Review The Great Provider - Melbourne

Nice location. Quick service (no wonder though, my plate couldn’t look more simple: two pieces of sourdough, 2 eggs and paper/foil packed butter next to it). Poached eggs were bad, not fresh - not for a weak stomach (still, a few days later can’t look at eggs without pain). They charge $2.5 for a babyccino and serve it in a paper cup, filled almost with milk (milk foam 1/5 part only). Kids couldn’t even hold it (even a 5 y.o. boy who is not a messy eater anymore).

Very relaxed place. Friendly staff and delicious vegetarian options for Vegos! Good views of the St. Kilda Marina adjoining the restaurant. Great place to come with kids too!

Great service, we called in for a burger before Jimmy Barnes Concert..it was friendly, great atmosphere and hamburger was awesome! 😆

What a place. The view of the marina is incredible on a lovely summers’ day. Brilliant food and extensive drinks menu. Staff were lovely, especially Jen who looked after us all afternoon. One of our best experiences in Melbourne- Can’t wait to come back!

We recently had a small function at The Great Provider and they were superb! The location and atmosphere was perfect. The staff were super lovely and happy to help however they could. Rollo was a pleasure to deal with, very thorough and thoughtful. I would absolutely recommend The Great Provider for any function or just for a coffee!!!

Very friendly service and good coffee. Had the pancakes which are always a good choice on any menu. Decor could do with a refresh but the view into the water and yacht club is pretty special.

Eaten here twice, service was good, smiles and very helpful. Nice outdoor element to eat out but be warned on a hot day you will fry as not much protection from the sun. Food was very good too and reasonable-ish prices. View is of a small marina in St. Kilda so whilst no beach/ocean views it's a great place on a hot day to enjoy a cold drink too. Free parking just along from the restaurant too.

I recently booked The Great Provider for my mum's birthday on the recommedation from a friend. From the moment we arrived we were made to feel welcome and as if nothing was too much trouble. We were originally placed inside, but our waitress moved us to the deck area once a table became available. My mum has a variety of food intolerances, and the chef took this into account and prepared a meal for her that wasn't on the menu - and it wasn't just a salad like usual. The food was amazing, the staff were friendly and professional, and the view was incredible. It is rare to find a place that ticks all the boxes - food, service, and atmosphere. This is our new favourite place!!

Awful food. Over cooked and not nice food. Great location and venue but gross over fried calamari. Only had 3 burgers left. No variety on menu. It’s lost it’s zest.

Beautiful food, friendly staff😊<br/>As it's holidays there was a small wait but it was worth it<br/>Beer was cold, everyone is happy<br/>I'll surely be back

Average at best, definitely not bad but I'd find it hard to return with so many better options in the area. Setting is very good and it's a nice bar. I think they specialise in functions so maybe worth a go for a work do or whatever.

Great coffee, delicious food and an incredible view to match. <br/>Great way to end the day after an incredible sky dive!<br/>I'd definitely recommend to friends and family

This place stinks. Ordered poached eggs and bacon, received boiled eggs and bacon colder than my ex's heart. The coffee tasted like dirt and considering we were the only people in the restaurant, the service was truly Pathetic. I wish I could give negative 5 stars. This is the first time I've ever left a negative comment about any establishment, but this place really deserves it.

I recently attended a function at The Great Provider and it was excellent. The location was beautiful, looking out over the marina and the verandah outdoor space was perfect. Rustic and classy! The staff were lovely to deal with and very attentive to our needs. All in all a fantastic space to celebrate. Thanks guys!

We held a function out on the decking area of the Great Provider after being double booked elsewhere. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise as Rollo and his team pulled together our function in a matter of days.<br/><br/>The function space overlooks the Marina with open glass windows creating a relaxed but classy space. We went with a canapes and drinks package and despite our myriad of dietary requirements, Rollo ensured there was more than enough food for everyone.  The staff were very attentive to our party's needs and the customer service they offered was second to none.<br/><br/>A big thanks to the Great Provider!

