Visiting the beautiful town of Daylesford, you are spoilt for choice when it comes to dining options. Wombat Hill House is one such place. Nestled at the top of a hill, hence the name, in the lush Botanical gardens; this beautiful cafe is surrounded by lush greenery and wildlife. With a homely and warm ambience, comfort is key here, and it's a lovely spot to relax.
We visited after walking around the gardens, and decided on a delicious afternoon tea. Coffee was lovely and the array of country baked goods was incredibly enticing. With a delicious homemade cheesecake and blueberry tart, we were left very satisfied with our choices. The cheesecake was rich and creamy, and the blueberry tart had fabulous pastry and was filled with fantastic, tart berries.
With typical country hospitality, the staff were generous and friendly even though it was busy. This cafe gets busy with lots of tourists visiting the gardens; but it's well worth a visit for some delicious country food and a relaxed vibe.
The afternoon tea here is absolutely fantastic!!!!
For $40pp you get an arrival sparkling (which was kindly swapped to a strawberry smoothie for me as a non-alcoholic), unlimited tea and coffee (we had a pot of tea and a skim latte each) and the afternoon tea platter (savouries like chicken sandwich, egg sandwich and reubin sandwich), sweets (like cheesecake, macarons, truffles, tarts and a brownie) and of course a scones with jam and cream!
The service was just out of this world, the staff were unbelievable! Loved it and fantastic value for money!!
Very tasty, can highly recommend the smoked trout. Perhaps a little overpriced, but worth a try. Beautiful surroundings as it’s nestled in the middle of the botanical gardens, though rug up if it’s cold weather
There are three sitting areas and we chose to sit in the back garden. A bit cold even in Autumn so it would be great if there are outdoor heaters. The garden is really nice with olive trees, lime and lemon trees. Food took awhile to arrive (more than 45 mins) even though it is Thursday not during the weekends. But it is absolutely yummy so we didn’t mind the wait. We also got a flat white with almond milk and it was to die for - smooth and creamy, most places and cafes that we have been to don’t do coffee with almond milk as nice as this place 👏🏼. Staff is very nice and friendly.
We shared a Hedgehog ($5.50) for morning tea. The comforting hedgehog was heavenly, which created a battle for the last spoonful... We both ordered lattes ($4.00) made with St. Ali Coffee.
Such a nice location for a cafe, the gardens are beautiful and the cafe is really cute! The food was not really anything special in my opinion. Had the croque senor without chorizo. It was nice but very full on, was glad I shared it as I couldn’t even finish half. Also shared the fritters, they were pretty disappointing as they were a bit dry and the flavour wasn’t that nice. Was really glad I asked for a side of goats cheese as I think it really needed it.
Great little cafe surrounded by beautiful gardens. Lovely cakes and light meals, coffee & served with a smile, a very nice place to visit on any day.
Long wait for food as this place is busy and seems the kitchen gets overwhelmed. Friendly staff though and we were told there would be a wait when we ordered. Pizza looked great but didn’t deliver on the said chili hit - had much better gourmet pizzas elsewhere. Coffee cakes and pastries are good and the location within the botanical gardens is magnificent.
We ventured to Wombat Hill House after a recommendation from our Air BnB host. What a cute little cafe perched in the botanical gardens. It was nice and cosy inside and the menu was easy to find on our table. My boyfriend went with the classic bacon and eggs and I got the crumpets with poached fruit. The bacon was thicker cut and so delicious and my crumpets were nice and fluffy and the fruit and ricotta perfect. Would happily return on our next trip to D'ford!
Had the bangers and sweet potato mash plus the potato, feta, caramelised onions. I thought overall it was nice, pizza was good however a little greasy.
Great coffee and the best crumpet I have ever eaten. No joke. You need to try it out. Hubby had the breakfast pizza which he enjoyed although it was huge! We enjoyed our breakfast with the dog in the courtyard
Beautiful place like eating in a garden. A very relaxing cafe, we go there together with 10 people and sit very comfortable. Food is very nice too :)
Lovely staff. Nice and attentive. Food was delicious and came out very fast! I'm not usually a fan of bacon and sweets but this was good. The smoked salmon char was light and filling.
Ok this was a wow if not so wow it was one of our favorite meals and places we visited in Daylesford. Cracking service venue and food. Coffee was a killer too and consistent. So good I had three. Breakfast was sensational, as was the cake we just had to try! A must visit for anyone within the region.
