Review Abacus Bar & Kitchen - Melbourne

Very good location and great design of the venue. Staff are friendly and helpful. Love the look of the food and love the taste even more! Recommend the house aged butcher's cut the most as it has a beautiful aroma of the beef, especially when having it with the bone marrow. The lamb rump is served with pumpkin, which smoothed the whole flavour. The drinks they recommended are also lovable. Will definitely share the experience with my friends and come back again.

One of the larger cafes at Chapel Street. I like how the space is all open with lots of natural lighting and filled with plants. Reminds me so much of a cafe in Bali (minus the heat). A wonderful place to hang out and spend the day. The flat white oat coffee I had was just a little more roasted then usual. As for the blue swimmer crab crumpets it was a little too doughy for my liking, wishing there was more crab than crumpets. I must say I liked the side salad very much, which tasted like tart sweet apple slices (heard it’s either raddish/turnip).

Super speedy, lovely and friendly service. I just popped in to get an iced coffee as no other coffee place nearby was open and they got right on it! Love the ambience and the decor, will have to come by to try their food next time. Iced coffee with alternative milk for takeaway was $7.50 which I thought was reasonable for how good it was.

Went on a Sunday afternoon and enjoyed the live music while having our meals. Tasty food and friendly service, the reserved coffee was excellent. Love the seasonal truffle dish! A perfect environment for dating or catching up with friends.

Great service. Flavours (especially in the sauce) was delicate yet flavourful). Cocktails were also creative and delicious. Atmosphere and ambience was also on point. Would be happy to visit again.

Such a great experience, staff was super friendly and patient and considering how busy it was they still paid attention and would stop if we needed. Food so delicious I am salivating just remembering my dish and cannot wait to go back for more! The place itself the atmosphere is great and well designed.

Really lovely dining experience. The atmosphere of the restaurant is modern and sleek. The food and drinks were tasty and beautifully presented. The staff were very friendly and food arrived in a timely manner. Overall a great place for my lunch today.

The place is nice and it looks very trendy from the outside, always with big crowds. But the food is overpriced and doesn't match the expectations of what you're paying for. For the same price you can get a better and bigger brunch with a more diverse menu of options to choose from in any nice brunch place in Melbourne. That tiny little snack/side on the pic is the lobster ceviche, which is ridiculously small and it barely has any lobster, it's mostly avocado puree, and that's $10. The mains don't come with bread so you have to pay extra $2 for 2 slides of bread. This is a restaurant for ambience and appearances only, food wise is not worth it.

Never again... They don't quite seem to comprehend the meaning of hosting. I should have looked at the review from a couple of days ago before coming here because it summed up my experience perfectly. We walked into a fairly empty restaurant, only to be left waiting around awkwardly for the "host" to come and seat us because the two other staff members apparently didn't have the qualifications to find us a table. When we were eventually seated we were given two empty water glasses which seemed to be for decretive purposes only until halfway through the meal, and after finally getting the waiter’s attention, we were brought water. Trust me when I say we needed the water to wash down the dry and overcooked pork that was served. Placing this dried, inedible meat, which they called a "pork chop", to the side we ate the peas and corn and shared the small piece of steak between the two of us. After finishing our now shared steak, we uncomfortably sat around waiting for someone to address the pork that was obviously not on our fork but instead the waiter proceeded to clear the table and ignored the lonesome chop. Eventually, we resorted to hailing down the "host" and politely explained that the pork was overcooked and we evidently hadn't eaten it, and this should reflect in the bill. Finally, she returns and states that it was our fault that we hadn't received any service and that no one had come to check on how we were enjoying our meal, perhaps she already knew the food was sub-standard! She then proceeded to say that she could take a whopping $4.50 from the $25 pork cop and walked off, whether self-righteous or embarrassed I simply could not tell. I finally regained her attention and explained that $21.50 is a bit over priced for a plate of peas and corn. To this, she responded again that it was our fault that we had not told them and that is what they are there for, and they had assumed that we were still going to eat the obviously discarded pork. I found this particularly amusing as they had cleared all of our cutlery and even taken away our water with which we would have needed to wash the pork down had we had the courage to attempt to eat it again. She then continued to say that we could receive 50% off the dish, but that was the best she could do. Funny, because I thought that was the least she could do. Wanting to get out of this cringe worthy situation and dreadful restaurant, we agreed. The only good thing I can say is we were served a dismal apology with a good helping of blame. As a regular patron of Chapel Street, often with visitors in tow, I will no longer recommend or give an ounce of my hard-earned money to a restaurant that has no value or respect for their customers.

Top Notch! Have come in once with a big group, and a couple of times, solo trying to bang out work - works equally well for both, in a cinch. Ditto date nights and such. Genius orchestration of this airy corner down the street from Prahran market into a "bar and kitchen" - works so well. Open, green, clean lines,airy, beautiful lighting, potted plants and absolutely top notch food and drink. To define top notch, try some of the real simple stuff on the menu - say the bread - sourdough, they bake onsite served with fantastic local Olive Oil and a Walnut Dukkah par none. Ask for some olives and you get perfectly smoked almonds, plump olives and pickled Jalapenos on a heaping plate, for barely much $. Quality craft brews and coffee...AND...I saved the best for last...the music...goodness! - some of the best tunes in all of Melbourne. The onsite DJ knows how to keep the place jiving - morning, noon and night. This place has it down! and down pat! Just go and experience for yourself!

Have had coffee here several times as well as breakfast before work. Apart from the great menu and differences in food style and flavours, if ever there was a place to watch and learn about customer service, then this place should be on your list. Order a coffee and just watch the interaction. The attention to customers is second to none here. Welcoming you like YOU are the reason they open their doors. When there is time, they chat and have a genuine interest in who you are, what you do and what you are wanting from your visit there. Many cafes (and other businesses) down Chapel Street could learn a lot about customer service from this business!

An unexpected absolute high quality unpretentious gem in chapel st. Driven by extraordinary innovative taste sensation cuisine and such caring genuine personal service I highly recommend this restaurant bar. I felt like I had been transported to an exotic place w the clever interior design open design. Melbourne needs more of this.. Abacus you deserve the best .. you are real, super fabulous so personable and honorable ... we"ll be back and we are telling everyone about you !

