The Pantry

Beautiful latte! I also recommend the soy capuccino. Too bad their umbrella was broken so we had to cope with the sun.

Amazing service — so fast and food and coffee are excellent. Great atmosphere, crowded but not noisy. Great place for breakfast.

Accidentally came across this one while walking from Brighton Beach to the Mid Brighton train station. Stopped by the Pantry Delicatessen for a lunch snack– they had an amazing range of sweet and savoury take home options. Opted for their Black rice superfood salad which was packed with black rice, kale, spinach, sunflower, pumpkin, kumara and dried fruit. All good, tasty things– very filling, even with it’s smallest size. Friend got their lovely chicken gnocchi which sadly only came in one size but was yum. Came with a tear yourself, paper packet with it’s own wooden knife and fork and napkin– very cute.
Next door is the The Dining Room (restaurant) where we bought drinks. Had their mixed fruit juice (consisting of the neat mix of orange, pineapple, apple and watermelon– refreshing) while friend got the happy chocolate milkshake. Need to return to sit inside and dine in but we were happy to have a brief rest outside at one of their tables along the main Church Street.
Recommend both the Deli and restaurant– really great food as well as staff

Great for breakfast. Was toasty inside away from winter chill. Had the wild mushroom, sage & goat’s cheese on sourdough, loved it! Others also enjoyed meals, staff all on the ball and helpful with our 18m old, nothing was too much trouble. Pretty quick service given it was packed. Couldn’t fault.

The Pantry, for me is always a failsafe spot for a really enjoyable meal. Part of the restaurant empire of the famed chef Pete Evans of Sydney’s Hugo’s, the Pantry attracts an upscale clientele from the surrounding bayside plus more.
You have the option of dining inside or al fresco when the weather is perfect. No, there’s not much of a view as the al fresco looks onto a busy little roundabout, but instead the view comes from the beautiful human and dog parade. Which isn’t such a bad thing after all.
Service is very attentive, right from the moment you are greeted at the entrance until you leave. Noise levels can get incredibly loud inside when it’s packed, and it normally is especially dinner service even during the week so probably best to reserve ahead for dinner. You’d fare better as a walk in at lunch time though it’s busy, the turnaround is pretty quick.
As expected the food and coffee is excellent, they are particularly famed for their blue swimmer crab linguine, and everything you order is presented beautifully. I recently had breakfast there, and ordered up their porridge with stewed rhubarb and added on the grilled banana. Yummy, grilled bananas, what a revelation!
Check out their deli section beside the main dining room, which is accessible from the outside as well. You’ll find an array of top notch gourmet selections here as well as take away food too. Crispy gourmet pizzas can be ordered for take away from the deli from Thursday’s through the weekends only. My personal favs are the cured (yes, cured NOT smoked) salmon with fennel, which comes with a grilled lemon. Also try their chilli prawn and the lamb with lardo for extra kick ask them for extra sliced chilli on it.
Do expect to pay a little bit more, it is Brighton after all.

What can I say about the Pantry? It’s a place that has been opened for a decade, it has seen me grow about 32 cm, and pass through those awkward years of puberty. I have feasted on their decadent thick cut chips, sucked their fresh juices dry, witnessed thousands of menu changes — some good and some bad — but there’s one thing that hasn’t changed… the waitresses are all still blonde.
This place screams typical Brighton, it’s expensive, everyone is rich, the food is family-​oriented and they don’t stay open very late. The food isn’t enormously exciting, but it’s a decent feed for one of those family restaurants. My main problem with the place is the noise levels, which can get out of control. Luckily there’s a decent outside seating area for those who want a bit of peace and quiet.
Can you find better restaurants in Melbourne? Of course. Can you find better restaurants in the area? Probably not. The reason this place is still around is because it continues to beat out the competition.