I was looking for a venue to hold a function for 90ppl and stumbled across this venue. Thought we would give it a try.. sent an enquiry email about the event (still waiting for a reply). <br/><br/>We went to try the place out for breakfast and on arrival had to search to see if the place was even open... it looked deserted and ended up in the skydiving centre as it looked more welcoming. <br/><br/>After someone coming to help us we were sat on the deck, very lovely view... tho the windows are filthy. <br/><br/>We then were given menus and told to come and order at the bar. We were the only people in the venue at this point... <br/><br/>We looked through the menu which looked pleasant... I then ordered and soon after the drinks arrived, coffee was great and the fresh juice was delicious. <br/><br/>To eat we ordered the lighthouse breakfast (eggs scrambled) and the smashed avocado which I added 2 poached eggs.<br/><br/>Shortly after I noticed one breakfast (the lighthouse) sitting up on the warming station, but then 10 mins later it was still sitting there... I then saw our next meal placed up next to it and the chef rang the bell. <br/><br/>I waited a further 2 mins before going up and asking the bar staff if we could please have our breakfasts... after finishing someone's coffee order the wait staff delivered our breakfast. <br/><br/>The lighthouse - scrambled eggs were stone cold! The bacon was also cold and burnt.<br/><br/>Smashed avocado with eggs - poached eggs were cooked perfectly! Smashed Avo had "dried mint" sprinkled over it which was unpleasant to eat and bread was soggy with poached egg vinegar water. <br/><br/>My wife didn't want to complain but I couldn't let her eat a cold breakfast! I took the lighthouse breakfast back up to the bar to which I had to wait to be served... I told the waitress that the breakfast was stone cold to which she apologised and took the plate back to the kitchen! <br/><br/>The plate then re appeared a couple of minutes later which had been PUT IN THE MICROWAVE! The eggs were now like rubber and bacon dehydrated.<br/><br/>I called the waitress back and asked if it had been microwaved and she said yes.. "you said it was cold" I would have thought a basic in hospitality is to remake the dish... especially when it's as simple as scrambled eggs and bacon!!!<br/><br/>Unbelieveable!!! Needless to say I will keep looking for another function venue and will not recommend or return to this place.<br/><br/>

Really poor. We've driven past here many times and we're looking forward to going. The best part about the place was the walk along the beach to it. My wife had the fritters, probably the worst she's had in 12 years of living in Melbourne. My daughter had the burger, and it was raw (not rare). I had the smashed avo which was just a very poorly presented, although tasty, dish. All in all, don't bother, much better to be had.

The Great Provider is anything but. Our waitress didn't know what day it was and was so uninterested. Is it really that hard to smile? The food is average pub food. Of the 9 of us out for a family lunch, the kids spaghetti was the biggest serving - monstrously big. It's so disappointing to go out for lunch and have to pay for something that no one cares about making or serving.

My husband and I ordered the Lighthouse breakfast which was delicious, ordered coco pops for the kidlets, then found out they didn't have any so got toast instead which was lovely. The staff are friendly but the wait was a little long and we were waiting for the kids breakfast long after we had finished ours.

Service was great, couldnt do enough for us, and were great with the kids! Buttermilk pancakes were good and worth a try if you go, coffee was ok. Directly opposit the marina, and walkway, so great spot for people watching

This is a fantastic space for a function. We had a hens in the gazebo area and it was perfect, staff and owner couldn't not have been more accommodating and the space and location is fantastic. Food and cocktails were good too. I've been for lunch before too and it's nice casual food with few good vego options. Will be back.

Came here on Monday morning for brunch. Ordered the pancakes and a big breakfast. Big breakfast was decent. Pancakes were decent too - with that scoop of ice cream on top. Berries compote on pancakes were a great match! Would revisit if I'm ever in the area again.

Went for a set menu. It was the worst food I have had in years...seriously. So awful. We were all making jokes at how bad it really was. Pity though its a beautiful spot.