July 21st - Food overall was mediocre, but we came in 10 minutes before the kitchen closed so I knew BOH would be pissed and accommodated my expectations to fallow suit. But the steak sandwich was closer to medwell when I ordered midrare, the plating for the octo was different quantities and all over the place for the 3 orders we had. The server we had took our order then I was cut I'm assuming, because we had 0 fallow up by her after our food was ran. Instead we had a depressingly unprofessional hostess check on us maybe twice for the last hour of our stay, who when I commented on my meat temp being off replied with, "OMG you didn't liiiike it?" I didn't say that child, I said the temp was off. Not wanting to deal with her incompetence I simply asked for it to go, to give to a flat mate who wouldn't care. When she brought it back she had the gall to say "here's the sandwich you didn't like but wanted to take away." Fallowed by an eye roll, at this point I was looking for a floor manager. Asked another server for the bill and a manager, waited 15 min neither came. Went to the front to have the check settled, the same hostess couldn't find anything I ordered on her own POS, and literally point out for her what I ordered on the screen, she honestly could have just printed us check and had us circle items but she was too flustered. I really can't believe she was ever hired for a position in the service industry. During all this mess the GM which I eventually found, had 0 floor presence apart from a few tables at the front who he seemed to know personally. Honestly from manager to manager, figure out what you need to motivate yourself to seek quality service.

Fantastic food, the Mooloolaba prawn ragu is the best I have ever had and worth a try! Service was also upbeat and very welcoming. Would definitely recommend to family and friends.

Amazing food and huge attention to detail with the decor and fit out! Always has a good vibe, day or night. Nothing else around like this in Melbourne - It really is one of a kind. Great service too - personal and professional. Can recommend!

My pizza needed another 5 minutes at least in the oven and my partners porterhouse was swimming in oil and was horrible. We came to Melbourne to experience some great dining and recommend here. Disappointed

Fresh flavours and nothing is over done. More the place for a light lunch but has a simple fare that works for a breakfast/brunch. Staff are attentive and helpful. Instagram friendly space and plates of food. Snap away

Great casual and fun vibe, top notch food and worth heading in for the drinks alone!

Disappointing and not child friendly. Waiter complained that my two year old daughter was eating some snacks that we had brought from home. A first for any cafe we have eaten in. Regardless of your food menu, being so unwelcoming to young families is pretty sad.

A really chic and upbeat restaurant with fresh food created. A good range of choices for both vegans and meat lovers. Loved the hospitality from the staff when we dined in a summer night and they kept the ice chips coming!

Outstanding meal... Ricotta dumplings.. the best meal I’ve had in Melbourne...

Fabulous place for brunch. Good vibes flow throughout. Food great and the staff aim to please

Beautiful place. Great atmosphere. Coffee was great and the Margherita pizza was delicious

Service was very quick. Had to fill in a corona virus registration form that took a minute and took the waiter a short amount of time before we got an option on whereabouts we’d like to sit. We were a bit confused when we were sat and served just water as we expected a menu?? But turns out the menu was on a GIGANTIC blackboard with chalk; that left us a bit confused. Although the hipster cafe look of it was great, it wasn’t as legible and you had to walk to the middle of the store to see the menu so we ended up searching the menu up on hour phones on their website. We made our way around the order and drinks. The cocktails were amazing, so was the steak and octopus, however the cocktail prices were pretty expensive. Overall the food was great and ambience was good.

Came here a few days ago. To be honest, I probably wouldn’t have if my partner hadn’t suggested to try it as it’s not really my kinda vibe. <br/><br/>The coffee was nice. Interiors are probably what you expect it to be; minimal, plants here and there, people trying to be hipster or whatever. Staff that was on was fine; friendly but seemed a little disinterested- the table service was fairly slow; not a big deal, it’s iso, just happy to be out. <br/><br/>Only writing this now as I feel like it’s generally relevant; I don’t really bother with cafe reviews especially not during these challenging times for businesses as I don’t wanna seem like a jerk.<br/><br/>I ordered the market fish w/soba noodles and my partner order the pork belly. They both read really well on paper however upon arrival; we were both pretty underwhelmed. The portion sizes of both dishes were the size of my fist clenched. They were entre sizes. <br/><br/>The fish was fine; but to charge $28 dollars for it when it basically comprises of like aprox 100g of soba noodles, bonito flakes, some broth and some spring onion curls. Please explain the food costing that goes on here for the tiny portions of food that’s being sent out. I left hungry. <br/><br/>The pork belly dish was sub par at best. It was $24 dollars for a small portion where the fat hadn’t even been rendered down properly, skin was hard and inedible. If you don’t know how to cook pork, leave it off the menu. The cauliflower and nduja purée was average; not too sure why they weren’t separate components as that’s not how the menu reads. Then 3 half pieces of brussel sprouts.<br/><br/>My partner had like 3 bites and left the rest of it. Just wasn’t much to each the dishes for the price you pay. Generally disappointing. Would recommend taking items off the menu if food costing is an issue. Just not worth what they’re charging. <br/><br/>Plenty of better cafes around. They’ve got good ideas; just missed the mark. Expensive and both left hungry. Go somewhere else and get better food and value from your jobkeeper wages; unless coffee and fancy looking cafes are all you care about; I wouldn’t recommend it. <br/><br/>Sorry for the shiet pictures. Took them after I had one bite but the fish is pretty much what I got, the pork is to show the fat, and well, there wasn’t a lot on the plate to begin with tbh.

Situated on Chapel Street, Abacus features an open, light filled dining experience that dishes out amazing small bites paired with delicious cocktails.<br/><br/>It’s unfortunate that same can’t be said for our mains tonight, and it felt as if the big bites have been executed by a completely different kitchen and chef altogether.

