Trotters

I really like how my Classic Literature bookclub chooses a different place for brunch everytime they meet up. While the organiser does try to find a place that suits the theme of the book that we have been reading, sometimes that may not be possible (due to the lack of Russian restaurants that could hold a decent sized crew — the only one I know if the Crimean, and that is pretty small).
This time it was Frankenstein, though this restaurant wasn’t chosen for that, but rather because it was just around the corner from the theatre where they were all heading off to afterwards to see a filmed production of a recent play based on the book. While it would be tempting to discuss what we talked about, I can always do that elsewhere and I’ll just tell you about this place (which is why I am posting this).
Yeah, it was pretty nice, though I am really going to have to become more adventurous with the type of food that I ordered. I simply went for the big breakfast, while my friend ordered this really nice dish that looked like it was bacon and eggs on toast, but covered with cheese. It wasn’t that my ‘big breakfast’ was bad, by no means, it was great, it was just that hers looked a lot better. Maybe I should simply leave the big breakfasts for when I am wondering through Melbourne early in the morning looking for something to eat.

The quintessential spot to have a coffee after going to Cinema Nova, without the hordes of tourists jostling around you (ala Brunettis style)

I’m amazed that I’ve never been here given that it’s on Lygon st and it’s general proximity to Melbs Uni.
Over the years, I’ve found it hard to actually compare places on Lygon…
Trotters is good but nothing special. The pasta that I got was unfortunately a little bit watery, and not very memorable.

First visit and fist breakfast in Melbourne. 5 Stars for sure. I chose Trotters based on reviews of other breakfast joints in the vicinity indicating most cafes are over Italian, over rated and over priced, kinda like most French restaurants in the U.S. The double espresso was perfect, service was friendly and timely and the Brekkie sandwich was delicious (Bacon cooked just right). Ingredients int the sandwich were tasty and not top quality which mirrored the value (tasty pesto spread and tasty cheese. Trotters was a special treat. Recommended.

Note: It has been just over 2 years since my visit to Trotters, yet I remember it so fondly that I would like to share.
My wife and I travelled to Australia and New Zealand for our honeymoon and, while in Melbourne, we decided to eat our way down Lygon Street. A different restaurant each night. However, once we found Trotters, we loved it enough to go back 3 nights in a row. To be clear, this was NOT because it was the only good restaurant on the street; it was because it was the best restaurant on an incredible food street.
I am a risotto snob. I admit it. If a restaurant is not proud of its risotto and not willing to recommend it to me without reservation, I’m not ordering. The server understood me and make a very strong recommendation. She was absolutely right on. 3 nights, 3 incredible dishes (of which I ate risotto twice (different flavours)).
Trotters: I miss your amazing dishes at very reasonable prices served in a simple décor by happy servers. I will make it back to Oz, and when I do, I will come knocking. Love from Canada!

Now that it has taken over the shop space beside it, Trotters has become one of the better cafes (and restaurants) in the strip of Lygon between Elgin and Grattan. With a warm and moody atmosphere and lovely staff, you can cosy up in a corner and ponder the film you’ve just seen at Nova over a (well made) coffee, or get stuck into a burger or bowl of gnocchi.
The food menu, including breakfast, is very reasonably priced (my vegie burger was $ 16) and made with simple and fresh ingredients. It’s classic home-​style Italian food, good and simple.
One of the reasons Trotters beats Carlton Espresso for me is because, unlike CE, they serve chai tea — a big cup of sweet chai made on soy milk with a sprinkling of cinnamon. Nice and foamy and a good late-​night wind-​down.
Brekkie is served until 3pm and mains from 11.30am. It’s BYO wine only with a flat $ 5 corkage fee, but the wine list is great and there are some nice wines by the glass for under $ 8. A Coopers Pale will set you back just $ 5.50.

There is just nothing bad to say about this place. The breakfast is amazing, the coffee is so good, the décor is unpretentious and the service is impeccable.
I think though it’s the hollandaise sauce that has kept me coming back year after year. It’s kind of amazeballs. This place really captures what Melbourne dining is all about.
Everything is fresh and and the food is straightforward and delicious. Salads, pastas and burgers are menu staples and the portion sizes are generous without being ridiculous.
They take their coffee very seriously here– being in the heart of Melbourne’s own version of little Italy, they kind of have to– and the place is just made for a leisurely meal spent reading papers and people watching.
There is an upstairs dining room too which is a lot more spacious than downstairs and is better for dinner dining, so if you are making a booking request upstairs. Downstairs, try to nab a table right in the front next to the window.

Trotters has recently doubled in size. They took over the shop next door and knocked down the dividing wall — it’s kind of bizarre!
But despite the bigger premises, Trotters remains fairly cozy and still has the wine crate decorations that I love. If anything, the larger space has made for slightly quicker service — it’s not like it could have gotten any slower, I suppose. The menu is unchanged and as basic but reliable as ever — the chorizo gnocchi or any of the breakfast items are always good.
I guess there is nothing outstanding about Trotters, but it still beats most of the other cafes on Lygon Street that are often overpriced, touristy and completely lacking in style and flavour.

I’ve been to Trotters a few times now for breakfast. On each occasion it has been after a big night out and largely the result of the fact that we are hungover and Trotters is round the corner from my friends place (and possibly there aren’t too many breakfast places that end of Lygon street).
The food overall is good but nothing to write home about. The overarching memory on each occasion has been the extremely long wait for food and the service being somewhat lacking. They appear to employ a large number of backpackers/​people with limited waiting experience. Things go wrong and you end up finishing up and walking out of there with an enormous sense of MEH, two stars.
This is of course only based on their breakfast because that’s all I’ve had. The atmosphere of Trotters is pretty nice and the menu has some good options. But be warned about the service. And don’t go there if you are in a rush.

I used to love Trotters because it made the only decent breakfast on Lygon Street and on a Sunday afternoon, hung over and tired, it was a great place to have brunch with a group of friends. About 6 of us would have breakfast and a Coopers Pale Ale to aid our hangover. I have many fond memories of this place, but unfortunately, the fond memories have turned slightly sour…
Service, which has always been on the slow side, is friendly and accommodating. They usually give us the big table upstairs. The food isn’t bad, but just slightly boring — big breakfast with eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, hash browns, etc. I did love the linguini with pork and fennel meatballs in tomato ragu ($ 16.20). However, the last few times I’ve been, the service was discernibly worst and the food was terrible — orders came out separately, orders came out cold, orders came out an hour after we’d order.
If you haven’t been, it probably is one of the better options on Lygon Street, but I won’t be going back anytime soon.