Review Wide Open Road - Brunswick

Have you aver asked yourselves the question why you are having your coffee where you are having it? Do you always go to the same place, or do you change your place often? And what would make you change your café routine? Today I had the pleasure to be served by an absolutely outstanding barista. She was super welcoming, explained me everything and served me all coffees and the warmed croissant 🥐 to the table. She took the time to take me through the coffee menu, explained me a bit the history of their café and the roastery and gave me an amazing table so I could see into the roastery. She also came to ask me how I feel about the coffees, how the croissant tasted and whether I wish for anything else. Thank you for this absolutely best practice hospitality. We baristas should always remember that we are not rockstars, but work in the hospitality sector. The customer is the focus, and the producers are the stars ✨. THANK YOU 🙏🏻. … and one my way out, I have been asked again whether everything was fine 🥰. Thank you, it was a lovely encounter.

Still got it after all this time! Wide open road is just consistently good! Havent been back here in years after being a regular for many years. Coffee is strong and always on point. We tried the mexican burrito special and it did not disappoint. So much flavour but not overcomplicated like some brunch dishes tend to be. Banana bread was house made, toasted and excellent value. Need to come back again!

Delicious breakfast food for a good price! Nice location and friendly staff. The halloumi toastie was a delicious cacophony of sweet and savoury that delights the taste buds with every bite. Chorizo toastie was everything you could every want with generous servings of cheese. Gluten free options available which is always a plus.

Visited Wide Open Road which is a bustling popular place. Granted I will give it another chance in the future but perhaps chose a bland dish on the day and unfortunately received a dirty spoon with a previous diner's peanut butter still attached 🤦🏻‍♀️ I won't give up, I will persist, I will try again!

Excellent service and food. I got avocado and halumi toastie which was literally to die for! Coffee is very tasty and creamy and interior looks quite "Brunswicky". We will definitely go back to try their beautiful croissants. Thanks

Wide Open road has always been an institution for me. The coffee is always spot on and the food always hits the spot. It was an absolute saviour through the constant lockdowns and staff have dealt with the constant changes amicably. Hats off to you guys. Keep absolutely smashing it Wide.

Outrageous prices, poor service, good coffee. I paid $18 for a chicken sandwich which was fresh and tasted good but nothing to write home about. How anyone could try to justify that price point without lying is beyond me. The prices for the other dishes were also exorbitant. My table was ignored for 10 minutes before receiving service after going in and asking for someone. Also, while the overly familiar and casual interactions from staff might be part and parcel of the Brunswick schtick, it certainly did not sit well with me. Waitstaff should be aware that not everyone likes to be called 'dude'.

Delicious breakfast and tasty tea mix! Thick cut bacon for the win.

What has happened to this place? My partner and I have been going religiously for the last 2 years and never had a issue Great staff, quick service and awesome meals. But the last 4 times have been bloody terrible Inattentive staff and impossible to get someone to take a order, looks like there's no manager or leader as staff are always in the corner chatting instead of focusing on service What's happened to the food? burnt and inedible! Unfortunately won't be coming back which is a shame as we loved this place.

Came here this afternoon based on great reviews. In short, the coffee was excellent, food was decent (if a little pricey), service not great (especially for the area). We didn't have a long wait for a table which was good. Ordered a strong latte while waiting which arrived at our table shortly after we were seated. Unfortunately things went downhill from there. Another server brought us an identical beverage 5 minutes later and also asked if we'd ordered a dessert (nope), so we thought maybe there'd been a miscommunication between staff. I ordered tea with soy and honey - the server brought over teacup, honey and milk...and no tea. We had to flag another staff member to bring it a few minutes later. Our cutlery was forgotten until our food was brought and she realised she'd not given us any (we'd already helped ourselves to napkins). The juice ordered by one of our party was also forgotten and he had to remind the server of it halfway through our meals. He also had trouble flagging down a staff member even while they were on the floor. He ended up approaching the counter to order another coffee. The food was tasty and well-presented, however the sides in particular were a little expensive. For $4.50 for slow-roasted tomatoes, I had expected to receive more than one-and-a-half roma tomatoes. With the array of hip cafes around Melbourne, I think Wide Open Road needs to drastically improve its training of staff if it wants to remain competitive. Maybe we came on an off day, who knows...but it's doubtful we'll be back.

Amazing staff and the Coffee is to die for. BUT if you have never had “Momo’s” before, treat yourself! They are off the hook!

Excellent coffee and delicious food but horribly inattentive staff. We waited to pay for 5 minutes and no one even acknowledged we were waiting! The staff did not seem to give a damn about customer service.

The food and coffee are absolutely fantastic. Unfortunately the staff absolutely suck balls in personality in this place. That is to say, they have the worst attitudes for people in hospo. They are über hipsters who seem to be put out that they actually have to do their job. There was a single person there who was lovely (girl with pale lavender hair, red lippy and round rimmed glasses). I keep going back because the coffee and food is worth it but the staff truly suck ass.

Food was nice but will never return as the staff are absolutely awful, they need a huge kick up the ass and reminded about what customer service is, wouldn't hurt to smile! The lady on the table next to me asked for a napkin, god forbid, she was given a filthy look for asking such a thing. The female staff need a huge attitude adjustment �

Found this place today for Breakfast and it was Wonderful from start to finish �����

Overhyped and overrated. Coffee came out lukewarm. Poached eggs were overcooked in one dish. Didn't really get any suggestions when I asked about some of the menu items. Staff weren't unfriendly but just seemed like they wanted to get the order n done with asap. Was thinking of having a work team brekky here after seeing the Broadsheet review. Wish I had read the FB reviews. Glad I checked the place out. Won't be going back

Enjoyed the coffee and the breakfast. We only visit occasionally but sill good value.

