I actually wanted to try the Reuben sandwich but they were out for the day. Next time!
Dropped in for a latte. I asked for it hot. I know that this is a sin for baristas. But..I..like..it..hot. Who cares about the rules if I'm paying. And this is what I received at Eastern Bloc. I will return.
Wonderful addition to the food offerings in Coburg. Staff are always friendly and efficient, and the food is delightful. Have had many a great BLT and coffee - can get croissants or breakfast burger if you're in a rush, or it's lovely to sit down, read the paper and enjoy a meal there.
Grabbed a capuccino here on my way to work today, and it was one of the best i've ever had in the area. The food looks great too but I didnt order anything to eat this time. The Cafe has a nice friendly vibe to it.
Delicious and good value food. I had the veggie burger which featured smashed peas - a different touch which made it a good choice. My wife chose from the all day breakfast menu and was equally impressed. Coffee was good too.
Best coffee in Coburg for sure. They make a brilliant soy latte! Their vegie wrap and egg and bacon burger are both solid quick breakfast options. Plus, the staff are super friendly. Highly recommend.
I visit almost every day as it's opposite my work, staff absolutely lovely, food always excellent...love it, change of management has improved the food choices no end and their homemade quiche is best in Melbourne hands down.
Fairly decent cafe. Homely kind of feel, woodland inspired. The lighting is quite nice. Service is very nice, and everything delivered was quite delicious.
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
Came to this place recently and really enjoyed my time. Both specials and the menu both looked delicious that it was very hard to decide. To start with when I entered they used the small space quite well. Half of the cafe mainly looked like it benefited take away coffee and food which is very smart being near a bus stop and train station. And the back half for dining experience. Yes the room was small but it didnt look cluttered with as many tables because of the wide windows which I was able to sit next to.
Next is the coffee. I found my coffee didn't have any body to it and tasted weak and very milky. However when I was able to taste it, it did have a very nice taste to it. The temperature was great but personally I do like a stronger coffee.
The food was a hard choice to pick but I settled on one of the specials. The chicken sandwich. Ive had many chicken sandwiches before and I found this one very very balanced between the flavours and none over powered the other. It was in perfect harmony. With the juicy tomato, and the pineapple it gave a refreshing taste.
Service was amazing, waiter and waitress were always smiling and up for a lil chat while waiting for the next crowd to come in.
I really really enjoyed my time here. Thanks guys.
Really nice staff and a great building. Super convenient for public transport users.
Food is delicious and the coffee is high quality. Get a hold of the phone number and you can message your order in advance.
Dale Zeinheiger Culpin
+3.5
I love a good Reuben. This place does it pretty well. Great coffee. The Reuben comes with chips that weren't that great though. I'd rather have less chips and more Reuben instead.
I've got to say this is probably the most consistent coffee in coburg. The owners are very nice and take a lot of pride in what they do. This place is a regular for me. Good prices. Good coffee. Great vibe. Only down side....the food is nice, but nothing special. Everything looks much better than it tastes. Definitely a boon for the area with more like this needed but there is some room for improvement in the food department. In saying that though, its such a multicultural area and they do try to cater for everyone which is great but holds them back a bit I believe. Worth stopping by for a coffee
Good coffee and tasty foods. Had the meatball sandwich as they were running down the kitchen due to the Christmas break and wasn't disappointed. Generous number of balls, flavoursome sauce and decent cheese. Oh and did I mention it was roughly the size of my head??
I don't know how they do it, but their strong soy latte is the best I've had in the city. Smooth and rich and completely delicious. I will try their breakfast some day.
It’s difficult to judge a place after only being once. And yet with so many places to try, you know that inevitably there will be places you only go to once. I went here for the first time today, and quite liked it. I don't live close by so it might be my sole visit. I’d describe this as a classic Melbourne style cafe, with an added Russian influence. I was with a group and we were all reasonably happy with our food and coffee. Kid-friendly as they have toys they can play with.
With a name like The Eastern Bloc, can't blame us for expecting European influenced brunch fares and safe to say, we weren't disappointed. When in Eastern Europe, in particularly Germany, eat as the Eastern Europeans do, which means sausages! The big breakfast-ish dish comes with chilli cheese kransky and kaiserfleisch while the aptly named sausage and pickles came with bratwurst and sauerkraut. Yum! That's all I can say. Waxing lyrical about sausages for too long will just veer into inappropriate territory so I'm just gonna stop there. All you need to know is that the sausages are damn fine pieces of meat. Even the sweets are quintessentially European - lebkuchen with chocolate ganache. The only thing Melbourne about this cafe is the coffee - robust and full flavoured, creamy and velvety smooth milk foam on my latte. And you sure won't find such friendly service in Europe.
