Review East Ivy - Ivanhoe

I went to try this cafe out as it was recommended by a “foodie” friend. At first glance it was a cosy warm fit out followed by a warm welcome by the owner Michael. The order was taken promptly and the breakfast was sensational. The Coffee and fresh OJ was also amazing . 5 out of 5 star for these guys. Definitely the best local cafe around.

Very nice Cafe and owner and staff. Nice and airy can sit right outside, inside or on a kind of balcony that’s warm and protected but lets air in. The coffee was very good and toasted sandwich too. The waitress couldn’t do enough for us. I’m bringing a group on a walk in a few weeks and she said happy to let them use the toilet as no Public Toilets at these shops at all. Up there for food and service. Thanks so much Moira

Great spot tucked away off the main street with nice outdoor seating. Good coffee, delicious food and fast service. I'd highly recommend the huevos rancheros with added chorizo.

Awful service. The guy yelled at me when they forgot my order and then messed it up after that. The coffee tastes like warm milk.

Michael, the barista was rude and disrespectful to his staff - swearing and raising his voice at a new employee in front of customers. Throughout my visit to this unfriendly cafe I witnessed the same employee get blamed for the kitchen being too slow. East Ivy was drastically understaffed and the barista needs a serious attitude check.

The waitress was very kind, however, our coffee had no coffee in it. It was literally a babychino. When we kindly asked, he was extrembely rude about it, telling us we should have asked for a double shot. Honestly though, if you had looked at the coffee, you wouldnt have known it was coffee, it was just milk... :(

Love this place!! The Coffee is always good and consistent. Tried the burgers recently and wow that sauce is amazing! Burgers cooked to perfection. Very hard to beat!! The onion rings also 😋😋😋😋 Yum...

Owner of this place (I think?) is astonishingly rude to staff in front of customers (could only imagine what happens when customers aren’t around). Needless to say, I walked out of there before placing an order!

My family and I have been coming here since the business first opened. Initially we were very pleased with all aspects of the shop. Service, quality and pricing. However of late we have stopped going due to the portion size which has dramatically decreased since they opened. I took another punt and went yesterday as I can sit outside with my dog to be greeted by a lovely waiter and served a delicious meal - however yet again for nearly 20 dollars the salmon was literally cut in half and there was about 1 and half cut up kipfler potatoes on my plate. Disappointed and not to return. If you are going to halve your meal sizes please halve your prices.

The wagyu burger, oh god the wagyu burger, possibly the best burger I have ever eaten. If you are a fan of burgers you MUST try it!

I rarely review a restaurant however on this occasion the feedback might be helpful. Today myself and 3 friends came in for lunch and were bitterly disappointed in the service. The food was fine however the service we received was less than impressive. The waiter/batman assigned to our table was unable to determine the difference between sparkling and or flat wine and stated that the sparkling that was served (no bubbles) was indeed old sparkling that had been opened for a while. The dishes were not collected from the table and had to ask and make known that we would like more drinks after an hour waiting. Shame because we were wanting to have a few rounds of drinks and only served one. Better luck next time.

Ivanhoe area has long been lacking modern healthy cafe. East Ivy delivers with a twist. Innovative menu catering to fussy tastebuds, gluten free and dairy free. Attentive friendly staff and great coffee. They even have quality almond milk, for those kicking the soy milk habit. Food is great - eggs poached to perfection. Child friendly. My new favorite cafe.

We had a lovely Father's Day breakfast today.. the food great (smashed avo & the chilli scrambled eggs) and coffee was bang on! Service was good and I love that its doggy friendly too! �

Small hidden Gem !!! The food was amazing Loved the chai. Cute set up

I cannot think of another place that surpasses East Ivy Cafe for the best coffee, food and service. If they had craft beers on tap and a bed out the back I would never leave.

East Ivy was a great find for me. I'm select full with my coffee shrines and once I'd found it, I'm a regular. It can get crowded on the weekend, so prepare for that. Fantastic service and atmosphere, East Ivy is in my top three for the local area.

I love east ivy! Just around the corner, warm place with the friendly staff. Food is creative and very delicious. I'm always taking people here for an experience :) I absolutely love the fritters!! � keen to see some of those fabulous mexican dishes come back too.