Had a wonderful breakfast with my 3 daughters and my sister a few weeks ago beautiful food awesome coffee

Awesome service and top notch takeaway coffee! ���

My regular... best Chai in Melbourne & the staff are gorgeous �

$4.50 for a tiny takeaway cup of coffee. No joke can't believe how small this coffee cup was.

One of our favourite cafes in Melbourne. Good food, drinks and ambience. It gets busy on weekends for brunch but we haven't had to wait too long

Great atmosphere and a very friendly service! Coffee is great and the place is very comfortable. Recommended to spend time working and bringing your laptop and zone out. Also comfy spaces to hang out with friends too.

Brunswick’s Wide Open Road first landed on my radar years ago, and the eatery has long established itself as one of the area’s go-to brunch destinations. The prime opportunity to visit recently arose through a catch up with a friend who recently moved to the area. With our opposing preferences for savoury and sweet, I opted for the nourish bowl and got to try a tasty bite of the weekend special quince and prosecco sabayon. That’s some balance right there.

So over cafe staff that feel somehow working in a Brunswick cafe makes them cooler than the rest of us mere mortals and gives them some elevated status in the world-which sums up the staff at Wide Open Road.  Will never go back.

Wide open road coffee I have never seen it pop up on my Instagram or anything. However, I found myself having a little google map search and it popped up. I looked at the menu and loved the choice of dishes so I went for an adventure to go and grab some brunch there. <br/><br/>The staff were friendly upon arrival, I was straight away asked if I would like a drink. I got a kombucha. <br/><br/>I sat at a more communal table which was cool, I like them, for solo brunches it’s a nicer feeling. <br/><br/>I ordered the harissa chickpeas (dairy free version) with two poached eggs, mushrooms and sautéed greens. <br/>IT WAS DELICIOUS. It also came with two slices of toast and it filled me to the brim. The chickpeas were mushy and had that harissa spice. Was very much like a fancy beans on toast but 10x more delicious. <br/><br/>The poached eggs were perfect and the mushrooms came with a nice seasoning and dukkha topping. <br/><br/>A cool cafe vibe, friendly staff, awesome menu and tasty food. It is definitely in my top 5 for a brunch dish. Delightful. <br/><br/>I will be back.

Best chilli scrambled in Melbourne! I have been hunting cafes around Melbourne for months to find the best and yes... this is the best

I had the sautéd mushroom toast for breakfast this morning and it was swimming in oil. So much so that I couldn’t eat much of it. Long menu but almost everything has dairy in it and you can’t substitute things, so I guess if you love cheese and fatty food, this is your place to go

Very Brunswick vibe place, the food was alright, but the menu was a bit boring, not the huge fan of the coffee, but their chai was great, service while was bit slacking, got our coffee order wrong twin in the roll.

HIGH COURT OF CONSUMPTION<br/><br/>BETTY COCKER CJ<br/><br/>SUMMARY JUDGMENT<br/><br/>1. The Judge is BACK. And it took one of the most disappointing experiences this side of 2019 to do it. <br/><br/>2. After such a long hiatus, it's a little unclear to the judge how the reviews for WIDE OPEN ROAD put its rating among the veritable 4+ star elites. THE JUDGE considers that ZOMATO reviewers have become too kind in their reviews so as to garner popularity among the REVIEWING COMMUNITY (for the perks) as opposed to TELLING IT AS WET OR DRY AS IT IS. In the Judge's most considered and educated view, the only thing WIDE and OPEN here is the gaping hole of disappointment through which you fall when you visit. <br/><br/>3. Service is lacking. The JUDGE does NOT need advice on HOW to EAT her PICKLES. She's had her fair share of dotted pickles in her career. Licked all of them the way she's wanted to lick them, and that ain't about to change. No MA'AM. <br/><br/>4. As per paragraph 69 of the BETTY COCKER CJ Judgement in THE PEOPLE vs THE OMELETTE, the perfect salmon omelettes are TO BE the silky manifestation of whipped eggs, folded delicately with the glistening aura of the purest butters and cream, weaved through with thickly sliced black-field mushrooms amidst a girthed slice of pan-seared crispy-skinned salmon. NOT HERE, THOUGH. What a BREACH. <br/><br/>For the CRIMINAL OFFENCE of serving instead a leaking, mushy salmon infested, over-dilled, chalky mess, I sentence WIDE OPEN ROAD to the relegated confines of the 2 point something review. <br/><br/>Appending clause: Don't sit on the benches inside the entrance. That's for takeaways and cheeky glances ONLY. Don't be such a FOOL.

Best batch brew I have had so far in Melbourne. Always consistent coffee.<br/>Friendly and efficent staff.<br/>Excellent menu for vegetarian/vegan. Killing it!

A coffee gem, wide open road are always on top of the game when it comes to a delicious brew. I find it really depends on timing when it comes to sitting in the staff can be really attentive and on point but sometimes I've also had a bit of a hard time with ordering. That being said, really polite and considerate service.<br/><br/>Menu wise love the range, had some delicious food here including an amazing sandwich which is not my go to but 💯 was not mad at it, totally filled the spot.<br/><br/>It's a hispters paradise, if that's your jam then head here without a doubt you won't be disappointed.