This place is pretty decent. Good coffee, standard brunch/lunch tucker. Although we do prefer the old menu compared to recent one it has selection of enjoyable flavors.
The staff are really friendly too. Thumbs up.
Hands down the best coffee in Melbourne! Great chilled out vibe and super friendly staff. Alex (the main barista) knows his stuff and always makes an amazing coffee to start your day right. Also a great central location along the bike path to sit outside on a sunny day and people watch.
I don't remember the last time eating a croissant this good, I don't know if they make it themselves. It was served with butter and rosehip jam (it was different to the ordinary jams, very yummy). My daughter had their hot choc and I had a latte as usual :) the hot chocolate was different, it reminded me of my childhood...kind of like the nesquick taste and the coffee was very good too. The iron egg with sourdough toast was a generous serving, it was also delicious especially the bread drizzled with good olive oil. I like the location of the cafe, the busy traffic from bell st and the nearby train tracks keeps one amused. Lovely waitress with a big smile.
Favourite place ever. Great coffee and friendly staff - willing to go pretty fast if you're in a rush and the food is great. Sometimes the menu isn't that extensive but the specials keep it exciting. Very chill and the best food/coffee combo in Coburg (although True North does good coffee and cake but average food)
FoodingAroundMelbourne
+4
Visited The Eastern Bloc today for brunch. It's nice to mix it up a little bit. Aftee the same-old brunches in this area for years, its nice to try something different. The "iron curtain" was our choice with eggs over easy (probably the only let down) with fabulously crunchy sour dough. I would also suggest the chai latte.
Best coffee on the Northside (Allpress). The staff at Eastern Bloc are friendly and engaging and the constantly changing specials are creative and drool-worthy. A favourite!
I've only been here for the coffee but the menu does look enticing. Love the location and am always past for a quick takeaway coffee. Service and staff are very friendly!
First time I entered this place I was thinking to myself I hope this guy can make a real short macchiato . The atmosphere was cool ,music was my style of sound, friendly service and yes a very nice tasting creamy short macchiato. I will come back and try the meals. I also like the name of the cafe THE EASTERN BLOC ,,,,well done
Superb coffee and leaf chai tea. Novel food and well prepared and cooked. Heavy eastern european food but yummy if you like that. Kid friendly. Good happy service.
Eaten here a couple of times during the weekend. Previously they had great brunch dishes but now they are simplifying their menu so it's more limited. However it's still a decent feed and their coffee is good. Nice corner location away from the main Coburg strip.
In early on a Saturday so no problem with a seat. Attentive staff. Coffees were great; touch of citrus and a nice roast. Had BLT and baked eggs/chorizo, both were tasty. This place is definitely more North Brunswick than the old school Coburg cafes around, but I liked the old Russian posters, decor & ambience.
Really great tasting plate with all the gems from the menu. Best, and I really mean the best Ruben sandwich known to man. Service was welcoming - owner spent time chatting with us and let us try a few extra treats. Loved it.
Great to have some nice cafe in Coburg. At first I was a bit disappointed there were no poached eggs anywhere on the menu! however it was actually nice to have something different for a change. i had the smashed avocado toast and added beans! it was yum and quite large. i felt the service to be a little slow but nothing drastic!
Fantastic coffee & food. Great to see some of these cafes popping up northern sydney rd. Everyone should jump in and support them you won't be dissapointed. Baked or scrambled eggs are only options but it was good for a change.
Good coffee Good for Coburg. Just wish they were in a better location. Hard to get there by car as no where to park in Bell St but nice decor and good service
Nice - but a bit overpriced. Lovely coffee and I enjoyed my eastern european style potato salad. I did think that for the portion sizes it is overpriced. I'm thinking they need a bit of real competition in the area - which may wake them up a bit. I think they are capable of doing better in terms of the food and the pricing. I think if they were in an area where there were more cafes, they would have to lift their game in that department. However, overall I had a positive experience, and plan to visit again. Pleasant, friendly staff.
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
A late lunch. We had made an outing to the new flea market in Coburg last Sunday and decided to walk a short distance to a cafe called the Eastern Bloc. Something new to try, we all decided. The market was fun but irrelevant.
Coffees and a chai tea arrived with sufficient delay to convince me at least they were made with care. And they were, we all agreed. I can assure you my coffee was wonderful.
On the specials board was something called red eggs... Naturally I was fascinated and ordered it. My girlfriends ordered the breakfast beans and the ruben sandwich.
Before too long a man in an apron with bleached hair and so many tattoos arrived at our table with a big grin and two out of our three meals for us. He apologised for being such a poor waiter and promised to return immediately with the ruben sandwich.
