Warren Glen Nursery Cafe :: Revisited

I love surprises and what an AMAZING surprise the Warren Glen Nursery café was. Set in a lush garden centre on the outskirts of the Yarra Valley, this was a haven of all things beautiful.

Firstly, this is a nursery, with a massive range of all sorts of plants and garden paraphernalia. Wandering around with the kids was a great learning experience. Little Miss was keen to point out the coloured flowers, ‘waterfalls’ (fountains) and smell the herbs, all whilst pushing around the Little Man in his pram.

The gift shop at the entrance is full of beautiful clothes, toys, Christmas decorations, hand made cards and other gift ideas. I must head back without the kids one day to have a proper look. Note to self – kids and fragile, breakable items don’t mix!

The café itself is located at the back of the garden centre, across the creek and up the hill. Overexcited kids, mums with prams and anyone unsteady on their feet should take care with the steep slope.

There are four main areas to the café, with plenty of room to move a pram around. The first room is long and narrow with only a few tables opposite the counter, so not much room to sit with little ones. Running along this room is the wide balcony with beautiful views of the garden centre and surrounding countryside. The largest area is in a marquee to the back. This is undercover and protected from the elements by plastic blinds. For the kids, the main attraction is the train playground, in the other outdoor area. Here the tables are widely spaced with big market umbrellas to provide shade.

Little Miss was in her element with the train. It’s made to look like Thomas, with the engine and carriage perfect for running through and playing on. On the day I visited, six or seven eager kids were all bustling to have a go!

Kids amused. Check. Now on to the food. The menu has plenty to offer the kids and parents. There are kids options for breakfast and lunch, with a special lunch pack even including food to feed the ducks. Kiddie favourites of pikelets, eggs on toast, hot dogs, pizzas and mini burgers are likely to be winners.

Adult options include eggs anyway with extras, French toast, roasted field mushrooms and daily specials. The lunch menu gets a bit more fancy with frittata, smoked salmon quiche, gourmet focaccia and a selection of yummy tapas dishes.

The cake display case is truly to die for! My pear and walnut friand, served with cream and a caramel sauce was divine.

For those with a gluten intolerance, there are plenty of gluten free options on the regular menu and in the sweets department.

Aside from the wonderful food and beautiful setting, there are high chairs aplenty and a change table in the toilets adjoining the café.

What a fantastic place to go for some quiet time in a lovely environment.

** Big thanks to Mel for the cheeky re-visit to Warren Glen Nursery Cafe. For more details on this fab little spot pop on over to our website for our review.**