Beautiful views and a very kind waitress but disappointing food and disappointing service. Drinks forgotten, had to move due to forgotten reservation and calamari was tasteless but salad lovely. Food took its time. Probably wouldn't go back which is unfortunate as it is a lovely spot.

Came her yesterday morning for brekky and a view. What a lovely place, our waitress was so sweet! I ordered poached eggs with smoked salmon and avo which was really good. Easy parking too :) Just at the front woo

Hey guys, just want to say that this place is amazing!!! Outstanding service and very friendly staff. The breakfast meals are delicious and can't really fault their food. Also not to mention the great view of the boats on the water.<br/>We ride here just about every Sunday and will continue to for the future. <br/><br/>Try this place today you will not be disappointed!!

Great function space. Flexible and easy to work with. Rollo and his team made event hosting easier for our SheSpoke Hub and speaking event. I appreciated the bike friendly venue with over 40 bike parking spaces. They provided flexible catering options for all diets and competitive pricing without compromising on quality, and were very easy to work with. We had an unexpected number of additional guests and it was good knowing I can trust them to set up the space appropriately. Guests loved the food and coffee options. The venue even went above and beyond expectations by serving to our guests who were test riding cargo bikes in the car park! I highly recommend them. Funnily enough one of their staff thanked us as she enjoyed working on our event - but we really appreciated the responsive staff too! Thank you Rollo!

A great place for a lively function.. We hosted a 21st birthday in the Gazebo on 17/4/15.<br/> From the moment of initial contact with the venue until we all went home, tired and happy after the party, it was a first class experience. Rollo had everything organised, and his staff were 100% there to do whatever we requested, and were charming and thoroughly professional the entire evening.<br/><br/>Many of our guests commented on how good the food was, and Neil, behind the bar, impressed everyone with his flair and attention to detail!<br/><br/>On top of all this, The Great Provider was the best value for money in the 4 water-side venues I looked at.<br/><br/>(The earlier post purports to be at the same venue at the same time. I doubt that this was one of our guests, as ours were unanimous in expressing how great the night was. Regarding dietary requirements, it is customary to advise your host of this before you attend a function. No such issue was raised with us.)<br/><br/>Rollo, Daniella, Kate, Neil and all other staff at TGP - we can't thank you enough!!

Birthday celebrations. I just want to say a big thank you to Rollo and the team at The Great Provider, for your assistance in organizing and planning a smooth 30th Birthday celebration. You have been a joy to work with and stress free. <br/><br/>Your staff on the night were magnificent, especially our barmen Steve, and another lady whom I didn't catch a name of, however she had her hair in a pony tail and organized a fire for the elderly in the group. They both were a joy, fun and just easy to have around the party. <br/> <br/>Nothing was too much to ask for with Rollo and his team, and I am so thankful for that. The party went off with a bang, all my guest were extremely surprised with how beautiful and spacious the venue was, as you couldn't see much from the road. <br/>Rollo, it was a pleasure once again, thank you very much for providing such an easy going and beautiful venue.<br/> <br/> Will be recommending everyone to book at your restaurant!!!

Unprofessional staff. I went there last night in function. Food was excellent. Location is good. Even than after seeing location i thought to celebrate my birthday party there. But, Really disappointed with service staff. I asked to a skinny girl about Gluten free food. She said “ What !! I dont know. " other one waitress eating guest's food & dancing on floor rather than to serve us. They need to be more professional yet.

It's also really big on adjectives. You have to put some thought into deciphering them and work out what it is you're ordering. Both the dishes we ordered were uninspiring. The food was bland, and the servings were on the small side. All in all, a bit of a shame. It is easy to get a car park and a table. And they do make a good coffee. That's all I've got!

