco. The refined black beans were so smooth and the guacamole and cheese pulled it together into a delicious Mexican experience. 

Finally the corn (from the something small menu) was beautiful. The avocado cream really cooled down the spicy sriracha making it so moreish and easy to eat. It’s vegan too and with a half corn option at only 3.50 there’s really no excuse not to give his one a try. We were so pleased to enjoy this new addition to the fam just as much as lorna!