Grub Food Van

Just off a side street in Brunswick, Grub Food Van is best being swept away from the hustle and bustle main street so you can focus on everything they have to offer. It’s eccentric and rustic and different and welcoming all at the same time. There’s that shiny silver food truck van outside, so it’s very hard to miss. The outside bit would be perfect in a warm sunny day, they have carpets on the ground and astro-​turf. Heading inside you get another feel. There’s an indoor garden thing happening, plants everywhere lining the walls and wherever they could squeeze. There’s a fireplace. The tables are different and all are cosy. There are doll heads and children’s toys and bird cages.
Things get even better. The menu is very unique and it’s just been updated with their new winter items, oh my. For drinks, the Hot Toddy was great for me, boozy on the nose, it was cinnamony delicious. Got to sample the kangaroo tar tare, the mushrooms, avocados, sardines, and octopus among others. The mushrooms are yum, the avocado was good, the octopus was scrumptious, and the kangaroo was tasty. For the main, I was in between the salmon, the quail or the rabbit. I was suggested to go with the salmon, and I was a happy camper. (My neighbors having the beef short ribs and mussels and rabbit all said that is where it’s at too!)
As far as desserts are concerned, they have baked goodies that are made fresh daily, when they run out, they are gone. I got the sticky date pudding that was topped with vanilla bean ice cream and came surrounded by the lovely sauce. Oh my gosh, thinking about it makes me wish I could teleport there just for it. Wow, my taste buds and belly were in heaven. It wasn’t overly sweet, the cake was fluffy and flavorful, the sauce only added to everything going on. It went so well together that each scoop I wanted to fit everything onto my spoon. Cake, ice cream and sauce. I was taking it all in and having a moment with my dessert and I couldn’t brag more about how good it was to end my meal and experience here on that sweet balanced note.
Oh and the host for the evening, she was from France and such a doll with us, suggestions, descriptions and being ever so friendly with a loud group of foodie Unilocalers.

Pretty good, although not what you expect from posted Unilocal reviews. First off, it’s easy to find, second, it has both outdoors and indoors. I have not been there for breakfast/​all the meals leading up to dinner time, but evening wise, the drinks, specifically the spirits and cocktails selection is superb. The mushrooms, and octopus dishes are clear standouts, and if you pair the rarebit bechamel sauce goodness, with say a hot toddy or warming winter drink, you’re very much on the right track. The new menu launched recently is not your typical standard find it every where fare, and though it can be a little more challenging to order, all in all the difference is good. Recommnedations in the meat treats department include lamb shoulder, it’s always good, and beef short ‘hunka meat’ ribs.

A little oasis in the heart of Fitzroy. This original café has a delicious selection of food (servings are just the right size, not too big or small) and drinks in a gardenish style. The inside is also very nice but more noisy than the outside part. Service is very good, nice and friendly people. I didn’t get to try the desserts but I think I’ll have to come back to judge the specialties of the house patissier.

The food is delicious and the drinks are on point. Being an American though be aware of you order a coffee they are small in size!

This place is simply so cool. It is one of those places that simply defines modern Fitzroy. From the street it looks like an outdoor eatery with an old van sitting there but if you head down to the back you find an old warehouse that has been converted into a restaurant, complete with this cool table tennis table. In fact if you just sit outside you miss some of the really cool things about this place, such has the collection of snow domes, and the louge areas. As for the food, it is basically a gastro restaurant, which I generally don’t like because the portions tend to be small, though they have an interesting selection (such as a rabbit). However it is certainly some place to check out if you are looking for something different.

Having walked past this place for months without calling in we were so glad when we finally did.
Cannot fault this place at all. The space is really quirky and comfortable-​and you aren’t sitting on top of your fellow diners, which is always a bonus. Plus they have a wood burning stove in the back of the room, so try and get the table next to it!
The menu is quite varied and offers a great sharing selection for lunch. We went for breakfast and had a fantastic meal: the breakfast board and the Grub baked beans.
The board had the most beautiful fresh ingredients and was more than enough for 2, in our opinion. The beans were mixed with ham hock and gave every mouthful a smoky flavour.
The highlight, though, was the crispy eggs on top of the beans-​they were crumbed, but very delicately so and the breadcrumbs were nice and fluffy and not at all greasy.
We also had 2 excellent flat whites.
The staff were great too, and weren’t hounding us to order more drinks or continually checking up on us, which was another positive for us.
Can’t wait to get back here to try out some lunch.