What a lovely large space! Heaps of room and obviously making the most of it as it was full the entire time we were there. Having said that though, we were told only a 15min wait (ended up being 25 or so - totally fine) and were given a spacious u-shaped booth when it came up. I had a filter coffee which was strong and bold. I also had the fruit toast which while I thought was going to be too thin with not enough butter, turned out to be the perfect amount of both. I have to admit tho, I got a bit of food envy when my husbands caramel chilli eggs came out. The sauce (I cant eat eggs) was delicious!!! The potato cheese hash was a win too (would’ve loved some of the caramel chilli sauce with that!) great place, great service, great coffee. Will definitely be coming back!

A google search brought me here today, after seeing the high rating I thought I would give Wide Open Road a go.<br/><br/>The cafe is beautifully decked out, very large inside and the decor is lovely.  A great menu, so many things I wanted to order.  Service was good, they were very busy but did the best they could.<br/><br/>I ordered the eggs benny with truffle hollandaise sauce with the smoked salmon, wow what a dish! The salmon was smoked inhouse and was an actual piece of fillet of salmon.  The truffle hollandaise just stunning, not too overpowering, my eggs poached perfectly.  My friend ordered the paprika marinated chicken with verde salsa on Israeli couscous, again a delicious dish that had the wow factor.  <br/><br/>Coffees were great and I will most definitely be back again soon.

One of the best cafes in Melbourne. Very interesting menu and each time I've been I have ordered something new and been very satisfied. They do the basics very well by adding a twist you didn't think you needed until you had it.

What a great little find! The service here is great! The place is constantly full with people happy to wait a few minutes to get a seat. The food tastes awesome - bags of flavour!

Lovely service. Food however took a while to come out but it was absolutely delicious. The beans on bread had amazing flavours. Will be back

This is an amazing cafe with plenty of seating area. Would give it 4/5 for the pricing but the food is just amazing. Ordered a cuppiciano and chilli scrambled eggs and both tasted excellent. The cafe offers excellent customer service. Would recommend it to everyone.<br/>

Coffee was great, pleasantly surprised by how tasty the nourish bowl was and bacon sandwich received good reviews from my friend too. Bonus points for paper straws and actually giving a f*ck about the environment. Easy to miss as it’s tucked away but you’d be sad if you did

This place serves some wholesome tasty food with amazing coffee and chai. A decent kids menu selection is much appreciated but high chairs are not available. House made banana bread is awesome and great value.

This is my favourite ~specialty~ coffee in Melbourne. Their coconut cold brew is just so good. Food is fantastic too, as well as the fit-out.

Would I return? Yes, but not in a hurry. There are so many amazing café’s in Brunswick to stick with just this one!<br/> <br/>This place can easily be overlooked as it is tucked away from the main road but once you find it you'll be welcomed into a rustic styled warehouse space with minimalistic interior and some greenery. The space is large and open with lots of shared seating. There is also some lack lustre seating outside on the curb. Great for a quick coffee or if you have a pooch.<br/> <br/>Upon arrival to the cafe at 10am on a Sunday the place was very busy. I ordered the Thick Cut Bacon $19 and my companion the Bacon Sandwich $17.50. Both were overall delicious. I’ve never had bacon that thick cut before and it was amazing, full of flavour. The beetroot relish was great and cut through the bacon, eggs were well poached and the potato rosti was light and fluffy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. The Bacon Sandwich also had a spin as it had apple and chilli relish. Don’t be put off, this actually works and tastes real good although different to your standard Bacon Sandwich.<br/> <br/>For drinks we ordered a green juice, long black and almond latte for takeaway. The Green Juice was tasty however very small for the hefty fee of $8.50. The almond latte was actually the letdown of the whole experience though. Not sure what went wrong there but it defiantly didn’t taste great.<br/> <br/>Service? On the slower side in comparison to other busy cafes.<br/> <br/>Wrap up: Good but not amazing.<br/> <br/>BONUS POINT: Watch out. No deviations or split bills at this place.

Went here for the first time today. Upon arrival the cafe was very busy, the indoor area was quite nice, open windows towards the front and a slightly less lighted area towards the back. The outdoor seating was a little lack lustre. The place was very busy which lead to slow service however the staff were very nice. <br/><br/>I ordered the thick cut bacon. Overall this was delicious. I’ve never had bacon that thick cut before which was interesting. The beetroot relish was delicious, eggs well poached and the potato Rosti was light and fluffy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. The chipotle Aioli was disappointing however lacked a kick and flavour was a little off. More beetroot relish instead would have been awesome <br/><br/>Food 4/5<br/>Service 3.5/5<br/>Ambience 3.5/5

The drawing on the building drew me to this cafe in the first place. I actually thought that the cafe’s name was John Palermo but after that I realise that the actual name of the cafe is Wide Open Road! LOL 😝 So my friend and I decided to go into this cafe to try out the coffee. I personally haven’t got the chance to try out the food yet but I just want to do a quick review on the coffee.<br/><br/>I ordered flat white and it’s good but that wasn’t my favourite. On the other hand, my friend ordered ice mocha and I decided to take a few sips. At that moment, I instantly knew that was my favourite drink in this cafe! I can taste the chocolate and the coffee together. The taste of chocolate didn’t cover up the taste of coffee, nor did the taste of coffee cover up the sweetness of the chocolate. I love it! 👍

Been here a bunch of times over a few years. Solid choice in the Brunswick area, and manages to uphold a pretty high consistent quality of food, coffee and service that I can rely on. The menu changes often and I've never had anything that wasn't pretty great!