Great Engagement Party in the Gazebo and Outdoor area!. We had our engagement party on a Sunday afternoon in the gazebo and outdoor area and the party was amazing! All the guests loved the venue and the pictures with the Marina in the background on a sunny Melbourne's day turned out great. The finger food, cake and wine were very tasty and of good quality. The Great Provider makes it so easy to plan the event we were able to do so from New York which is where we currently live. The website, brochure and pictures are really well done and give you all the information you need to easily plan your event. The hardest decision to make was whether to have the party inside or in the gazebo/ outside area. In the end we choose the gazebo/ outside area which ended up being fabulous just like the staff said it would be. <br/><br/>Thanks to Rollo, Danielle, Steve and the rest of the staff for making our engagement party so great!!

It Provides. The Great Provider does provide a great outlook, friendly staff and yummy food. Overlooking the buzz of the marina it is a super spot for a quick coffee, a meal or even a party. We often walk down for breakfast and enjoy their delicious fruit toast and lovely coffee. The staff are always friendly and it has great options for indoor and outdoor dining. The Great Provider is a great provider!!

Best Fruit toast !. We come here for breakfast on a regular basis. They serve simply the best fruit toast with jam from The Jam Lady. Who makes exceedingly good Jam. Staff are lovely with coffee to match. It's a great spot to stop along the Bay !

Slow / non existant service. Had calamari & salad. Calamari good portion side, tender, well cooked and really nice. The 3 mouthful of salad accompanying it was also very tasty but it was more like a garnish than salad serving. Shame because it was delicious - would have liked more. Dips were unique, home made and of an adequate size.

Thank you. Thanks to the staff for being so accommodating after forgetting my cc pin. Having my two small children with me whilst waiting for my husband to finish his sky dive. I really Appreciate your patience for me to come back with the cash. Big thumbs up from me

Dirty Glasses, Poor service. So the first time I came here for coffee I was unimpressed by service, but thought I would give it another go and this time service was worse and was given dirty water glasses (one had a bit of coke left in the bottom). Unfriendly staff and dirty tables everywhere and it was not even busy.

Best coffee!. The coffee here is fantastic. I've had breakfast here several times and it's always great.

I had to stop here as an emergency as I was cycling for over 3 hours and needed fuel. Looked at the menu and chose from under the "a little more" section, thinking they'd be larger portions. How wrong I was. The calamari was $22, and though it was palateable, it was not great and when I saw it I waa disappointed with the amount. I ended up leaving hungry.

Had my 30th in the great provider gazebo recently and had the best time. Really easy to organise, amazing food and the best functions manager ever! Thank you!!!

Great Party Gazebo. We recently held a 40th birthday party in the Gazebo on a Saturday night and it was fantastic! The venue was perfect with a mix of inside and outside areas able to cope with the changing Melbourne weather and you can't argue with the LOCATION!!. The food was lovely, plentiful and constant. But, what can make or break your party is the staff and.. they were brilliant! Above and beyond expectation on service and friendliness. We'll definitely be organizing another event here.<br/>Thanks Great Provider!

The perfect place!!. My partner and I just this weekend celebrated our engagement party with the amazing staff at the great provider. We wanted a casual relaxed atmosphere with a warm and inviting atmosphere and the gazebo area provided just that. The staff were experinced and were happy and helpful, which for event planning novices like ourselves was a great bonus. From the moment we began planning to the end of our night I felt we were given a very professional and personable service. The price points of the venue were also great with no room hire and minimum spend you don't feel like your being asked to spend above your budget and the event coordinator also helped us get the best from our budget. Our family and friends enjoyed a beautiful evening and all commented positively on the venue and the staff on the night. We were so happy with how the night went and are so grateful to all at the great provider for making the night such a success

21st birthday celebration. We recently held our daughter's 21st birthday party in the Gazebo room. It was a huge success. Rollo the manager, Danielle, Stevie and all the staff went above and beyond to make the night run smoothly. We were so proud to have our friends attend the venue. We had so many guests comment how stunning the venue was but also how delicious the food was. The backdrop of the boats in the marina and the relaxed atmosphere made it a truly great evening.