I think he's the chef. How many chefs have personally waited on you? He has or makes the time to explain each of our meals to us and hopes we enjoy our meal choices. A very nice touch, and we old ladies are swooning.
About those red eggs... It's a soft hot dog roll, very generously filled with scrambled eggs flecked with cheese, herbs and some kind of red thing tasting like tomatoes, or capsicum, or maybe both, I'm not sure now. A pinch of spring onion finishes the plate. Delicious! I'll be ordering it again.
We have no shame, helping ourselves to each others meals once the chef (we think he is) had left. It's an Asian thing, don't ask. We were all pleased, not only with our own meal choices but each others too.
We will be back, last Sunday was our first visit, but not our last.
I'm dying to know, was that man in the apron with bleached hair and all those tattoos the chef? I'd like to thank him for a wonderful lunch if he is, on our next visit.
Great food!. Another wonderful addition to the Coburg food scene. Have been here four times and every all the choices from the menu, also some excellent specials. Excellent iced coffee. Looking forward to trying the bratwurst tasting plate for two. Might not be for those with a very boring and bland palate. Location might put some off but that would their loss.
“That’s the difference between an average BLT and a really great BLT.”
That was great!!!!
Three for three. Probably the best cafe/restaurant in Coburg. We have gone 3 weekends in a row and have enjoyed every meal. The menu has a nice range of options and there are always specials. I really liked the sliders and my partner says they have the best chai tea in melbourne. I highly recommend you try this place.
Nice Food Frosty Staff Lack of Seating Great Prices. Go and try Comrade.
-----14 Jun, 2014-----
Great >>> Coffee, Food, Service, Location :). We have had brunch / lunch here 3 times now and loved it every time, everything about The Eastern Bloc is fantastic, great coffee, great food, friendly and efficient staff and pleasant surroundings. This has very quickly become a favourite.
Great Coffee. I just stopped by to try out this cafe as I am new to the area and picked up a take away flat white. I was greatly impressed with the coffee and the decor was interesting and gave me something to look at while I was waiting for my coffee. Based on the coffee I will definitely be going back.
Iz guut, da baby! Cool cafe, great and interesting food you won't get anywhere else, well prepared and presented. Go.
Yum, yum pigs bum!! Just had a delicious lunch here. I had the cheese kransky and it was just divine. It was pretty busy and could do with some more tables especially if they're going to continue serving up such yummy food!
First visit to The Eastern Bloc today and it was well worth it. The food was delicious and well-priced and service was great. Clean and neat which is a must for me at any eatery and there was plenty of room for a pram at the communal table.
Delicious.. A wonderful place to sit and watch people go by. Food is excellent. Great choices ranging from breakfast sliders to hearty soups, casseroles and a bratwurst bar, all served by beautiful people.
Great place for coffee and brekkie. Staff are attentive and friendly and the food was fantastic.
A little gem for cyclists. We usually pass this one by, being on bell street didnt seem soo appealing and anyway we have a usual down the cycle path a bit......we cycle passed two or three times a week...then came the dreaded anzac day...our usual closed and a lateish start combined all too the perfect and desparate need for coffe and FOOD.so we stopped at the eastern bloc......what a lovely cheery friendly and quiet place. i loved my serbian sliders and K. loved her cheese toastie with caramlized onion.coffees were excellent and of the carmelly variety. all in all a perfect stop for the hungry cyclist and reasonably priced... i think we will be back!
Amazing, delicious, great value!. This little new found delight will really hit the spot on all fronts. Great decor, kitchy and cool, awesome eastern european style food that inspires curiosity, flavoursome, stylish and gives some lift to the usual ho-hum style menu offerings of other local cafes. The staff are warm and friendly offering great conversation, menu advice and attentive, but not too attentive service. The wurst selection was very cool, I had the KGB breakfast which was delicious, great size, and the wurst was to die for, I could have literally eaten it all day....AMAZING... Coffee brilliant, atmosphere warm and relaxing, just loved it. Will be back for sure! Great job guys, keep up the amazing work! Go Coburg! :D
Yumm!. I absolutely love this place, fantastic service beautiful food and gorgeous decor....love the bunnies and terrariums. I had the special today which was extra special :-) a unique take on eggs Benedict that put a kick in my Saturday morning (helped by the best coffee I have ever had in coburg)
I will be back with more friends.
Rivkeh
This is now my regular spot for coffee. I just moved to the area and there is nothing like this in coburg. I had the burger on Saturday and it was AMAZING! Cafe looks great, very friendly staff, cool place to hang out and meet up for coffee. Defernently recommend it.
Loved it. Another hidden gem for Coburg! Coffee was fantastic and for those fellow soy drinkers they use bonsoy!