I've been to Wide Open Road three times in the last 18 months and on each occasion it has been very disappointing. This last visit was no different. <br/><br/>The space itself is good with a sunny northern aspect but it has the feel of a bar which is also trying to be a café. The music was loud to the point where it became overwhelming .. especially for a lunch time visit. <br/><br/>On this occasion I ordered the buttermilk pancake with passionfruit curd, stewed rhubarb, cashew brittle and organic maple syrup. <br/><br/>The service to take the order was prompt and friendly. The coffee was good and arrived quickly but it took over 20 minutes for the main dish to arrive. <br/><br/>The massive pancake (3 cm deep and over 20 cm wide) was served in a bowl which meant that all other elements had to be piled on top.  I assume that the maple syrup had soaked into the pancake as it was nowhere to be seen. <br/><br/>The amount of rhubarb (which seemed to be more of a puree rather than stewed) and passionfruit curd was significantly out of balance with the overwhelming amount of pancake making the entire dish seem very dry. The brittle was in huge chunks.<br/><br/>The dish felt as if it had been put together by someone who didn’t care about what they were doing. <br/><br/>Food 2* <br/>Service 3* <br/>Ambience 2*

Very good coffee. Good breakfast menu and good staff. Modern decor intertwined with a rustic feel.<br/>- no deviations from the menu. Only what's there<br/>- no split bills<br/><br/>I harp on about this and I make no apology for it. This no split bill policy in Australian food establishments is ridiculous. They provide an itemised bill, it's not hard to take our money and cross it off the list.<br/><br/>Once again, that painful procedure alone will have me looking elsewhere next time I'm in the area.

The cafe was already really busy at 9.30am on a Saturday. It seemed understaffed so it was really hard to order coffees / food. The food itself is really good but some of the staff have a massive attitude problem. Coffee was one of the best I’ve had in a while. The porridge was the perfect size and consistency.

I wish I could rate this place a solid 4 because the food and ambiance is fantastic but I just can’t do it because of the service. I have been to this cafe many time and each time, each waiter had left me feeling annoyed and underwhelmed. It’s like they deign to serve you. Many times I’ve waited at the door for more time than necessary to be seated. Waited to be served. Given the wrong cutlery, the wrong meal and then made to feel like it’s just all to hard for them. It’s a shame. Otherwise the food is good quality, interesting and the coffee great. Fix the service and it’s five star.

A solid 4 from today’s breakfast experience. Coffee is delicate, but not strong enough to what we are used to. I guess it’s personal preferences really. Breakfast menu is great and exciting considering we haven’t seen many places offering Fish Fingers.

Came here for brunch on Sunday around 11.30am and after a short wait (as we got there just before a big wave of people) we were sat at a comfortable table in the corner. I really liked how well the menu read with heaps of great sounding options which made choosing difficult! The waitress who sat us down quickly asked us for coffees whilst we decided on food so I ordered an almond latte which was really tasty - the coffee had a great flavour. <br/><br/>In the end, after a short deliberation I decided that it was closer to lunch than breakfast and got the winter salad with roasted chicken. My friends ordered the omelette with smoked salmon and creme fraiche and the thick cut bacon (which look SO good) and came with a rosti + poached egg. <br/><br/>Our food did take awhile to arrive (so we waited for about 30mins) but given that it was a weekend and they were very busy this didn't bother me too much. When the food came out I was delighted that they were good portions and generous with flavour/texture as well as presentation. I often get irritated at places which skimp on ingredients  (i.e. $6 for a side of something and it ends up being a few slivers of something and hardly worth a dollar!) but that being said, I was happy that Wide Open Road was not one such place as plates were very well portioned.<br/><br/>We were all very happy with our meals - and despite this being our 2nd option (as Code Black was so crowded and had a long wait) I would definitely come back soon. Great food and a relaxing cafe to unwind in with a book to pass the day.

We ordered an Omelette and fruit bread to share along with coffee<br/><br/>The omelette was incredibly tasty. But the only addition I would've liked is toast on the side. I smashed the omelette regardless. <br/><br/>The fruit toast was...fruit toast with butter.<br/><br/>Coffee was decent. <br/><br/>Service was a bit slow but I guess it is a Saturday.

Use to come here nearly everyday with a few mates for breakfast. Never disappointed. <br/>Scrambled/poached eggs on GF toast & Fetta. So good. So fresh.

Have been here a few times, always willing to give a place a few goes to make a decision on quality but after today I think I'm done. Wait staff were ok, nothing too much to complain about. Coffee was nice but not the best I've had. The food was decidedly a let down. We ordered the special of the day the Bibimbap (after originally ordering something else similar and changing my order based on the very hyped up recommendation for this dish by the wait staff) and it was so average. It came out luke warm, fish was really tasteless. Inconsistencies between the two dishes- my partner's had spring onion and a lot of greens, i had zero spring onion and the smallest serving of greens. And there was WAY too much garlic in the sauce. And on top of it all we waited about 50 minutes for it to come out in the first place. I would usually put this down to just a bad choice on the day, but I have been here about three times prior and was similarly underwhelmed. There's plenty of other really nice cafes in the area- save your money and give this one a miss. I won't be back, unfortunately.

Always wanted to try this place, so went on a sunday morning around 9.30am which was nice as it wasnt busy yet. Come close to an hour later the place was packed with people waiting to be seated.<br/>I ordered the banana bread which was a nice sweet option for breakfast. It was toasted served with caramelized banana, strawberries with cream and caramel sauce. Loved the flavours and decent size which was a plus.<br/>The cappuccino i ordered was ok, alot of places seem to put emphasis on the coffee art which is usually produced on a coldish coffee which im not a fan. Thats just my own personal opinion , i like my coffee at a decent hot temperature dont really cate too much on the artwork.<br/>As the place was so busy it was hard to get the waiting staffs attention to order another drink, but thats what happens when a place is popular and busy.<br/>Thanks for the great experience i will return!