Very ordinary, not much more I can add.

Highly recommended. I have been going to the Great Provider for many years. Fantastic location and great food. Had my 40th here two weeks ago in the Gazebo Bar and it was a really great night. Everything ran smoothly. Staff were great. Food was superb. I also had my baby shower here a couple of years ago and we have had Christmas lunch here on a couple of occasions. I couldn't fault it.

21st Birthday Event. We celebrated our daughter's 21st Birthday at The Great Provider and had a top night. The organisation prior to the night was painless and as it turned out the recommendations/suggestions given to us worked out perfectly. <br/>The restaurant venue for a cocktail party of 105 people was also excellent as there were enough seats on the verandah section to cater for the "oldies" to be able to relax and chat and the "young ones" could enjoy themselves with the music vibe inside. We had many many compliments about the food from our friends who particularly enjoyed the Duck crepes, arancini balls and calamari boxes. Daniela and her staff couldn't have been more attentive, ensuring that people with special diets had enough to eat.<br/>Thanks to the whole team for a very happy night and a daughter who was thrilled with her party.

I organized my office Christmas Party for 40 people at The Great Provider last week & I can't recommend this place more highly! The food was great, the service fantastic & Rollo, Tracey & the team are to be commended on making our day & night an outstanding success! Thank you so much! We'll definitely be back!

Average food and service. Sunday brunch should be much better than this place. Hubby had a Seared prawn salad for main, which looked more like a side. I had a veggie burger that was, to say the least, average. Service was slack and slow. We noticed staff coming and going after we'd finished our meals and not one noticed our empty plates. We were not offered coffee nor sweets. We had to ask if they had desserts. When we received the bill, it took around 20 minutes for them to come back for the payment.

Very disappointing. Service was good, but $17 for a roll, you've got to be kidding! Wouldn't go back there.

Perfection at it's finest!. Today, my partner and I decided to battle the cold and head down to The Great Provider for breakfast - and boy are we glad that we did. We sat on the terrace area overlooking the boats, where we were kept nice and toasty by portable heaters, and some amazing coffee. For breakfast, I ordered some homemade beans that came with eggs and ham. I threw on some spinach to up my vegie quota. Probably, the best beans I have ever had. My boyfriend liked them so much that he ended up ordering a side order to go with his truffled mushroom dish. The service was wonderful and friendly - and we were made to feel welcome from the start. Good job guys - we'll definitely be back!

Very average food and drinks here. Three of us had breakfast at 9am, all the dishes were greasy and it tasted like they had been sitting in a warming tray for a couple if hours. Very simple dishes, you could make them better at home.<br/><br/>I had a soy chai latte which tasted terrible, like the milk had gone off.<br/><br/>All in all really not worth the money, do not recommend.

Light lunch or an Oil slick...?. For years I've always wondered what this perfectly located little restaurant was like and now I know... THE FOOD WAS APPALLING.<br/><br/>I don't think my pumpkin zucchini and corn fritters could possibly have been drowned in any more oil if they tried! The lack lustre flat, soggy fritters were so weighed down, flat, dark, shiny and oozing with oil as my knife cut into them. I cannot believe I actually put the fork to my mouth.<br/><br/>My male friend - a real food lover - actually left half of his baramundi and chips on his plate. Tasteless. Oily. Unenjoyable would be an understatement.<br/><br/>All meals left a rough film of oil (have I mentioned the food was oily?) in our mouths which led us rushing home to sip peppermint tea and 'cleanse' our internal organs by eating an apple and banana.<br/><br/>I will NEVER eat here again. I felt ripped off handing over my $87.<br/>Funny... not once did the waitress ask "how were your meals?" I'm sure she knew...