Food And Drink Melbourne
+4.5
Best breakfast ever! is what I declared on Instagram accompanied by a photo of my smoked ocean trout dish. And it truly was divine!. (I must preface my review by adding that this breakfast was a day after I’d had the worst breakfast ever. I won’t mention that venue yet as I’m still deciding whether to officially review it or not. So I must admit that anything that was fresh and well prepared would have been great in comparison.)
Great service warm atmosphere menu has some favourites with their own spin. We went there for lunch on a Sunday and had the BLT - it was so good with the addition of an egg with thick bacon and spinach leaves and BBQ sauce on a bagel - YUM! Also tried the corned beef roll with mustard and pickles again so good but the best part was the roasted garlic aoli that accompanied the chips wow that was awesome! For beverages we had the coconut smoothie and watermelon juice which were healthy.
Always love a good lunch from WHH, with the cafe being picturesquely set amongst the backdrop of the botanical gardens in Daylesford.
The vibe is country through and through, with the cafe being full of wicker chairs as well as being stocked with local produce. The interior is bright and cheery to boot too!
Drinks wise the coffee is good, as are majority of the of the other beverages! The good is great here too, with my Fish and Chips with all the trimmings being a few cuts above average!
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Pricewise I think it's pretty standard and representative of an eatery in Daylesford, but in terms of quality you definitely get what you pay for!
Would recommend, especially during the warmer months when you can sit outside comfortably! Nothing better.
What a pretty little place snug in an almost magical forest on a foggy day! We absolutely loved the ambience and most importantly the food! Being the sister of the lake house restaurant, the food here absolutely met our expectations. We had the home made chicken pie - pastry was amazing, filling was yum ! Personally I fell in love with the home made pork sausage served on sweet potato purée with veal sauce . Food was served in a rustic portions. Overall will highly recommend visiting this cafe!
Lovely setting, rustic cottage style cafe in the botanical gardens. Nice atmosphere. Ordered the chicken & mushroom pie and the fennel & chorizo pizza. Both were cooked beautifully and oh so tasty. Staff were friendly and attentive. Will definitely be back when next in Daylesford.
We came out for a day trip to Daylesford in the Autumn with our dog, and were recommended to go to this lovely cafe in the botanical gardens. The staff were lovely and generous, turning on the outdoor heating and giving our dog a water bowl. The food was really yummy. The aioli was amazing, menu was interesting, specials were yummy, and the cake selection was huge. Really beautiful decor and outdoor setting too. Would definitely return and also recommend it.
Wonderful lunch out in the garden. Service was a little slow but they were very busy and apologized profusely. I had an amazing Croque Monsieur, and shared a carrot and red lentil soup with my mum. Husband had the potato and caramelized onion pizza which was also delicious.
Overall a good breakfast and nice coffee. Not exceptionally friendly service but not bad either. Eggs and bacon were both nice, housemade baked beans had good flavour but were a little cold.
Wander down the garden path of Daylesford’s enchanting Wombat Hill Botanical Gardens and you’ll soon discover the charming Wombat Hill House Cafe. The café, store and kitchen garden is the brainchild of critically acclaimed, Alla Wolf-Tasker, (Executive Chef and co-owner of the Lake House), her artist husband Allan and daughter Larissa. So it’s no surprise it has become one of regional Victoria’s hottest food destinations.
Our first time at Wombat Hill House was great. Had a delicious breakfast here. Eggs, toast, mushrooms, proscuitto, chorizo...yum. Eggs were poached perfectly!
Cute little cafe in wombat hill botanical gardens. You can sit inside by the fire, outside in the back garden or semi-outside in an area I've deemed the greenhouse. There are a huge selection of cakes and meals you can eat here or have wrapped up if you'd like to have a picnic in the gardens. I was greeted with a friendly smile and staff eager to help. The flourless pear cake was sweet and strong flavoured. Mint tea was light and lovely. A nice spot for a high tea that's not high brow.
Regulars to Daylesford, we hadn’t been up to Wombat Hill House which is connected to the Lake House – one of our all-time favourites. It was incredibly cold on the Hill today so the stroll from the car to the café was both beautiful and brisk. To our surprise the café was almost full and we struggled to get a table for two, eventually moving from some inside bench seats to a table. Even more surprising was the number of people braving the plastic enclosed alfresco area that only had a few heaters.