Rarely do things like this bother me, but sometimes they are egregious and need to be called out.  This review is not really about the food (which is pretty standard hipster cafe fare), more the approach.<br/><br/>We had a booking for about 10 people but were not seated until a half hour past the booking time.  The people I was with were apparently not inclined to make a fuss, but I thought it was pretty poor on behalf of the venue.  Leaving customers sitting in your entryway for a half hour is not a good way to encourage repeat visits.<br/><br/>Staff I dealt with weren't particularly pleasant.  When I ordered my first preference (pancake) I was told  "We don't have the pancake... I already said that."  If it had been said, it was at the other end of the long table in a noisy venue and I would have had no chance of hearing it.<br/><br/>Food-wise, most of the other people at my table reported that they were perfectly happy with their meals.  The mushrooms in particular were given a good review.  My eggs on toast were a bit on a cool side and someone reported that their banana bread was dry.<br/><br/>Not really worth travelling from outside the large shared wardrobe that is Brunswick.<br/><br/>Rating probably would have been 2.5 in the old scale.

Great atmosphere. The food was pretty good, highly recommend the bacon sandwich. Good service for a busy day. Very happy, but would’ve liked more cheese in the potato cake.

Interesting fusion between east and west that certainly made me curious, especially when I heard there was kimchi. However found my food a bit salty and did not do much for us.

Amazing food and coffee in this hidden gem, worth the wait. Down to earth interior decorated with a few pretty plants, offering a simple yet yummy menu, making it the perfect brunch spot. I ordered the avocado and pea smash which was really yummy. The avocado to pea ratio was was nice and the flavours were balanced nicely. The poached eggs were cooked to perfection, garnished with pistachio dukkah and micro herbs. Their house made chai was sweet and spicy, would recommend trying it with soy milk 🧡

Reading the menu online before arriving, i knew what i wanted but when i arrived and were seated the menu had changed so no tacos. I Struggled a little to find something on the menu that excited me but went for the Nourish Bowl as i could see it was a popular item. I chose tofu over the grilled salmon. The tofu was delicious (the star of the dish) nice and silky and had good flavour for the fact that it's tofu! There were alot of soft elements in the bowl being tofu, sumac avocado, brown rice, cauliflower and sweet potato. The so-called seasonal greens were spinich leaves and kale, also solf textured ingredients. There was no crunch or nothing sweet in the bowl so didn't elevate the dish to anything special. The cashew dressing was delicious but not enough of it and because it was thick, it didn't coat the entire dish. This is a really healthy dish and very filling but surely healthy shouldn't mean boring. The bar has been set high with many cafes doing inspirational healthy bowls so all elements have to balance the dish and excite. My friend had the fish finger sandwich and loved it and raved on about the creamy smashed peas. Coffee was good and atmosphere is nice in an industrial setting.

With friendly staff and neat-looking dishes; this place can easily be overlooked as it is tucked away from the main road, but once you find it you'll be surely welcomed into friendly vibes and rustic crossed with minimalistic interior.<br/><br/>My order consisted of a chai latte and smashed avocado. I would have to say the Chai was lovely, hot and perfectly made.<br/>However, I think the pea-to-avocado ratio was overwhelmed by peas in the smashed avocado dish. Nevertheless, the bread was toasted to crispy perfection a and the egg was poached well.

Amazing cold brew bottled coffee. A little pricey but worth it. Strong, without leaving a bad aftertaste in the back of your mouth. The smoked salmon and poached egg brunch dish was super too. Love the good twist of flavours, unlike the typical brunch menus that many places offer now. The decor simple speaks old, classic class too!

Great spacious cafe with friendly staff. Loved the iced latte. The bacon in the bacon sandwich was slightly fatty but overall a delish breakfast - could taste every flavour the menu described.<br/>Would come here again!

Don't come here as much since I've moved,but its always a great spot for brunch. The grilled mushrooms are pretty good. And the cheesy potato cake should be mandatory.

Great atmosphere, but like most places in Melbourne, overpriced for what it is.. I got the nourish bowl and it was super delicious but not worth over $18! Really would like to come again for some coffee and cake

Omg public holiday has 15% surcharge😭Went here around 12pm with my friend. Lots of people lined up. We were about waiting 15 minutes or so. <br/><br/>I had Canellini Toast, it’s vegan. I love beans~ while my friend had today’s special Cooled Egg w Bacon, and lemonade juice. She said it’s pretty salty hahah. And we ended up had takeaway coffee. TBH, their coffee wasn’t good and surprising, we ordered it just because their coffee cup is pretty 😂 <br/><br/>Besides, their menu is slightly different from their web. They have more vegan dishes and options which I’m really happy about. Anyway, I think I’ll be back when it’s not a public holiday 👋🏻

Set in a warehouse like other roasters but in Brunswick. Convenient by tram and close to Barkly Square shopping centre. It was very easy to find a parking on a Sunday morning…. Went in at around 10am, it was already busy with sunday – brunchers… We had to wait for about 15 minutes, so we figured we’d try their coffee while we wait. The staff were friendly, and would with our tough coffee orders.

Wide open road cafe is a beautiful place to have a healthy and tasty breakfast or lunch with a cup (of 2) of good coffee ☕️ ! <br/>Seasonal tasty menu and plus beans for sale!<br/>And so good coffee and tea! What can be better?<br/><br/>Come visit Wide open road cafe and enjoy their tasty meals and friendly atmosphere!

one of my favourite cafes around Brunswick , nice atmosphere and great coffee it get really busy so prepare to wait. highly recommended 😃😃😀

Coffee was pretty good (easy to drink) and friendly staff depending on when you go. Really comfortable place to chill and relax with many seats.