Celebrated my friend’s 21st here 🎂 Great atmosphere & vibe, sophisticated / classy deco. Dark lighting, giving you the high class feeling. Food was great as well 🍝<br/><br/>If you’re lucky, you might be able to secure a deal on EatClub with 30% off your total bill. <br/><br/>🗓 Visited in August 2019

Abacus surpassed my expectations in every way except the size of the menu. I would have liked to see more variety.<br/><br/>The decor is great: feels like a Scandinavian interior design expo with hanging gardens.<br/><br/>Seats: comfortable, padded, both low and at the back of the seat.<br/><br/>Drinks: cocktails were original with lemon myrtle, wattle seed etc. <br/><br/>The GSM wine was excellent for around $60 a bottle.<br/><br/>Menu: extremely original with one novel Australian ingredient, I had never heard of every two items. <br/><br/>This restaurant is one of the few that can claim to be ‘Contemporary Australian’.<br/><br/>Best dish: fried ox tongue and the octopus.<br/>Worst dishes: cheese croquettes, tartare (too coarsely chopped, and not enough secondary flavours to the meat).<br/><br/>Service: truly fast class. Amber, our server, negotiated every obstacle I put before her. No easy task when you are a severely grumpy ex chef. <br/><br/>A second Dutch server was equally competent. <br/><br/>Amber had style and grace. She performed better than my last server at Vue de Monde.<br/><br/>Out of 8 or 9 restaurants I’ve visited recently on Chapel St. This is by far the best. Expect to pay a little more for this superior package.

My Lord, the most mouth watering, conversation silencing 3 pieces of Wagyu steak I've had. Simple, delicious and very flavorful.

After being a highly successful brunch cafe for many years, Abacus Bar and Kitchen has successfully expanded its culinary expertise in Modern Australian cuisine to offer up a similarly popular dinner menu. Sipping on happy hour cocktails in the beautiful alfresco dining terrace, with an interior decorated by green bushes, floor to ceiling open spaces – honestly the perfect Springtime treat!

Abacus is located very close at the heart of Chapel Street. We instantly fell in love with the building and the high ceiling restaurant with lots of greeneries which we love so much. Love the semi open air restaurant with chilling vibe and really nice place to stay around hanging out with friends or families over drinks. We’re so excited to be invited to try their new menu. <br/><br/>Yay: Portobello mushroom fries, Japanese fried lakes entrance gummy shark, Flinders ranges wallaby carpaccio, Speck & gruyere croquette, Chicken liver parfait, Seafood linguine, Whole market fish cooked with confit shallots and fried seymour greens, Tiramisu<br/>Nay: N/A

Boring overpriced food drinks were great but food lacklustre and really boring won’t go back for the food better places to eat in south Yarra that’s for sure

Very nice venue - visual wise - breakfast of salmon and croquettes looked great but where simple in flavour, It was nice. The doughnuts are not recommended - tasted like tough dough and a bit of granola underneath - texture and flavours did not go together at all.. ps very expensive.

Abacus Bar and Kitchen is a beautiful and contemporary restaurant perfect for a special night out. They offer an array of delicious dishes and unique cocktails to suit all tastes. Portion sizes are also reasonable. Would recommend!

We popped into Abacus to check out their recently revamped evening menu. Abacus is still one of the nicer venues we have seen in this part of the world and we love that green feel about the place that we mentioned in our previous review. <br/><br/>We ordered cocktails and sipped on the Rosella Spritz and Slow Sunrise Sour cocktails whilst discussing the menu. The spritz was refreshing and not too sweet a nice way to start the night. The Slow Sunrise sour was punchy, frothy with vegan friendly aquafaba instead of egg white. Both dangerously drinkable. <br/><br/>The new menu is all about sharing with a lot of key ingredients sourced locally. We selected a range of dishes of various sizes to make up our meal. For starters we had the chicken liver parfait, speck and gruere croquettes, tuna tartare and wallaby carpaccio. <br/><br/>The parfait pate was silky smooth and absolutely delicious with bang on perfect texture.  When I paired this with the pickled vege and salty pickled plums and the crunchy thin toast my tasted buds exploded. A truly fabulous combination. <br/><br/>The spec & Gruere croquettes had an awesome crunch, a sweet smokey flavour and a wonderful and cake with a beetroot infused organge segment for some pizazz. (Wow....., just wow). <br/><br/>The tuna tartare had a wonderful delicate texture, a tangy dressing, sensational popping roe, a tinge of heat from the chilli, it was extremely pretty to look at and very very easy to eat.<br/><br/>The Flinders rangers wallaby carpaccio came on watermelon and was sliced sliver thin. Exceptionally tender and highly refreshing <br/><br/>For larger dish items we ordered the scotch fillet (medium rare) and the seafood linguine, perfect sizes for sharing.<br/><br/>My steak was tender, with a superbly juicy peppery flavour, served on a bed of silky, creamy herbed garlic and topped with a pepper berry crumb. <br/><br/>The housemade linguine had the most amazing texture, it was generously smothered in a rich hearty seafood ragu and topped with delicious crispy salt bush.  <br/>Along side our mains we enjoyed a crispy light palate cleansing fresh salad. <br/><br/>For dessert we tried the poached Seymour apple with nut crumble and vanilla ice cream. The firm poached apple was sweet and I loved this deconstructed apple crumble.<br/><br/>We also tried the tiramisu had a great coffee hit and was topped with crunchy coffee soil, a good strong finish to our excellent evening.<br/><br/>Previous Review<br/>4<br/>We came to this light, bright and green decked out cafe in search of a tasty beverage while we waited for a friend to arrive for a quick chapel street dinner elsewhere. I loved the space and feel about the place. Long Bar area and a wood fire pizza oven were definite features as was the large tree growing slap bang in the centre. <br/><br/>We ordered off the smallest drinks menu I have seen in some time (in size not qty) and both had the same idea of G&T. Fortunately they had Four Pillars gin so we knew we would be in safe hands. Gins came out sexed up by orange slices and babys breath flowers and was a wonderful flavoursome gin to start the night off right. <br/><br/>Pizza looked really good as did the espresso martini’s

Very average. Food looked great but unfortunately tasted bland. Really expected more given the place looks fantastic and is always busy. With so many amazing options in south yarra, I won’t be back.

