The Croydon Store

Really good café. Perfect place to come for a nice meal or coffee. Came here on Mother’s Day for lunch, expecting it to be busy, but instead there was only two other people.
Good, fast service. Good quality food and drinks. Super yummy and I definitely suggest going there.
The only downside to The Croydon Store is the amount of flies. There were so many flies around our table, buzzing around our food and it was quite irritating.
Besides that, this neat little café is a great place to come, relax & enjoy some tasty food.

I feel like I should be walking in to this place with long, Bardot-​esque waves to my hair, a white double breasted trench coat, white knee high boots and white thick framed sunglasses. Nope, instead I wore runners, yoga pants and a thin hoodie. Keepin’ it classy!
I am a modern minimalist type of gal, but have to say I do love the vintage retro look. This place obviously changes its layout every so often (going by past photos), so your experience will never truly be the same. I did feel like they could tweak it a little. Perhaps covering where the fridge and freezer is near the entrance to the kitchen. Maybe a partition from the glass cabinet that stores the cakes on offer. I happened to be facing that way and kind of wish I hadn’t. Also I didn’t go much on the McKenzies brand cracked black pepper shakers on the tables or the sugar in the individual sachets. I’d love to see mismatched salt and pepper shakers and cute little pots of sugar, but hey these are just my observations and certainly didn’t ruin my experience.
The usual suspects were ordered, two lattes. They have a range of sizes for the baby bear, mamma bear and papa bear of coffee appetites! We got the medium sized.
I’ve never really had a latte in a mug. Must say it confused the bejeezus out of me. The coffee wasn’t bitter but it just wasn’t strong enough for my liking. Also it was a tad on the lukewarm side.
There breakfast menu really has been crafted well. I just love the variety on offer. It all sounded so appealing, including the vegan options. That says a lot coming from this carnivorous being!
I ordered the 3 egg omelette with cheese and jalapenos, served with a side of house-​made baked beans and topped with baby spinach, avocado, natural yoghurt and a roasted capsicum sauce. I haven’t tried anything else on the menu, but this is the benchmark for me. It is going to be hard to top this meal here! The flavour combinations were a perfect marriage. No oil was to be seen, it was just felt so light and healthy. BUT gah, my omelette was almost borderline cold, as were the house-​made baked beans. I would’ve liked it served on a warm plate or coming out piping hot. It was just too in between a hot dish and a cold dish.
My partner in crime, my Mum, ordered the vegan breakfast burrito. It also was a hit and scrummy. However, the breakfast burrito was inconsistent inside, one end was just all fresh tomato, the other end was the better half with the jalapenos, house-​made baked beans and sweet potato with baby spinach. It would be nice to have the same delicious experience through out.
I enjoyed the meal thoroughly and I would come back again and again just for that omelette breakfast. You had me at jalapenos!

Best coffee and eggs Benedict I have ever had! So many gluten free options and kid friendly to boot! My new favourite I think! Love love!

Amazing food! Groovy atmosphere, with awesome retro furnishings!

The Croydon Store’s had a bit of a makeover since many of the other Reviews here were written, so I thought perhaps I should provide a current take.
This café is in my neighbourhood and so I feel a bit of loyalty towards it and try to support the place — along with others in well-​known Queen Street, Croydon (which is actually Elizabeth Street, did you know?)
It’s perhaps one of the less popular spots, but that may be deceptive as it is also the larger café on this strip and harder to fill. There are more than ten tables inside, and large group spots by the windows including a lounge area. There are also three outdoor seating areas, including a newer set of tables n chairs on Robert St.
The atmosphere is jazzy. Can I say that … because they play jazz music? The furniture is old dark wood and upholstered chairs that great grandma may have owned. Yes, the popular bookshelves are still there. Plus there’s a few board games like chess.
The food? The important stuff?
The food is delish. That’s the technical term for it. Yummy breakfasts like eggs benedict oozing over crusty bread. Their buttermilk pancakes aren’t as good as mine. To be honest, I’ve only ever had breakky or coffee here — haven’t tried the lunch options yet. Coffee is nice.
The service probably lets the place down. There’s one staff member who definitely wants to be somewhere else and doesn’t crack a smile. Other staff members waver between friendly and vague. If you like it quiet and want to keep chitchat to a minimum, that might suit you …

