Lemon, Middle And Orange

After a series of consistently disappointing meals I will be avoiding this café in the future. Some highlights:
— Vinegar soaked eggs florentine (couldn’t finish it!)
— Cold poached eggs
— Watery avocado mash
— $ 4 for a single frozen hash brown!
+ The only silver lining is half decent coffee

Unfortunately this place did not live up to my first visit. I believe it has changed ownership and the food has gone way downhill. Should have known when we got there and it was empty on a Saturday morning. Hoping the new owners will bring the food, service and coffee back up to where it was.

Oh dear … LM&O was once a great café, with interesting and creative daily croquette specials. The presentation was artful, and the service friendly and cheerful.
Then it changed management…
Special board is now blank, the kitchen runs out of basic ingredients (no English muffins at 10am on Saturday, despite the prominence of Eggs Benedict/​Florentine on the menu), and food is dumped on the plates in a kind of splat. Also total surliness. Went to pay the bill, person behind counter didn’t even look up. Just tapped at the screen for a moment, then barked «$ 46» at me. No «I hope you enjoyed your meal», or «Thanks for coming». Just a grunt.
Avoid.

Great space.
Plenty of items on the menu (perhaps too many). The food and coffee is below average for the local area and price point.
There has been a recent change in ownership and staff. The service is not very good as the staff are often confused. Perhaps this will improve over time.

Uniquely authentic and full focus on producing great coffee and superb food. The staff could not do anything more to make this the experience worth writing about. I loved my coffee art but it was endorsed by a great coffee behind the flair.
The fresh orange juice was perfect, the servings are large but quality.

Hidden away in an alleyway of a mostly industrial area Lemon, Middle and Orange represents everything that is incredible about Melbourne! This place focuses on two things– awesome food and awesome customer service, which is an excellent motto for any restaurant/​café to have!
I dropped in for brunch with a friend and (as per usual) grabbed a smashed avo with poached eggs. My friend is gluten and dairy free and they had a menu option to suit her also which was great!
I will definitely be adding this one to a «my favourite places» list

Tad pricy however very fresh, very tasty food. Quite an experience eating here as generally the combinations will be something you’ve never tried.
Been twice. Both times were great to excellent. Service both times was great.
Atmosphere of the place is also great to excellent. Decorations are quite splendid. Layout is clean but not clinical. Attention to detail through is nice to see.
As a customer you feel these guys are trying very hard for you to enjoy and that’s lovely. I appreciate that.
Note I would give this place ⁴⁄₅ because ⁵⁄₅ is generally reserved for a place I have to tell everyone I meet about. This place I’d rather selfishly keep to myself… so perhaps that testament to it deserving ⁵⁄₅? Hehe.
Who to bring? Date. Best friend. Mother if coming out as trans/​gay/​artist — will relieve her tension.
Not suitable for: work colleagues (unless you hang out with them outside work don’t waste such a beautiful place on them).

Lemon Middle has a chilled out vibe that comes with the just out of the CBD cafes. There’s space to sprawl, there’s minimal people keeping up appearances and the staff aren’t absolutely rushed off their feet.
Parking is available in the street or there’s a carpark directly at the rear if train/​tram isn’t your thing.
Coffee was reasonable. Wife’s milk based one was good. My filter was fairly average. Not a complete deal breaker.
Meals were really generously portioned. Two really good pieces of smoked salmon, an egg and a 7 – 8 inch long potato slab (pretty much a non-​greasy hash brown) with greens was just under $ 20. A toasted falafel wrap was huge too; citrus, chickpea, pickled carrot. Great light lunch.
There’s seating along most of the side and a share table out back. Ample room to sit when we went.
Great local with breezy staff and a clean layout. The foods decent too. Will be back!