Stopped in for a quick lunch - seated quickly - food arrived in record time and was fantastic- had the nourish bowl which had salmon, brown rice, sweet potato, greens and avocado- great presentation- only thing that could have made this lunch better was if the sweet potato was cooked a little more as a few pieces were slightly undercooked- it was a fantastic lunch despite that - staff are fabulous- cheeky, knowledgeable keen to help and make the best coffee in Brunswick- love this gem of a place

Nice ambience for brunch and the service was okay as well. The food was average for me. Coffee was nice. I was looking forward to the panko egg with the smash avo but unfortunately it was overdone. Overall, it's a cool spot for a good coffee.

I have been to Wide Open Road many times and have typically enjoyed the interesting brunches and lunches there in the past. I went for Sunday lunch to find there was a new menu. It’s much smaller and that’s fine, but there are very few veg friendly options and the ones available are pretty standard and conservative choices. I went for the special which was a spicy bean and tomato ragu and was really unimpressed - it was uninspired and bland. The only real flavour came from the garlic heavy mushrooms. The coffee was yum and creamy but I won’t be rushing back in a hurry. Not being able to substitute in vegie options to some of the more interesting options is a downfall of the new menu.

Please bring back Kimchi Arancici dish!! I miss it so much. The flavours were so wholesome. Another point to note I love the iced latte at WOR. But I haven’t gone back since they removed the dish from the menu...

A nice space, the food is tasty and the coffee is good, the service was also professional. They seem to keep things pretty simple. I can’t say anything really blew me away food wise but the mushrooms on toast were tasty and the thick cut bacon was good. They got my dining partners order wrong but dealt with the mistake quickly and professionally.

I came here with friends for breakfast last Sunday morning. The interior was nice and we were seated right away at 8:30am. It was difficult to choose something from the menu however I went with the reasonably priced pea and smashed avo which was delicious.

Although I have only been to this cafe a few times I would still say it is one of the best brunch places in Brunswick. I would specifically recommend the potato croquettes and the bacon sandwich. <br/>This shop is a bit pricy and that is why I don't go very often. But over all I would definitely recommend this cafe!

This place is great for brunch, although it's usually crowded. I would recommend the bacon sandwich. It has bacon (obviously), pickles, cheese. The potato croquets are also really delicious. Would recommend!

Worst service. Put our name down for a table and was told the wait would be 15 minutes so wandered across the road to some market stalls. Returned 10 minutes later as we were told and saw multiple people arrive and get seated straight away. What is the point of putting your name down? After finally getting our table sorted we waited 25 minutes and no one had come to take our order so just got up and left. What a waste of time.

This cafe is very spacious and open. Friends and I came here for lunch. I had the avocadon, pea and goat feta smash, which was a generous portion size and very filling; however it lack in taste and would've been better with some seasoning. I also had an iced latte which was great.

Excellent coffee, bacon sandwich and interior. Great service too and warm feel to the place. Nothing disappointing about it. New favourite. Thinking about moving to Brunswick to be closer to it!

Has this place recently changed management? Wasn’t as good as I had come to expect. The new menu is limited and without anything that was particularly interesting. We also waited about 20 min to be offered a coffee which was great once we got it. The eggs were the only thing on the menu I wanted and they were really good, the side tomatoes not so much. My girlfriend got the salmon with her eggs and it was a great flavour but too cold, needed some time to come to room temp. Unfortunately with the current menu won’t be heading back.

Two years ago I would have rated Wide Open Road 5.0...the food was innovative/great and the service was fun/quirky yet efficient.  <br/><br/>I visited a couple of times again recently...it was a 3.0 at best...the food was ordinary and the service poor.     <br/><br/>A real shame that this place has deteriorated.

I do like a good public holiday brunch out and cafes that open must also enjoy the increased patronage of having people in who would normally be stuck in the office working. This is why I abhor the practise of charging a 15% surcharge for public holidays... I simply don’t buy the having to pay staff more argument... it’s a con. <br/><br/>Wide Open Road is a great little industrial styled coffee roaster cafe just a little off Sydney Road in Brunswick. It was a busy buzzy place of Melbourne Cup morning but we were warmly greeted and offer s choice of share table or bar table. Our coffee order was promptly taken and when the coffee arrived our food order was also taken. I need led something to line my stomach for a day of drinks do orders a bacon sandwich after contemplating the pea, feta smash. <br/><br/>The bacon sanga was chunky and buttery with a really good quantity of bacon and a mild apple chilli relish. Coffee was good as you would expect from a cafe with a wide glass of wall viewing their coffee roasting operations. They were in the middle of roasting while we ate which was fascinating to watch. Overall a really enjoyable dining experience apart from the evil surcharge. <br/><br/>

Great place for coffee and I especially like the chai latte that is served a bottle of honey and ginger cinnamon sprinkle. As the kitchen was closed by 3 pm, I ordered the almond orange cake for snack. There is a 15% public holiday surcharge which I though I was a bit steep.

