Reviews Willsmere Station Cafe & Wine Bar

The kunefe dessert here alone is worth a 5.0, but then they back it up with superb service and amazing entrees, mains and sides too (the chickpea salad being a highlight). Shut up and take my money

Willsmere Station is a trendy, brunch café in a quiet area of Kew, that has turned into night time bar, featuring heavy inspirations drawn from the Middle East and Turkey. With moody music, neon lighting and a cosy interior, Willsmere Station is definitely a unique option that one hasn’t seen many of in Melbourne, and for those adventurous foodies, I would highly recommend trying it out!

Tucked away in Kew, Willsmere Station is a cafe by day and wine bar by night plating up delicious Turkish dishes. I was fortunate enough to attend a blogger brunch where I had the opportunity to sample a number of sweet and savoury dishes off the day menu.

The food here is highly influenced from the south of Turkey with many of the dishes featuring garlic, yoghurt/labneh, flatbread, hummus and spices. Everything we tried was flavoursome and beautifully presented.

Savoury dishes sampled included the manti (Turkish beef ravioli), menemen (Turkish scrambled eggs), Willsmere Feast, Cilbir eggs, lamb flatbread and spiced pilau. The highlights for me were the manti, menemen and the cilbir eggs.

The bite sized manti dumplings served with garlic yoghurt and Aleppo pepper butter were delicious and surprisingly addictive. I was a big fan of the menemen Turkish style scrambled eggs w/ peppers, tomato, onion, garlic and flatbread. Although relatively simple the dish was quite tasty and satisfying.

In addition to savoury dishes, Willsmere Station is known for its desserts and I highly recommend that you save room for at least one. Sweet dishes sampled included the waffle, ganache, kunefe and rice pudding. I highly recommend that you try the kunefe featuring Kadaif pastry wrapped around stretchy cheese with Turkish ice-cream and syrup. I loved the different textures of the dish and found that it was beautifully balanced and not too sweet.

Coffee here is by Cartel Roasters and it is ethically sourced. When visiting in the evening they also have a selection of specially sourced Turkish wines available.

Overall I rate Willsmere Station ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5 and I highly recommend that you check them out. Thanks very much for having me.

Last weekend we were lucky enough to be invited down to Willsmere station to try out some of the dishes from their all day brunch menu.  The relatively new cafe serves offers an interesting menu with a strong Southern Turkish flavour.  All the dishes were packed with flavour and made fresh using good quality ingredients.  

The interior is cosy and tastefully decorated in bright whites and pink accents.  They have plenty of seating outside too so you can enjoy the sunshine or bring along your fur baby.  I should also mention that the Cartel Roasters coffee is very much on point.

By night, cafe becomes winebar - an addition very much needed and welcomed in the Kew area.  They have a totally separate dinner menu with flavoursome stews; various flatbreads; a slow cooked lamb on eggplant puree; and a fabulous sounding Turkish beef ravioli.  There's also a grazing menu if you are seeking something a little lighter with your bevy.   Wines, spirits and cocktails are all on offer with some hand selected Turkish wines on the list as you'd expect.

The dessert menu alone is worth coming here for!  We really enjoyed the chai rice pudding with brandy date puree, and there's a deep fried cheese wrapped in crispy pastry served with Turkish ice cream!   Looking forward to heading back soon to properly check out the winebar!

We were invited to an event at Willsmere Station today which was a really impressive cafe cum wine bar of a nighttime. What differentiates this venue from the many others in Kew and indeed throughout Melbourne is that the menu has a modern Turkish influence which was both unique and delicious.

We had the opportunity to try several dishes from the menu the standout for me from the breakfast section was the menemen which is a yummy Turkish style scrambled eggs, the cilbir eggs were also extremely flavoursome if you’re up for a bit of a kick. I also definitely recommend adding the sucuk!

From the lunch menu my favourite dish was the spiced pilav with sous vide lamb shoulder, absolutely delicious. If it’s your first time trying Turkish food the manti are well worth experiencing and are described as a Turkish style ravioli. I’ve also heard them referred to as dumplings before, definitely worth checking out something different which is certainly what this restaurant provides.

So we have well plated, high quality food and we also have delicious traditional desserts with a twist. There’s truly something for everyone here, my husbands pick was the rice pudding but I vote for the kunefe, you really can’t go wrong and the coffee is exceptional too (not to mention all ethnically sourced).

Quite an interesting, small place across the road of the Flatiron. They are very nice people in here and I think they have a great atmosphere about the place. Not only a small eatery but this place can deliver great food on your plate, which will make you want to be back for more.

Melbourne is so fortunate to have so many high quality cafes around the suburbs and Willsmere Station Cafe is another one to add to the list.

We ordered a number of items today. The chef's choice (which included a lovely cup of coffee) consisted of flatbread, smashed avocado, beetroot hummus, roasted tomatoes and poached egg on dill labneh. The beautiful, delicate plating was a feast for the eyes and everything on the plate tasted amazing.

The citrus glazed pumpkin was a balance of mouth popping flavours. And for dessert, we had the kunefe ball with pomegranate molasses syrup and Turkish ice cream. This was quite sweet but washing it down with the iced coffee was a satisfying experience.

Looking forward to our next visit!