Thanks for the great coffee and hot cakes. The banana cake sample was amazing!!! So good to have a semi-local brunch destination. Now please open another one in Greensborough, a postcode starved of good food, coffee and style!!

Had breakfast here after driving past many times Food was yummy, coffee was good and service was perfect

Went in for lunch today and ordered two iced coffees and food. The wait was ridiculous and I had to remind the staff 3 times to make our iced coffee. The guy on the bar (don't know his name) was slow and inefficient , and our food arrived well before the coffees. I was not impressed, and to top it off , his attitude was appalling . When I finally did get my iced coffee , it was dumped in front of me , with no apology! Bring back the old barista please! He was great!

Just had the best 'Magic' I've had in a very long time ...great coffee great food all wrapped with fantastic service :)

If I was an East Ivanhoe (or even just Ivanhoe) local this would be my daily coffee shop #proudmarycoffee. Side note: the guys that run this place are champions.

East Ivy was as my favourite place for breakfast and coffee in Ivanhoe. Not so much anymore. Food and service changed with the new management. Such a shame.

As always, great coffee and good food.

I love the coffee and the chia pudding is a great take home breakfast.

I loved their hot chocolate & smashed avo with fetta!! Yum! The only downside was they had no cakes or biscuits that were gluten free. I think they ran out.

Food was absolutley amazing. Beautifully presented and delicious. Found it a bit disgusting that they keep the baby highchair 3 feet away from the public toilets though.

Emerging from the coronavirus lockdown, we are making a point of trying new places as well as going to our old favourites again. I loved that the eggs benny came with a gf option, as many places use non-gf hollandaise, and although it tasted good, the coffee was bitter, which was disappointing.<br/>It was only after we left that we realised they hadn't taken our details to contact us if someone turned up sick with covid - oh well, we paid by credit card so I suppose they can still trace us. Oops!

Unimpressed by the service at this cafe and over priced food

I rarely have a bad thing to say about any cafe but was completely disgusted by the owner’s service. He was not at all friendly and was abusive to his employee’s even in front myself and other customers which after reading the other reviews would be the reason why the friendly employees are leaving.

Horrible service, barista is always on his phone instead of focusing on what he is doing. Food is decent but no respect to customer. Really disappointed.

Yea yum! There were a few vegan smoothie options to choose from. They are probably a bit pricey though. Nevertheless, it was a good place to go to.

I used to love coming here, but over the last few months it’s really changed. The friendly staff that used to be there are gone, and the food and coffee quality has dropped. There’s more variety of food (particularly sweets), but the food itself doesn’t look fresh or nice. <br/><br/>What really gets me though is the Spotify ads. The place had a free Spotify playlist, but instead of paying for a subscription customers are forced to listen to a Spotify address every few songs 😩 it ruins the atmosphere a little, and I’d rather just listen to someone’s private playlist than ads.

I come to East Ivy once a year to catch up with a friend of mine I went to school with 25 years ago. It’s the perfect setting to catch up and reminisce. Coffee is top notch, food is very tasty and the wait staff are not at all pretentious which for me makes for the perfect morning out.

Love this place, new owners and it's fab!<br/>Coffee is awesome, service friendly and attentive.<br/>Love the breakfasts, must try lunch soon.<br/>Food is super fresh.

Great little gem! I ordered the East Ivy Mexican brekkie today and it was delicious. Great balance of flavours and I enjoyed that it wasn’t too rich or large portioned. Well priced, coffee was tasty & service was friendly & attentive! Would return easily, keep up the great work guys :)

Coffee was good, food was excellent and kiddie menu, just perfect. Child-friendly and lovely atmosphere. We ordered the lamb salad which was delicious and full of flavour. The lamb was tender and tasty. We also ordered the fried eggs with bacon. Top quality bacon! Coffee's we're relatively good and we were able to get a high chair for our little one.

I asked for granola on the side and was given a big bowl of it for an extra $6. The porridge itself was yum but very milky so I was happy to have the granola to soak it up. Good serving size and super quick service. The granola had lots of nuts through it which I loved. The rhubarb on top of the porridge was yum - I would have preferred more of that in the dish to balance out the strong milk taste. Definitely recommend this cafe. The boys r lovely! Tip: be careful of ticket inspectors in this area - I saw lots of cars with tickets!