I have wanted to go eat at Abacus for some time now.<br/><br/>My partner and I headed off to Abacus for dinner. To start with we had a cocktail each, I started with a rosella spritz which was delicious. <br/><br/>This restaurant uses mainly local Australian ingredients which I really appreciated. Even the cocktails used bush food ingredients. <br/><br/>At another table I saw this most delicate cocktail and I had to try one. It was called a “Quandong Fizz” cocktail was sooo delicious, OMGosh everyone needs to try one of these. It was slightly acidic, but the froth cut through and provided a hint of sweetness to the drink. WOW! Hahaha <br/><br/>We initially started with some sourdough bread w olive oil and dukkah. This was absolutely delicious. The bread tasted like it was made w beetroot and the dukkah worked so well. Yummo! <br/><br/>We then had some kingfish tartare, which was delicately prepared and full of flavour. <br/><br/>I tried some port Lincoln sardines w ricotta and Coffs Harbour macadamia nuts. This was yummy, w the ricotta pink and slightly sweet. <br/><br/>We shared a main dish of Aylesbury duck breast, w plum and goats curd. This dish was exceptional, and the duck was served slightly above room temperature, and perfectly cooked. The duck almost melted in my mouth. <br/><br/>This was my dish of the night until I tried the dessert special which was a Magnificent Manchego Corn Cake. The was a Manchego corn cake was served w polenta, Manchego cheese, coriander crumble, raspberry coulis, and Earl Grey foam paired w mango and Raspberry Haagen - Dazs ice cream. OMGosh this dessert was at another level. It was soo tasty, it was one of the best desserts that I've had in a very long time.<br/><br/>This restaurant is easy to find on Chapel Street and it is a must visit! The cocktails are superb and the food, incredible.<br/><br/>Thanks to the owner for the opportunity to visit their cafe, and for extending an invitation to me.

A beautiful looking restaurant, with a great ambience. There a great big tables that look good for work meetings too.<br/><br/>I ordered the granola, which ended up being a bit basic for me. The grapes were still in a bunch and mango still in the skin, so that felt a bit odd having to do that myself. As much ad i love all the fruit it came with, it did seem a bit random to have grapes with granola but maybe thats just me! The yoghurt it came with was lovely though.<br/><br/>The potatoes tasted great, beware, the sauce has quite a bite!

The place to bring your friends from out of town for a beautiful Melbourne brunch experience.<br/>As soon as we walked in we were amazed by the beautiful decor and openness of the restaurant. The service was prompt and friendly and the dishes we ordered were delicious - special mention for the BLT which was thoroughly enjoyed. I also ordered a chai latte which was perfect.<br/>Would definitely return when in the area!

Abacus has launched a refreshed menu in time for Spring, designed around their usual concept of sharing plates and fresh local ingredients. House-made Crisps. There is a distinct difference between store-bought and house-made. The crisps were extremely thin that it was half transparent from the oil, and was delicately crunchy.

We were invited to Abacus today which is one of the most instagrammable spaces in Melbourne. The super high ceilings with beautiful dangling pendants lights create a really contemporary environment and the greenery is abound making for quite a lux setting.<br/><br/>The menu is not your typical brunch fare, it’s definitely elevated to rather fancy standards, perhaps a little too fancy for my tastes. I had the avocado on toast which was served on a vibrant beetroot sourdough which was pretty cool with some squacqerone cheese. This is a fresh Italian cream cheese which was yummy.<br/><br/>Our sweet dish however was a little strange for a lunch menu item, rhubarb and cinnamon donuts with liquid nitrogen. This is really more of a dessert even with the presence of the tart rhubarb. I think this dish would have been more enjoyable had I not eaten it post the avocado toast as it sat in the liquid and became extremely soggy post the theatrical smoke show. Regardless while it’s certainly a pretty dish it is most definitely not a substantial lunch item so for $23 don’t expect to be full. <br/><br/>Original review <br/>Warnings all my best friends in town from interstate which means we are going to eat everything but the kitchen sink this weekend. Was popping to the Prahran market to buy gourmet goodies for Dinner En Blanc and stumbled on the super dooper Abacus. Open less than three months it's already cemented itself as a go to brunch spot with its beautiful open space. <br/><br/>There was quite a line when we arrived at around 12.30 so given I we starving I used the time to Insta stalk the dishes and aid my selection. Less then ten minutes passed and we were ushered to cool (open) windowsill seating. The menu was all things eclectic think charcoal toast, fennel nips and volcanic rock (what does it all mean??) so I decided on the special which was rolled oats milled and roasted to order (faaaancy) with roof honey. Wow. Finally a stunning breakfast dish sans flowers.<br/><br/> It was absolutely beautiful, well balanced and really delicious. The mint gave it a little something to balance the sweetness but why you no destem the strawberries?? My friend ordered boring old scrambled eggs on toasts (hooray they give you two pieces of bread) with a side of tomatoes and another side of mozzarella. It came out looking spectacular. <br/><br/>They must be some seriously free roaming chickens because I've never seen eggs that yellow. The cheese was super fresh too (of course I tried some it looked amazing). My other even more boring friend had Vegemite on toast which is usually unremarkable but the house baked bread was apparently excellent. <br/><br/>There was also a dj spinning which sounds kind of off for brunch but was actually really cool. The giant to the ceiling fig tree was stunning and the woodfired oven took pride of place for the nighttime pizzas. Interiors and food utter perfection

I am a fan of hearty meals that are unpretentious when it comes to taste and aesthetics. Being a melting pot of food hubs, it can be a little tricky to find THE restaurant, that suits my preferences, amongst the many restaurants Melbourne that has to offer, especially in heavily populated suburbs such as Richmond or Fitzroy.

Abacus never fails to impress. With the ambience, elegant looking cocktails and interesting food menu. <br/><br/>The decor is beautifully thought out, with plants everywhere your eyes wander and it's very bright and spacious with modern furnishings. <br/><br/>I was feeling something sweet so ordered the Rhubarb & Cinnamon Doughnuts which were delicious! It was quite a sophisticated dish and even came with liquid nitrogen which was awesome. <br/><br/>My friend couldn't resist ordering a few cocktails after seeing how pretty and colourful they were. We tried the Quandong Fizz and the Rosella Spritz. Can't wait to try more off the cocktail menu and also dine in for dinner.

Walked into this restaurant on a sunny Sunday afternoon, but we managed to get the table two minutes into waiting. You can tell that the staffs are very efficient here by the way they keep things clean and organised. Despite couple of zomato reviews that said their portion is too small, the dirty steak I had was just enough for me. If anything I think I should’ve asked for more jalapeños on my steak cus they tasted so good together! I also liked my kale juice but I’d go for the pinky lemonade drink next time (they say grass is always greener on the other side) 😝

This place screams classy.  It doesn’t shut at 3pm like many cafes.<br/> There is enough space for prams. There are enough tables to arrive without booking. The food is fancy enough to impress your Instagram friends. And, to my surprise, there are many vegetarian options for brunch.

Beautiful cafe with a plant and light-filled fitout. The coffee is really nice and prepared quickly from the takeaway window if you're in a rush. Service was a bit disorganised but friendly.

