This place was nothing short of awesome. I discovered it while travelling to the exam venues just to see how long it would take me to get to the exam venues, and I spied it as I was going past. So, I decided to make it one of my pre-exam breakfast places, and it was certainly worth it. I guess it had a lot to do with the benedict on the hash browns, which is something I haven't discovered before, and I certainly like it much better than the standard types. Oh, and the atmosphere here is just great. read more

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Great place to do the Melbourne thing and have brunch. Not a huge menu, but a bit of everything, and a Specials board. Ordered Hash browns which were golden bricks of tasty, moist potato. Poached eggs cooked to perfection and great coffee. Vibe is hipster with the exposed brick walls of the once derelict shed. I'll be back again to try other things on the menu read more

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Consistently good coffee, decent food, excellent staff. I pretend to drink coffee. I don't actually enjoy the effect of caffeine on my body though I do find the taste of roasted coffee beans on my tongue to be soothing and delicious. Fast forward to 6:45 this morning as I frantically searched for shoes and a cap to head to my favorite local cafe in attempts to soothe a complaining (i.e. incessantly crying) infant with a bit of scenery. As always, the staff was extremely welcoming and polite even though I arrived 15 minutes before opening. I was immediately ushered into the warmth and served a tasty, full strength coffee. When I frequent a local, one of the main components I look for is a genuine staff, and Mama Bear has that in abundance, even on the busiest of days. They are also very accommodating for families, prams, and larger groups. The food is usually pretty tasty although I find the portions to be slightly small for the price (average meal $18). I am willing to pay a little extra for a great meal, but the breakfast is sometimes inconsistent, depending on who is working the kitchen. I've given up on ordering random items from the menu and tend to stick to the salmon on toast or spiced tomato and chickpea cassoulet. In regards to coffee, tea, or shakes, I've never had reason to complain. If you are looking for a great atmosphere and good coffee, Mama Bear is your cafe. If you are searching for a cheap breakfast, this probably isn't the place but I do recommend trying it for yourself. I keep returning for a reason. read more

Mama Bear - Smoked salmon on toast with poached eggs. Can't go wrong! - Cafes Near Me - Flemington, VIC

I live just around the corner from Mama Bear and am so happy that good food and service is as easy as stumbling out of bed on a Saturday morning. Well almost, of course I do my hair first. Mama Bear consistently pulls a good crowd and for good reason. An inventive and fullsome selection of breakfast delights. This week I has French toast piled high with ham, fried egg, salsa and a side of avocado and fetta. Excellent. The staff are friendly too and this week were wearing glittery stickers on their faces. See, creative too. My favourite Flemington breakfast spot! Worth a shot read more

Firstly.. I am sure these are the happiest, most content and pleasant coffee shop staff I have ever seen. After a few visits and seeing a few different staff I know that the owner/manager has not just found one or two good people, they have made a concerted effort to get great staff and make a great place for them to work! Ok, on to the stuff you really want to know.. * Coffee - Great! nice and strong! * Food - Spot on, ignore the menu - go straight to the specials board! Oh and they know that not everyone wants fancy smashed avo for breakfast, there is 'just eggs' on the menu for those days you just want eggs on toast. * Vibe - very chilled with just the right volume of music. I am sure that this place would be pumping of an evening but for breakfast/brunch it was perfect. * Children - there are two high chairs (that I could see) and the staff were more than happy to help us go 'off menu' for the little ones! I will be looking for any excuse to go back! read more

Mama Bear - They do milkshakes! - Cafes Near Me - Flemington, VIC

Good, honest and delicious food. This place was a spur of the moment "let's quickly pull over here and check it out" kind of breakfast that completely satisfied. We arrived shortly after 10 on a Saturday and there was still a few tables free. We started with coffee and juice. The coffee was great, if I don't add sugar you know I'm not complaining (don't expect perfect coffee though, it was nice). The juice was fantastic. A massive glass of pineapple juice with only a hint of ice. I HATE when there is more ice than juice! On to the food: I ordered the mr Benedict. Wow oh wow. This was fried perfection (although I may go for something a little less heart attack next time). Two perfectly poached eggs on top of crispy bacon smothered in hollandaise which had the most amazing Apple cider flavour. This all sat on an english muffin. My partner ordered the pork belly scramble and by all accounts he was in love. He finished every last bite plus hoovered up the last of mine! Mama bear has a fantastic interior, perfectly designed with the right amount of space. The tables were the right distance away from each other, there were larger tables for big groups, an outdoor area and tables along the road also. As we went up to pay we also noticed they had some amazing pastries and cakes on display. This place will definitely become a new regular for us. read more