was expecting watering cans. instead i got kettles. :) coffee was gd and the food was even better. am surprised that parents bring there kids here though… there r dolls hanging here n there. I wouldn’t want to b stuck in there in the middle of the night! :) we had this duck confit thing … not on the menu. a friend did the ordering due to the size of our grp. the pototoes and salad we got were excellent. WIR? yep. the neighbouring table order a breakfast thingy… not sure what but looked good! Need to come back to check it out. :)

Great place just off the main drag that is Brunswick st. You can sit indoors or out, and enjoy their delicious food which is super fresh as they are often picking ingredients off the plants indoors. There is also a table tennis table which I’m yet to try. This would be a five star place for me but for some reason I never have good coffee experiences there. Luckily it’s warming up and they have a range of refreshing drinks!

So glad to stumble across this café, hidden off the main bustle of Brunswick St it’s a fantastic sanctuary with space and calm. Really chilled relaxed staff with a great vibe about the place. It’s perfect for a sunny day as there is outside space:) menu is simple but delish and reasonable. Good for groups and those with kids. Would also be a good spot in the evening — I will be back :)

A unique experience is all well and good when attending a restaurant like the Grub Food Van but you have actually go there to understand what unique means in this context. There never was décor like this. Eclectic, bizarre and even downright wrong could be all words to describe what has been done here. But quess what? It all works so well that you instantly feel at home and cannot wait to get stuck into the menus, the coffee, the booze and the service.
Many of the food items are grown directly on site in everything from tubs to hanging baskets and all add to the feeling of ‘fresh is best’. On our visit we had a smattering of tomatoes surrounding our table and when we ordered a Japanese salad, potatoes and leak salad and pork spare ribs, the waiter plucked a handful of ingredients straight from the vines and bushes surrounding us and took then directly into the open kitchen. Not sure if the pork was as fresh as the tomatoes but would not have been surprised. Fresh juices and fab coffee were quaffed with decent house reds and whites and the waiters were extremely friendly and knowledgable. They took great pride in answering our many questions about the caravan come bar that housed all of the liquid refreshments as well as explaining just how the idea of this establishment was born.
You need to place this on your ‘to go to list’ as a matter of urgency and if you are going to visit Melbourne then add this as your must go to restaurant during your visit.

There’s so much to love about Grub Food Van that it’s hard to know where to begin.
For starters is the location: tucked away just off of Brunswick St. on Moor, it’s a world away from the oh-​so-​trendy Fitzroy shenanigans. In a huge lot, you enter by walking through a garden, past tables and chair, and by a vintage silver Airstream trailer with a U.S. map on the side. (Shoutout to Illinois!). If you want to eat outside in good weather — great! Otherwise head into a cavernous (in a good way) interior, replete with potted plants, a ping-​pong table, and crocheted doilies on the tables.
I love taking groups here, as there’s always room. Their large assortment of tables comes with an enormous table that can seat 12 or so, and magically is always free when I bring a crowd.
Oh, and did I mention the food and bevvies? Not only do they have drool-​worthy fresh pastries, but their menu features that most elusive of objects: several items for a mere $ 10. Pretty unusual for Melbourne in general, Fitzroy in particular, and it’s just one more reason it’s one of my fave local haunts.