Amazing place to visit for either breakfast lunch or dinner. The drinks selection at night is very impressive!

Omg... I asked hot water for my baby formula milk and they charged $1.50!!!! This is so crazy. Even though I expanded this, they said they still have to charge it.<br/>Never go back!!!

Loved the foods and service here. We ordered the pasta, mushroom fries, steak ends and cauliflower and each dish was absolutely delicious! Just the perfect balance of flavour and texture. Highly recommend going here. Once you taste the food, you'll know why

Friend introduced me to this place about 2 weeks ago. It was just in time to try out their new spring menu. I ordered the Tasmanian Smoked Trout. I loved the colors that was incorporated into the dish. It was served with beetroot sourdough which was soft in the center but slightly crispy on the outside. You can taste a slight hint of beetroot. It goes so well with the smokiness of the Trout.<br/><br/>I had a little taste of my friend’s Ballarat Breakfast which he enjoyed immensely. Loved the chorizo!<br/><br/>The food came really quickly and I’m glad that all the dishes were served together. I loved the aesthetics of the cafe. It was really big and spacious with lots of natural light. The seats were also very comfortable.<br/><br/>Would definitely come back and I’m really keen to try out their new dishes again!

Modern style restaurant.The vibe is great and the staff are really friendly. Food tastes wonderful. I really enjoyed being here. Highly commendable!

Had been eyeing place for a long time! Finally went in for quick coffee and snack. Drank extra hot latte which was refreshing and strong enough 👍 and the Almond Croissant was heaven.<br/>Would love to come back again and explore the food they offer. Lastly, their interiors caught my eyes, so airy, the colour scheme and the staff sp friendly. Overall, good experience.

$5.50 for a medium Almond latte that tasted revolting. Strong Burnt flavour that was so overpowering I could not drink it. <br/><br/>Also, Coffee window closed with a sign on it saying staying warm and to go inside which is not particularly convenient early morning. <br/><br/>On the plus side the interior design and decoration were nice.

Dined here on Saturday evening and thoroughly enjoyed it. Met warmly at the door and seated without hassle. Dinner & wine was delicious.

Overrated food. Service polite but not warm

We dined at Abacus as part of the recent The Fork 50% off promotion.<br/><br/>Abacus is a beautifully designed restaurant with a warm, relaxed ambience due to the use of indoor greenery.<br/><br/>For starters, the Geelong lamb fillet paired beautifully with the tanginess of the tzatziki. The Mooloolaba prawns were served butterflied and had a great smoky flavour against the Thai red curry.<br/><br/>For mains, the papardelle pasta was generously soaked in a buttery sauce which offset the prawns and rockling fish. The market steak was cooked medium rare with a generous helping of sauce.<br/><br/>The dessert was one of the best tiramisus we've ever eaten. Served somewhat deconstructed, the dessert had a good punch of coffee againt silky smooth cream and strawberries.<br/><br/>This is definitely a place to go if you want to impress your date. Be sure to also check out the drinks during happy hour!<br/><br/>Tastiness: 4/5<br/>Value: 5/5 (due to promotion)<br/>Satisfaction: 4/5

Went for breakfast nice seating outside, coffee was spot on, breakfast was a little too over worked, bacon and egg roll had an overpowering sweetness.. <br/><br/>Need to dial the adventurous pairing of ingredients back on the breakfasts trying to be a little too quirky <br/><br/>

Been here few time, not a big fan of the coffee, tried their brunch and their evening menu, the food was great, but the portion of the dishes doesn't really justify for what they charging.

Very good place on an otherwise unappealing street. We will definitely come back. Great place for friends and family. Good coffee, delicious food!

Will come back for:<br/>+ Portabella Mushroom Fries<br/>+ Tiramisu<br/><br/>Came here for a bit of dinner and was impressed with the space. Modern, airy and big. The food seem to more designed to be shared over a drink or two then necessary a sit down dinner. A lot of the foods were fried and rather single note. I did really enjoy the portabella fries, which was moist in the middle and crunchy and well spiced and crunchy on the outside. The fish fries though need a lot more spices though. We also had the mixed carpaccio, which whilst nice needed more pickles. The pine mushrooms miso soup was ok but not my favourite. But I like the deconstructed tiramisu, as you can mix the parts you like yourself to suit your own palette. Service was good and efficient. A good water hole to enjoy a few drinks with a few mates and perhaps get some tid bits to munch on.

Awesome joint, I went without a booking and they kindly freed up a table for us. Food was delicious, service was great, I will be back!<br/><br/>Great decor and relaxing environment, the prawn pasta was the best!

We had a lovely evening dining at this restaurant. The waiter(curly hair guy with glasses) was very thoughtful. He gave us recommendations and did a very good job. <br/><br/>We ordered portobello mushroom chips, steak, smoked pasta, and tiramisu. my favourite was the smoked pasta with prawn and fish. The flavour was so special and the pasta was really nice! <br/><br/>Love the vibe in the restaurant especially the couch seat...can easily spend hours there and eat all the nice food while sipping wine.☺️ <br/>

This restaurant has a beautiful interior. Absolutely loved the greenery on display! This would make the perfect brunch place. <br/>Unfortunately, I came here for dinner and couldn’t get a good look at this restaurant because it was fairly dim inside.<br/><br/>Upon arrival, two staff were at the front desk chatting away and didn’t acknowledge and greet us. Had to stand there to wait until they had finished their conversation. <br/><br/>We got seated at our table... noticed they were understaffed. One of the waitress, was busy sitting in the corner folding napkins and ignored the restaurant front.<br/>Wanted to order but there was only one staff floating around, one serving food. <br/><br/>Received our food and everything tasted fairly average. Ordered a whole fish snapper and it wasn’t deboned... spent a very long time removing the bone - there was just way too much bone and the fish was over grilled and salty.<br/>The pappadelle prawn pasta was bland and spent a while removing the shells. I have not worked this hard during any of my dining experiences. In addition to that, we never received a spare bowl to put our bones/shells. Had to use our own dish. Everything was messy and tiring.<br/><br/>The only thing that I believe I enjoyed most was the salad because there was something off about the food. Either the flavour wasn’t right or something was burnt/ overcooked.<br/><br/>Would I recommend Abucus to family and friend? Definitely not for dinner. Perhaps okay for brunch<br/>Would I come back to Abucus? Maybe for brunch only?