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Mama Bear delivers the goods. Oh yeah! We're pretty lucky in the West - hipster cafe culture, whether you like to admit it or not, is absolutely taking over and most places are killin' it. Mama Bear is no exception. Given all of the wonderful things I've heard about Mama Bear I was expecting to have to have a little wait for a seat, but there is so many seating options that I was in and straight to a table. Grab the standard skinny latte, ordered the big breakfast and within 20 minutes I had everything I needed to start my day right. The big breakfast was served up in a large tin camping pan (?) and was jam packed with all of the essentials - scrambled eggs, tomato, buttery mushrooms, spinach that was f-r-e-s-h, non-fancy bacon and a prom and fennel sausage. The only downfall, and it may seem minor to some however my weak little fingers don't agree, the bread was super crusty and the knife was not sharp at all. Grrr! Crusty bread = sharp knives! Look, it's a small gripe but it's enough for me to take a star away. I'll still go back though those cakes that they display look ah-mazing and I haven't stopped thinking about them over the last 24 hours haha! read more

Mama Bear - Big breakfast! - Cafes Near Me - Flemington, VIC

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Great place for brunch. Lovely service. The decor is very warm, welcoming and had a good vibe. Great coffee and yummy food!! :) Be going back indeed. Would love to try the lunch menu next. read more

Mama Bear - Pork belly scrambled eggs with a side of rocket and pomegranate salad. - Cafes Near Me - Flemington, VIC

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I would have to say this was the most enjoyable breakfast I've had in a long time. Everything about it was right! I was greeted by friendly staff and given water immediately, which is simple but lovely. Having a strong distaste for coffee I ordered a hot chocolate. Not just any hot chocolate, the hot chocolate that will forever remain in my memory as the best hot chocolate Melbourne has seen! THAT GOOD! I had to have two! The menu is interesting. There's a lot on there that sounds yum but I had to go with smashed avo and feta. Luckily for me I forgot to request sourdough instead of the usual seed and sprout bread, because that bread was amazing. Fresh and delish. I want to eat the whole thing again! Great building, friendly, calm a atmosphere and fresh, tasty food. Couldn't have asked for a better way to start the day. read more

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The only reason I give Mama Bear 4 stars and not 3 is simply due to the welcoming hospitality of the staff. They're full of positive energy, on the ball and very attentive to the needs of their customers. This is a simple gesture that many cafés lack severely and therefore costs them customers. Great coffee! Comes out in a speedy amount of time. I ordered the big breakfast which came with a very generous serve of scrambled eggs. It was great but just a teetering on average. I'll definitely be back to Mama Bear to try something different from their varied menu (and specials board too!) and that's purely thanks to the lovely staff! Keep up the great work everyone! read more

Mama Bear - Big mama breakfast with scrambled eggs - Cafes Near Me - Flemington, VIC

I love this restaurant. My husband and I stayed at an Air BnB just down the street from here. We walked here in the morning or afternoon and ate here. The staff is nice and the place has great atmosphere. Everyone was quite nice to us Americans from Los Angeles. read more

Mama Bear - French Toast and dirty Chai - Cafes Near Me - Flemington, VIC

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I'm not sure how to write this review without being bias but I will try. I have a personal connection with the staff at this place. The head chef (Tegan Putland) was a apprentice i employed many years ago. It's wonderful to see her in the kitchen running the show and delivering a good quality breakfast selection. This was my first visit to Mama Bear and I will Definitely be making the trek back to try some more of there menu. I ordered the eggs Benedict, as I do most times when I'm out for breakfast and it was top notch. The apple cider hollandaise was beautiful and eggs poached to perfection. My breakfast buddy had the big breakfast and I must admit I was hella jealous of this camping tray of yum. The coffee was great, staff were attentive and relaxed which is just what I like. The atmosphere was great with sweet beat playing constantly. I'll be heading back for sure read more

Mamma Bear will take care of you little bear. The mystery muffins are superb and a regular treat for the SkinnyMan as he waltzes down to work. Why mystery muffins? Because they are so good we never bother asking what they are. We just devour the oven warm muffins and get happy. Gridlock coffee is served to near perfection by suitably hipster staff. You can't help but be mesmerized by the stunning street art that wraps itself around this corner cafe. Mamma Bear is licensed and available for private soirees. read more

Lovely food and great people. Coffee is perfect and Cider Hollandaise is the best! read more