We get coffee here quite regularly in the mornings whilst out with the dogs. Most consistently nice coffee in that little precinct. We've looked at the menu so many times now but every time we've ended up deciding not to eat because we simply can't quite come at the prices of items on the menu. Smashed avocado on toast shouldn't be $17! Madness.

Really small place but well decorated and have to say my favourite part were the staff. They were friendly and chatty without being intrusive. My hotcake was so delicious and fluffy and coffee was perfect too!

Good coffee, the barista knew what he was doing, however one staff member was quite rude and did not see like she wanted to be there, and the other one forgot about our coffee! I had the house granola! The apple on top was not great because it's not the season but there was minimal fruit purée and the yoghurt panacotta was flavourless! My brother had the burger which was nice but the bacon was not crispy! My sister had the smashed avo and mum had the fritters, both of which were a success!

What a gem! Had the most delicously balanced huevos rancheros here - could have it for lunch and dinner as well! Great coffee, great service. Warm and hospitable staff, clearly happy in their workplace and keen to take care of their customers. Husband had the chili scramble and baby had the cheese toastie from the kids menu. And WHAT a kids menu!! Clear these guys care. Great decor, will be a regular destination now we've discovered it 😊

I live around the corner so I've been to this place a fair few times. Every time I'm not sure whether I'll be satisfied or disappointed. <br/>I visited last month and I ordered poached eggs with gluten free bread (I'm gluten intolerant), with some sides including tomatoes. My food came out with normal bread (luckily I'm not really really allergic to gluten), and they completely missed my tomatoes. <br/><br/>The staff that was working didn't even offer to bring out more bread. My mum had to ask. <br/><br/>The last time I went which was 3 days ago, I ordered the chilli scramble on gluten free with a side of tomato. Delicious in theory but they went absolutely overboard with the chilli, and forgot my tomatoes again so waited until I was nearly done with my food to receive them. <br/>I love a bit of chilli, but this just ruined the flavour of the whole meal. Really disappointing. <br/><br/>Every time I come back there's some sort of problem I encounter. <br/><br/>I'm not quite sure why they've opted for the Asian version of a smash, but it's not that great. Their old smash was better. I'd love to see just some raw salmon on the menu instead of cooked (they don't specify it's cooked either), and kale and spinach as a side together, only kale comes out I'm yet to receive spinach. <br/><br/>Quite inconsistent but the food is still quite yum. <br/>At least the coffee and sweets are delicious. <br/><br/>

Mixed feelings for this cafe,<br/><br/>We had:<br/>long black<br/>soy latte<br/><br/>-House smoked salmon<br/>-Bacon egg roll in Brioche<br/><br/>It was the only place that was open on a public holiday, so naturally we walked in<br/>for brekkie as we were quiet hungry and wanted to eat something savoury before looking for <br/>a dessert place :)<br/><br/>house smoked salmon- although all salmon is just nice by itself, this one tasted like salmon cooked with some liquid smoke sauce. but still tasted nice and salmon was cooked nicely.<br/><br/>Bacon egg roll in brioche - biggest disappointment. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't pre cook the bacon and eggs. spending an extra 2 mins to cook at least the egg before serving would improve the taste greatly.<br/>The brioche... was a disaster, it was dry and possibly stale. (to be honest it looked like the same brioche bun from ALDI). I am not certain if this dish was suppose to be served warm/cold, but I like my food nice and hot..<br/><br/>Coffee was good, looks like at least the barista knows his coffee. had good amount of crema in the long black.<br/><br/>Hence my score of 2.5 is due to the coffee being good.<br/>Barista saves the day.

I've only tried a couple places for coffee in Ivanhoe but this is my favourite. They just get it. Great coffee and a nice place for breakfast.

Had a delicious breakfast here on Sunday past. Tried a matcha latte and the matcha porridge which was really nice but the serving was huge! Next time I'm coming back for the eggs cos they looked amazing. Great spot for breakfast on a Sunday morning.

I had a very matcha (green tea) themed breakfast at this cafe. I started off with the matcha latte which was really nice, then I had the green tea porridge which was different to your usually porridge & very delicious.<br/>Would definitely come back to try some of their savoury dishes.

We're fans of Proud Mary coffee. Loved the crab omelette and the eggs benne, with super flavourful croquette and great hollandaise. Recommend the service too, and was tempted by the fresh muffins but they'll have to be tried on another visit.

