Demitri’s Feast

It’s been ages since I’ve been here and stopping by again was worth it.
Good coffee, friendly staff and a great selection of food to go.
I was slightly disappointed that the pancakes were no longer on the menu, but the dish I chose made amends.
Ouzo cured salmon, with chargrilled asparagus, whipped feta and eggs was well presented and while not a huge serving proved ample.
The salmon was subtle in taste and went well with the asparagus, while not overwhelmed by the feta. The poached eggs were done well, firmish with the yokes still runny

Had lunch with friends here recently. I chose the spanakopita with wild greens, feta and ricotta, which was delicious. Also had the beetroot and lentil salad. Others in the group had lamb cutlets, eggs & bacon, or the baked eggs with chorizo. Everything was fresh, tasty, and cost was approximately $ 25.00 a head-​including multiple coffee and teas. Definitely worth dropping into to for breakfast or lunch.

This unassuming café on Swan St hides authentic fresh mediterranean food that is healthy and tasty. A quick glance may suggest that there’s not much seating, and the place is always busy but duck through to the back and you’ll find a small, cool, green courtyard with extra seating and room for groups of 8 – 10 people. This little courtyard is a welcome respite from busy Swan St.
The menu includes a creative selection of salads that go way beyond the standard selections of garden, greek and ceasar. It’s something that mediterranean cultures do particularly well.
The staff were friendly and attentive and looked after their regulars, taking the time to get to know you and what you like. Give yourself a treat and pop in here for a meal when you get the chance.

One of the friendliest restaurant’s I’ve been. Very good menu, looking at the specials board; the best, freshest food is on offer. I had a beautifully cooked john dory that took up the whole plate with great grilled flavour. Plus a nice salad, all at a very reasonable price. And sitting in the sun lapping up a beautiful spring day

Needing a change from what my local haunts had to offer, I made my way to Richmond. It was here I found Demitri’s Feast.
Straight away I was struck by the attentive and friendly service of the staff, which continued throughout our meal here. We were continuously topped up with water, and I was even asked if I wanted extra bread with my meal after it had arrived.
The coffee here is really nice which is always a good start to a meal. Then came the food. My dining partner ordered crumpets topped with yogurt, pistachio and wild thyme honey, which she said was nice. I ordered baked eggs with sweet and sour peppers and black pudding and it tasted goooooood.
This café bar sells it’s food as Greek food with a twist. Breakfast menu is the largest component and includes offerings such as Rizogalo, Eggs Saganaki and Semolina Pancakes. The lunch menu highlights are Calamari Souvlaki, Free Range Chicken Skewers and Marinated Grilled Lamb Cutlets.
I heard good things about this place before I went and I didn’t leave disappointed. I’ll definitely go back and look forward to trying something else from the menu next time.

Terrific, traditional greek food made with great ingredients. Salmon with Dill. Great Pita. Calamari. Semolina. Greek pastries. Spanakopita. Hungry yet?
Demitri’s racked up the awards when it first opened and has never looked back.
I’m a big, big fan of the Bacon and Egg Pita Bread wrap. The Pita is fluffy, just a little crisped and delicious. The whole experience is mind-​blowing, if high on the calorific count. If I want to go a little healthier, I go for the Village Toast. Feta and tomatoes on bread with a dash of oil. Sounds simple, but terrific ingredients push this into spectacular territory.
The Village Toast manages to have a richness despite the simplicity, but steers well clear of stodgy and overdone. Sums up most of the meals here.
Demitri’s always has a rotating selection of seasonal specials. This also includes some more interesting items, including goat. All of this served efficiently by a small cabal of friendly staff.
I am, unfortunately, not a big fan of the coffee — which tends to be the cube-​of-​sugar-​bitter variety. However, this is common in this area of Swan Street (nearby Hellas and Torch are the same). However, they do use Allpress coffee, a Kiwi-​roasted coffee, so at least that’s a little different.
Tends to get quite busy, which is noticeable in the cramped space. They do have an outdoor area at the back. If it’s a nice day, definitely spill out there.

The kitchen was just closing when I arrived but the friendly staff put together their homemade crumpets with some delicious yogurt, honey and pistachio. Also ordered a soy chai — and was excited to see it arrive in a tea pot — got at least three cups of it. They also do soy chai with honey, which is a plus. I’m going to head back there soon for the baklava french toast.

Oh Demetri — you still have it going on with your brunch and lunch menu infused with a Greek twist. I normally go the baklava French toast with yoghurt and rosewater, but today called for smashed avocado with bacon and poached egg. Love the eclectic décor and friendly staff. A must try when you’re in Richmond.