Our second time here, and the place was just as warm and friendly as we remembered it to be. We walked it around lunch time and chose the outdoor seating. My eyes quickly landed on their salad selections on display and my they looked and sounded tasty! Our lunch involved their breakfast bruschetta, the corned beef burger (pictured), and coconut smoothies. The food and drinks were good, nothing to rave about but I'll always come back to Wombat Hill House just for the serenity and surroundings. Keep up the good work!
Yummy pizza, nice location. After visiting the park for another reason, we decided to drop into this cafe having collected and admired a leaflet advertising it when at the Lake House the night before. We settled at a comfortable table with a nice view of the garden (someone was smoking in the outside eating area and that stench turns my stomach normally but especially at the moment, thank you pregnancy) and ordered a simple pizza to share. The pizza was perfect; beautiful sugo with scrumptious mozzarella on a fascinating herby/grainy base. I enjoyed my iced coffee but did have to wait while my companion struggled to find the toilet - sounds like it's a bit of a journey to find it. Either way, delicious lunch in a lovely setting.
We were surprised with the variety and quality offered by this quaint little cafe. The food was wonderful as was the coffee and cake! Definitely worth a visit.
Very pleasant & relaxing surroundings. We sat outdoors in the veggie garden section (there was also an outdoor covered section or indoors). Menu a bit limited but food was good, although not overly generous in serving size. I had a $12 open sandwich which was only 1 half of the sandwich accompanied by a pile of dressed lettuce. Still hungry afterwards.
One of our Favourites. Great place. Food and coffee are excellent. Atmosphere is great. Its really good to see that someone has turned this place back into a worthwhile stop. Only thing - you are sending me broke - every time I come there, my 5yo daughter insists that I buy her a stuffed wombat!
A pleasant experience. Wombat Hill House was a nice surprise, a relaxed place to be. The staff were friendly and although a very busy day we felt welcome. So very different to the Lake House where it is all stiff and formal and artificially friendly. Good to know she can do a casual relaxed place. I enjoyed my veggie pastie with a very light crisp pastry and generous tasty filling. The only thing we felt was the over priced wine it was a pretty ordinary wine , Sunbury,at 10.50 .but apart from that a pleasant experience.
Hidden gem. Visit three days before Christmas was no disappointment. Fish and chips was perfect, as was partner's pizza. And the surroundings are magnificent. Well worth a visit.
Much more than just a charming view. I fell in love with this place on the first visit, and every time I've come back it's maintained the same high standards. A beautiful setting in the middle of lush green gardens, courtyards and indoor space that are never cluttered, and best of all is the fresh, delicious food. You can easily lose an afternoon over the $20 grazing platter - a little cheese, house dip, turkish bread and sweet house cured pickles. Or there are more substantial meals like fish and chips or tarts. Today's dish of shredded confit duck on Asian noodle salad is tasty, luxurious and refreshing.
Saturday Lunch. A pretty relaxed setting...the cocktails were cheap $12.50. We had the potato pizza and fish & chips and a large salad (i was hungry - didnt have breakfast). Although the potato salad wasn't anything to write home about, the fish & chips were excellent and Im sure that by going through the menu over time, you would find a better pizza.
A little light on the seasoning for both pizza and salad...BUT overall, the Wombat Hill Cafe is an amazing way to spend a couple of hours.
The decor is great and welcoming, the courtyard - dog friendly and a walk through the gardens at the end of your meal, a perfect way to spend a romantic afternoon.
We loved it because of the overall setting and relaxed nature.
Mineral Springs Foodies
+4.5
Average food, find staff a tad incompetent.
Very good for breakfast, lunch ok. Really nice location amongst the gardens with a great cafe building surrounded by produce and a sitting spot to suit anybody. Definately try this out if you want to enjoy a meal in great surrounds whilst in daylesford, I would recommend breakfast
Sweet little cafe with lovely decor and friendly staff. Coffees and chai lattes were great, food was well presented but not outstanding in taste.
Good food and atmosphere, but definitely overpriced. This cafe definitely has a good atmosphere. I loved the decor and the busy vibe. My friend and I agreed that the flavours were pleasant, but not amazing. The portions were JUST enough, but were very pricey for their size (2 slices of ciabatta served with mushroom for $18..)
Had a lovely breakfast, cafe looks fab, love the back garden with the veggies growing. We went early to avoid the crowds, had great service, delish chai latte, love the corn fritters and the scrambled eggs with smoked salmon bagel. Will definitely be back.