We went for breakfast, the baked eggs were spicy and delicious and the KGB Big Breakfast was actually a big breakfast! Fresh, filling and value for money.
Such a great little find and as another person mentioned the only negative about this place is they don't open on Sundays.
FANTASTIC coffee and well presented food without the silly price tag & the guys are always up for a chat! It's exactly what you want from your locale & It's certainly my "got-to" cafe in the area. Keep the good vibes going lads!
Wow, Coburg just got a modern melbourne cafe. Great coffee and atmosphere.
I had a brioche, scrambled egg and bacon slider for a snack, It's as good as I've had anywhere in Melbourne
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
At Last: a great cafe in Coburg. My partner and I have been here twice for brunch and we want to go back. The menu choices are great. And the clever, cold war names are entertaining, I also love the decor, especially the colourful vintage posters that look Russian or Polish. I had the Serbian Sliders on the first visit and a frank, beans and cheese toastie on the second.They use delicious artisan bread. The coffee is great, and I am very picky about my coffee. We also tried the pierogi dumplings: these are a must have, filled with mushroom and served with sour cream. The only other place I've tried them in Melbourne is at the Crimean, which is one of my favourite places. I have been waiting 14 years for a decent coffee serving cafe to open in Coburg. I liked Little Deer Tracks, but they are too expensive, and the coffee is only just passable. Our first visit two meals and two coffees was less than $30. Normally we pay $40 or more. I urge you to try this place before word gets around, and the prices go up.
Great place to enjoy a cafe and a breakfast. I went there last morning with a friend and we really had a great relaxing moment !
The coffee is really nice but the food was simply AMAZING !
I didn't get such a nice breakfast since a long time.
I will definitly became a regular and give a chance to my friend to discover this new place and enjoy a good moment around a coffee or a gool meal.
Chloe
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
Loved it! Wish you were on my Block!. Walking into the Eastern Bloc felt like I was walking into a super cool, eclectic, artsy dining room/gallery in some secret trendy spot in europe.But No, I was in Coburg... Who would have thought?.... I loved the deco of the place, so much I had to take pics to show my friends - most of all, I really loved the warm and friendly staff. I was alone and felt completely spoilt with the attention I was showered with. As I couldn't decide what to treat myself with from the menu, The lovely man who served me surprised me with a giant platter of cold meats..accompanied by other yummy breads and delicious picked veges, avocado salsa and an unforgettable bowl of baked beans cooked with Chorizos...that flavour of salty, sweet and spicy ~rocked my world!!!.and I usually hate baked beans. I am definitely going back to this place. The coffee was amazing... about time there is decent coffee at this end of the world.. Loved it. Can't wait to go back to try other yummy treats!
Great addition to Coburg!. As my title states - what a great addition to Coburg's growing cafe culture.
I had "The chicken and the pig" sandwich and a soy latte.
Pros: Friendly staff, delicious coffee, small but very interesting menu, great location, awesome fit-out and decor, kid-friendly (high chairs available), small number of tables so you're not sitting on top of your dining neighbours, my sandwich was tasty and came with a really yummy coleslaw side.
"Con" (if you can call it that): The bread on my sandwich wasn't super fresh.
I will definitely be back to try some other things on the menu.
Stoked that there's a quality cafe in this area now. Coffee is excellent. Breakfast menu is small but good. The Serbian Sliders are delicious! Fast, friendly service too. My new regular coffee source.
Review contains photos only
Absolutely amazing home made food. Love the just from the ocean freshly baked borek.. I have travelled 45min just to get here to eat one of these . There are many different types.. today cheese and spinach.. don’t miss this place right next door to bell st station on bell street.. original name if this one is Gul Borek … coffee is great too
I usually come here for study while sipping a great coffee they make. They have delicious, freshly baked foods. Muffin and spinach borek are my favorites. Friendly service from lovely owners. (The pic shows a take away order)
This is my nearest local cafe and thank god for that! Best coffee in Coburg, fantastic dishes (menemen is my go-to, my husband has a borek or gozleme at least once a week) and always the warmest service. The definition of a family-run cafe, I always feel at home here. It doesn’t have the hipster menus of the other spots around here, but everything is delicious and made with love, can’t ask for more than that.
Just had the eggs benedict and it was absolutely delicious! Coffee great too. A great spot while you're waiting for the train.
Wow. Blown away by how delicious the food was today. Everything is home made and staff are lovely. Can't wait to go back and order Marti (the dumplings) again.
Great coffee, friendly service and food was good. The hash Benedict looked small but was very filling and tasty.
I've been coming here for over a year and every single time its an amazing experience!!
Would highly suggest for anyone needing a breakfast, lunch or even a coffee with a smile!!
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes