Reviews Dolce E Cucina Cafe

Decided to stop by this café while we were in the area and we were pleasantly surprised with their healthy yet delicious menu items. Staff were super attentive and friendly and loved the experience with them.

FOOD

Avocado Toast with feta, cherry tomatoes, golden beets, hummus, sesame, chilli lemon and and extra side of halloumi to top it off.

Tataki salmon, avocado, brown rice, poached egg, nori, edamame, togarashi seasoning, kewpie mayo, pickled ginger and daikon.

DRINKS

Well done smoothies and coffee!

Somehow my review disappeared which is annoying but anyway we were invited to St Rose for one of the most delicious brunches ever. I utterly adored the golden bircher which had the most beautiful flavours and looked equally stunning. Hubs and I were fighting over it despite he originally saying he wasn’t going to have any!

I also had the avocado toast again which is second to none on the breakfast scene with so many flavours and textures going on and presenting like a delicious edible rainbow. I can not fault a thing about this place, flawless

Original review
We were invited to St rose today, a cafe conveniently located directly opposite Essendon station. I began with an absolutely delicious mango passion crush smoothie as we waited for our food to come.

I chose the avocado toast because I’ve tried this dish at their sister cafe No 19 and absolutely love it. It’s presented slightly differently but the same yummy flavours are very much present. Hubby got the California bowl because he’s boring, but as far as healthy dishes go it actually looked quite appealing.

I couldn’t go past the paco which is cleverly plated to look like a chocolate taco but it’s actually a thick pancake wrapped around a Oreo ricotta mix and covered in white chocolate crumble and salted caramel sauce. 10/10 for creativity! I was super impressed with the uniqueness of the dish. Lovely staff too

Visiting St Rose was definitely worth the drive across the city, it is such a wonderful vibe here and the food was exquisite 🍓 We tucked into:
🥛 Snickers smoothie - banana, protein, dates, nectar, peanut butter, almond milk
🥬 Sautéed greens - feta, green beans, sautéed kale, poached egg, pumpkin purée, pesto, dukkah, toast
🐠 Californian bowl - flaked salmon, kale, purple cabbage, quinoa, avocado, crème fraîche, honey lemon dressing
🥣 Golden Bircher - oats, apple, coconut, almond crunch, berries, roasted rhubarb
The flavours were amazing - I loved the vast array of salad choices on the menu as well as the lovely sweet options. If you’re around Essendon way, visiting St Rose is a must!

The staff were so helpful to our every need and very knowledgeable about the menu as well.

We visited the St Rose cafe the other weekend and loved the food! The menu is quite healthy and the portion sizes are really large, we ordered the salmon and rye, the good bowl and the smashed avo. The smashed avo must I say is one of the most beautiful avo dishes I’ve seen! The salmon and the rye was taste wise my favourite! If your ever down in the area, definitely recommend this cafe

Thanks for having us!

The cafe, staff and food- everything is amazing! Great yet simple menu, good portions, lovely staff and great coffee! Everything we wanted from a brunch:)

Such nice welcoming staff always putting you first, food was absolutely amazing. Beautiful presentation and smoothies to die for. Their schnitzel chicken wrap with chips is delicious you must try !

4.5. St Rose is located opposite Essendon station and very convenient to get to.

We started off with an Almond beetroot latte and the Mango Passion Crush smoothie. The beetroot was really creamy and nice. The smoothie was very refreshing and wasn't sour at all.

For the food, we ordered:

HEMP RAWNOLA - Hemp, oats, beetroot, cranberries, sunflower seeds, coconut, vanilla bean coyo, strawberry and elderflower. The dish was filled with shades of pink and white and looked very pretty. It was really tasty as well.

AVOCADO TOAST - Feta, cherry tomato, golden beets, hummus, sesame, chilli lemon. The avocado on toast was seasoned well and brings out a punchy flavour to this dish.

CHILLI SCRAMBLED - Bacon, nduja, leek, parmesan, grain toast - This was a big dish with a lot of bread and scrambled eggs. The chilli gave it a nice kick. It was interesting they had nduja in it (it is a spicy spreadable pork salume).

Thank you for the nice breakfast, St Rose!

This cafe never disappoints. Service is fantastic and the food is always on point.

On our latest visit, we had the Golden Bircher, the Sushi Bowl, the Californian Bowl, and the Green Goodness and Protein Warrior smoothies.

Everything was full of flavour and super fresh. What more could you ask for? Highly recommended 😊👌

Beautiful interior and yummy food! The Californian Bowl was super delicious with nutritious vegetables and salmon to fuel our day!

St Rose has to be one of my top favourite cafes in Melbourne, if you haven't tried it yet you are seriously missing out!

They serve up the most delicious almond lattes, every dish is a winner and their staff are incredibly sweet.

With the launch of a new menu, it was a no brainer to go and check it out.

The addition of the Walnut Bread and Hemp Rawnola caught our eye. Caramelised banana with the dulce de leche on the warmed Walnut Bread was the perfect combination.

I absolutely love chunky granola so the Hemp Rawnola was a must! Beetroot, cranberries, strawberry and elderflower chia. Different flavours that worked so well!

Majority of the new breakfast dishes are vegan too! Which is a huge bonus.

We also ordered the Sauteed Greens with a side of seared salmon to balance out the sweeter dishes. My all time favourite dish.

Cannot recommend St Rose enough!!

4.5!

I visited this cafe a couple of weekends ago and oh my - was it busy! It didn't take long after chatting with the staff and getting our meals to find out why though.

Even with all of the customers the staff had to look after, they were incredibly attentive, timely and friendly. Our waitress had some awesome suggestions for us to try and we are glad we trusted her opinion!

We ordered the Sushi Bowl, Golden Bircher and Beef Burger. The Golden Bircher is a dish I wouldn't usually choose, as I like quite a heavy breakfast. However, I would order this dish over and over again. It was THAT delicious. It was sweet but not overpoweringly so and was delightfully crunchy. The Sushi Bowl had all of the right components to it - and the mayo topped it off so perfectly. My friend thoroughly enjoyed their juicy burger and finished every single bite!

We shared such a great breakfast and will definitely have to pop by this local cafe again.

We have been to St Rose a few times over the years and it’s safe to say the quality of food and service has been consistent every time. They serve up some really tasty food using fresh ingredients and make great coffee (and alternative drinks like beetroot and turmeric lattes). They are located opposite Essendon station which is very convenient and have street parking. There is also pet-friendly outdoor seating and a selection of delicious cakes and pastries, some that are vegan and gluten-free.

I visited this cafe with my friend for lunch and I must say, their shakshouka caught my attention. I saw it on the menu and thought to myself that I had to try it. My friend got the sushi bowl and that was a great choice too! I was tossing between those two options and I’m glad we got to try both.

The shakshouka came with a side order of chorizo and that was so so good. I love the smoky flavour of the chorizo and the baked eggs with tomato base in it. The sushi bowl had all the delicious goodness of salmon, edamame, avocado, brown rice and more by fusing together using the soy sauce.

We also shared the maple ricotta hotcake for dessert and it’s absolutely yummy. All their staff were very attentive and friendly so that was a real bonus :) it’s also very conveniently located next to Essendon train station on Rose St.

Super delicious! So hard to find the most perfect fruit toast but this place out did itself. Plus the juices and coffee was so delicious.. plus the service 12/10 honestly I’ll be back. To check photos out head to @emmmzyy_xx on Instagram!

The biggest fluffiest hotcakes I've ever seen. And so good. Best thing on the menu. Service staff were funny and good. I would have loved my avocado to be cut a bit smaller on the avo toast, but it had all the flavour. Will come back.

This gorgeous cafe in the heart of Essendon just had the big 6th birthday! The atmosphere at this cafe was so friendly, it feels like a little community the staff were very lovely and paid close attention to everyone being super helpful.

The food was delicious I had the:
Avocado toast which was different which I liked. It had whipped Persian feta, beetroots, grapefruits, zatar and more. I enjoyed this tasty combination and it is certainly a good looking colourful dish.
The chilli scramble was full of flavour with bacon, nduja leek and Parmesan. The grainy bread was crunchy which made it a perfect go to breakfast dish!
The Maple Ricotta Hotcakes were so fluffy with the perfect toppings of blueberries, syrup, and vanilla cream. They weren’t too sweet but filling and tasty.

I can’t wait to go back and try more dishes from the menu.

I don't think I have ever had a bad meal here, and the dishes just keep getting better each time I dine here. My friend and I shared the Lemon Meringue Porridge, Spinach and Ricotta Waffle, and Potato Rosti, and based on that porridge alone, I was ready to rate St Rose a 5.

Big call but that Lemon Meringue Porridge is the best porridge I have ever had in Melbourne. The crunchiness from the buckwheat and linseeds, the tartness of the lemon curd, and the pillowy softness of the toasted meringue resulted in a dish that was well-proportioned in flavours, and possessed multiple layers of texture.

The Spinach and Ricotta Waffle was on the specials and it definitely should go on the menu. The savoury waffle went really well with the chilli mascarpone, and the tomatoes helped cut through the heaviness of the bacon and waffles.

I also couldn't fault the salmon rillette and caviar paired with the crispy potato rosti. A light dish with clean flavours, and a subtle kick from the horseradish.

The smoothies we had were fantastic too, and was of a thick and creamy consistency. One of the best smoothies around.

I can't wait to come back again to see what they come up with in the future. Thank you for the amazing meal.

It was my first time visiting St. Rose and I was really impressed by their menu and great service!

I ordered the sushi bowl, chilli scrambled egg and brekkie burger and orange juice. The serving was quite big and very filling definitely worth what you're paying for. The orange juice was as fresh as it can be, so yummy !

Also love the ambiance of the place, the staff knew lots of their regulars and you can really tell that people do keep coming back at St Rose whether you're there for a brunch, meeting or to wind down after a yoga class. 

Definitely coming back for more !

White brick walls, dotted greenery, concrete floors, and timber furnishings…. Sounds very Melbourne, hey?

It’s exactly what the Caruso family used as a springboard 6 years ago, for what now is their café empire. 

It’s been 3 years since my last visit, so I thought I would pop in while out exploring the north side of town. 
 
What remains timeless about this space? The flavour focused food that while remaining instagrammable, stays true to the authenticity of a pleasurable dining experience. 

Stand out vegan dish?  The Coffee Bircher… A must for the coffee fiends (Let’s be realistic, who isn’t in Melbourne?). Espresso infused muesli, with a decadent coconut sorbet, and cocoa puffed quinoa.

On a health kick? You can’t go past the Sautéed Greens. The amalgamation of Persian feta pumpkin puree, and dukkah, has you feeling like you’ve just guided your tastebuds through a forest of deliciousness. 

They roast their house blend at Bureaux Collective, and have guest single origin beans. Try the Ethiopian as a batchy!

extremely happy with my experience at St Rose cafe! lovely staff were very patient and accommodating to my friend and I

we ordered the sushi bowl, acai bowl and sautéed greens! i loved the sautéed greens especially, the crunchy kale with the egg and pesto through it for flavour was divine! all dishes were a very generous amount! the açai bowl was very pretty as well , packed with a delicious sweet taste and some yummy fresh fruit!

i would come back to St Rose again to try some
more delicious meals :)

Located on Rose Street in Essendon directly opposite from the train station. This is an amazing brunch spot and you do not want to miss it. From the decor to the amazing range on the menu, the friendly staff they do all of the above on point.

There was a good variety on the menu and their beverage menu is good. We finally decided on the items below.

Salmon and the Rye - The salmon was cooked to perfection and it went really well with rye toast. The flavours of the cream cheese, dill and pesto went really well together and the poached eggs seals the flavour together.

Sushi bowl - The sushi bowl was exactly how I envisage it to be. The tuna tataki was cooked just right and the togarashi dressing went really well together with the ingredients. Really liked the edamame, pickled ginger and daikon as it gives it the extra crunch. Definitely not your ordinary brunch dish.

Maple Ricotta hotcakes - Love how the dish was not too sweet and the flavours worked well together. The white chocolate shards gives it the extra cruch and was not too sweet. The mango curd makes fhe dish fresh and there is an option to add on bacon to give it the umami flavours.

Vitamin Juice - The name itself is a positive and the juice was refreshing. Just what you need after brunch to wash it all down.

From the food to the service, everything was spot on and we really enjoyed our meal. Make sure you visit them when you’re in Essendon.

My new favourite cafe! Most cafes only have 1 or 2 good menu options but the whole menu at St Rose is amazing, so far I’ve tried the açai bowl (amazing) and chilli scramble (also amazing). Have started dragging my friends and family here, everyone just loves it there’s something for everyone. Service is also obviously amazing!
Can’t wait for next time

Visited St Rose for lunch today. This gem of a cafe is conveniently located right across from Essendon station. With a great menu and attentive staff, it’s no wonder this place is busy and popular among locals.
I warmed up by the fire with the Shakshouka dish. A filling and heart warming dish with just the right amount of spice. Next time, i’ll definitely add the chorizo to my order for extra texture. My friend had the beef burger. Although i’m not a fan of the burger being served in a plastic tray, it was decent in size, tasty and the chips were nice and crispy.
We couldn’t say no to their amazing selection of donuts and baked goods by the counter. So we also ordered the Nutella donut. It was light, fluffy and just YUM!
We washed everything down with a refreshing immunity juice and the Nutberry smoothly which was delicious!

22.03.2020
Second visit!
Visited one of my favourite places again and had such a great brunch!

This time, I decided to feature something different, but at the same time keep my favourites! Yes, because this place has one of the most balanced and tastier acai bowls I’ve had in Melbourne and I will never get tired from it!

Here’s what I had:
Acai Bowl - a blend of acai, mango and banana, topped with seasonal fruits and the BEST granola. It also came with that perfect scoop of peanut butter. Please read my Zomato review below for more details but 100% recommend!

Sautéed Greens- my friend had this meal and it looked beautifully presented! The portions looked great and it screened health all over it! So many different green beans, sautéed kale, and wellness in a bowl! It came with persian feta sprinkled on top and two poached eggs, that were perfect to get that egg porn shot! With some pumpkin puree, pesto, dukkah and a generous piece of toast, this was outstanding and my friend loved it!

Beef Burger - Absolute stunning surprise! With a 150g premium beef patty, American cheese, caramelised onions, tomato, pickled beets, ranch dressing, we decided to go bold and ask for something different and balance the ‘health’ if the greens and acai 😂 it was a great portion and definitely a premium quality burger! Taste was decadent and mouth-drooling and it came with obviously crispy chips with aioli that paired very nicely!

Green Goddess - one of their best selling smoothies and a combo of banana, mango, spinach, supergreen mix and coconut milk. Overall taste is pretty good even though you can still taste the greens and spinach in there. Not bad, not bad at all but personally I would have liked it more sweet! But then again, it’s a health bomb for sure and will bring a lot of benefits to your health so definitely an option to consider if you’re more towards a ‘healthier’ option.

Berry Blitz - an outstanding combo of mixed berries and apple juice bringing that sour and sweet perfect balance spot to your tongue! Absolutely my favourite of the two and would ask for it again! These guys are big on the smoothie game and they certainly know how to do it, so it you’re a sweet tooth like me and love anything fresh, this will win you over!

An absolutely terrific experience as usual! Will be back again of course!



01.09.2019

Rosing to the sky! 🌹 Literally! Yes, if you didn’t know, actually roses can grow quite tall and the tallest ever recorded bush is over 7 metres tall! 🤭 my question here is: how doesn’t that even break? Maybe special powers?! Well, I’m sure they do because this little rose was PREEEEEETY AMAZING my friends 🤩 and to be honest I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck, am I right?As similarly all their other venues from this group, St Rose is a beautiful rose INDEED! 🙌Yes, all the brunches that I have had at Pinkie, Bowls Baby, No19 and now St Rose have been incredible and definitely amongst the best ones in Melbourne 🙌👏 While the menu doesn’t vary much between the venues, to be honest, they do have some special touches between each site and seriously, this is the type of place that will leave you craving and wishing to visit again straight away, so that is actually a positive aspect here! 😂 This specific venue is located at Essendon, very close to Bowls Baby, the first place from them that I actually visited and fell in love with not only the food and their ethos but actually was so impressed by the quality of costumer service they provide that obviously I felt that I needed to visit all their other venues and see what differences they had in the different locations as I am the first one to always make always little adjustments and creative additions to the same/similar recipe! We arrived at the venue and it was quite busy as I would have expected. They are quite popular and attract from local costumers to people that live on the opposite side of town – yes, that is how good they are! I was kindly welcomed by the staff and although they were quite busy, these guys handle chaos and business with confidence and in the upmost professional manner and we were prompt presented with a spot. Always with a smile, we were given the menu and after asking if there were any specials (which there were!) we made our selection. Of course that having visited their other venues previously, there were a few MUSTs (SERIOUSLY, the bowl that makes you dream of it over and over again!) and there were sure a few other items I was very curious (and excited to try) because I had seen how good they looked on social media, so here’s what we had: - Coffee bircher: okay, I am starting wqith this one because this is something EVERYONE needs to try. Like, OMG. It surpassed all expectations I had. I had seen a picture of it in social media and it looked interesting, like a cute little tube shaped grains and small… and I mean, I didn’t have much expectations for this besides ‘normal’ meal similar to a porridge, without much flavour (as oats/muesli is usually not very sweet and does not have a very strong taste) and WOW, boy was I wrong! 🤭😳😂 Not only is AMAZING and I was literally speechless after trying the first spoon but it must be the BEST bircher I have tried across ALL Melbourne 👌👏 NO, not even kidding. In terms of portion, the size from pictures is not accurate to how big and how great the portion is – seriously it was the first thing that impressed me and you sure won’t find it small or be hungry after this. Secondly, the taste. OMG. OMG. What is curious is that I am not a maaaassive coffee taste lover (I do drink coffee but I am not an addict and obviously prefer other flavours such as salted caramel or chocolate) but here the taste was just PERFECT. It does have a subtle taste of coffee yes, but I am pretty sure the origin the use here was so careful chosen because it has a touch of sweetness and cacao that clearly wins over and perfectly blends with the coffee. I would never have thought something like this would work so wonderfully – the espresso infused muesli and the puffed quinoa cacao are just A BLISS and possibly one of the best combos I have ever tried! Really! What is even better is that the surprises don’t end here and they use coconut sorbet on top, with again a good GOOD portion and that matches the whole meal supremely. Actually, if you combine a spoon with the smooth and mouth drooling and perfectly soaked muesli, with the crunchiness and natural sweetness of the puffed quinoa (like SO good) and the sorbet – WOW. Basically, indescribable and just a pure party to your mouth. I cannot get over how good it is, really! 🙏🥰 As other toppings they also use rhubarb that gives the perfect ending with a little touch of sourness, that is so impeccably welcomed actually! This is SO a must if you visit and I am certainly going to ask for it again when I visit. I am even tempted to say it is even better than the acai bowl (which obviously says a lot from a acai lover!) and I want this to be on the menu forever! You’ll be doing an actual service to the community 😂 🙏 - Maple ricotta hotcake – my friend had this meal and due to the lactose content of it I wasn’t able to enjoy it as well. He was so SO impressed by how flawless and scrumptious it was. The hotcakes came impeccably and moist, with perfect consistency and enriched sweet taste. It has a delightful mango curd, seriously the most decadent and soft vanilla cream and it is topped with blueberries, a significant and substantial portion of granola that is nutty based and looked gold, crunchy and just so temping to indulge (maybe you will also, sneakily steal a little because it looks just SO GOOD) and wait, the best part it still about to come: the white chocolate buckwheat combining the crunchiness of the one and only buckwheat (that is obviously a clear crowd favourite) with actually huge slices of white chocolate that are such perfection. For the perfect touch, it comes with a maple syrup that only makes you crave every bite even more and also gives some very instagramable pictures! (as you can obviously see). I just wish there was a vegan/dairy free version of this because I was SO jealous I couldn’t thoroughly have it too! 😂 🙏👌🙌 - Acai bowl – the acai. OH YES, the famous acai 😍I have had this at all their other venues and it is obviously one of my favourite bowls. The bowl is exactly the same in all three venues (although I am sure that if you have any preferences towards the toppings, it can certainly be accommodated because the staff is so friendly and willing to please the costumer in every way) and it comes with acai, banana blended with almond milk, and topped with peanut butter, organic crumble and seasonal fruits. As it is the same bowl as I have previously had and ADORED, I will make a summary of my reviews from the other places as my opinion hasn’t changed and this is JUST WAY TOO GOOD. This was the only thing I could think of before visiting this place and I was even dreaming about it because hands down for this amazingness! The portion is incredible, the acai is DELICIOUS (the colour of the acai is actually lighter than the one I had at one of their other well-known cafes and they told me they actually blend peanut butter to the mix! Trust me, after youdigging in that spoon there is no way you won’t love it straight away! SO GOOD. The taste is somewhat relatable to Nutella with still that acai hint and it is so inviting and heavenly, that I wouldn’t change anything about it at all (again, writing and thinking about it makes me want to have another one again!). The toppings are quite filling with a good portion of perfectly sliced and aligned banana, a delightful granola and a delightful table spoon of peanut butter. Don’t be deceived by the portion size of the acai as it actually has more that it can seem on a first from the inside of the bowl it can look deceivingly shallow. The only thing left to say now is… when can I have it again? Three times still isn’t enough, really! 😂 👏 - Cold poke toast – this was an interesting meal. We actually chose it as it was a special from the menu and the staff recommended it as a great tasty option. And while the ‘looks’ are not as impressive as the other meals, when it comes to the taste it is flawless indeed! A large size piece of a delicious bread, soft on the inside with little seeds, and a crunchy crust, it could have been more perfectly paired! It had a fair amount of cured salmon (although I think the portion size should have been slightly bigger – I know salmon is expensive but I really think this meal could use a little more to make it a bit more filling!), a generous portion of avocado and edamame beans, along with slices of a fresh cucumber and radish. Like I said, a few simple ingredients indeed that obviously are favourites amongst many (I mean, who does not love salmon avocado on toast?) and taking it to the next level with some tagarashi seasoning, kewpie mayo and honey lemon dressing – so delicious! I am actually not one to enjoy dressings per se, but here WOW, it really was an interesting match and I would certainly like to have the combo again 👌As a friendly suggestion I would say that another piece of bread would be immensely appreciated and that the portion of the salmon could be bigger. Of course that maybe adding some little colour to the meal, maybe with some beetroot would be interesting too and add some extra favours here! - Nutberry Smoothie – second time having this smoothie and it was even BETTER than I remembered it the first time. It so lived up to the expectations and even beyond! I love banana berry smoothies and this one had the perfect sweetness and perfect raspberry taste made with raspberries, banana, peanut butter, nectar and blended with almond milk. I would say that the consistency was even better than last time too! The colour – amazing as usual and a true delight! Again, I wish they even had a smoothie bowl with this mix, so I’ll definitely leave that suggestion here! Topped with some little pieces of almonds and dried raspberries it is a choice you wont regret making at all! - Protein Warrior Smoothie – my friend has this smoothie and in comparison to the other one, the nut butter taste is stronger here. It is has protein, blueberries (that give that purple colour!), nutbutter, maple, cinnamon and cacao nibs,  all blended with almond milk and it is topped with little nuts as well and blueberries. It I had to advise how to choose between the two I would say that if you are a massive nut butter lover you will probably love this one more, but it is a smoothie not for a faith heart because it does fill you up more than the nutberry one, that seems more ’fresh’ and still has an incredible nutty taste. Either option would be amazing, really and I am curious to see next time how their banana and snickers smoothies are.What can I say more beside… when am I going back? 😂 Seriously, love this place, loved the service and loved the meals ❤️ Always such a pleasure to visit this team and their venues, walking in with a smile and leaving even with a BIGGER one! 100% recommend! 🙌👏

I love coming back to St Rose 🤤 Every single time I order their maple ricotta hotcakes, they are incredible! Such a unique mix of flavours and it’s so perfectly balanced! On this trip however, I also ordered the açai bowl and lemon meringue porridge to share, and I was so glad I did!! The lemon meringue porridge will now go down in history as one of my favourite dishes, it was spectacular!
I can’t wait to come back 😍

Most of us will never forget our first dates…Despite our glorious food adventures and countless brunch comas, we weren’t always so glamourous. In fact…you wouldn’t guess where Johnny took me on our first date. Don’t bother trying to guess this one, you’ll never get it. Seriously. It was a one-time occasion and we’ve never been back since. Not that it was bad or anything, it’s just not our thang.

A LOVELY CAFE IN THE HEART OF ESSENDON

Located across Essendon Station, we can imagine that this is the place to go for a takeaway coffee or a sitdown meal either alfresco or inside in its beautiful interiors.

CUSTOMER SERVICE
Upon entering the premise, we were greeted with friendly staff which was prominent throughout the service, asking whether our food was ok and if theres anything they could do for us. Highly commend their customer service!

MENU
The menu had the right amount of all day breakfast & lunch dishes and catered for everyone. What was impressive was their drinks list with their intensive juice, smoothies, thickshake and iced coffee varieties! We ordered:
ACAI BOWL- this was delicious and perfect and with its "no fuss" toppings, this was our ideal bowl.
COFFEE BIRCHER MUESLI- loves the presentation of this dish! The muesli really tasted like coffee which was then balanced with coconut sorbet and rhubarb which absolutely loves! & the puffed grains gave that extra crunch.
SHAKSHUKA- a hearty dish with perfectly cooked poached egg! Perfect winter warmer.
We also ordered two smoothies which were delightful and filling!

We enjoyed our visit here and thanks team for a great start to a Sunday!

We had visited St Rose a couple months back and here’s what we had!

Salmon & the rye - flaked salmon, pesto, cream cheese, poached egg on rye bread! The salmon was flaked well and the pesto and cream cheese were a good combo for flavors! Imagine the savories of the salmon, the tanginess of the pesto and sourness of the cream cheese all complementing each other!

Corn and haloumi fritters - served with bacon, spinach, carrot purée and poached egg! What made this dish stand out was the carrot purée which I have rarely seen used in cafes! I was pretty amazed by how well the sweetness of the purée worked with the saltiness of the fritters! It was my fave of the day given its presentation and taste!

Maple ricotta hotcake - served with mango curd, vanilla cream, blueberries, granola and syrup! I thought the addition of the granola was clever as it went well with the mango curd! The hotcake was thick and fluffy though it was a bit dry towards the end.

Overall we had a great time at St Rose and would love to visit again to try the rest of their dishes!

Great and attentive service. The schnitzel wrap was delicious, accompanied with a generous side of fries. My friends got scrambled eggs, and the chilli pork scrambled. Slightly overpriced, but I guess the service and quality were excellent so I can’t fault it.

Such a great cafe! Staff are very friendly and the food is so good. The menu is super cute too! We got:
- “Gnocchi”
- Salmon and the rye
- Jaffa brownie
So the “gnocchi” is ricotta dumplings and they were so fluffy along with that burnt butter and pine nuts, match made in heaven. The salmon was perfectly cooked. And the brownie was just soft and decadent.
Would 100% come back here and brunch again!

🏚: St Rose
📍: Essendon, Melbourne
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📝: St Rose Cafe, furnished in bright white and wooden interior brings the inner city cafe experience to the suburbs, and conveniently situated right next to Essendon train station as well.

But it’s better here, you know why? You can enjoy that modern cafe vibe without all that chaos going on in the CBD. 

❤️: The new menu launched not over three weeks ago features all the usual staples alongside other new popular offerings.

When you mention St Rose, the first thing I’ll probably think of wiuld be no other than the Maple Ricotta Hotcake with mango curd, vanilla cream, blueberries, granola, and extra maple syrup to drizzle on top.

And an acai person like me couldn’t possibly miss their signature Acai Bowl with banana, peanut butter, almond milk, organic crumble, and seasonal fruits.

Last but not least, their bircher. Coconut and walnut granola on chia pudding, rhubarb compote, and vanilla bean yogurt.
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Had brunch here on a public holiday and although it was very busy the service and also food were amazing! I can totally recommend the avo toast which comes with perfectly ripe avocados and delicious hummus. The granola and acai bowl were also very good, especially if you like sweet breakfast. Freshly pressed juices made the stay literally perfect!

Had brekkie here on the weekend and it was amazing. The lemon meringue porridge is seriously a must try. It's generously portioned and delicious 🤤. Porridge is something I rarely order but my mind has changed after this dish, and it is perfect for the cold Melbourne winter.
The "gnocchi" is chunky and filled with ricotta. Great coffee and drink options.
Service was welcoming and friendly.

Loved my visit here today!! Was greeted by 3 team members instantly with a huge smile and was taken straight to a table, amazing service!

I was so excited to try out the new menu items which only started yesterday - and I ordered the americano, the gnocchi, and the shakshuka! Paired these with the immunity juice and a matcha latte.

All of the food was so amazing, the americano was simple yet done perfectly well, the shakshuka was so rich and flavoursome and was perfect for the weather. Also tried to gnocchi which were so soft and fluffy and the flavour was so delicate. 😍😍

Every dish here was just simple things done beautifully! Will 100% be back to try out some more new items and get these again!

St Rose is a gorgeous cafe on Rose St in Essendon, and is loved by locals and travellers alike. It’s part of the family of amazing cafes which include Bowls Baby, No.19, and Pinkie, so the owners are really experienced in the cafe world!

The venue isn’t big but it’s cute and comfortable, with pops of green from the vines decorated along the walls. We came on a Thursday and even then it was still quite busy!

There are so many good choices on the menu, but we ended up deciding on the Corn & Halloumi Fritters, the Sushi Bowl, and the Maple Ricotta Hotcake for dessert.

The Corn & Halloumi Fritters were delicious! It’s very different to your ordinary fritter, as it’s a large flat shape rather than the balls. So the portion size was fantastic! The bacon was cooked perfectly and very tender, and the poached egg was oozy as it should be. Definitely recommend this dish!

The Sushi Bowl was unique - I haven’t really had a dish like this at a cafe but it was a delightful experience! Its basically a deconstructed sushi! The kewpie mayo and avocado added a nice creaminess and flavour, and brought the whole dish together. I loved the different varieties in toppings, and the tataki salmon was very nice.

We finished with the Maple Ricotta Hotcake - and I was blown away! Seriously one of my favourite hotcakes! I loved the addition of granola which added so much texture to the dish. The mango curd was so yummy and fresh and paired well with the white chocolate. This is a must have!

For drinks, the Nutberry Smoothie and the Oreo Thickshake were both very good. The smoothie was fresh, with plenty of berry flavour and a nice addition of peanut butter, and the thickshake was decadent and sweet! I really loved both of them!

The staff are extremely friendly and we felt very welcomed throughout our experience. I would highly recommend checking out St Rose, and I will definitely be back!

(P.s. They will be launching their winter menu in the next couple of weeks so make sure to go asap if you want to try these dishes!).

Thank you so much for having us!

The perfect Saturday morning always involves brunch. St Rose in Essendon was this week’s location of choice, nestled amongst a row of shops just near the train station. It’s part of a group of cafes owned by Dominic and Diana Caruso, which includes Pinkie, No. 19 and Bowls Baby. Incidentally, I’ve visited all of the others before and the food and fit out was good, so I was looking forward to trying St Rose!

Incredibly polite and attentive staff that were always willing to accommodate our requests.

The location is great with easy off road parking and the dishes were delicious. They also served generous portions with fantastic variants to old classics.

From the group that has brought us Pinkie, no19 and bowls baby l just knew St Rose would be amazing.
It’s a small little cafe on the pretty Rose Street In Essendon. Pink latte and maple Hotcakes are a must and I really enjoyed the Bircher muesli.
The staff are very friendly. I’m lucky that when I visited it was a weekday afternoon as it wasn’t too busy. On weekends I’d imagine there would be a wait for a table. It’s so worth waiting for. 😊💗

On a busy little street opposite Essendon station, St Rose is a picture perfect cafe with a menu to tempt all tastes. In a relatively small space, the team behind this popular cafe have managed to create a comfortable and cosy environment and the fact that it's constantly busy is proof that these guys know their stuff. White brick walls help to make the space seem larger, and there is plenty of seating for big and small groups.

We were welcomed by lovely staff... chatty waitstaff and smiling baristas help to create that comfortable vibe, and we settled in with some excellent coffees while we perused the menu. We decided to start with one of the daily specials... Mediterranean eggs with a side of chorizo. This was a taste sensation, extremely satisfying and the richness of the oily, spicy chorizo was the perfect foil for the tomato and capsicum based sauce. With plenty of toast to mop up the tasty sauce and gooey eggs, this was comfort food at it's best.

To counterbalance such a rich start, we followed with a refreshing acai bowl topped with plenty of healthy goodies, and this was a fabulous version of a cafe staple. To finish we went with the super indulgent hotcakes... fluffy pancakes with amazing mango curd, granola, blueberries and maple syrup. This is a sensorary delight and a great way to end a brunch.

Although small in size, St Rose is full of character. From the cosy ambience, fun loving staff and delicious food, the regulars that keep this cafe packed know that they are onto a good thing, and now, so do we!! Can't wait to return!

I visited St Rose on a relatively gloomy Saturday morning, but this cafe was beaming with bright lights and positive vibes. My friend and I were seated on a communal table down the back which actually enabled some privacy and we weren’t shrouded by noise.

We ordered our coffees - a flat white with beautiful coffee art, which tasted delicious. For food, I chose the famous maple ricotta hotcakes which were perfectly balanced - the light fluffiness of the hotcake, smooth creaminess from the vanilla cream, sweetness from the mango curd and maple syrup, and perfect amount of crunch from the granola and walnuts. The beauty of this dish was that it wasn’t overbearingly dense, like I have found some hotcakes from elsewhere can be. My friend ordered the chilli scrambled eggs which she thoroughly enjoyed too.

I had always wanted to try one of the smoothies, so opted for the protein warrior. This smoothie was a balanced mix of nuttiness, sweetness and protein.

Like my experiences at Pinkie, No 19 & Bowls Baby, the service was impeccable. Staff were friendly, happy and super attentive. Overall, a positive dining experience and two thumbs up!!

Food: 4/5
Environment: 4/5
Service: 5/5

I love St Rose which is situated in a shopping strip that is close to my heart...Rose Street Essendon! The café has outdoor seating and is cute and bright inside. The coffee is superb and the food is great as well. On my most recent visit I had the chilli scramble with the nduja giving it a special touch. Perfectly cooked and a hearty breakfast. My friend had the breakfast burger, which I have had before, and i rate it one of the best breaky burgers ever. Bacon, a fried egg, spinach and hashbrown, on a toasted bun, it always always hits the spot.We then shared the Ricotta Hotcakes for dessert, which were visually beautiful and very tasty as well. Served with mango curd, mascarpone, granola, fresh berries and maple syrup it is a large and filling dish. Love these guys. Thanks for having us!

It’s been a while since I’ve been out for a nice afternoon. I really enjoyed the food here at this busy cafe in Essendon.

Although small, it’s also very cosy and has enough space for a small pram. It is also very close to the train station, perfect for those who take the train to and from work to grab a coffee.

The meals are presented well, taste amazing and are at a reasonable price.

The sister cafe to Pinkie and No.19 is just as great as one would expect based on the other two. The bright, cheery fit out and varied yet classic menu make for a top tier dining experience. I always feel the need to try a coffee at any cafe I visit, as a spot's ability to do a decent soy flat white speaks volumes about their overall skill. St. Rose passed the test. My coffee was a positive indication of things to come. Drink number two was a vibrant purple smoothie made with protein powder, blueberries, maple, nut butter and almond milk. It was basically PB&J in a cup; I could drink it all day.

For food, I tried one special: the rich tkmato-based Mediterranean baked eggs, served with toasted bread. It was essentially a Shackshuka, complete with runny poached eggs and a sprinkle of dukah. My take is that it should be added to the menu permanently. I couldn't pass up the corn and haloumi fritters (no bacon, plus a hash brown). The hearty cakes were at once sweet and salty and went down beautifully with a swipe of pumpkin puree or a bite of avo from my final dish, the superfood salad. I tried this salad first at Pinkie and then here. I would gladly get it again and again. The haloumi and hummus add texture and flavour and protein, balanced by about a week's worth of kale that makes up the base of the dish.

For healthy food that doesn't taste like it, St. Rose is a fitting destination. I can't wait to visit again.

Mezze (Daily Specal?) 
SO GOOD, the balance of sweet and savory flavours is perfect! the crunchiness of the diced salad mixed with the pulled lamb shoulder makes a good combination. The Hummus and purple dip makes the bread and dish more flavourful. The presentation was on point, looked very nice! Overall If i could, I would eat this everyday :)

We turned up at 9:30am on a Saturday and immediately got greeted by their staff at the door. The place was contemporary and has a warm cozy vibe. Food quality exceeded our expectation especially the Mediterranean egg dish on the special menu. Coffee was amazing. They even offered two types of almond milk- natural and creamy. I went with the creamy kind. Absolute delicious.