Seriously the coffee at this joint is perfect , absolutely spot on . <br/><br/>However they always say never serve a guest something you wouldn't eat yourself . Both toasts which were one third burnt each is no excuse, especially if you're still going to charge for it . <br/>Not when it's disguised by unseasoned scrambled eggs on top. <br/>We told the waiter but hey, they still charged for burnt toast . <br/><br/>Friendllyish staff, but the food was super average, we ordered the divorced eggs , nothing spectacular for the exorbitant price and scrambled eggs on toast .<br/><br/>My advice is come for the coffee, and freshly roasted beans , not the food .

the skinny flat white was good，but really really overcooked poached eggs. the waitress changed it for me. plain avocado，tasted not fresh. Bad meal

I've been going here for a while on and off. <br/>They really nail a good simple brekkie! Even their other dishes such as bacon sandwich and thick cut bacon are sooo good! The coffee is always good too. <br/>I also love the decor, all the wood they use especially the ceiling, the plants and terrariums. Everything goes well. <br/>However the reason I hesitate to come back is the staff. They seem very stand offish, not attentive and rude almost every time I go. There seem to be always too many staff on and but still difficult to get their attention when needed. When I order or food is brought out there is never a smile or even eye contact. It's almost uncomfortable. <br/>If it wasn't for the food, I wouldn't come back. <br/>

It is always jammed packed with a long queue on weekends. However, if you are around the area during week-days for lunch, this place is yours. <br/>The ambience is very industrial with high ceilings and it being a converted warehouse. Window seats at the back are my favorite spot. <br/>Their food presentation is stunning and the food so delicious.  However, in my opinion, their Thick-cut Bacon is the winner here. I'm not bias, I'm just a bacon lover. ;) And if you're a bacon-lover like me, make sure you try their Thick-cut bacon.

Coffee - brilliant. Lemongrass tea - sensational. Bacon sandwich - to die for. I ordered the scrambled eggs on toast with avocado and it was just so delicious!!

Came here few times with friend. Coffee pretty average I mean it's consistency but nothing wow. Service was just almost ok. Food is ok too compare price and portion. If you're looking for an easy cafe, big window and cosy atmosphere which have a decent coffee and average food probably here.

I've been here twice now and both times I have left very satisfied! The kimchi arancini balls are to die for, and the whitebean harissa on roast is also a great choice! The staff are very friendly and have found that never had to wait that long for service. Seat by the window is the best, but remember to pull down the blind :)

Had to wait approximately 40 minutes for a table at 9:30am on a Sunday. Food had the right ingredients but came out lukewarm. Coffee was acceptable.

Cool space, service was shit and food was alright. Was so many staff on but we where constantly looking around to get served even though it wasn't busy, waitress didn't put our order through correctly and had a massive attitude.

I like the atmosphere of Wide Open Road. Quite a busy cafe it pulls off a slightly industrial feel mixed with retro - the old glass light shades are gorgeous! The service was fast and relatively attentive if a little brusque.<br/>My friend and I both had the Donburi Bowl - myself with the salmon and her with the marinated tofu option and unfortunately we both did not enjoy it. We were both looking for a filling healthy option which is why it sounded so appealing. Its presentation is spot on - it is a very pretty photograph worthy dish. But that is where my enjoyment of it ended. Overall I found the dish very salty, too much soy sauce perhaps. The wasabi mayonnaise was also strangely salty and I couldn't taste any wasabi. The choice of cucumber, cherry tomatoes and red cabbage as the "mixed vegetables" didn't seem to go well with the rice dish in my opinion and made it difficult for me to eat the dish as a whole. Perhaps its just my tastebuds that the combination didn't work for but my friend also found her dish overly salty and unenjoyable too. In the end it left me feeling very unsatisfied.

This place was packed!! Saturday morning breakfast after a run around Princes Park. There were a lot of people waiting inside the door but they were mostly waiting for take away coffee. Only a 5 min wait for a table of 2. Chai was served on a tray with a cute little jar of honey. Coffee looked good. The Divorced Eggs were very flavoursome. A Mexican breakfast dish with some eye catching presentation. The building is very inconspicuous. I love that such a gorgeously revamped cafe is hidden behind the industrial frontage.

I had the herbed mushrooms and it was delicious! I added poached egg (which I forgot to do when I ordered) and they basically gave me the poached egg in 10 seconds when I said I forgot to add it. Mushrooms were seasoned really well and were not mushy or Damp. Brioche was soft and the lemon ricotta was not over powering. I do recommend making a booking if you go during "peak times" as we had to wait for a table. Would recommend to others!

Excellent cafe, with an interesting and delicious menu. Prices are on par with other cafes in the area. Great warehouse conversion building, can get a bit noisy at peak brunch time. Has their own coffee bean blend for sale.

Great coffee and awesome food. Came here on Sunday afternoon with Sunny Sun and really enjoyed it. We ordered rosemary mushroom and thick cut bacon, both are really nice.<br/><br/>0.5 points off for slow dish serving, however the taste of each dish is awesome which adds another 0.5 back to the score! Nice atmosphere in the restaurant. <br/><br/>There are some kimchi/Korean fusion dishes which I don't usually see in other brunch joints which I would definitely come another time and try again.<br/><br/>Will definitely come back for the food!

Great coffee and food! !Nice Sunday out with Charles Lin Waited only 5 minutes for a two people seat on busy sunny Sunday. Friendly staff. Had ordered thick cut bacon,a bit salty but great with sauce and my favorite poached eggs. Will definitely come back again.Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

this place is honestly the place that warms my heart. the perfect go-to when you need the coffee and food more than you think you do. It's local, homey and beautiful on the inside and out! Always buzzing and always serving meals that are that much mort special than you ever wanted

Great building with heaps of space for bigger groups. We all enjoyed the meals kimchi arranchini balls were particularly fab! Service was efficient and friendly- thanks!:)

Favourite spot. Great food always , thick cut bacon to DIEEE and always hot coffee. Always worth the wait for a table on weekends. Lovely and spacious inside

By far the best breakfast around. The thick cut bacon is amazing! Coffee is great. The reason I didn't give it a 5 is because the odd time the bacon has been on the burnt side and some of the staff seem to be on the grumpy side (maybe it's a hipster thing)

Good coffee, good food, good service. Thick-cut bacon is delicious.<br/><br/>Sometimes it's a little noisy, but it's fine when there's only two of you and you're seated close to each other.