This place has an awesome layout, great feel, OK coffee, and one of the silliest menus I’ve ever seen. That’s saying a lot in this city full of silly menus.
I was excited to go there for brunch today, and had high hopes from the few times I’ve passed by and the reviews I’ve read.
It is the only place I’ve ever not ordered brunch from because the menu was just so… weird. So take this review for what it’s worth, which isn’t much.
But I really am starting to feel like a pariah in this city — every new place that opens up seems to formulate a menu that looks like a first-​year culinary student’s failed attempt to impress their teacher.
Grub is no different, with a menu that seems hell-​bent on alienating locals like me who just want some effing brunch. This is not a joke, these are literally their menu items: cakes/​tarts/​pastries, toast, breakfast trifle with custard and fruit and jelly, soba & seaweed salad, meatloaf, meat /​rillette /​egg board, buttered mushrooms, blackened corn+avocado+lime+manchego salsa on toast, fillet of fish sandwich, pork neck with celeriac remoulade and pear chutney, terrines of rabbit & prune or pork & rosemary or duck & pistachio, rillette of the day, prawn cocktail sandwich, veg board, «breakfast board» of ham+cheese+egg+avocado+salsa+bread, junior board (smaller breakfast board), or coddled egg with celeriac+speck+soldiers. I repeat, that is not a joke, it’s their actual menu. It’s the type of menu you’d get by repeatedly opening a culinary encyclopedia to random pages and saying «sure, why not?!»
So we have multiple items involving celeriac, rillettes, remoulades, chutneys, AND terrines. Yeah, just not my scene.
Sadly I can’t recommend even the coffee — it was just OK.
I will definitely be back to check out the bar — the place has a great vibe and would be awesome on a warm night.

I visited Grub Food Van between appointments with only half an hour to spare. It was only midday but already full. Granted, it was a sunny day, but I had no idea that it would be so busy… The attentive staff said they would try their hardest to accommodate my brief window of time & accommodate they did. I was out, bill paid & tummy full of delicious mushroom burger goodness in record time.
I’m looking forward to returning when I have more time to spare.
They have an inside area too so don’t let Melbourne’s indecisive weather put you off.
Its a definite yes from me!

Best New Bars 2012
BY SHARKING FOR CHIPS AND DRINKS
I am sick of paying $ 18 plus for a run-​of-​the-​mill cocktail. No matter what your skillset is — don’t try and convince us that 3 – 4 minutes of your time and the ingredients are worth that much. I want a super-​duper experience if I am going to dapple in the dark side of mixology and the prices that come with it. I am as enthusiastic about shabby local bars as I am destination venues and everything in between. One type is not ‘better’ than another, it all just depends on what you are looking for. So how do I recognise if I am in one of these magical places? Community, passion, atmosphere and overall execution. These are a few joints I cherish:
This conservatory-​cum-​bar mysteriously flew under the radar in 2012, but I suspect this summer will see it become a Fitzroy institution due to is table tennis table, friendly shaggy dog and well-​priced drinks and food. The Grub Truck is situated outside and put to good use when the weather allows. Entering through the main doors you are transported into a working greenhouse (magical, to say the least) with paint-​peeling garden furniture set out under umbrellas.

If I let you in on a little secret do you promise not to tell anyone? Good.
Away from the hustle and bustle down the southern end of Brunswick St just off Moor lies the Grub Food Van. With a mid 60’s Airstream sits now dormant as the centre piece of this quiet, cool establishment.
One can bask in the sun, under military inspired camouflage for shading or wander indoors and sit amongst the vegetation that is grown for your consumption. While you’re there why not play some table tennis?
This is a perfect spot for a quiet breakfast. The food menu is tight and no fuss. The coffee is superb. They serve a ‘Chico’: double espresso on ice with cola. Feel like a bit of a kick in the morning? Forget the Bloody Mary, try the Bloody Mark. If they had it their way it would be the new rage. Beetroot, jalapeño and tequila. Bring. It. On.
Lunch is no fuss as well, feel like a beer or a glass of wine? How about a double smoked frankfurt with caramelised onion? Their menu works as a perfect afternoon snack before wandering off to the next part of your evening.
Grub Food Van has been here not even a year. Seeing and experiencing its changes over this time has been rewarding as a customer, I think that’s a good thing.
Remember, let’s keep this one quiet.

Great little place with an oasis feel (one could imagine being out in the dessert somewhere with a broken down trailer and a fridge that barely chills) hidden away on one of the side street between Brunswick and Fitzroy Streets. Before you take a seat out at the sandy front, take a few more steps and it opens up to a whole new place that has all the vibes of a chill out hippie (or in the case of Fitzroy, hipsters) den. There’s even a table tennis table thrown in just to bump the chill factor up by a couple of notches. Ambience aside, would have given it 1 or 2 more stars if only the food menu is more extensive (and offers mighter options). From the soups to sandwiches to cheese/​cured meat platter — they are all a tad heavy for lunch. Still, it’s worth checking out this place just to escape from the ho-​hums (and hobos) of the southern end Brunswick Street. Pick a sunny day, it will enhance your experience significantly!