Hello book-​swap! Would you like to take my crappy no-​name book and grant me an old copy of ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ with its original cover? You ‘would’?
Am I a jerk for making the uneven exchange. Yes, I’ve decided. Which is why once I’ve finished reading the novel, I’ll return it. I’m all about redemption, you know.
And you know what a man who’s looking to redeem his sins deserves? A spider. This place actually does spiders! For those who don’t know what a spider is, it’s soft drink and ice cream. For those who don’t know why it’s called a spider, look elsewhere for the answer. I’m just as swamped.
I finished with a coffee, which was cheap, but not as impressive as the book find or the spider. Still, this is an interesting place with character. Book-​swap!

One of my favourite haunts, The Croydon Store is a gorgeously «retro» (and just a little bit daggy) place to relax with some cake and coffee, or an enormous muffin, or some of their delicious fresh food.
What I love most about this place is how much thought has gone into setting it up and having a consistent vision. They sell local needs like milk, eggs, juices, as well as some locally made jewelry. There is a book swap, where you can bring a book and swap it with another. It has a fantastic community feeling.
Owners Dougie and Sandra are really lovely people. The first time I went in there I complained to Dougie of my currently lousy job, and he promptly started teasing me about my hard life. He then fed me up well, and gave me the end of a cake to take home. I was won, instantly.
Dougie will tell stories of the strange breed of clientele that sometimes appear, who look at his menu and say to each other «It’s so cheap, the food must be crap.» He is happy to see the back of those ones.
The food here is fantastic. The menu has all day breakfast as well as a great list of bagels. The breakfasts range from $ 6 to $ 18, but the bagels are only $ 7-​$ 10.
Today I had the Lush Mush: panfried mushrooms and tomato, cheese and sauteed baby spinachwith tomato reslish on a whole-​wheat bagel, all for $ 8.50. In under 10 mins my fresh toasted bagel sits in front of me. And it’s ridiculously delicious! So much flavour! The mushrooms are the highlight, cooked in some kind of tasty salt, and the bagel is buttered with a herb butter. The spinach, cheese, tomato and relish blend into this fresh, healthy and delicious meal. The bagel is not stodgy like bagels too often are, and considering it is a whole-​wheat bagel I am even more surprised at its lightness.
Last time I was here I treated myself to The Croydon Biggie, which I also recommend. Two fat slices of bacon cooked then and there, two eggs how you like them, sauteed tomato, mushroom and baby spinach with a side of tomato relish and a ton of toasted bread. Definitely $ 16 dollars worth, and one of the biggest meals they do here. Dougie checked in on me to see how I was going, and grinned when he saw how fast I was putting it away.
The only occasional down-​side is the coffee, which is a little hit a miss. Lately it has improved however, and is becoming more consistent.
I love the atmosphere of this place so much, that one average coffee aside, I can’t help but give it five stars.

The Croydon Store is a deceptively ‘corner store’ looking place on Elizabeth Street (aka Queen Street). When you go inside though you find a very cool café with walls covered in fantastic old Vinyl covers. The Store is very ramshackle and shabby chic, with comfy retro furniture.
What I love most is a section of book shelving where patrons are encouraged to bring a book they’ve read and swap it with one on the shelf: isn’t that neat?
The proprietor looked confused when I ordered a skim latte: this made me nervous. But it was actually very good coffee. The menu has more bagels than I’ve ever seen, there’s even a kids bagel menu which I found very sweet. I had a Rueban bagel, and yes good sir, it was delicious! The man serving hummed to himself the whole time I was there, but instead of finding this creepy as I usually do, I found it winsome and comforting.
There is seating outside but it’s really just an overgrown yard with some tables in it. Feels like you’re in a mate’s backyard. I really enjoyed hanging out in this place. It has a nice neighbourly vibe, as if something untoward was to happen to me, like I spilled coffee down my top or was arrested for attempted murder, any stranger in that store would rush to my assistance. And bring me a bagel.