Lovely decor, stunning location and fantastic food. After a long time wanting to visit this cafe, it sure didn't disappoint. After a relaxing wonder through the wombat hill gardens, we settled into a lovely table in the kitchen garden, our meals were lovely, service friendly and location stunning. A vist here while in daylesford recommended. On the hit list: Suckling Pork Baguette, Wombat Bloody Mary and Orange Cake.
A refreshingly cool haven to relax on a hot, sunny day. Fresh and lively tasting salads, non bottled iced tea and lush greenery as a backdrop. Lots of local produce proudly displayed and available to purchase. Enjoy the food, good coffee, ambience and relax!
There is an amazing atmosphere and ambience at Wombat Hill Cafe. Very nice coffee and our breakfast was, on the whole, very nice also. I had an issue with a ricotta hot cake that wasn't cooked. We will definitely be back, however.
Deelish food, laid back atmosphere, great coffee!. This was our first visit to Wombat Hill House and I'm already planning a return visit. We visited for breakfast, I had baked eggs with chorizo which was a perfect size and just fantastic. My husband had coddled eggs with salmon on bagels, which he reported was also delicious.
This was also the kind of place where one coffee was not enough, so good we had another!.
Prices were also pleasantly surprising, the lunch menu looked very impressive and great value too.
With the name of "Wombat Hill House", how could you not love the place? Nestled within the picturesque Wombat Hill Botanical Gardens in Daylesford, the vibe was very Beatrix Potterish with a board of wombat sightings locations . It was just a magical environment. As we were famished from the drive up from Melbourne, we ordered a good fry up. Fish and chips. The fish was whiting and it came with shoestring fries and aioli. Perfectly done. The only downside was that whiting, being whiting was a bit on the wee side. The eggplant curry with basmati rice was more substantial and it was flavourful without the spicy heat. It came with a little side bowl of carrot pickles.
We popped in for breakfast ( after a disappointing $500 degustation at Mercato the night before ) and much to my delight it was absolutely fantastic.
The food, as expected, was great! I had the Salmon Bagel whilst J had the breakfast pizza. We were both happy campers after that.
Well done Wolf-Taskers et al. - Wombat Hill House is a triumph and a delightful addition to the Botanic Gardens. I, for one, cannot wait to head back to sample the lunch menu!
Whenever I visit Daylesford, it is a place I stop by.
Such a nice cafe with good vibe. They serve somewhat non-ordinary meals and they are very delicious. Strongly recommend you book in advance if you can.
There is the coffee takeaway section as well if you just need caffeine!
Had breakfast here. Ordered poached eggs (which were cooked perfectly), on sourdough (so fresh with that expected crunch and fermented hole body), with a side of avocado and smoked salmon & a cappuccino. Coffee tasted great with signature milk leaf design. Had to come back the next day and ordered birch muesli (with two more poached eggs on the side).
We were served both times by the same polite and happy staff member - at this point I wish I caught his name. But all staff were lovely (that I had observed).
Cute external and internal design with little take home goodies for purchase at the counter.
Such a popular place, definitely one I recommend and would go back again if I’m in the area.
Food was fantastic and the crepes were the yummiest I've ever had! My hubby and I shared the country breakfast which was huge and then the crepes. Yum yum yum! It's also a gorgeous little Cafe. Would love to visit in winter with the fireplace going. Staff were all friendly and covid standards were adhered to which is not easy for cafes to do (and a lot don't) but we definitely appreciated it!
A dog friendly cafe with excellent food and coffee. Staff were clearly both friendly to canines and humans! It was worth the wait for us and the only coffee that I found in Daylesford that was comparable to Melbourne because we are thoroughly coffee spoilt! We had the shaksuka which was delicious though tad too salty for me (personal taste) and the Turkish eggs was nice enough. Overall the 5 stars rating was based on the dog friendly, food and in particulate coffee given I found it difficult to find comparable to Melbourne coffee having been here for 3 days and I finally found it here.
You haven’t really been to Daylesford… unless you’ve been to Cliffy’s!
Awesome coffee (best in town!), amazing food and they really know how to make you feel welcomed!
Do yourself a favour!
This friendly cafe and store has its good reputation for a reason.
Stocked with treats inside - allow yourself time to really scour the shelves.
Simple transitional brunch menu.
Ploughman’s board was enough as a light lunch to share - with some chippies.
Kind staff and lovely outdoor area under shady trees.
Great atmosphere. Very very busy so clearly doing something right.
The crepes are fantastic, I really enjoyed them. Coffee was spot on too.
Be prepared to queue....it is worth the wait.
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