Visited here on Saturday with my husband and left satisfied, but not craving a return. I had the zucchini and green pea fritters and while the fritters were absolutely delicious, the salad underneath lacked flavour - but the tahini did help to combat this. My husband had the hot lamb roll and absolutely loved it. The staff were lovely, and the location is great. I just wasn't wowed...but we live in the area so we'll definitely return - maybe when a few more gf options are added to the menu!

We visited two auctions (one for development and one that was way out of our price range, near The Boulevard) before our scheduled brunch, and even though I didn't bid, I was pumping with adrenaline by the time I arrived at East Ivy.

By far the coolest and best cafe in ivanhoe. Finally a cafe in ivanhoe that has coffee to die for.. Beautiful flavour, awesome ambience, fresh yummy food... Its a must if you're in ivanhoe 😊

Omg!!! This place was amazing . Service was prompt and staff were friendly. Food arrived quickly . We had house granola with fresh strawberries and rhubarb purée and sliced apple most amazing and generous serving size. House special duck confit and pork delicious . Will be returning very soon:)

Came here for lunch on work brake, I was tossing between the smashed avo or lamb salad end up getting lamb salad and tasted sensational! Cannot wait to come back and try more food. Great services also, thanks guys

Haven't eaten here, but they do a decent coffee. They use Proud Mary beans, and the barrista's that have been on when I've gone seem to care about quality and consistency.

One of the East’s best cafes is (in, mind you, true Melbournian style) hiding in a street off a main road in a non-descript building in Ivanhoe. For those in the know, the cafe, East Ivy, brings all the finesse of its sister restaurant Lux Foundry to the fore, and then some. The all day menu is accessible as ever, aiming for broad appeal with a blend of Melbournian brekkie staples as well as a few unique touches. Coffee is by Proud Mary, teas by Larsen & Thompson (yes please), and the food is reliably good. All of the things one would expect from a crew who clearly know the brunch game back to front.

Just had the most delightful breakfast. Staff were very friendly. Service was fast and the meal was delicious. Come on your own or with friends. A wonderful start to my day :)

Had the Saturday morning sports drop, and my partner and I decided it to look for a local cafe. Being a local to the area and having tried most of what east ivanhoe has to offer, we noticed a cafe we had never seen before. But saw it was completely packed. We decided to try it and were happy to wait, but the waiter quickly found us a spot inside. Coffee order was prompt (under 5 minutes which was great seeing as there was a line of people for take away and a hoard of cyclists outside ordering their morning coffee). Menu was nice and small with enough to hit everyones taste. (Cannot stand lengthy menus with slight variations that are just filler). I ordered the almond and banana pancakes with poached pear. Whilst my better half had smashed avocado on toast with a beautifully poached egg. Food was prompt aswell. We were in and out and back to saturday sport withing 30-45 minutes. If you're in the area and haven't tried it! Go! You will not be disappointed! Staff were fantastic to us too.

Best local by far. Can't believe it's taken me so long to discover it! Having lived in the area for over 12 months this is exactly the kind of regular I've been hanging out for after so many disappointing experiences at other nearby venues. Few others come even close to the standard and quality of food, coffee and service offered by these guys!

My partner and i have been to East Ivy a few times and the staff are always friendly and the food is good. The fritters are particularly yummy. Would definitely continue to return. Nice having another good option in Ivanhoe East

Exceptional food and service. Been here multiple times now and love of all. The east ivy Benedict deserves an award, and the burger is damn tasty. Can't fault it.

Cool new venue in the north east. Food is above average. Have tried a few dishes and enjoyed them. My favourite thing is the coffee. Absolutely love Proud Mary beans and don't have to travel to collingwood for them now! Easy to park as well with a car park right next to it.

Very good coffee but the food is amazing. Give it a try. Traditional menu items all have a bit of a modern and yummy twist. Highly recommend. I would like a few more newspapers.

Absolutely loved this place and will 100% be back.<br/>The coffee is great (Proud Mary ftw) and the food was beautiful. I had the porridge and would easily say it's in the best porridges I've had in Melbourne (big call, but I'm totally standing by it).<br/><br/>The staff are friendly and attentive without being in your face and the prices are great.<br/><br/>I look forward to coming back ASAP!<br/><br/>PS: The vietnamese coffee is DIVINE

Not a fan of proud Mary coffee but that is me. Food was okay and adventurous but the pancakes were really thick and doughy. Will come back to give it a second go.