Third time visiting. This time I did not go with the lunch time, instead i went there in the late afternoon and the menu is completely different. The fried shark meat on the menu attracted me and I ordered it. It was served with yuzi sauce , mayonnaise , salt and pepper. The other dish was beef with cheese and potato. I also recommend that.

Nice interior and fit out but rude waiters that seem uninterested in helping. Food took an hour to prepare on a quiet Sunday night, where restaurant was definitely not at full capacity.

huge portion and most of the dishes were yummy. i enjoyed the small plates！steak was cook nice，only concern was little bit salty. brokrn potatoes was so nice and also the fried fish. i also enjoyed my pasta.

Interesting take on the steak sandwich. Had a unique and delicious taste — also good for people who are health conscious. Only thing is; despite the prices the dishes aren’t large, so worth considering if starving..

Nice atmosphere with lots of space and nice decor, and coffee was decent! Only came for coffee but a few appealing options on the menu.<br/>Downsides - served later than other patrons arriving later than us, another rude waitress who literally dropped the coffee on the table and walked away, and a cashier who was apathetic to say the least. Staff apathy/attitude seems an ongoing issue according to the reviews.<br/>Why bother? Perhaps save it for a takeaway coffee so you don't have to experience the staff. Plenty of other options around<br/>

Decided to give a try to this place from their high rating... we ordered bacons and chilli kimchi eggs, foods are so so only but coffee are nice. Cafe ambience also cozy n nice. One of the waitress was quite rude, we still have our foods on our plates n she came n took away our plates without asking whether we done with our foods, cafe was quite empty so not sure why she need to do that.

The restaurant had amazing reviews and thats why we went. However, they did not have the lamb shoulder which is what we really wanted, so we opted for The Rib Eye and it was very average and over salted. Rest of the dishes were good but not amazing. They did not have a dessert menu, and a choice of two desserts were given to us. We went for Tiramisu with berries, it was underwhelming and not tasty at all, no thought was really put into it. The ambience was beautiful. For what we paid, I would think we should have had an amazing experience. Over all a good feed!

Love the atmosphere and the ambiance. Been there a couple of times for coffee and drinks. Staff is always very friendly and attentive. Will definitely go back to try the food!

I would avoid eating here at all costs. We experienced the worst dining experience possible last night.<br/><br/>When ordering our food, we had to grab the attention of the waiter on duty, the restaurant itself seemed quite short staffed, either this was the case or we had been forgotten in our seating position. Our experience through the night got worse, we specifically asked for our food to arrive together. Our options were limited as one of the four main dishes was unavailable to order. After waiting for 45 minutes, two of our side dishes arrived, we explained that we asked for the dishes to arrive together. We then waited a further 15 minutes for our main dishes to arrive, this was in total one hour from ordering our food. On requesting to speak to the manager, we were reluctantly offered a glass of wine, by this time we were extremely hungry. The food was average at best. Members of our table were wanting to leave and eat KFC next door.<br/><br/>This place can be a good place to visit for a drink, however I would strongly advise against eating or dining at this venue.

Came in for a quick coffee hit and it didn’t disappoint. The decor is stunning with high ceilings, green plants and green marble tables.<br/>We ordered cappuccinos and the froth was perfect. Only improvement could be that they added choc to the top like a normal cappuccino as that’s my fave part! Keen to come back soon and have some food.

Ordered a hot chocolate and a pain au chocolat for afternoon tea. Was not disappointed. Great atmosphere and friendly staff. Felt very welcome and will definitely come again!

I essentially ordered scrambled eggs on sourdough for $20. $12 for the scrambled eggs, $8 for the sourdough. I ordered some extra croquettas for $5 each as I was feeling like an extra treat. I'm sure they have their reasons for the pricing. <br/><br/>The positive is that the venue itself is lovely and spacious - it's nice eating in a large venue. Abacus came when there was an excess of hole in the wall cafes. The negative is that it is a bit costly for breakfast or brunch. It probably markets to a certain affluent audience which I am not it. I prefer my cafes to have a local community feel. While this is not a bad place on any means, I probably won't be back given the nearby options available. I can't justify the prices.  <br/><br/>I calculated my score on the abacus, and I'll give it 3 stars. 3 stars is a bit harsh, but it's definitely not 4.

Everything was delicious <br/>Beautiful dishes <br/>Refined and just tasty <br/>Great service <br/>We ordered <br/>avo on beetroot sour dough <br/>avo with pumpkin croquets With black beans charred corn <br/>And broken potato’s <br/>Short black and hot chocolate <br/>Couldn’t fault anything <br/><br/>

Another hidden gem right in the heart of Melbourne. The ambiance was smooth and inviting . <br/><br/>Staff was very professional providing 10/10 top class service . <br/><br/>Dishes were design to share hence the portion and price. <br/><br/>Bread was made fresh . Mushroom dish was need a bit more tweaking .<br/><br/>The fish of the day was well grill much better than lots of places . The rib eye med well cook.<br/><br/>Dessert well mix with tiramisu and choc moose .

Such beautiful place to eat. I came here for brunch an enjoyed a wonderful meal with friends. The ambience is very appealing to the eyes too. Will definitely be back again soon.

Coffee was burnt, but food was incredible! th epickled carrot on the pumpkin poached egg breakfast plate was amazing. The decor is gorgeous but lacks a bit of atmosphere

Came here for post-dinner drinks and also brunch so I think I’m quite across what this place offers - I would say you are paying for good ambience and service. I really enjoyed the Great relaxing environment while we unwinded with happy hour drinks on a Friday. I couldn’t get enough of abacus so I came again for brunch - ordered the ballarat bacon and grilled octopus. In terms of culinary excellence, there’s no doubt that the cafe serves up unique brunch options. The grilled octopus came slightly cold sadly but the chorizo and feta was a good combination. Coffee wasn’t the best I’ve had in the area but acceptable.

Just stopped in for a quick coffee. Was an extremely inviting environment. Hostess was very pleasant and eager to please. Enabled me to chat and select off menu without standing over me. Coffee was great as was the Almond Croissant. The look of the place suits the locale. Prices were as expected. I’ll be back.

