A Cafe Etc.

A Café has the largest Marilyn Monroe Memorabilia Collection in Australia, even their calling card is an authentic copy of Marilyn’s, California driving license. We sat outside on comfortable retro wood & canvas chairs, enjoying two large lattes, a huge slice of Baklava and a beautiful warm soft delicious fresh made muffin. Very relaxing watching the crowd walk past us, great place if you are a people watcher. Inside has comfortable seating configurations, with the walls adorned with photos of Marilyn. Even though popular and busy, we found the service excellent. For us this was a great find and we will definitely return for breakfast.

A café purely dedicated to Marilyn Monroe. If you are ever in Brighton, this is a place you have to visit if not for the extensive Marilyn Monroe décor for a good coffee in view of the beach.

They got my friend’s coffee order wrong, so waiter came back to our table and said she’d have to pay 60 cents extra to receive the correct order (ie the difference in coffee type price). Petty.

Unfortunately I haven’t had a particularly good experience with this café. The mocha I ordered was bitter and no amount of chocolate or sugar could make it drinkable. My meal was also a bland mixture. My personal review wouldn’t probably marked it as one star, however many at my table were satisfied with their meal so I could have be unlucky.
The atmosphere is quite nice and the staff are prompt and helpful, even when you ask a lot of questions.
Several gluten-​free options available but small in comparison to all that they offer.

I was excited to check out Brighton’s new café strip, as I used to go down there a lot. I check the menu at A Café Etc, think it’ll be good and promptly walk into Marilyn Land. A little overwhelming, folks!
I give my order to the rushed looking and a little bit snappy waitress at the counter and then sit at my table. I open the front page of the newspaper and thirty seconds (maybe?) later my full English breakfast was sitting in front of me. Holy Crap that was quick! I know they’d have a lot of bubbling pots and pans going out there, but something feels a little strange about a thirty second meal delivery. On top of that it was overly greasy and for something that has the feel of a hipster café, wonder white is not the bread of choice.

Nice food, shocking service. Won’t be back.

Good food, but shocking service, I have been there twice in the past month and was served by a little blonde lady who has a terrible attitude, she was very grumpy and unwelcoming.

First of the walls are plastered with images of some famous woman that died in the 50’s, I think her name is Marilyn Manson.
The coffee came careering out which was a good part about this café. Fantastic range of mouthwatering meals for breakfast and lunch, with the backdrop of the extremely chilled out Brighton beach.
These dishes won’t hurt your wallets and will slake any hungry stomach.

Funny but I’ve always referred to this place as Marilyns probably because of the OTT posters and memorabilia all over the walls of this café.
I’ve been here numerous times for brekky and will keep going back but I have to say the food really isn’t brilliant. In fact I’m sure there are far better offerings in the myriad of other cafes on Jetty Road at Brighton. Nevertheless I have friends who like to meet there so it just goes to show it is more about the experience than the taste.
Experience wise, this is a bustling, always busy café with an endless stream of people lining up at the counter to order their meals and coffee. There are a variety of seating areas including tables out front, inside by the front counter and then there are a couple of other areas out back, including a rarely used but really big courtyard area. If you do go out back (that’s where you’ll find the outside loo and yes it is clean) say hello to the two pet rabbits sitting in a hutch. They’re very cute and a big drawcard for the kids.
When it comes to food they do give their customers a king sized serve when it comes to breakfast. I usually go with the Veggie brekky — not that I’m a vego but I find it a little on the lighter side when it comes to calories as there’s less in the way of processed fat ie no sausages and bacon but rather spinach, mushrooms and cooked tomato. While the food is good and plentiful, I totally agree with Michelle’s comments about the temperature of the food. It’s always cool to cold so you should plan to eat quickly.

There is something invigorating about strolling off Jetty Rd, all sandy feet, pups and salty sea smell, into something a cross between a homage and a shrine to the late, great, transformed Norma Jean. I suppose it’s natural that a 50’s American icon will conjure an ambience of 50’s American diner, but in lieu of plastic formica booths you have the just as uncomfortable but more aesthetic option of wooden chairs. I for one can appreciate the voluptuous siren that is Marilyn Monroe, but if you’d prefer not to have a side of billowing-​white-​dress-​over-​a-​grate with your bacon and eggs I’d probably give it a miss. Aforesaid bacon and eggs were not as fabulous as Marilyn, even if I could order them at 2pm which I treasure. My scrambled bum-​nuts were borderline cold, soggy and unseasoned, in fact I spent half the meal shaking more and more salt and pepper onto them trying to salvage the wreckage. Possibly another factor in their cool temperature upon reaching my mouth. If you do come for the novelty factor of the scenery stick to the cakes and icy milk drinks. In a nutshell — 4 stars for the atmosphere, 2 for the food, you do the math!

I’ve been to A Café Etc a few times now and looking at Marilyn Munroe in all sorts of poses while eating a bigger than big cooked breakfast is quite refreshing, I have to say. I’ve always enjoyed going here for breakfast.
My latest visit was for lunch. I have a soft spot for a Caesar Salad (minus the anchovies *yuck*) and despite the constant flow of people at the counter ordering meals, my salad was out in good time. You’d be worried if it wasn’t, right?
It was good. I started to tuck in to it straight away and forgot to get a photo before I started mashing everything together. It all came out fairly separately; bacon still in long rashers and poached eggs wobbling on top, so it needed a little ‘manipulation’ to mix it all together but I know for some people, that can be a good thing.
I would’ve liked the egg whites to be cooked a little longer (see-​through whites make my tummy churn) and although I NEVER thought I would say this, GO EASY ON THE PARMESAN CHEESE! I really do love it but it was as if a whole packet of shaved parmesan cheese was tipped out onto the salad. The croutons were nice. The Berry smoothie was awesome.
Overall, good service. There is seating out the front and a small step up indoors to the café (could be tricky for wheel chairs). If you have a pram, I suggest you sit out the front, the inside can get a little squishy when the walkways are blocked. There is a toilet (and some pet rabbits) in the back area.
I’ll be back, but not for the Caesar Salad… not that it was horrible, just disappointing.
Reasonable pricing.