Such a unique cafe with delicious food - what more could you ask for? We ordered some savoury and dessert and everything tasted amazing! The cheesy Künefe balls with turkish ice cream was delicious and nothing like Ive had before. The Shakshuka was so flavoursome and I also loved the Figjam salad. The location was easy to get to and being a busy area, parking was a little difficult but manageable. Thanks for the wonderful experience!

Delish lunch today.... flavoursome food with great friendly service. Weather wasn’t great, but cosy inside, will be back next time to sit outside in the sun with our puppy.

A few of my friends visited here a few weeks ago and had a lot of great things to say about it so i decided to check it out this morning. 

The first thing i noticed walking in was the great vibe, the soft music in the background, and along with some great decor it was a very pleasant atmosphere.

I had an espresso which went down really well and also the Lamb Kofta which i might add was exceptional, and im not just saying that, it had a mix of flavors and textures that i just cant describe, but it was the tastiest thing i've eaten in a long time and would highly recommend it!

The staff were also very welcoming, responsive and efficient and were readily available when it came time to order, take away finished meals and also pay the bill.

Would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys fine dining (at cafe prices) and great coffee, a great atmosphere and great service, the perfect place to spend a Saturday morning with friends, 5 out of 5 stars without a doubt and would highly recommend.

This Turkish inspired cafe in Kew really takes your Melbourne dining experiencing to a new level. The food here is absolutely fantastic, and the venue itself is very modern, and very welcoming. It’s not a huge indoor space, but I think this makes dining more intimate with that personal touch allowing the staff to really give you an amazing dining experience. They have great outdoor seating also which is lovely on a sunny day! We enjoyed the Shakshuka eggs with spiced tomato and pepper sauce, goats cheese with flatbread. The the lamb kofte, beetroot hummus & dill labneh. Then the amazing famous kunefe donut. Highly recommend visiting this place!

Willsmere Station Cafe is located on Pakington Street in Kew. Initially opening as a cafe, they have recently expanded to offer dining on Friday & Saturday evenings.

We were invited along for the launch of the wine bar which is a great space with beautiful long wooden tables inside & out. They have a large selection of natural wines, cocktails & a relaxed tapas menu. The owners are clearly passionate about what they do & their knowledge of wines was impressive.

We really enjoyed the Prosecco, the gorgeous cheese platters & trying some canapés based on some of the brunch dishes. Willsmere Station is a relaxed wine bar & perfect for a quiet evening sampling good food & wine. I’d love to go back & try the full brunch menu. Thanks for having us.

A great new addition to the already wonderful cafe and bar set in Willsmere Village. The food is eclectic, well presented and tasty, with a Mediterranean focus, as well as vegetarian friendly. WSC should do well and prosper. Recommend a visit. You won’t be disappointed!

All Aboard! Melbourne’s inner suburb of Kew is home to the latest addition to our vibrant coffee culture. I set my sights on Pakington Street, and ran express to Willsmere Station. Owner operator, Akin Celik isn’t a stranger to the area. In actual fact, Akin was born in, and has lived his entire life in Kew. He even attended the Kindergarden two doors down as a child, which is still in operation today. It’s a lifelong connection to the area that has seen him return home, so to speak, after a stint out in Ringwood. Growing up in the area, Akin always felt this pocket of Kew was lacking the intimate style of eatery and wine bar which he craved, and tended to venture into the city for. When the stars aligned, and this space became available, he jumped at the opportunity to create the very venue he yearned for.

Paying homage to the suburbs history, the name Willsmere Station was chosen for this corner spot with a European sophistication that overlooks the Willsmere Village. ‘We couldn’t bring the train line back to Kew, but we’ve done the next best thing’. The unique approach brings with it a snug café by day, wine bar by night, with a handpicked coffee and wine list, and a tapas style food menu which draws heavily from Europe. Willsmere Station brings with it an element of the café culture which I find to be an imperative, yet dwindling feature - service by passionate staff, who not only know what they're talking about, but love sharing their appreciation without fear or favour; a great atmosphere that’s conducive to such an appreciation of wine and coffee; and most importantly, a solid wine and coffee list. Designed by Akin, the fit out has a touch of class, with a dash of comfort. Tan upholstered chairs offer practical elegance, while clean white walls and natural tones such as Tasmanian Oak present the ideal backdrop.

The carefully curated menu matches the style of dining common to a wine bar, with tapas style options, and rotating mains and desserts that draw on seasonal ingredients, which are locally sourced and organic where possible. All day breakfast options include their signature Benedict, which is bread free and served on a ham croquette with a pea puree; Cilbir Eggs with garlic and herb labneh on Turkish bread; and a Hickory Cauliflower Salad with skordalia, labneh, mint, and barberries; as well as Cheese Boards, and Charcuterie Plates. The Dinner Menu presents a taste of European, with Pintxos, Tapenades, House made pickles, Duck Liver Parfait Crumbled Mussels, and Eggplant chips to name but a few.

Coffee is sourced from Veneziano, with rotating single origin beans from guest roasters. The current Colombian Gesha presents a vibrant cup, with blood orange tones. With its strong neighbourhood vibe, Willsmere Station is set to become a Kew hotspot, open daily from 7am to 3pm (Closed Tuesdays), and 8am til late on weekends.