This little gem of a place is in the modest Richmond neighborhood in the midst of thrift shops, random stores selling… lets just say «stuff» and a place that had the distinct air of a methodone clinic. But really who cares about all that !!!
Demitri’s Feast is one of the places that does not look like much at first glance till you sit down and take a sip of the short black and you realize that there are good things to come! Breakfast can be the eggs, toast thingy… but here its taken to new levels by earthy rustic bread slices served with scrambled eggs chock full of fresh herbs, slices of ethereal tasting heirloom tomatoes and homemade jam… or it can be divine semolina pancakes. These things are a treat with the slightly coarse texture working well with the dab of greek yogurt, rose jam, pistachios and orange blossom syrup. I cannot do justice to describing this… also for the fear of drooling over my keyboard and electrocuting myself into a sticky mess.
The cookies, quirky waitstaff, great drinks (and if you think breakfast is it… just try lunch!) and this is the ultimate place to start your day.

Always a tasty hit. Great coffee too!

Richmond is the traditional home of the cheap and cheerful — little sardine-​tins of Vietnamese spots for phở slurping and little concealed warehouses converted into vibrant brunch spots. Demitri’s Feast is located in amongst the miscellany of shops found along Richmond’s busy Swan Street. With a most unassuming frontage painted in bold blue and white Hellenic colours, it is a narrow space where a glass counter stocked with fresh salads and pies, and bowls of baklava and turkish delight squares grab your first attention. A tight side line of wood tables opens out onto a beautiful vine-​covered patio that almost evokes a Grecian country villa.
For sweet-​tooths on the quest for a sweet breakfast, Demitri’s Feast offers unique and delicious takes on the ubiquitous pancakes and french toast. Inspired by its Greek agenda, the first sweet breakfast option is the very very exquisite, «Baklava French Toast» ($ 14.50). Scattered with little rocks of walnut praline, two enormous slabs of french toast always quite literally turn heads. They come with rather fried surfaces, but always maintain moist insides, and are partnered with a small DIY jar of orange-​blossom honey syrup to assist in controlling or indulging one’s sweet-​tooth as desired. Baklava taste is somewhat elusive, but sweetness is pleasantly pervasive and utterly diabetic-​inducing.
The second sweet breakfast option available are the «Semolina Pancakes» ($ 14.50) with rose jam, yoghurt and orange blossom syrup. They are consistently very fluffy inside, and again, very generous in serving portion. However, the «rose» jam lacks a full-​bodied flavour, and the orange blossom syrup seems increasingly watered-​down on each successive visit of ours.
Demitri’s Feast distinguishes itself from other brunch-​offering cafes in two ways: firstly, an all-​weather courtyard patio area that makes it just so fun to catch-​up with friends, and pretend that one is anywhere but in Melbourne. It is especially far away from the ubiquitous converted warehouse décor of other Melbourne cafes. Secondly, Demitri’s Feast provides a long brunch menu that also keeps in mind insatiable sugary palates. Our only quibble is that due to its neighbourhood popularity, there is usually a bit of a wait for a table… and for food. No matter, we overlook the wait because the service is friendly and the food is just. oh my. A long-​standing, definitive MoMo & Coco sweet breakfast favourite, the Bakalava French Toast is THE ultimate breakfast dessert in Melbourne. If you may beg to differ, do let us know!

So once upon a time (in my dreams) my Greek nonna made me all sorts of delicious things — dolmades, taramosalata, tzatziki, little frittatas, marinated vegetables, lightly grilled flat breads, delicately crumbed and fried calamari with lashings of fresh lemon juice… and she put it all on a plate and gave it to me for lunch.
I sat at a cute little red table on a stool that looked like it was made from an old tomato tin. I sat amongst the bustle, the sounds of pots and pans clattering in the kitchen, laughter from people across the room. Everything was delicious. I mixed and matched, ate the white anchovies mashed in with taramosalata on the bread, the artichokes with the tzatziki… I sat there, happy as could be drinking a long mac to wash it all down and then wondering why I didn’t order a glass of white wine from the short list…
Then I sprung out in to the sunshine filled with food and love and realised that it was all just a dream… well, just the bit about my nonna. The rest of it actually happened.

One hand slapped down on the table the best place in Swan St. Before I knew about Demitri’s Feast I was coming very close to never coming back to Swan St as it is filled with subpar cafes and is trailing behind most of the other main streets in Melbourne. On recommendation I made the journey to Swan St with very low expectations only to be more than satisfied when it came time to pay the bill and leave.
I ordered the smashed avocado which had some of the sweetest cherry tomatoes that I have ever eaten. I am so happy that I have found this place and my whole image of the street has now changed. I hope that Demitri has inspired some competition in the area.