Mama Bear - Cafes Near Me - Flemington, VIC

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I rather enjoyed this type of stable than those occupied by Mr. Ed and his friends....I must commend the conversion, keeping its originality, adding a few modern twists & comforts plus a few vintage items on display...was that a Singer Sewing Table? But seriously, I didn't drive all the way from the Eastern suburb, through congestion galore (the Eastern Car Park. Sorry Freeway and Alexander Parade -thanks to Premier Dan for cancelling that project and wasting $1,1 billion of our tax money....only for its food & coffee that Melbourne's cafes are known for....and yes my special Christmas companions :-) My steak was cooked perfectly and my steak and eggs cost less than $20....kudos to the chef & kitchen staff, much much better than some restaurants that I pay double, even triple the price.... lots of goodies I can see coming out of that small kitchen. May I suggest to accompany that tasty tomato relish of yours with some asparagus, infused mushrooms and rosti...that would be smashing. I'm not much of a fan of rocket and cut fennel salad though.... Soy Latte is good, improvement always welcome. To the Flemington & Kensington locals: your local cafe is doing well, VERY pleasant staff too .... it was worth the drive ... WELL DONE! read more

Mama Bear - Kris Kringle from Nat - Cafes Near Me - Flemington, VIC

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Visiting from the States & found this place to have good reviews and it was also really close to the hotel we were staying at. Friendly atmosphere, decent food, but the service was atrocious. We waited for 55mins before the food even came out...and we had to remind the wait staff that we were even there! So....yeah...good food. Fritters and French toast was great, but I won't be coming back during my stay due to the service. read more

Now this is the perfect Cafe. I was brought here for lunch by my partner, and from the moment we arrived to the moment we left I was impressed. As we arrived a bloke was conveniently at the door and politely held it opened for us and welcomed us in. He immediately gave us the choice of a few seats and straight away gave us water and offer of a tea/coffee. No waiting was required which was nice as we were gasping for a hot drink. The food was of a high standard but still in the realms of a cafe brunch. The specials menu had a note from the chef which said please have patience for quality, which I liked! The ambience and surroundings are very pleasant. Very spacious and comfortable. The staff were very friendly and polite. The food was excellent at a reasonable price. It is well worth going out your way to stop off here... I'm glad we did... read more

Great service and the bircher muesli was so good I felt like going for seconds. Would have been great if there were more tables and chairs outside especially on a weekend. Overall this is my go to bircher on Saturday's. Still trying to figure out why there is a baseball bat hung up on the wall. read more

Great idea, bad in practice. Tried this place out this morning, Coffee was great. I had the poached eggs and salmon dish which was nice, unfortunately when I asked the waitress about the the sauce in the dish she actually told me she had no idea what it was and also was standing around on her phone texting while we were waiting at the register to pay. Maybe it depends on the staff but probably not one of the best places to go. read more

Has to be one of my favorite cafes I have ever been to! ( including cafes in America, Sweden, and Melbourne). Every single one of their employees are amazing. I'm usually there for breakfast and every time I leave with a smile. They have everything from toast to smash to pancakes... all fantastic. They have an employee named Meg and she is so sweet and always makes you feel very welcomed. 10/10 every time!! read more

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This breakfast spot is amazing! We came here every day on our trip and will definitely be coming back. A must try!

Went on Mother's day and had to wait about 15mins for a table, but it was worth it. Good service, yummy Vietnamese omelette, and one of the best hot chocolates I have had! I heard from others with me that the soy Chai latte was good, along with the coffee. read more

i am gonna miss this place, excellent food, lovely coffee, great staff... best blat in town! read more

After going to this cafe on a regular basis for quite some time now, I am disappointed at the quality it has come to. I discovered that a new chef is now running the kitchen, big mistake. I had the big breakfast, my eggs tasted like they were powdered, the bacon was burnt, the toast was like a rock, tomato flavourless, and the worst part is that the sausage was sent out raw in the middle. I had never had a bad meal here until recently. I do not recommend this place anymore to anyone read more

Nice atmosphere with friendly and hospitable staff. Service is excellent and a great vibe inside with outside tables available. Great little place for a quiet chat with a friend. read more

I was surprised to see all positive reviews of this place, the menu looked good but thanks to the incompetence of the staff, I was unable to try it. So here's what happened... I walk into the cafe, a waitress approaches and asks where I would like to sit, I reply outside would be nice. I go and sit, and the waitress comes out with a menu and complimentary water. I take 5 mins before I decide what I want to order. I'm waiting about 20 mins, then another waitress comes out and says "have you ordered any food, darl?" I reply "No, I haven't...". The waitress cuts me off mid sentence and says "oh, well let me just take this for you" and grabs the menu and walks off. I sat there and thought about whether or not I should say something, but after a monumentally bad day, I knew I wouldn't be able to control my temper if I decided to complain. As I get up to leave, the waitress that snatched the menu from me is having a great ol' chat with the table of 3 behind me, talking as if they knew each other intimately about the details of a third parties' destructive relationship. I've worked in hospitality since I was 20, I have only ever seen or worked with such incompetence a handful of times. If you are a regular and the staff know you by name, it's probably a great place to go. If you're not a regular and don't feel like being treated like you are invisible...I would keep looking for another place to have lunch or a coffee. read more