Amazing ambiance and great staff! The food quality is one of the best I’ve had in a very long time. Kudos to the team. I would rate them 5/5👏🏻👏🏻

Excellent contemporary food in a stunning setting. Came here for a light dinner and cocktails before going out for the night. Was recommended a Rosella Spritz which I hadn't never had before and thoroughly enjoyed it. Had the sardines, crudo and finished with the pork jowl. Everything was cooked perfectly and flavours were beautiful. Friendly and attentive service. A piece of gold on an otherwise sad strip of Chapel Street.

We went there for the first time on a Saturday afternoon around 5pm when there weren’t many customers in the cafe. However the lack of service we received was enough for us to walk straight out despite how hungry we were. The 2 girls at the entrance did not bother to look at us nor did they come to greet and ask what they could help with. Eventually they decided to acknowledge the fact that the 3 of us were still standing by the front desk and asked what we were after, with no facial expression and made us feel unwelcome. And we still weren’t offered a seat or asked to wait for a second when we expressed that we were there for dinner not drinks, we decided to leave and go somewhere else. <br/>Simply will never visit again and will never recommend to any friends. This is the first and only occasion where the brief experience was so unpleasant to a degree that I decided to write a review publicly. Very disappointing and shocked by it too.

Been here for brunch a couple of times now and the food was exceptional on both occassions. We loved the creativity and the balance of flavours and although the price point is slightly higher than most other cafes, it's fully justified by the quality of ingredients used within the dishes. I would suggest going slightly later in the day to avoid any potential queues.

Just had the pork jowl which was a michellin dish on its own. The sauce that you pour over it was amazing and the pork so soft and juicy. Very nice and excellent experience.

A 10% surcharge on weekends, on an already heavily overpriced menu, can take a serious back seat! Why not just price your menu accordingly?<br/><br/>Their coffee is good, but @ $4.50 standard (plus that 10% if you're ordering it on the weekend) it's a joke.<br/><br/>Beer selection is solid, but again, expensive (plus that 10% surcharge).

Arrived for a 5 course native menu hosted by Clayton Donovan. I follow Clayton so was very happy to taste his menu again. Everything was amazing as usual.

really bad service here and overpriced food! I tried to ring them several times and there was no answer. Then once I arrived in person, I ordered takeaway (the cafe was very empty as this was during the week).. it took over 20 mins for them to make avocado on toast (no eggs or any ingredients added that required cooking). There were 4 staff members near the register who completely ignored me while I was there. I kept staring at them trying to make eye contact until I finally got someones attention and I had to inform them that I could see my takeaway order ready and sitting at the counter. They were unaware. I wasn't offered a bag or cutlery and the service felt rude and rushed. I haven't tried any other dishes on the menu and this one did taste fresh but I'm suprised to be charged so highly for such a small serving. I wont be back.

Incredible decor, love the vibes! Food was alright, a bit pricy though (once in a while is ok)! I had the mushroom with rye bread, the dish was a bit flat and basically just mushroom and bread..the chilli loaded egg with kimchi was interesting!

Incredible decor and space with marble stone theme, a touch of class. Abacus serves amazing coffee. The oysters from Coffin Bay were fresh and juicy. Had my first try on broccolini and like it better than the broccoli. Not a fan of their lunch, the octopus was not tender and chewy. I think it is not fresh or it is a result of bulk cooking in the morning. The chilli loaded eggs is acceptable. Would be back for the coffee and decor but not lunch.

Last nights' Valentines' Dinner with Clayton Donovan was a very special occasion. Service was impeccable thanks to our waiter and and the venue itself is stunning.

Love Abacus! Greeted by a hostess on the door, friendly staff, great range of food. The use of Australian produce is great to see too. We'll be back!

No doubt one of the best in Melbourne, and serves amazing cocktails. My favourite drink Sunshine Moonshine is just 🖤. I’ve tried their Werribee Tomato Fondue, which surprisingly made me full, and also Confit Broken Potatoes on different occasion. My visits here have always been pleasing.

Gorgeous venue with a small menu for brunch, but some interesting dish ideas. I went with 2 friends and had to wait 10 minutes for a table. A couple arrived after us, were seated before us on a table for 4 and we got seated 5 minutes later, crammed around a 2 person table. Service was OK, but staff were only doing specific jobs and our "ordering" waitress took forever to come back to us after we ordered drinks.<br/><br/>I had an iced coffee, which was a bit bitter, and the pumpkin and avocado dish, which was absolutely outstanding. Great portion size and great combination of flavours.<br/><br/>Friends had the octopus and the avocado on toast, both said they tasted nice. We also ordered oysters on the side, which my friend demolished.<br/><br/>Great food, but service needs to improve. They also don't split bills, which made it awkward at the end of our visit.

Quick update April 2019<br/><br/>Went back for a brand new menu (fall or winter maybe?)<br/>The service was still amazing.<br/><br/>I still think cocktail could be improve.<br/>This time around we had snapper for whole fish and thought was a tad dried.<br/><br/>Pork jowl was a highlight.<br/><br/>I would like to add that the new menu has a great variety cater for vegetarian and vegans!<br/><br/>But overall i personally love the old menu a little more :)<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>What a place! Modern Australian cuisine at its best for semi-fine dine/casual.<br/><br/>Heard about this and walked passed this many times during the day but i finally got a chance to visit this at dinner and I brought my overseas friends along.<br/><br/>First of all, the place was beautiful. Very airy. All the windows were open and it just gives you a really cool vibe.<br/><br/>All the dishes were really well prepared and tasted amazing. I had to really give it to the lamb dish ($70+) with feta and vegs. What a combo! I had a few people at the table who have swore off lamb in the past and this dish have fully restored them back to how lamb are supposed to be like. Whole fish was wonderful as well. And all our side dishes were spot on. Very generously portioned.<br/><br/>I will definitely bring people here for a good modern australian menu with an affordable price!<br/><br/>

Loved the ambience, friendly staff and food was exceptional. The octopus was a little chewy but overall great coffee and food, would go again.

Awful and overwhelming experience at this place, staff were rude to us, mixed up our coffees, put feta on my dish when I requested no dairy, my partners ”eggs on toast” looked sickly, provided no receipt at payment, didn’t ask for feedback, placed us in the most over sunny spot in the venue. Would not recommend this place in my experience ever.

Just want one straw. Two waitresses asked us to wait a moment and they just serve other new customer .. After 15 mins we finally got our straw...