Quite the hidden gem on Swan St, where most of the shops are a little grubby.
This Greek-​centric café offers wonderful ready made lunch options (such as greek meatball pita, spanikopita etc) as well as daily «feast» specials such as free range chicken with honey tahini dressing and spiced lamb chops
The space is rather small and pokey, and the service is half take away, half table, but all in all, a nice brunch option.
They also have a gorgeous selection of homemade sweets, including baklava, turkish delight rocky road, and semolina cake.

I have a thing for French toast, not a fetish, just a like for them. So when I heard Demitri’s had a baklava French toast I immediately made plans for that weekend. We were happy to squeeze ourselves on a pair of stools by the window but were lucky enough to be offered a table as soon as it became free. We sat on greek oil drums, trust me it’s a lot cooler than it sounds.
My friend had her eye on the Semolina Pancakes with sweet yogurt, rose jam, pistachios and orange blossom syrup. However her dreams were crushed, when she was told they had already run out. So two French toasts it was then. After having ordered several coffees and finished the whole lot, our waiter noticed we hadn’t yet received our order. He was so genuinely apologetic, despite the fact we were told it would be a bit of a wait considering how busy they were. He assured us our meals will be out within minutes, and he was right. I honestly didn’t mind waiting, the place really was busy and I could see a constant stream of orders leaving the kitchen. And, by the way, every dish looked enticing. I almost regretted my choice until the plate was placed in front of me.
The bread had been browned just enough so that it crisped up at the edges. A dollop of sweet yogurt sat beside the toast and all was showered with walnut praline. Then there’s the cute little mug of orange blossom syrup, or as I like to call it, nectar of the gods. Surprisingly when it all came together the dish wasn’t overly sweet at all, of course it really depends on how much syrup you pour all over it. The flavours all work, and the portion size was just perfect. I left satisfied and wanting to return again, not sickeningly full and regretting it all.
There’s an outdoor area also, so if you’re lucky enough, try and snag a table out the back and dine in the sun.

I’ve been here a couple of times for breakfast and each time i’ve been extremely satisfied with my selections.
The menu cater’s for the breakfast & lunch diner only & boasts a modern Greek selection of fresh produce, both seasonal & organic with free range options available also.
I ordered the Village Toast which was smothered in green broad beans with feta and a poached egg, drizzled in lemon juice. (Zesty). I’ve also had the Honey Oat Crumble with poached fruit and greek Yoghurt. Yum! I would also recommend the Semolina Pancakes with rose jam, sweet yoghurt, pistachio and orange blossom syrup. Mmm…
The only downside to this hidden gem, is that it’s well known by all the locals meaning if you don’t get there early enough you will be struggling to find a table or feel obliged to leave to beat the rush!
If you get a chance, opt to sit outside in the courtyard the morning sun the coffee is great and the espresso it really packs a punch.

Much like the best of Melbourne’s cafes, at Demitri’s Feast you feel like you mightn’t be in Melbourne at all. Push past the tiny tables crowded by even smaller stools and you find yourself in the courtyard, quietly herded away from the regular hustle and bustle of Swan Street, Richmond.
Here you have only the faint sound of All Press Espresso roasting away, the chatter of other keen patrons and of course the greedy chews and swallows of Melbourne’s best breakfast. So greedy, I might add, that I didn’t have time to snap a photo.
The food landed before me — plump, juicy tomatoes, effervescently green avocado, golden-​charred bread and the woody scent of free-​range bacon (I like to imagine my pigs live happy before I eat them. I’m not an animal). Within embarrassing minutes, the entire meal had melted past my lips. Thankfully I had visited outside the hour of rush (aka rush hour), so nobody got to enjoy the sight of my progressive loss of dignity.
Breakfast was delicious. It always is. And the staff, though constantly under the pump, deliver the deliciousness with a familiar smile, and a wink if you’re lucky. In this case I was not so lucky, I was covered in remnants of food, my hair was a mess and I’m pretty sure I burped more than once at the oncoming waiters.
If you want to maintain a gentle femininity, don’t bother indulging in Demitri’s feast (see what I did there? I turned in the café’s name into what it actually offers. God I’m good). Their servings are wonderfully generous, the flavours are undeniably undeniable, and the atmosphere is quant and Greek with an indescribable air of summer vacation.
So, at the end of all this back and forth, I leave you with this: Is Dem, Is Good.