Wide open road has been on my bookmarked list for ages and I was not disappointed. <br/><br/>The coffee is awesome. The service is great. The environment and vibe great and the food excellent. <br/><br/>I went for my usual, the simple but reliable - eggs on sour dough and it was great. <br/><br/>Will be back next time I am in the area.

Zucchini tacos are the shizzzzz. Fun and tasty to eat. Something different. Coffee is just divine, note - long blacks are good here. Lady who served me with the blonde hair was really sweet (owner??) anyways she really knows her coffee when recommending to customers. I love the innovative menu I'll need to come back to the area to try the other things. It's a no brainer why this place is my friend's regular.

This cafe has definitely earned its reputation for serving some of the best coffee in melbourne. But they also deliver on the food front too! The kimchi arancini balls were delicious and perfectly balanced with the creaminess of the poached eggs and blue cheese mayo. Weekends are busy, so be prepared to be placed next to strangers for a seat and be mindful that the noise factor can make conversation more difficult. <br/><br/>Food: 4/5<br/>Service: 3.5/5<br/>Environment: 3.5/5

I had heard about the thick cut bacon at Wide Open Road and have been keen to go for many months. Finally got a chance on the weekend and got my slab o' bacon - wow. Just wow. You'll want to make sure you're hungry. Also had the cold brew with condensed milk, such a refreshing beverage for a warm Saturday morning

Sunday breakfast was calling and Wide Open Road answered. Arrived at 9.45 and we were able to squeeze in and get their last table ☺.<br/><br/>We ordered a single origin espresso and a latte to start with. Unfortunately as fast as they arrived, they were returned as both cups were stained in lipstic 💋.<br/>Coffee ☕ arrived again and it was spot on, full of body and tasty aroma 👌. These guys roast and sell wholesale coffee, hence the standards are quite high.<br/><br/>The food order: Bacon Sandwich 🐽 @and Avocado, Peas and Feta mash x 2. Food took approx 30 minutes to hit the table and not only it looked great, it tasted fantastic 😙. Quality ingredients and good combination of flavours, serving size was just enough and we left full and happy 😄.<br/><br/>Before leaving I had an house blend espresso which it was equally as good as their single origin 👍<br/><br/>Thank you for having us 🙏

Great service, food and drink was okay...<br/>I like their taking on unique food and drinks. Some you won't find in other cafes like the coconut brew - coconut water & condensed milk. However it tasted so bitter and the kimchi eggs tasted really salty... I couldn't finish it. Presentation was really nice. Maybe I just picked the wrong food to order

Love this cafe. Service is always on point, and the coffee is delicious. It's a great place to meet a friend or sit with your laptop (although WIFI would be nice, guys!) and they never make you feel like you're in the way or staying too long. Food is consistently good, and the poached eggs are some of the best I've ever had.

My partner and I came here for breakfast this morning for the first time. Had coffees, OJ, smashed avo and poached eggs and the bacon slab, gruyere potato cake and chipotle mayo. <br/><br/>Everything was first class. Coffees were exceptional. Up there with the best in the city. The type that you wish would never end. <br/><br/>The food was extremely tasty and reasonably priced. Not a single thing was out of place and on top of that you get generous servings. Poached eggs were runny and delicious and all ingredients were prepared with care. <br/><br/>Inside, the place was buzzing. Reminded me a bit of St Ali. Staff moved around like greased lightning, were polite and attentive. There was a bit of Brunswick 'tood but I don't mind that. :) The bill came to $50 for 2. That's great value I think. <br/><br/>On the way out, there was a big queue winding out the door. On their form today, I could understand why.

Quick service and great coffee! We enjoyed the flavours of the unique combi of avo, peas and feta smash, served with dukkah, poached eggs and sourdough toast.

Terrible service! We were not even acknowledged as we walked in and waited to be seated (as per sign at door). Plenty of staff standing around chatting with each other but not one hello from any of them. Took a while to get menus, coffee order was forgotten and took ages to order. Informed the guy who processed our payment that the service was shocking though he didn't seem to care at all. Food was ok, nothing too exciting. Will definitely not be back!

Went in for lunch. Cafe was not super busy and plenty of staff around but was snapped at by a rude waitress when we asked to order. Left without ordering. Will never go back. Too many other good options around to put up with rude staff.

Food was good, but Not sure about the service in general. Today is my first time in this cafe, the Waitress showed me some attitude, when I asked them if cafe does Ice Long Black, she gave me a annoyed face, and then I asked for a straw, she rolled her eyes. What kind of service is it ?

Nice cafe just off Sydney rd in an old converted warehouse. The space has been done up quite nicely and given it's tucked away off the main stretch, the vibe is nice and relaxed. <br/><br/>The coffee is really really good and the food was also very yummy with a range of options depending on what you feel like eating. From salads to meaty dishes to Asian inspired feeds. Many of the options can also be made vegetarian or vegan which expands the menu even further. <br/><br/>Definitely will be dropping in on my way to uni for my morning coffee and I'll certainly be coming back for lunch to try some of the other dishes on the menu !