Like a regular Ruth Reichl I arrived unannounced to sample the breakfast menu at the 2-month-old East Ivy café, brought to you by the owners of the highly rated Lux Foundry in the hipster capital of Melbourne…Brunswick.  My past life as a mystery shopper came in handy as I surreptitiously surveyed my surroundings and played the part of a regular Ivanhoe East resident popping in for a spot of breakfast.

Eat Ivy is one of the best things to happen in the area. The coffee is amazing AND they even serve Vietnamese coffee. There's plenty of great (and healthy) breakfast options and the service is so friendly. We're definitely coming back. So good to see a great new place in East Ivanhoe.

The noise is unbearable and the chai latte was similar. Better spots only 10 metres away

Attentive staff, great coffee and everything we have tried so far hits the mark -given its only been 4 or<br/>So so weeks it will only get better. Especially love the porridge and fritters. A welcome addition to Ivanhoe. Love the fit out as well. Very New York<br/>Basement feel and love the concrete benchtops

I'm finally taking the next step and joining the ages of reviewing and blogging about my dining experiences.<br/>East Ivy being my lucky or unlucky first. <br/>Having lived in Ivanhoe for years I was very excited to see a new cafe pop up around the corner. <br/>It has all the makings of a great cafe, an interesting menu, coffee by proud mary (big tick for me) and a great fit out.<br/>My friends and I were seated on the green bench seats and straight away ordered coffees which we couldn't fault. The staff seemed a bit wishy washy a bit more preoccupied with their own conversations from behind the open counter. <br/>The atmosphere didn't yet have the buzz of a cafe such as industry beans or top paddock but that could be cause they're still new, but when is new no longer an excuse. <br/>None the less my friends ordered the avo dish, gyoza and my partner and I shared the fritters, and the salmon. The gyoza came out and looked more like a snack than a meal. And was told that the sauce dominated the dishes flavours.<br/>The Avo looked a bit messy and again was ok except the feta was grainy. <br/>The fritters were oily and very average, lacking complexity.. More a case of puréed sweet potato with cumin being very prominent.. The quinoa crumb was chewy rather than crunchy like they were sitting there. <br/>Salmon was nice, although missed the gin flavour or yuzu, perhaps I was expecting too much.. <br/>It was like a really bad G&T where all you can taste is the tonic and melting ice water with a piece of lemon thrown in for good measure. The difference between a bar tender and a bussie making your drink. Fine tuning is definitely needed here.. Maybe worth a second chance in a few months when they iron things out. Disappointed though as I had high hopes. Sorry guys but Melbourne has set the bar high. Needs improvement or possibly a staff change. <br/>

I've updated my previous review after a recent visit as I felt that it fell short and was in direct contrast to previous experiences, it seems that success has caused a degree of complacency. <br/>I won't be back.

I'm the first person to review East Ivy? I think its been open for a few weeks now so I find that surprising. Alas I have mostly positive things to say. Firstly, the interior is amazing. I particularly love the long counter with the great cake display and the industrial feel of the ceiling. The cafe is under an apartment complex which gives it an underground vibe and which is something I love!. It's like a hidden secret! The service is fantastic. Nothing to fault there! The menu looked impressive too a bit of everything which should please most people. I had seen photos of the pikelets/hotcake which looked superb however I felt like eating something savoury. Hence, I opted for the prawn dumpling dish (forgot the exact name of it as its been a few days now...note to self to write a review soon after eating). Well the dish was delicious ! So much so, that I finished it, wanting more! So maybe the serving size is something the management can look at increasing, as it wasn't enough for me! I would be willing to pay a couple of dollars more for more food. I also had 2 coffees. One was a batch brew which was good (from Proud Mary Coffee Roasters I was told) and you can refill it. It would have been nice if I was told what sort of flavours/tasting notes I might be tasting in my brew. Just a minor point. I also wanted to sample a latte. This was the only low point of my whole experience. The latte had a sour milk taste to it. But I will definitely be coming back to try another one soon as everything else was wonderful!