The Farm Cafe

Wait, I haven’t reviewed the Children’s Farm café yet?!?
This is hands down one of my favourite places to get breakfast in all of Melbourne. The goat’s cheese toast is OUT OF THIS WORLD, so so so so delicious. Coffee is also really lovely, and they have a great array of breakfast/​lunch options and some sweets like soft serve and baked goods.
I bring every visitor to Melbourne here– the atmosphere (particularly on a nice day) is brilliant. It’s perfect for an outdoorsy breakfast, followed by a wander through the farm/​convent gardens/​along the river. Bonus points for coming on a Sunday when the Farmer’s Market is on!
You definitely need to swing by here.

Wow. This place serves up some genuinely good fare at really reasonable prices and they made a cracking coffee on my visit to boot.
Timed it right by going here outside of peak times. Breakfasts looking amazing. Super salad of quinoa, mint, beetroot, and avocado was amazingly fresh and very well portioned. House made sausage roll with coleslaw was equally good.
Two plates. Two coffees. Came in just on $ 35. Breakfasts from $ 13.50…
The Farm Café being alongside the children’s farm almost put me off entering. Have a look though mid stroll or if you’re around the Convent.
Setting is peaceful and relaxing on a quiet 20+ degree day. Staff were polite and efficient.
Recommended.

Four of us showed up a little late on Sunday morning. Server was excellent but kinda forgot my coffee. Another fellow was along soon enough and brought me some decent bean. I tossed a little of my friends vanilla shake in to substitute for the skinny I had requested with my bean that didn’t show but no biggie. Plowmans lunch was tasty, but my colleagues mocked me for my slow eating. All in all, a good meal served outdoors. Could have used healthier sides of dog with maybe a little less infant. Next time maybe, cuz I’ll be back.

After a brief closure The Farm Café is back & better than ever. Utilising the shell that was already there they’ve tightened it & tweaked it, keeping the simple ‘down on the farm’ style but with a truly Melbourne feel. The menu is great too! Even better is the addition of affordable kid’s menu with prices ranging from $ 4-​$ 7.50.

This café has recently reopened.
There has been a massive refurbishment of kitchen, service and dining areas. All very tastefully done, the old farm café style remains, friendly relaxed, organic ingredients, variable menu, the goats toast for breakfast is iconic.
It appears far more comfortable, a little expanded and weatherproof to diners, better shade, new furniture, pleasant garden, same friendly staff, I detect a new chef, coffee great. I just checked breakfast but new all day menu looks and sounds great. Outlook and integration to the «farm» remains, very child friendly.
I loved my coffee, I loved my breaky, extremely relaxing, well done guys!
Baba + Yaya

The café at the Collingwood Children’s Farm is my home away from home. For those of us with kids in Collingwood there are limited green spaces to hang out and burn off some energy. Look at the map — there’s very few playgrounds or parks available compared to Richmond or Fitzroy. So we love to come down to the farm as our ‘backyard in the city’.
The café knows it’s audience — families. If you want a quiet coffee and breakfast after a run or ride along the Capital City Trail, I’d suggest come very early because once the sun is up, the families are out and tables are hard to come by.
The café is mecca for parents — there is a kid’s menu with smaller servings on Ikea plastic plates and cups (brightly coloured, easier to use and smash free!). The meals are geared to small people’s palates without resorting to the usual boring kid’s menu; you know the drill, fish and chips, nuggets and chips, burger and chips… anything fried, fatty and bland in other words.
The farm is a education facility as well as a community asset, so the café follows the farm’s ethos of using fresh, organic and local ingredients from the farm or the farmer’s markets that are held at the farm or in the Convent every Saturday.
My favourite drink is the ‘slushie’ machine that makes organic pear or apple juice slushies. They come in adult and kid size and are guaranteed to give brain freeze on a hot day!
Anyday now the café reopens after an extensive shut down period for renovations. Running past the other day it looks like the dusty old dirt floor is gone, replaced with decking, which is excellent. Plus there appears to be a roof over the decking which replaces the umbrellas which tended to provide little shade on a hot Melbourne day or little protection from the rain — another Melbourne hazard when outdoor dining. Hopefully the renovations will allow the café to keep it’s outdoor charm but with less exposure to the elements, which will make for all round happier customers.

I am a child at heart. I own too many stuff toys and love hanging out with animals.
The Collingwood Children’s Farm is one of my favourite places to go. It has everything: fresh produce, animals, a café, and even a riding school.
What is so great about the Collingwood Children’s Farm is that you see city kids being immersed in an agricultural landscape. They can learn
about recycling, green energy, taking care of animals and plants.
Walking around the different pens and through the gardens, it is wonderful just to see the joy and fascination on children’s faces as they come face to face with the animals.
The weekends are very busy. If you have the chance to get there on a weekday, take it. Get in early and you can get around the whole farm well within an hour.
I went on Monday and spent well over 20 minutes hanging out with the kids (baby goats that is), but no matter which animal you see or pet, you’ll have a ball.
The café is lovely and serves some great coffee. Seating is limited so be prepared to stand with your food and drinks.
There are some really nice seating areas around the farm, so bring a picnic with you and grab a spot. Just be prepared to fight off some of the chickens and ducks.

Let me take you on a journey down a quiet path that will lead you unexpected treasures.
Not knowing what lay ahead, my friend and I set off on a bike ride along the Yarra Trail. Every twist and turn left our eyes open wide as we saw Melbourne in a new light. Somehow making all the correct turns we found ourselves transported to a farm only moments from the city. Little did we know at the time but we were in for the best dam breakfast that we had ever had and still talk about it to this day.
Leaving the bikes for the resident donkey to look after we sat down, studied the menu and ordered the goats toast. Mmm. Sourdough topped with beetroot relish, goats cheese & avocado with greens and a poached egg. I am so glad that they sell the beetroot relish in a little jar to take home because I don’t know how I used to live without it. And the goat cheese is so fresh they must have made it themselves, which is not unlikely given all the goats they have running around.
This is a must for anyone and everyone.