Excellence. This is an amazing location right on the st Kilda marina service was outstanding and coffee Incredible using Axil boutique coffee beans, I lavished a Prawn Spaghetti which was actually the BEST pasta i have ever eaten, my freind Nelly being vegetarian enjoyed a pumpkin fritter and rocket salad needless to say it was delicious lol and we hardly said a word as we we were silenced obsessed by what we were eating, definitely will be returning thumbs up guys

Had a great meal at The Great Provider with my mum and sister. There was a meal option for everyone, and the service was excellent, with happy staff who made us feel very welcome! Saw they had a new coffee promotion as well, and really enjoyed the new coffee! Will definitely go back, as we also enjoyed watching the boats on the St Kilda Marina!

Spent an amazing afternoon here yesterday very atmospheric location on the st kilda marina picturesque, service was great happy attentive staff, we enjoyed a bottle of Catalina sav blanc as we settled in to feast , food was fantastic entree we had dips and saganaki, and for the main meal I had prawn pasta and my partner had the gourmet steak sandwich which was cooked to perfection, we will definitely return to this venue again highly recommend

Are you kidding me? 45 minutes for take away at a non peak time is beyond ridiculous. The only vegetarian thing in offer is from the full menu so it turned out to be a very expensive and verylong wait for what was suppose to be quick take away. Normally find the service friendly, food good or better but this exper

Not for food. Had lunch here on a Friday afternoon. We could not believe that we were the only customers in a restaurant that must hold 100. Anyway, it is not such a problem here as most of the atmosphere comes from the view of the marina right outside the windows. <br/><br/>Food was poor. Antipasto plate was straight out of a can. The soft shell crab was in a very thick batter and the dominant flavor was oil, the calamari thai salad was appalling, not sure you could do worse, almost inedible. My prawn spaghetti was quite good and so were desserts. <br/><br/>Wine list is very small but we found something we liked at a reasonable price. <br/>Good location, shame about the food.

Good night. Had an engagement party here and we were very impressed with the service and venue. Some of the good items could have been presented a little better but all in all pretty impressed

Not such a great provider. Had lunch today at the Great provider and was very disappointed. Ordinary meal and not worth the $24 I paid. Ordered the calamari salad which was really an entree size with mainly lettuce leaves. Will not be returning.

Needs consistency with opening times. Sometimes this place is completely closed to functions. Great way to lose regulars! <br/><br/>They really should focus on the marquee area. But again it's often closed. <br/><br/>Great spot though

LEO. Great setting - views of water and marina. Warm welcome and good service. Our party particularly enjoyed the pasta with prawns and garlic, while the fish I chose had a light crisp batter. Those who went on to dessert really liked the soft meringue with strawberries.

Terrible service - took ages to be seated, get menus, get the bill and then we were incorrectly billed twice! It was also very hot and the fans were not put on. This experience put a real dampener on my husband's B'day lunch celebrations. Would definitely NOT recommend this restaurant.

Great Service. I went with a couple of friends and the service that they gave to us was fabulous. We bought our dogs with us and they put us in a separate area but gave us plenty of attention and made us feel extremely welcome. <br/>Also nice to see a bit of a different breakfast menu rather than just the usual. We all enjoyed our choices.

Awesome Breakfast. How to win me over? Provide great service, in a prompt and friendly manner. Add to this a wonderful breakfast that certainly exceeded expectations, with a lovely water outlook, and you had me at "hello".<br/>Thanks for making a simple family outing special.

Expensive, average and lacks any soul being part of a new restaurant / apartment building.

The worst pizza I have ever had. Bland, dry, thoughtless prawn, chorizo and mozzarella. Something out of a school cooking class. Only used was the fantastically strong and tasty double shot cappuccino. Great views and surroundings and pricy meals are not matched by culinary greatness.

Nice breakfast but pricey.. Breakfast is well done with an interesting menu, but $24 for the full cooked breakfast is just too much. No wonder it was almost empty though we were still made to sit on the verandah as we "didn't have a booking" - for breakfast!

Nice surrounds and good breakfast menu but if you order poached eggs they are only served on one slice of toast. A bit measley for the $9.50 price tag.