The place is quite good and coffee taste nice. However, this is the first place I've heard there is a weekend surcharge of 10%, that is a bit sad!

A nice, cozy and forever-buzzing place in the heart of South Yarra, Abacus seemed to be THE place for Sunday Brunch.<br/><br/>There's lot of character to the cafe by means of decor, open kitchen, and so much greenery around.<br/><br/>Ordered a Mackerel and Anchovies, Octopus Tentacles and Bacon's over Beef with 3 Hot Chocolates<br/><br/>Hot Chocolates were delicious. Requested an extra Hot but don't think they did.<br/><br/>Bacon over Beef was the winning dish of the day. Super moist and tender smoky Beef Brisket with Onion Jam was just delish. Bacon was cooked to perfection.<br/><br/>The Mackerel and Anchovies had a beautiful balance of sweet, savory and citrusy (acidic).<br/><br/>Octopus tentacles could have been little tender but no complaints.<br/><br/>Service was quick and efficient. Plenty for Vegan and Vegetarian to choose from. Pricing is a bit high for the portions they serve, although, everything served on.the plates tasted fresh, and thus, worth it.

Was highly recommended Abacus. Was really disappointed with the experience. Coffee was served warm in a cool cup, so the temperature of the coffee went from a hot to cold beverage in moments on a cool Melbourne morning. The fruit sourdough a few days old, the charred corn was raw and the enoki and potato hotcake was really under whelming, no flavour. <br/>Worst of all no staff member came past our table to ask, how our meal was going. <br/>

Beautiful cafe. Large & usually able to get a seat even in peak periods. Coffee always absolutely amazing. Haven’t eaten here but food always looks fabulous. A go to for a fantastic coffee in south yarra

Heard lots about this place, we had lunch and it was really good. Service was friendly and efficient. The food was spot on, tasty, looked amazing and came out quick. Highly recommend if your down chapel street

Unique food items presented well for dining. The staff were friendly and kind. I felt that the food was prepared healthy and organic refreshing the palettes. <br/>The only thing I felt was that when I was looking at the menu was that the restaurant could have specified the menu in detail to identify the vegetarian vs meat items. <br/>

Great food, awesome space, very friendly staff and an exquisite menu. So many interesting and tasty dishes. Great coffee and cocktails too. Pricing not too OTT. Will definitely be visiting again.

Food is fairly good overall (not the desserts), but seriously tiny servings for the price. We were recommended a share platter of the fish dish for 3 people and told that it would be ‘plenty’ along with the starters we ordered. It was more like a meal for 1, but double the price. I suspect they did this because they knew we had a Dimmi discount. Unbelievable mark up on a bottle of wine... $58 for something that would normally cost less that $10! We left hungry and disappointed. Will not return for dinner. No idea what breakfast or lunch is like, but I suspect the same. So yes, if you just want to be seen in a trendy place down Chapel St, then go for it. Otherwise, head somewhere else.

Great place for a lazy lunch / afternoon on a popular corner on Chapel Street. The food is good and the service is too. I wouldn't hesitate to come back.

2nd time here and still love this place. Spacious. Great use of plants as decor inside. Refreshing hibiscus pink lemonade. Well presented avocado and crispy pumpkin croquettes. Such a colourful dish . Friendly staff.

Abacus was very busy. The decor was modern & stylish. Staff were friendly & service was relatively fast. I ordered the <br/>avocado & pumpkin dish: black bean, charred corn, carrot, tomato, goats feta, avocado, pumpkin croquettes & poached egg. The carrot was hard so it was difficult to eat. The pumpkin croquettes were delicious & filling. The dish was beautifully presented & all the food elements worked well together.

This was my second visit but the first for my four other guests. I suggested this place because I had a good experience the last time and so I wanted them to share that same experience. The night started well enough. But the waitress who was assigned to our table started to take orders things started to go south from there. There were two main meat dishes. She kept correcting us when we were trying to our our mains. We would say 1 Wagyu and she would repeat back "the steak", we said the 2 x Angus and she would repeat back "the skirt". This went on for like 2 mins and there was only 5 of us. It was confusing as we kept having to go back to the menus to check. Eventually we thought she had the right order. When each of the mains came she would say the steak or the skirt and we didn't know and had to ask for the menu to check. It soon became apparent that she took the wrong orders. She went back to the pass and the kitchen was also confused.<br/>Sharni stepped in and in an instant she fixed everything. She took over the table and the rest of the night was a bliss. Honestly Sharni saved the night.<br/>The food was delicious and everyone most enjoyed what was ordered. Portions was a little small on most of the dishes but the taste was highly delicious. You could tell that the meats were sou vous very well and than finished. Tops marks to the kitchen. We shared the entree (small plates) and each ordered our mains.<br/>It is highly recommended. Just make sure Sharni serves you!!!

Absolutely loved Abacus! Came here with my mum for lunch and we shared a couple of small and large plates, and we enjoyed it all but we could not speak more highly of the ceviche and the pan fried fish! The flavours of both were tasty and fresh, both were perfectly cooked, and everything was well presented. The actual venue has a modern chic feel, and we came on a sunny day where the whole place was open and airy, such a great summer vibe! Will definitely return.

A very disappointing visit at 8.30 this morning. Coffee arrived as ordered and promptly but luke warm. This was followed by eggs ( both diners) which were cold and inedible.

More of a 3.5 for me but I’ll round it up for the interior design.<br/>The food at abacus is always satisfying though perhaps not anything impressive. Still one of my favourite brunch places in town. <br/>One thing that I really appreciate is the menu every season. You can however always count on the usual suspects being on the menu (avocado with toast, scramble eggs) though with a different twist each time. And if you aren’t a avocado and scramble eggs fan, there’s plenty of new and interesting dishes on it too. <br/>I would say that consistency in a few of their dishes is problematic as I’ve experience the same dish prepare/cook multiple ways, the good thing was that they were still tasty each time. <br/>The atmosphere of the cafe plays a huge role in being a pull card with attracting customers but beware that the music that they play to keep the place pumping can fall on the louder side rendering intimate conversations non-existent. <br/>Overall a lovely place with satisfying food choices that change with the season, delicious bread and situated in a convenient location near the market.

Well done for design, but that’s where it stops. Customer service was below average no friendliness staff seemed like they didn’t want to be there. Over priced food! Seems like a common theme with other reviews