I’m hesitant to write a review of this place, because I want to keep this place a secret. Tucked away down a quasi-​industrial Collingwood street, Lemon, Middle and Orange is pretty easy to miss unless you know where it is. (We would have missed it ourselves if we hadn’t seen a large group of people congregating in front of the entrance.)
The fit out pays homage to the area’s industrial origins without being too cold or uncomfortable. In fact, the restaurant feels really laid back and casual. I had read reviews of the place which suggested the service was a bit lackluster but I didn’t feel that at all, the servers seemed pretty on point even if the food didn’t come out quite as quickly as I might have liked.
I ordered the smoked salmon and my partner had the corned beef hash — both were fantastic. They were out of potato latkes when I went, which was a bit of a disappointment but that just means I have to go back again! Definitely adding LMO to my roster of regular weekend brunch spots. Just don’t tell anyone else about this place, I don’t want to have to wait for a table the next time I go.

One thing I love to do with my reviews is to compare the place to my initial expectations, and that often has a lot to do with the name. Tucked away in one of the less busy and quieter streets being Rokeby St in Collingwood, Lemon, Middle and Orange provides a little extra colour to it. By the name i was expecting something simple yet bright and refreshing. The beautiful interior was just that, consisting of a well-​balanced combination of timber and concrete and an awesome lemon yellow theme. Little pendant lights are sprinkled throughout, and provide a lovely touch. As a difference to many of the other places around too, and apart from the communal table at the back, the narrow café is split in half down the middle, seating on one side and food prep on the other. Only once you’re there will it really make sense, but it makes things feel rather intimate. Just the way I like it.
In terms of what was served, it was very good. Aside from the fact my dad and I spent five minutes trying to work out what the dishes actually consisted of (probably a sign I’m not a true foodie yet), and consequently we ordered … foccacias — a chipotle pulled pork as well as a chicken and apple slaw (was very happy with that choice). They were very delicious. The options were coffee were slightly light-​on for Melbourne standards, but the black and white coffees available are of a high standard. Definitely a great experience, and would encourage those in the area to try Lemon, Middle and Orange out!
(I do have to finish by saying if someone can work out what the middle means, I’d be eternally grateful).

What a great little place!
I really struggled to find it and when I did ended up having to steal someone’s reserved parking spot (shhhh they tow violators).
Walking in the sound of many happy conversations washes over you. The café is long and thin with all furnishings made from a pale pine. It is extremely inviting and I could imagine chilling through a long, cold afternoon here.
The coffee was extraordinarily good and the food matched it. Service was excellent.
I highly recommend this place, it is worth the hunt.

Very nice café, it would have been a 5 star except the 1 piece of toast being served with my eggs. I mean really if your going to give 1 pice then at least make it a decent size, 2 eggs 1 toast NO. Many do it, doesn’t mean it’s right.
After that whinge, the smoked salmon here is quite possibly the best thing I’ve ever had with an egg. I will be back, I will eat the salmon and hope for my toast to find a friend

Very high quality food made by someone who obviously cares about what they do. Food looked as amazing as it tasted. Same goes for the coffee, when a standard caffe latte is a work of art. I usually avoid the specials, but the burger special today was amazing. Highly recommended.

What a happy place to visit!!! Apart from the fact, it’s a little bit hidden, Lemon Middle & Orange has everything going for it.
I went in with my heart set on waffles and bacon, I’d seen everyones pictures and I was ready for those waffles. Alas, they were no longer on the menu. Plan B… I’m not a sandwich fan. They’re boring and not nearly as delicious as most other things in the world. But today I had the best sandwich, EVER! Delicious pulled pork, with chipotle slaw on an amazingly fresh ciabta roll. HEAVEN, pure heaven. Who would have thought such a love affair could occur between a girl and her sandwich.
I’ll also admit I enjoyed picking at my friends Banana & Chia bread, with ricotta and figs and crunchy little bits of toffee. Both meals were delicious, well presented and more then enough food to satisfy.
Not only was the staff friendly and efficient, but they were fun and up for a laugh. The building itself is surprisingly spacious and comfortable. I just can’t wait to go back!

A small industrial/​factory area in Collingwood, it is a strange place for a café. Despite that, Lemon, Middle and Orange just gets it right. This place makes me so café food happy. Since it’s opening it has become my weekday regular, ashamedly so much that Margaret knows exactly what I’m there for before I order! My workmates have become such avid fans that we tend to pack the place out — it’s a get in early kind of setting, but it deserves to be busy. You barely notice as they always seem to have the perfect number of staff and impeccable service — the staff are just lovely.
The space is gorgeous, open, light and warm — design was obviously a focus.
here. I just wish there was more seating, often at lunch it’s a squeeze to get a table. But seating has been added outside that seems to ease the pressure a little.
The coffee is perfect, regardless of the order, and I was extremely excited they had large eco-​cups, finally no more miniature coffee gone in a few sips! I highly recommend their iced coffees and cold pour for summer. They also stock teas from the local tea store, Storm in a Teacup — absolutely gorgeous flavours.
The food on every occasion I’ve eaten here, whether it be takeaway or eat in, has been magnificent. The muffins fall apart from freshness, the brioche has a perfect mix of sweet with sour fillings, the pastries are beautiful.
Eating in, the outstanding dishes have been frequently on the specials board — the croquettes of the day (with poached eggs) being the most delicious, decadent breakfast imaginable. The standard egg and bacon sandwich fare is too large to jump over. Even down to the toast with home made nut butter, this café has my heart. I just wish Lemon, Middle and Orange would venture out into dinner!
This interesting food journey of a café deserves it’s 5 stars. Go venture out of your comfort zone.

There’s times you feel adventurous and other times you just wanna rely on your fellow Unilocalers for a recommendation.
This time was of the latter, I looked at the menu and was for some reason fixed on the usual boring ‘breaky roll’. I had made my decision, closed the menu and kept talking to my wifey who had also made her decision. As we were talking, I saw her do her ever sneaky «checking in on Unilocal first» move. I pulled out my phone and accepted defeat but started flicking through the reviews of this cool little café in Collingwood.
The waitress came over and as is custom, the wifey orders first. As she is ordering I have time to skim over Pheobe L’s review and drool over the Salmon breakfast option and the picture to accompany it.
Yes my coffee may have been a little average but the food came out. Amazingly cooked Salmon, crispy Rosti, perfect poached eggs… Mmmmm yum. GAME OVER!
Can’t wait to go back!

Despite its location feeling as if it was in a sort of «no man’s land», Lemon, Middle & Orange’s design delivers a sun filled and fresh interior that stands out from the usual now ‘run of the mill’ café designs (not to say they’re bad, but LM&O stands out).
With its food taking inspiration from its owners’ (or chefs?) Irish roots, LM&O also delivers something a a little different in terms of food (think evolution rather than revolution). Bacon waffles make an appearance, earl grey infused fruit and museli was a stand out, as were the croquettes and potato latkes with eggs.
As much as I hope this café does well, I was happy that there wasn’t a gigantic line flowing out the door when I had arrived, and I hope it (selfishly) continues as my ‘little secret’.

This place is pretty rad. The food is awesome, the coffee is collingwood standard and the space is seriously cool. The person responsible for designing the café has clearly thought about all the people that will be coming through and has accommodated for ‘on the way to work’ coffee orderers, people waiting for tables and of course the diners themselves. The waiting/​coffee bar gives space for those popping in for a table/​paying a bill which is luxury rarely given due to space. The food is really well seasoned and beautifully presented. Some of the items are a little more suited to a Saturday/​day after the night before (think deep fried potato cakes with warm house smoked salmon and dill crème fraîche) but their serving sizes are a little smaller to allow these items to be slightly more rich. They also have, hands down, the best savory muffin I have had in Melbourne (I could taste the cheese with every bite). There is also a dish with bacon and caramel and banana. Wow. Anyway check it out whilst it is still new and not quite as busy.